Great video with lots of useful info. Cool filter hack. Your first year will be more expensive as you're still in vacation mode. 17,000 miles in a year is a lot! When we started out we were traveling about 8-9,000 miles a year, but we've discovered how to see the sights moving much less. Last year we visited 11 states, yet only drove our motorhome 4,500 miles a year. That oner change will reduce your costs quite a bit. We were excited for finally be living our dream and thought we had to see everything right away. In reality we have the rest of our lives to see this great country, and we found that if we move too often, we miss a lot of things in the area. Three years ago, we took 5 months to boondock through the SE corner of Utah, visiting the mighty 5 NPs and most of the state parks, national monuments, etc. and still didn't get to see everything in just this one corner of the state! We'll be going back next year to hopefully catch some of what we missed. Two years ago, we boondocked through Colorado for 5 months. Same thing. We have to go back and see the 2/3rds of the state we missed. So, my best advice is to slow down and smell the roses a little more. You'll be happy you did. We save money by boondocking most of the time. For example, we boondocked for 10 months last year. We try to avoid RV parks, preferring dispersed camping on BLM and Forest Service land, though we sill sometimes stay at Forest Service and COE CGs where we can stay for 1/2 price with our America the Beautiful senior pass if it's near the attraction we want to visit. When we do stay at RV parks, we pay the monthly rate, or we don't stay there. I was only in the Army for 9 years so don't qualify to stay in any Fam Camps, but I heard that they are not that cheap anyway. If you like to winter over in S. TX, there's a little RV park in Los Indios, near Brownsville that's from $170-$200/mo. plus electricity. We found another park near Falcon Lake State Park called the Falcon County Park where you can stay as long as you like for free. It has free water hookups, free dump station use and free hot showers, but no electrical hook-ups. But what do you expect for free? Of course, the best deal going for wintering over in a warm safe place is the LTVAs around Quartzsite, AZ/Imperial Dam, CA, where a 7-month permit is only $180 (86 cents/day). This includes free water, dump and trash disposal. BTW I stayed a night at that RV park in Oakley, KS last year heading to The Badlands Wall. It was pretty hokey alright. We retired 5 1/2 years ago, sold everything, bought a 1999 National Tropical Class A for $15k, hitched our little Chevy Cobalt SS behind us and hit the road, living on our meager social security retirement and a small pension, but debt free. We started out with a 620w liftable solar array on the side of our coach and a couple of cheap golf cart batteries. We traveled with the seasons, like the song says, "Living where the weather fits our clothes." Like you guys, we used to chase 70 degrees. The downside of a small solar/battery system like this is we had run our generator for a couple hours almost daily to live a normal life. This is smelly, noisy and not cheap given the price of gas, maintenance and repairs. Nevertheless, we've been living this lifestyle for about 1/3 of what it cost us to live in our S&B home. It probably costs less than 1/2 of what it would cost to live in RV parks all the time too, even membership parks like TT - not to mention how living in RV parks, all lined up with other campers like sardines in a can would cramp our style. Since we committed to this lifestyle, we decided to expand our solar system so we could boondock in more places in "shoulder seasons." Now we live off grid just like we were plugged into a power pedestal at an RV park, entirely off the sun. We haven't run our generator even once since we installed our big system (except to exercise it, of course.) BTW, we only pay $1,000 a year to insure both our motorhome and toad - as they are so old and not worth much anymore (like us) through Geico. We spend $60/mo. AT&T for WiFi through FMCA. It's not the fastest, but allows us to stream hi-def free TV through Roku, Netflix movies, etc. so it suits our needs. Mounting our 620w array on the side of our coach allowed us to rack 8, 550-watt panels (4,400 watts of solar) 15" off the roof of our coach. Not only do the panels run cooler, producing more power, but our RV stays cooler inside too as we bring our own shade with us, wherever we go. We now enjoy 5,020 watts of solar and 23.5kwhs of LiFePo-4 batteries (the equivalent of 18, 100ah Battleborns). Since we designed and built everything ourselves, including our batteries, we saved lots of money, so were able to afford a high-efficiency EG-4 mini split heat pump for 24/7 A/C and heat when needed, using about 1/3rd the power of our soft start equipped, Furrion, front rooftop A/C. Our entire system, with everything, including our heat pump, only cost us around $11,500 to build ourselves. A system this size would cost at least 2-3 times this much to have a professional solar installer build it for us. Where there's a will, there's a way. This gives us lots of flexibility too. We're visiting family in NC now, where boondocking places are hard to find. We're staying in an RV park here, in a spacious no hook-up site for only $100/mo., saving $500/mo. off their normal FHU rates. Our total annual FT budget is around $33k, but our actual expenses run around $30k out of $44k in retirement income, allowing us an adequate emergency fund without dipping into savings. Life is good. We could do it for less, but we like to go to local restaurants and micro-breweries, so we eat out a lot.
