Is Fulltime RVing Affordable?

Leaving on our fulltime RVing adventure!

So, is fulltime RVing really affordable? That is a heavy handed question as it will vary from person to person, and according to the lifestyle they choose to live. I will admit it can be a fun lifestyle, full of amazing places to see and bring the wow factor from your family and friends. At least our kids are envious of us! But there are expenses I would like to bring up as I was somewhat surprised when they occurred to us, and they can to you as well. Careful planning and being conservative will go a long way to help your fulltime RV adventure to be successful and a lot of fun!

We are going to talk about the top expenses we have incurred such as vehicle, groceries, phones, internet and insurance. Plus, I will offer some tips on how to save money!

The authors posing in front of their setup, Meeker, Colorado.

Gas and other vehicle expenses: I think this one has been the most hardest and expensive for us, especially as gas prices have gone up. We do have an unusual setup, which does cost us more than the average fulltime RVer. We have a semi that pulls our travel trailer, plus a Ford Bronco that sits on a flat bed of the semi. Since diesel is so HIGH, our semi diesel bill has doubled since we started. So traveling is limited to keep our gas down. Our Bronco gas bill has also doubled, so careful planning for local fun trips are done.

Since the cost of filling up the semi is high, we tend to travel a little bit at a time and stay at a place for a while, like maybe more than a month. The longer you can stay camped, the cheaper it will be and I will get into that more later. Whether you boondock, which is dry camping, or go to a paid campground, when you stay for up to a month or more, it will stretch your savings in gas, wear and tear on your setup.

It is not necessary to have a semi to pull your RV! It is a better fit for us, however, you pick what is right for you and your family. There are so many trailers out there and you will have a vast choice to choose. One piece of advice I have is pay off any of your debt, including your trailer and pull vehicle, if you can. Buy used as it will be cheaper for monthly payments. The less debt or no debt you have when you start fulltime RVing, the easier living this type of lifestyle will be! That is the point of fulltime RVing: relaxing and not worrying how you are going to pay your bills.

Vehicle insurance is another expense that will cost you more than when you lived in a home. It is important when you are looking for vehicle and RV insurance to let the agent know you are fulltime RVers. If you do not, and if you have an accident, you may not be covered. We have Progressive and pay for it annually, which saves us some money. That may be an option for you. There are all kinds of insurances out there, but do tell them you are a fulltime RVer. You will have peace of mind I promise you.

Down below I will share with you how to save on your vehicle and RV insurance, plus registration for all your vehicles!

A rare and expensive find, mineral water!

Groceries: This is another challenge for us. We have food sensitivities/gluten issues, so buying food can be a little more expensive. We also go to a health food store for veggies, facial products and mineral water. I am totally addicted to mineral water! Each town we have visited have different types of grocery stores, from the small mom and pop ones to the big box store, Walmart. Sometimes groceries are higher priced than the big city because it takes longer to get shipments there (more gas and time for the drivers to get there). And do not forget the non-food items, like tissue, facial cleansers, cleaners, as these products really could add up on your grocery bill.

An “oops” photo by my cell phone.

Cell Phones: Who cannot live without a phone these days? Once upon a time, we had landline phones only and life was good. But now we have come dependent on cell phones that most of us need one, whether it is a smart phone or a flip phone, a phone is a phone. And with that comes the charges for cellular service. It is wise to have at least 2 different cell phone carriers. The reason being that if one cell phone does not have service, most likely the other one will. If you have vehicle issues and need to call for help, at least one phone is better than none! Cell phone service is not cheap unless you have multi lines on one carrier. Remember what I said about carriers? Even if you camp in an area where there is limited cell service or no service (happened to us many times), you will still be charged the same amount for cell service. Verizon and AT&T (in that order) are the top two cell carriers a lot of fulltime RVers use. But do your homework and see what carrier will suit your needs best.

Internet: you love it, for the connection it brings; you hate it, for the connection it does NOT bring. Alas, this is another service that we do need. Even to watch something on streaming tv, you need internet, and not only for social media. I will be honest and say internet service STINKS out there! It will not be as good as you had it when you lived in a stable dwelling, not something on wheels moving around the country. People use a variety of ways to connect: hot spots, cellular, satellite, or crossing their fingers in hopes of having a signal. Hot spots are good if you want to briefly check your mail, but they do not last long. Internet browsing requires a lot of gigs (gb). Cellular is something we use. We have two sim cards from Verizon and AT&T. We also have a router for the sim cards to go into. As long as we can attain a signal we will have service, maybe some buffering, but service. The signal in the area you camp in will determine how you get WIFI. Some people spend hundreds of dollars for WIFI service, but there is no guarantee. Another suggestion I have is if you need WIFI for your job or something else, go to a local library or a coffee shop that provides free internet. Check out this link to find out more about routers and how they could help you with internet service! And there is a new business in town: Starlink! We are going to look into it ourselves as the service has been widened greatly, plus they have service for us fulltime rvers! But I have heard service is so much better, not perfect, but better than most internet providers. Click this link to find out if Starlink is for you!

Pretty wildlife preserve in Nebraska.

