The economic advantage to the RV Lifestyle

By Bob Difley

When it comes to financing our passions, we RVers are among some of the luckiest people on earth. Compare our RV lifestyle with the way most of the rest of the country lives. When you live in a house, you can pretty much predict what your monthly expenses will be. Mortgage, car payments, club dues, gasoline for the commute, food, etc. They don’t change much. But when times get tough–like now and for the past couple years–how do you pare expenses to compensate for a drop in wages, maybe a loss of a job, and falling stock prices slicing away at investments?

Now consider the advantages of the RVer. About the only static major expense is the payment on your rig, which if you were lucky enough to start fulltiming, you sold your big house and bought your dream rig for cash. Now when times get tough, you can easily–and instantly–make adjustments to your “out go” to keep finances in check until the inevitable turn around.

For instance, look at the following ways to trim your RV Lifestyle expenses. You may find that some are much easier to do than others, and may actually free up some “play” money even when there is no financial crunch to deal with–and maybe even be more enjoyable.

• Move from pricey full service RV resorts to “back to nature” primitive forest service or BLM campsites for several days a month. Two nights at a forest service campground at $10/night could save $30/night or $240/month.
• Try boondocking–rent free–a few days a month to save campground fees. Two days of boondocking a week could save as much as $40/night, or $320/month. Boondock even more and you could save a bundle–and maybe even like the open space more than crowded resorts.
• Reduce your fuel bills by staying longer where you are. Explore the area more fully by walking, riding bikes, or driving your mileage-friendly toad–before moving on.
• Get better mileage when you do move on by driving at 55 mph instead of 70 and traveling shorter distances. You’ll see more and arrive at your next campsite more relaxed.
• Cook in rather than eating out. You can prepare more healthy dishes, just the way you like them, and save money over expensive restaurants.
• Find out where and when the local farmers markets are and shop for the freshest, healthiest, and best tasting food you can buy–and at direct-from-farmer-to-you prices.
• When you do eat out, look for small ethnic restaurants and mom & pop eateries on side streets, instead of those in the high rent–and high price–district like those in tourist areas and along major highways.
• Choose campgrounds and national and state parks away from urban areas with natural–and free–attractions like hiking trails, scenic drives, and fishing lakes.

No other style of living can offer so many choices, whether you need to hunker down for a bit, or you feel flush and decide to stay at the best RV golf resort and drink champagne every afternoon at cocktail hour. With RVing, the choice is yours.

These and many more ideas for saving money can be found in my newest eBook, 111Ways to Get the Biggest Bang for Your RV Lifestyle Buck.