Wow, that was a great video. Jackie has a beautiful sincere smile which brings joy to it even though it’s not a fun subject. RV travel is a trade off and you are seeing places you have never seen before. I hope you can continue as long as you like. Best wishes.
Love the breakdown. I myself am about to retire from the Army, and my wife and I are looking into full timing. It's funny that you bought the Brinkley toy hauler and have two bikes. We are looking at the model G 3950 and also have two bikes. Looking to travel the US and ride along the way.
Hi folks! Thanks for sharing your travel expenses. We plan on getting the Z3400 next year and head out full time. We really appreciate learning about your experience with the Brinkley and we look forward to hearing more stories on how the Brinkley toy hauler works for you! Enjoy your travels!
I appreciate you guys sharing and helping to teach some of us. Considering full timing and a Brinkley. It’s amazing when people did what we are considering and help to pave the way! Also my hubby and I ride as well and know that there is a motorcycle community, now to hopefully one day become part of the RV community is comforting knowing there are folks like you guys, the Hanks( they crack us up) Chad/Tara , Victoria and hubby❤
@@Monica-v8t Monica! Being included in the list of RV couples by you might just be our best compliment ever!!! We love making the videos and we are so glad if anything we put out helps! Yes we welcome you guys! Get out, live life!
@ look forward to watching all your prior content as it seems informative and helpful. Will be looking for help when we get going. Looking forward probably early to mid 2025. 🤞🏼selling home and looking for the freedom. Understanding that it’s trading one type of freedom for another. One we are willing to trade. Thanks again, I know sharing means dealing with both positive and negative feed back. Positive vibes only. Stay safe!
Just found your channel, subscribed. We are both retired military and full timing! You wouldn’t believe what prices up in New England are during the summer. Crazy
Great video Cuz! and thanks for dinner! Thought those delicious ribs might have made the video. Glad to see you guys are having great adventures! Can't wait to catch up again!
Desperate to find out this kind of info, Thank You. Single retired and headed towards FT Rving and this info is gold! Watching 'TV' over the internet never occurred to me, other than Netflix
@@chris31215 hope it helps! Thank you for watching. Yes! We use sling TV. I mean we are out in the middle of nowhere. There is zero TV signal. Using Starlink we can access all of our regular shows and news.
Welcome to Canada, love your t-shirt. A beautiful place is Banff if you come back again. My husband and I love your details of information. My husband and I plan to retire in a few years and purchase a Brinkley. We have been doing research for the past year. We figure $1500 is a good budget for campgrounds. We don’t need a lot of amenities. Thanks so much for your information, we greatly appreciate it. 🇨🇦
@@lisaconsoli1968 we loved our visit to Canada! It was really fun because neither of us had been before. Waterton was beautiful! $1500 will set you up nicely for sure. Thank you for watching and supporting us!
Just found your channel and subscribed. Nice job on your video! $5400 per month is not bad considering that you get to see and experience some amazing places and get to create awesome adventures! BTW …Thank you for your service!
@@albertoparra8870 Thank you so much for watching and subscribing! Yes, we have gotten some grief about spending $5400 dollars a month but what an amazing month it was! Yellowstone and glacier! Our original goal was to get out and live life 100% and it was my honor to be able to serve!