Health Insurance: When I was in my 20s, I did not have health insurance as it was very expensive, but I was young and felt healthy and did not need it. Now that I am older, I do have health insurance, and it is still expensive, and I feel I need it now. Health insurance is expensive. If you are lucky enough to have employer insurance that is paid for, good for you! A lot of people tend to flock to “medi share” health care programs, where you pay so much per month for a policy and it is grouped together with others, to help one another out, besides yourself. There is the old standby of Healthcare.gov, or the Marketplace. My husband is on Medicare, but I am not that age yet, so I was able to attain insurance from my husband’s company as “Retiree Insurance.” If you have that opportunity, I would advise you to look into it. Overall, it is your choice whether health insurance is right for you or not.

Full hookup camping at its finest!

Campgrounds vs. Dry Camping: What type of camper are you? Do you prefer the sanctuary of a paid campground, where you are surrounded by people and not wild animals (although they might step into a campground)? Where you have FHU (full hook-up) and not have to worry about running out of your batteries, filling up the water tanks or dumping the stinky black tank? Then a paid campground will be for you! You will have amenities such as, laundry rooms, swimming pools, maybe a hot tub, activities, even a cafe. There is a price to pay for this stuff, and unfortunately, it is high lately. Sometimes a $100 per night! But it can be helpful if you do not want to keep traveling around, finding another camping spot over and over. If you can, find a campground that is off peak, or off season, and the rates may be cheaper.

Boondocking in pretty Sundance, Wyoming.

Or do you prefer to be in the middle of nowhere, have not close neighbors (except possibly wild animals), peace and quiet and the challenge of finding places to take care of your trailer’s needs? I would suggest Campendium for a start to look at campgrounds, fee based and also free camping (boondocking) on BLM land, or Bureau of Land Management or National Forestry. The western part of the U.S. has a lot of BLM land to camp on for free. Yep, I said for free. But, and there is always a “but,” you have a limited time to stay, usually 14 days, then you need to move on. If you like the challenge of finding camping spots and do not want to stay long in one spot, then boondocking, as this is boondocking or dry camping, will be for you! On Campendium you can find free camping and campgrounds that are not free. Plus you can find reviews that are very helpful when traveling to a new destination.

Here are a couple of “FREEBIES,” or advice I want to share to help you save even more money on your FULLTIME RV ADVENTURE!

Quartzsite, Arizona, popular for fulltime RVing!

Freebie 1: There is a popular place in Arizona, in Quartzsite that offers BLM land for $180, plus tax for 6 months. This is called LaPosa Long Term Visitor Area, or LTVA. Click this link to find out how LTVA can save you a bunch of money! The fee is to help cover the cost of free water, dump and garbage for the people who stay on this land. Opened from September 15th (you do not want to go at that time as it is still very hot) and closes April 15th (you will want to start looking up north for cooler areas as it is getting hot at that time). Lots of people flock to this camping destination as it saves fulltime RVers a lot of money. You either love or hate Quartzsite. I think people should experience it once to see what their feelings are. The famous Big Tent Show starts sometime in January and lasts for a week or 2. After that, it does get boring in the small town. They do have vendors that stay for the season. It is a very small town with little to see, so I would advise to check it out and find what you can do.

Freebie 2: Okay, here is the moment you all have been waiting for: how to save money on vehicle insurance and registration! Plus even change your residency could effect your taxes and social security where it could save you more money! There are 3 states that help fulltime RVers afford this traveling lifestyle by saving them money: South Dakota, Florida and Texas. We have our vehicles registered in South Dakota with insurance as well. It has saved us a lot of money. Plus we did not have to go to South Dakota to do any of it! We had someone else do it right in South Dakota! Read on:

We use Americas Mailbox, located just outside of Rapid City, South Dakota. They have trained professionals that will guide you through the registration process. You first contact Americas Mailbox or look at their website. Click here to go directly to the vehicle registration. You will need to download the documents to register all your vehicles and RV. This will take some time so patience will be required. Follow the instructions on the website and contact them if you have questions. Also, they have an agent they work with for vehicle and RV insurance. Click here to find out how to save on your insurance!

You do not have to become a resident of South Dakota to do any of this! But if you want to, just camp on their campground (they have one behind their office) for one night and you automatically become a resident. Click here to find out how you can camp on the Americas Mailbox campground! You will change your drivers licenses to South Dakota too. Their taxes are cheaper there and it may help you with your taxes. But again, you do not have to become a resident of South Dakota if you do not want to!

If you need health insurance help, they also have an agent you can talk to help you out. He is very nice and so helpful! He advised us on our health insurance and I think without his knowledge, we would not have known what to do.

If you need to have your mail forwarded, check out the low rates at Americas Mailbox. You will need to have a mailbox to use all their services. They have a variety to choose from; choose what will suit you the best.

There are so much more about if fulltime rving is affordable and I just touched the surface. Everyone is different with different needs and wants, so there is not a one size fits all.

Check out this blog about Work Camping and what work camping is about and how it could help you afford the fulltime rv lifestyle!

Visiting the Wyoming/Montana border and having a blast!

Fulltime rving can be affordable if you take the time to plan well with your finances, eliminate unnecessary expenses, have enough income coming in, and enjoy the journey!

How did you afford fulltime rving and what advice can you give us?