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May 2016 was a high expense month due to the cost of the RV windshield replacement. We were able to cut our expenses in other places to offset the cost. Our daily expenses came in right under $100. If we subtract the windshield cost, our daily cost would have been around $73.
To view all reports, RV Living Costs: Full Time in a Motorhome for One Year.
Full Time RVing Costs: Motorhome Edition – May 2016:
Total Expenses: $3,090
Cost Per Day: $99.68
Total Miles Driven: 1,626
Generator Hours: 9
Jeep MPG: 17
RV MPG: 6.5
Nights At RV Parks: 14
Nights Spent Dry Camping: 17
Meals Eaten Out: 9
Expenses
Our total expenses were $456 higher this month compared to last month ($3,098 vs $2,642). Fixed costs remained the same.
Here are a few notes about our expenses this month compared to previous months:
Food costs (groceries, eating out, coffee and alcohol) continue to decrease. We spent a total of $267 in April, a decrease of $116 from April. Being sick for a good part of May meant we didn’t go out as much. We also stayed with friends about half the month. This meant we were treated to many tasty homemade meals. Their hospitality, also helped keep our expenses down.
Dog expenses were high in May. We stayed in a hotel while we were getting the windshield replaced and paid a $25 pet fee. Leo had to go to the vet for a check up and blood work. The bill was $120. Don’t worry, he received a clean bill of health.
RV expenses skyrocketed due to the RV windshield replacement. To read more about our experience read our post on RV window repairs and replacement.
RV park costs were $120 for four nights. 10 nights were complimentary at the Newmar factory. Note: the campground is provided for customers getting work done at the factory or picking up their new coach.
We spent most of May roaming between Illinois and Indiana. This resulted in 623 miles on our gas coach. The Jeep Wrangler had over 1K miles put on it because we were often camped far away from places we wanted to visit. We didn’t have to run the generator very much and only put nine hours on it.
Miles on the RV: 623 – avg mpg 6.5 (647 fewer miles in May compared to April)
Miles on the Jeep: 1,003 – avg mpg 17 (283 more miles in May compared to April)
Below is the breakdown of fixed and variable costs.
Lessons Learned:
Some things we learned this month that we’d like to pass along.
Full time RVing is a roaming reunion. May was spent reconnecting with friends and family. As much as we enjoy meeting new people on the road, there is something comforting about seeing old friends. Being at a dinner table with 10 people is something we haven’t done since we hit the road. The experience reminded us of how great it is to share a meal with loved ones.
Have a back up plan when you get sick. Driving with a bad cold is not fun. For one week, we did not feel well enough to drive our motorhome. This meant we had to look for a place to camp until we felt better.
To view all reports, RV Living Costs: Full Time in a Motorhome for One Year.
Saw you all when we dropped off our motor home at Camp Newmar and checked out your blog. Sounds like you all are having a great adventure without spending a ton of money. I do wish you would point out in your blog that the complimentary full hook up camping at factory RV repair centers is for customers only and not available to anyone. Newmar offers this amenity to folks who need to stay in their coach before and during repairs. It isn’t a place you can just go and stay. Hope you both have happy and safe travels ahead. It will be fun to follow your journey!
Hi Kelli. Thank you for following along! I added a note above about camp Newmar. Hope to meet you down the road.
You say that you travel without reservations most of the time and I am wondering if that is much of a problem. We are newbies and just about to set out in our new fifth wheel. It is scary to think that we won’t be able to find a place for the night if we wait until the last minute. We are in the east and will be traveling from NC to ME.
Hi Gladys! What an exciting time! We’ve always been able to find a place to spend the night and even wintered four months in Florida without making any reservations. The big reason we were able to do that was because we do a lot of dry camping. If you haven’t had a chance, check out the post I wrote about dry camping and it lists all the options we’ve found. One App we love is Allstays Camp & RV and we use it all the time to find camping options nearby. Hope this helps and once you start living on the road, you’ll get a better feel of whether you prefer to plan ahead with reservations or wing it like we do most of the time. See you on the road!
I have had the Good Sam extended warranty for several years, not sure if it is worth it. If I had to do it over again I would look at a powertrain warranty ( wholesale warranty} only so your engine and transmission are covered. If the air conditioner goes out just buy a new one for 500 or 600 dollars. Under Good Sam there is a 250.00 deductible then they don’t pay for diagnosis so you would pay at least 350 out of pocket anyway then you have a monthly payment.. mine is 150.00 so now you have paid the same as buying a new AC outright. They have many ways to deny or delay. We had a Dometic Convection oven that went out, they denied the claim said coverage is only to repair not replace even though the shop said it was not repairable.. I was able to negotiate a payment of 500 when I told them I could go into Home Depot and buy one (GE Profile) and install it myself. I think a savings account at 150.00 a month would be better than paying Good Sam. Safe Travels.
Thanks Ray, that’s great advice and is something that we’re contemplating.