Just discovered your channel. Throughly enjoyed this video. I’ll go back and watch the others. Your budget sounds very similar to ours. Of course we could and should do better but are enjoying ourselves. We are not full timers though, but rather travel for weeks or months at a time. We will always own a S&B home though. Our home is an appreciating asset, and our rig a depreciating asset. Now that we’re no longer in the workforce if we chose to sell our home and had to stay stationary due to health or some unforeseen circumstances, we would likely not qualify for another mortgage. As much as we love to travel we also love where we live. I look forward to seeing your videos and happy and safe travels from a new subscriber.
@@maitildamcintyre9344 Welcome and thank you so much for watching and subscribing! I get where you are coming from. We will have S&B again one day for sure. We want to travel this beautiful country for a few years first. I’m blessed to have VA benefits which will definitely help when we decide to buy another home. We are glad you are here on our journey with us!
The Blue Angels Military Campground in Pensacola is on the water and the best part is the dolphins that come visit quite often! Just subscribed and can’t wait to hear more about your adventures!
@@suglover9256 I was just looking at that campground yesterday! I’ve all but given up on trying to visit south Florida this winter. Thank you for watching!
Glen Rose…..sorta home base for us. We stay at Oakdale Park; it’s over a century old built in 1925 with the largest private pool at that time..330,000 gallons And is the only private RV park listed on The National Register of Historic Places. Not expensive, across from the Paluxy River (only undammed river in Texas). And can walk to town. We’ve full timed in 5th wheel for 4 years. We eat out way too much. Your expenses sound about average and even a bit below for folks who really travel as opposed to 6 months here and 6 months there. Have done 38 states at this point. Happy Trails….
Rosie and I have a home, but we are on the road in our Brinkley Z about seven or eight months a year. We don't spend anywhere near what you guys do. Of course, lifestyle is different for everyone. We have never paid for TV. We rarely eat at restaurants. We are both good cooks. We boondock or stay in low-cost places a lot. Last winter we stayed in the LTVA outside of Yuma for 185 dollars for 7 months. My entertainment is mainly music. I have fished off and on while we travel but that was mainly on our three trips to Alaska. Anyway, different strokes for different folks but the RV life does not have to be nearly as expensive as you paint it. Plus, in retirement a tip we live by- go into it debt free and stay debt free. Travel safe guys. Burlington Bii busking on the road and here on you-tube.
@@chasing70degrees23 There is a dump station and fresh water nearby. I use a 35-gallon Blueboy once a week to empty black. I fill a 67-gallon bladder with fresh and pump it into the Brinkley. I made a system to pump water from a past camper pump to take the stress off the Brinkley's pump. I installed a second 370-watt solar panel and along with four Battleborn Bat. and a 3,000-watt inverter we have ample power because as you know we get a lot of sunshine in Arizona. Travel safe. I'm enjoying your channel. Burlington Bill busking on the road and here on you tube.
Thanks for sharing. It's interesting to hear what other Fulltimers are spending. We've been doing it since 2018 and have found that our monthly expenses can vary so much depending on where we are in the country and how many activities we do in the area. But like you, fuel is always a huge expense for us because we still move around a lot. Although it's a lot cheaper now that two of our three kids are out on their own.
Great channel! Really enjoyed watching. If you are in the South, check out the Corp of Engineer campgrounds. Very nice and very cheap. 50% off with a National Park Pass. Some are as low as $11/night. They are normally lake side or along a river. Just beautiful. Weekends are hard to get in but through the week is much easier.
Thank you for watching! Yes, we definitely need to check out more COE and BLM lands. It is all weather dependent though. Boondocking for us is not always worth the discount.
Thank you for this episode! We are about to set off on our adventure of full time RV life also knowing nothing! Loved the tips, and we feel ya on not necessarily wanting to drive across CA 😂
@@TheSwellestEllis awesome! You will love it. Make sure you check out our tips and tricks video about stuff we have learned! Let us know if you have any questions!
