For now, I'm sitting in the laundry at the Salina KOA with another camper and a young aspiring songwriter who's capturing her lyrics with crayon in a coloring book while Spongebob Square Pants blares on the TV. Seems like as good of time as any for a quick blog post. There have been many subjects I've been meaning to write about. But, seriously, there just hasn't been enough time!
This subject was inspired by soon-to-be fulltimer Dee, who asked how our expenses are working out since we've been on the road. We'll cross the two-month mark very soon (already!), so I'm happy to provide a very newbie report on the subject.
Of course, this is just one couple's experience. There's nothing right or wrong about it. It simply is the way we've approached things. And our approach is just one of the infinite possibilities out there.
In the process of budgeting our monthly fulltiming expenses, we decided a couple of things. First, we wanted to err on the high side. Second, we didn't want to try to do this on the cheap. Now, don't get us wrong. We like to save a buck anywhere we can, but we wanted to give ourselves plenty of breathing room, and not ever feel like we're really pinching pennies. After all, our mission in fulltiming is to explore and enjoy life!
So how are we doing so far? We're very pleased to report that we are just under budget.
What have we learned about managing our expenses so far? Lots!
Fortunately, our two biggest expenses so far are the two things we can most easily control: fuel and campground fees. With 16 stops in our first two months, we have really been on the move. Most of the time we're paying the daily rate at campgrounds, which means we're not getting a break there. And, as we've learned, every time we fire up the moose we're buying gas. And, even though gas is much less expensive here than it was on the coast, it's still a big expense. September will be very interesting because we'll be parked in one spot and enjoy our first ever monthly rate for camping. Of course, we're also planning to have a bit of maintenance done on both vehicles. So, we'll see how that works out.
We've had a few one-time expenses that we're attributing to just getting started with this lifestyle. After all, we didn't know we needed an air compressor. But, we're sure glad to have one. The lesson learned for us in that is there are always going to be things you don't think of and expenses you don't plan for. By budgeting more than we realistically think it will take to live this lifestyle, we have room for things like that.
It's early. But, so far our budget seems to be working out just fine. With a couple months just about under our belts, we're actually ahead in the game of managing our expenses. Most importantly, we're not worrying about it.
Our advice for future fulltimers out there: When it comes to your monthly budget, aim high!
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4 comments:
Great post today.... It pretty much sums it up. It is something each fulltimer has to deal with... and what they can do. We have been full timing for 5 years now and it has gone very well for us. There will always be something come up that you don't plan on so you need to be prepared. Thanks for all your info!
Have Fun & Travel Safe
Donna
You're absolutely right on the money (pun intended). We are now entering our third year and there continues to be "one time" expenses. Computers need to be upgraded, things like inverters (for us in fivers) get added to the package, etc. Our first two years we spent about three grand a year on upgrades (some planned for and others cropped up as time progressed). The third year it was just a few hundred dollars. Now for the fourth year it's going to be upgrading our internet connectivity, a new digital camera, and some electrical upgrades to the RV. Somewhere in the future there's two new kayaks. Anyway, as you said, when it comes for budget - aim high.
great job on the post today mary!!once again you gave us something to else to think about....glad to hear that all is well in Kansas!!!..purging time at the Bidniaks!!!
Thanks so much for the budget! We're aiming high, but we're already finding out we need this and that, so hopefully we'll get it all before we quit work. What a wonderful post.
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