I am very excited about this new post and to see where it will take me on my journey. First I want to go over a few key points on why I want to do this monthly cost review.
- I have not found any Full-Time RV living cost break downs
- Keep me accountable
- Track my true RV costs
- Show others it might be an option to not only accelerate their FIRE journey but build a more intentional lifestyle.
So here are my true costs.
RV Payment $188
Truck Payment $89
RV Insurance Payment $0
No insurance costs because I paid for the next 12 months in last month’s update.
Truck Insurance $0
No insurance costs because I paid for the next 6 months in last month’s update.
Campground Site $860
This is me staying in two different sites over the month of January. This includes some nights paid for in advance for February. Just easier to track it this way.
Propane $34
This would have been lower if we knew our heater used propane lol.
Gas $306
Gas well we rarely use the generator anymore. That is right we are basically up and running with solar now. Yet we still use gas in the good old truck. Well, we took the RV and truck on a 10-day adventure which means more gas usage. So not bad overall.
Misc $352
Well, things can tend to come up when you live full-time in an RV. This month it was a few pieces for the solar and a bicycle rack for the RV. It also included getting a new side sheet of metal re-attached. Long story short backing a trailer into a vehicle is not a good thing. Another side note don’t be an asshole and park your car in front of a site someone pays for while you are on vacation so you don’t have to pay to park your vehicle at the airport.
Total Costs – $1,637
Well, another month down and the spending is down as well. Month two and I’m still way ahead financially compared to my apartment so far. I foresee the costs slowly coming down. Right now we had a few big costs come up that are not a regular occurrence.
I’m still enjoying the lifestyle and honestly, it’s nice to have less and see what you really value in your life. It’s giving me another unique view of consumerism and how people stay broke and how they struggle to make their dreams come true. I’m not sure how long this chapter will last. Right now we are not sure if we will keep doing this after I hit FIRE in about 4.5 years.
On an even better note, our solar is 99% up and running at this point. Still have some cleaning up to do with the wires and right now still looking for a final solution for our outlets. Basically, everything is running on solar accept them due to they are not hard-wired into our inverter. There are a few solutions we can do but just have not had the time nor energy to really dig into that final piece to the puzzle.
I really can’t encourage enough people to really try and look into alternative living as a means to make your life simpler and a better bang for your dollar. The RV life can be simple and somedays I’m having to do a little work on her. Right now I’m doing more preventative stuff like getting rid of rust and painting.
I’m still new to the lifestyle and still adjusting and honestly still going through things as I find things I don’t value and donating or throwing them away. I can’t wait to see where it takes me.