The Horse Ranch in NC, Harvest Hosts- where is it? Just returned from Utah & Colorado (Echo Basin Park in Mancos). Met someone that just go his Brinkley 3950 Toy Hauler. Bruce showed me his entire rig and yes we both watch your channel too. Keep up the good work on making the videos. We rode the Alpine Loop hitting the major Passes on our ADV Bikes, I strongly recommend you guys visit some of the neat towns, Million $ Hwy, Silverton, Animas Forks, Ouray ++++
Also get Mudflap which is another diesel savings program. Works a little different than Open Roads but nice to have both to compare savings. Some places also have DEF savings on Mudflap but not all. Mudflap also doesn't charge a fee if tied directly to your bank account. We just got back from a trip to Maine and we used both programs save a ton of money. Safe travels.
Jackie's shell shocked looks Priceless.. Recommendation drop Netflix, Paramount, Peacock & get a streaming services for less than $50. Your USAA insurance seems high. Have you checked with Roamly, National General, or Progressive for your Rig insurance?
@@Freedomisnotforsale2024 thank you for watching! Yes we have had numerous suggestions for insurance since this video! We will definitely be shopping around for that and for options for streaming channels
@@michellehefner8971 Great question! We will be showing parts of it and things we’ve done to our G3500 specific in our upcoming 1 year review! Make sure you get our notifications!
Great video! ❤️ You could save on star link by using your own antenna or set up! JS ❤️ Do you use anything other than Google for navigation? Is there something you'd recommend instead of Google?
@@jonathanwilliams7161 we use a Garmin RV GPS the “RV 890”. I like it because you put in your parameters such as height, total weight, length etc and it plans you a safe route. When in the truck we use Waze simultaneously but just for hazards, traffic and Kojaks with kodaks. The Garmin also links to your phone and can provide real time traffic and weather mapping through the Garmin app using cell data.
@@jonathanwilliams7161 the G comes with a digital TV antenna but out in the middle of nowhere there is no signal. That’s where Starlink comes to the rescue!
I cheated and went to the end of video to find out what your total expenses were😂. I thought, well there goes that, we can’t shovel that much doe at RVing. But then I watched the whole video. 1) I pay too much for motorcycle insurance. Mine is $55.00/mth for ONE older and less expensive motorcycle(Suzuki DR650). So, I’ll be shopping around for a new policy. 2) I could easily cut that monthly expense in half. Thanks for the information!
@@ThePriceIsRising I’m glad you stuck around to watch the whole video! Cheater 🤣 We chose July because we did a lot of travel, cool things and National Parks. You are right! A month of just staying at one RV park, or maybe just two parks with less travel would be waaaaay cheaper!
Thanx for the breakdown...we have a Z3100 and plan to take our first long trip from New Hampshire to Texas (Seguin) next Spring. Will be interesting to see the $$$ for that trip. Mostly we stay in New England, but the Brinkley was to allow us to expand that. Love your channel!
@@ibrewalot you will love That area of Texas. So much early Texas history! Let us know if you have any great deals up there because we are headed NE next summer. Thank you for watching!
I think you guys are doing pretty well. We are full time in a Brinkley z3100 and are stationary in Texas all winter and this summer been parked on our daughter/son in law property yet we’ve had many months that high for other stuff (mostly fun). Life is interesting sometimes but still very good. Enjoy your travels!
@@pennee365 we have been on the road traveling since April. It’s been some amazing adventures but we have a month long stay coming up in September back in Texas. I’ll be excited to see what the total cost of that month is. Thank you for watching and supporting us!
@@snapmagnet I use the VA for all of my medical care and my wife is on CHAMPVA. Might not be a lot of retirees who fall into that category. Do you use tricare or the VA?
@ We are blessed in that my parents receive all of our mail and then forward it to our current or planned destination. There are mail services out there that will perform the same task though!
Thanks for the info, retired 1SG myself. Just became empty nesters and my wife and I are preparing to move to RV living. Curious as to why you guys don't boondock and save more every month? Thanks
@@garycryder3688 Awesome Top! RV living is the best. Boondocking…It’s a double edged sword. We do some but it depends on the weather. We were planning on doing more up north but it was consistently in the 90’s to 100’s even in northern Montana due to the heatwave. I don’t want to run the generator 24/7 and we only have the factory solar and 200ah batteries. I’d love to add more batteries so we could at least run one AC unit while boondocking if needed.
@@chasing70degrees23 Thanks brother and that makes sense. We are doing all the research we can before we pull the trigger. Your comment on solar is something I've seen from many just wasn't sure. I'm going to follow and keep up with your updates as you do them. Take care!
Extremely helpful information. This is the grand scale of things 360 view of this lifestyle. i think it could be cheaper everyone is different but not by a whole a lot. example more wholefoods and no motorcycle expenses would be my personal saving. souvenir too but again those create memories on places someone has been to. What about a full hookup for long periods of time, like a month or weeks can that save? Thank you for this video. remember that you're actually traveling places and enjoying life so its completely worth it.
@@nature10879 Thank you for watching! Yes there are so many variables. We have been informed that in our first year we are in “Vacation mode”. We weren’t aware of this phenomenon but we are embracing it 🤣. You are correct, longer stays are cheaper generally. You can expect to spend $250-$285 a week as opposed to $45-$55 a day. The more you park the less truck fuel you use which saves a lot of money. We focused on July because we knew it was a lot of traveling and vacation type stays.
What do you do with your dogs when you are biking? We r headed full time in June and worried that we will be so limited with our dog. ? Love your videos!
Great question! Our larger dog (Maggy) is 8 and is a great chill pup who has no problems being left alone loose in the RV for 6-7 hours. Our little guy (Mamba) is just over a year and is kind of a super chewer. He stays in his crate while we ride. We rode on Monday for 6.5 hours and he was great in his crate! We also have NEST cameras which we use to monitor the dogs while we are out. Wi-Fi connected temperature and humidity in each room too so we can monitor temperature. They both sleep in their crates at night and are not loose. What RV are you guys looking at?
@@reneerodgers3685 hi!! Oh my gosh it’s been a while! Good to hear from you. Yes we started this about a year and a half ago! I hope your family is all well! ❤️
@@jamielancaster01 Well, that isn’t an accurate reflection of a years worth of cost. That’s only July, in full travel mode, in a touristy area and eating more meals out. When we are stationary, like we have been since Dec 15, we spend WAY less. Less meals out, less diesel fuel and way less on RV spot because we can pay by the month which is normally discounted.
@@DebbieBrown-tw6qy Yes! We do have solar and a generator. I guess it was my 23 years in the military but the weather would have to be just right for me to want to go off grid. We haven’t found that weather yet.
@@chasing70degrees23 it’s has the lowest temps in the nation at the peak of summer. We converted a skoolie and chased the 70’s too and that was where we found the best temps.
@@chasing70degrees23 I’m also a veteran, and we bought a house and almost immediately regretted it… our 2 year plan is to sell and get a diesel pusher and be nomadic again.
Hi guys! I just came across your channel! Thanks SO MUCH for sharing with us what it's like and what to expect when you're full timing. My wife and I are at the very beginning of researching the full timing life style. I was just wondering, what happens if for example something happens with credit cards accounts and you need new cards, or when it's time to renew your drivers licenses? Is there a "home base" that you have to return to from time to time? Please be safe and well as you travel! Blessings! 😊
@@moe.cabrera great questions! We are blessed that my parents let us use their address in Texas as our permanent address. This allows us to vote and obtain vehicle registration and driver licenses. My dad also gathers our mail and about once a week will mail it “General Delivery” to a nearby post office wherever we are. There are pay services that will do this as well. Amazon has made it easy by letting you select a nearby pick up location. It does take some planning ahead. Example…I just ordered new brake pads for my motorcycle. Cycle gear dropped shipped them to their Albuquerque store where we will be next week. We also return to Texas every few months. We have an RV park near where our house was that we really like. Hope this helps! The lifestyle takes a little organization and effort but it’s so worth it!!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your thoughts and information with us! I pray that all of your travels are safe ones, full of unexpected great experiences filled with blessings and peace! 😊 🙏 P.S... And THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE!!! 🇺🇸 🫡 👍
Love you and love your channel so much. Learned a ton for when we started our journey earlier this year. But time to maybe help you. My high-value RV insurance with Geico because they claim our Brinkley G3500 is, with full replacement coverage and all the shiny extras is 501.00 per 6 months.
@@chasing70degrees23 I went and double checked when you said what yours was. I and I have a "Ticket" and a backing booboo on my record LOL IM me and i will throw my phone number out to you
Hello there. Try Mudflap as well. If you are going to be in the west a lot, get a Maverik Chrome card, generally save 10 cents a gallon, sometimes more. I cancelled HH. I only used it like 3 times in 2 years. Gave up on it. The $30 min to purchase something, may as well stay in an RV park with power. I am assuming your insurance is based out of Texas...??.. that is very pricey for a month $300 for the truck? $250 for the rig? Wow. I've been considering swathing to TX for my domicile, but the cost of insurance is almost double my state. ☹ Safe Travels.
Thank you for watching! Since we made this video, we now use Mudflap and it has been a great option in combination with Openroads. I don't think we will renew HH again next year. Yeah, I think there are multiple variables associated with insurance. As a homeowner, there were deeper discounts to bundle.
@@chasing70degrees23 You mentioned GS in a video.. not sure who your insurance is through, I had GS, thought I was doing good, until I joined FMCA and used their 'connection' for insurance. Went from almost $800 per 6 mo to just over $900 for a year. Just a thought. Still found USAA to be the best rate for the truck though. Thank you for sharing.
Great break down but do you have medical insurance (medicare), life insurance, Long Term health insurance, prescription meds. Did you put phones under the subscriptions or do you just use internet phones. We are looking at getting on the road next year and these are some of the things we budgeted for.
@@rodneylacy Great questions! We are both covered under the VA for healthcare. Mine is covered 100% and hers is through CHAMPVA which is basically Medicare for spouses of disabled veterans at no to low cost. I do have prescription meds but those are at no cost through the VA. I didn’t include cell phones because there are so many variables, plans, companies out there. With 3 phones and 2 Apple Watches we are at about $250 a month. Again, great questions!
Thank you for sharing this. I've been watching videos considering if full time RV'ing would work for me. Hearing your total for July, it's definitely not an option for me. 😞 I'd have to find a rich husband...haha. I don't think that's an option for me either.
@@bamatina777 There are sooo many variables. Initial cost of your RV and truck as well as where you want to stay. July was our most expensive month. A normal month would not cost that much. We hate to see you abandon full time RV life. Plus so many RV options. Vans, class Cs, smaller used class As.
Wendy and I love watching you guys!! We are 3 months away from heading out full-time with our new Z3100 and Longhorn. Time seems like it is crawling. I'm retired Coast Guard. Have you had good experiences with base campgrounds?
@@jamesworr50 thank you for supporting us! Yes, the main issue we have had is getting reservations. Most only allow retired to make reservations 30 days out. First come first serve are the worst because you plan your drive of 300 miles, get there and they have no spaces or only boondocking on a grass patch. The other issue is most are poorly managed. Some outdoor recs treat it like a burden. There are a few really nice ones we would recommend. Joint Base San Antonio at Canyon Lake was very well run, organized and empty during the off season (in Dec). NAS Corpus Christi isn’t the newest but they have big lots and there is a lot to do off base on the gulf coast. Buckley Space Force base in Aurora Co was really nice with big spaces but not well run. Hill AFB in Salt Lake City was beautiful and had everything you could want. It was also run by a civilian camp host which is better I think. We are headed to Kirkland AFB in Albuquerque in a couple weeks. Its first come first serve but they just expanded it so we are hopeful we can grab a spot
We went back and watched your videos from the beginning of your journey. You both look so much happier than when you first started. God must be blessing your lives without all the daily stress.
@@jamesworr50 thank you so much for painfully watching all of our early videos! 🤣 yes, 100% a much happier life. I always say that selling everything you own and ditching the HOA is a huge weight off of your life!
do you have a list of your campgrounds you stayed at and the site numbers?. we usually use pull through sites due to our length. we have a 2024 g3500 with a silverado 3500 dually. thanks carl
@@vintagesportscards8265 we’ve been to the wall! Boondocking out there for us is weather dependent. We were there and it was sustained 40 mph winds. Made it crazy up there. We ended up in the RV park there next to the restaurant.
@@sandrahartley3461 we apparently misspoke! I looked it up and it seems it’s a farm that charges for hookups. They still offer beef for sale though and their ranch is a beautiful place! www.walnuthollowranch.com
@@toryloving3492 We use Progressive for our RV and motorcycle insurance. USAA for the Dually and the Honda Accord. They actually gave us the best price on the Dually. I was shocked how much it cost to insure that Ram!
With y’all being military, a lot of the local VFW’s have hookups or allow for overnight camping when traveling . Fraternal organizations are the same if you are a Moose Lodge or an Elks Lodge member.
@@chasing70degrees23 thank you for your service. I never served. I just know from what I have overheard from fellow campers that it is an option at VFW’s at some of their locations that they have visited. I would suggest googling for a website and always call ahead.
Long-term, that doesn't seem like a good eating plan. A lot of carbs and liquid calories like milk at bedtime usually result in weight gain and having to pee on the middle of the night, interrupting sleep schedules.
This is the second video I’ve watched that truly scares me. We are 5 days away from signing “sold” papers on our house and purchasing the RV and truck and now we are both at the phase of Holy %#*! I think we made a mistake. We don’t even make enough money to cover these costs.
@@rachellejohnrockiejo There are so many variables that go with full time RV. It all depends on how much you travel, where you travel, how much fuel you use. We estimated we drove 2200 miles in July. That’s a huge expense. Staying longer at one location saves money as well. The longer you stay the cheaper the RV park cost. There is a lot to consider for sure.
@@davidking4525 We’ve looked into it. Even used the initial cost of those memberships with Thousand Trails is cost prohibitive. Passport America is okay but the places you want to visit…say southern Florida, they limit the number of available slots at most parks.
@@chasing70degrees23 I’ve had a national membership with Thousand Trails for eight years and have spent over 600 nights in TT parks with an average cost of $9 per night including original purchase price plus monthly dues.
We live full time in our RV for 16 years now in our 2006 Fleetwood Bounder i bought used for 30k , and never had any breakdowns (PM MAINTENACE IS THE KEY TO RVing, not even a flat tire over 150,000 miles, SORRY but it's just me that i would never own a 5th wheel even if someone gave me one for free. I have helped so many people work on these units. as a retired Structural Engineer, these 5th wheels are not designed to be driven down a road, (JUST MY OPINION) sure buy one and put it on a property for a cabin or weekend getaway.
@@kar-r5i4f Sounds like you do a great job at maintenance! That’s our mantra as well. Any issues we have we have found and fixed prior to things getting worse. We are 20k miles in 18 months and our 5th wheel is doing great! To each their own when it comes to the style of RV.
@ we where to stay at the 1 you where at but we drove and saw it and I said nope. We pay more for a better place.. will always go to Osen/starry night. Any day of the week
@@patrickdahm6822 We paid cash for the truck and put a huge chunk down on the RV. So many variables when it comes to how people purchase their RVs so we didn’t cover it. Great question about mail. Our mail goes to our permanent address in Texas. My parents collect it and send it via priority mail flat rate as general delivery to whichever US post office is near us or along our route. There are pay services that will do the same thing
@@HSTWXMAN yes, in the right weather you bet. 150 gallons fresh, 52 gallons black, 104 gallons grey with Solar, lithiums and a generator. It just hasn’t been the summer to boonedock. We even went to northern Montana and it was 100 degrees.
@@RVingwithG Agreed! We were not over our budget in July we just wanted to to share what it cost US. There are tons of ways to cut that cost down! Thank you for watching
@@WanderingWedemeyers of course! It’s just harder when the weather doesn’t cooperate! I’m not going to boondock when it’s a 100 degrees during the day. We do some when it’s nice though, like low 70’s and 60’s. 😁
@@chasing70degrees23come on it’s a free weight loss program 😂 lol not that you guys need it. I’m just being silly. Trying to figure all that out before we hit the road next year. Thank you for replying!
@@WanderingWedemeyers we were chasing 70 degrees this summer, we even went to northern Montana and it was still in the 90’s! We are hoping to find that cooler weather next summer! Y’all should plan to be waaaay north in the summer ☀️
@@On-down-the-road Not sure. I had mine prior to retirement. I know veterans have access to AAFES including online so maybe see if you can apply on their site.
@@chadkoller7809 yes! We haven’t ventured out to those much because of the lack of electric and this ridiculous heatwave all over the country. We were in northern Montana near Canada and it was 100 degrees. After 23 years in the military I’m not going without electric hookup for weeks at a time. A couple of nights it’s no big deal. We are hoping for a nicer fall.
Wow for 1 vehicle insurance you pay that?? Better get different insurance, we have 3 full coverage vehicles a 2010,2016,2023 vehicles through progressive and pay $260 a month for ALL 3
@@NelsonsRetreat Thank you for watching! It’s actually our auto insurance for a 2013 Honda Accord and the dually. I was astounded at how much full coverage on the dually cost. I’m guessing it’s because of the replacement cost.
@@vincentmurante5142 there are so many factors, the amount of travel we do and the cost of diesel fuel adds up a lot! We paid cash for the truck and put a good chunk down on the RV. It’s all about finding a budget that works for you
That’s not shocking. Tho we have a sticks and bricks we stay out typically a month at a pop. Now just food, fuel, campgrounds only we are at 3500 for a month. That’s the big ones.our motorhome is 2 years old and our 6th in 30 years. We stay in spot typically 8 days so that off sets fuel cost significantly. We do have incidental expenses but rarely exceed 200 per month. I do 90% of the maintenance on the coach and I farm out the 10% I cannot do. Now folks do spend way more or less but it’s indicative of one’s lifestyle and other factors. At the end of the day it boils down to if you’re happy. We’re content.
@@Rick-x8h exactly! We do all of our own repairs unless it’s covered under warranty. We are learning to increase our stays to at least a week for cheaper stays.
@@rebeccamikesh422 yes! We mentioned it in the video. We have done a few harvest hosts and Walmarts are easy for a one night stay. We are not really interested in doing long periods of boondocking day on BLM lands. Especially not with the heat we have encountered this summer even up in Northern Montana/Canada
$458 in subscriptions...Damn..someone needs to go outside more. Lol..Thats a truck payment just to watch tv. Doesn't your sites have cable? Awesome job on the break down. Look into emission compliant tune for the ram and you can get that mpg up substantially.
@@Kevin-midmichigan 🤣😂 $278 of that is actually subscriptions. The rest is Starlink and waggle. We are ditching the waggle subscription this month because it hardly works! Most places we stay have very spotty WiFi and hardly anyone offers cable hookups anymore. I’ve been eyeing the stealth performance plug in for the Ram. Have you heard anything about it?
You forgot the big depreation on that expensive rv...... Thats another 2 to 3 thousand a month..... An be assured a big repairs coming...... So its crazy expensive
@@petepayette6690 wow, okay. Well it’s not for everyone. 30 years of hard work and planning plus good financial decisions on our part has enabled us to be able to absorb any depreciation plus my attendance and education as an RV tech will thankfully offset any big repairs. We didn’t go into this uneducated or unplanned. Thank you for your honest and sincere comments.
Great video with lots of useful info. Cool filter hack. Your first year will be more expensive as you're still in vacation mode. 17,000 miles in a year is a lot! When we started out we were traveling about 8-9,000 miles a year, but we've discovered how to see the sights moving much less. Last year we visited 11 states, yet only drove our motorhome 4,500 miles a year. That oner change will reduce your costs quite a bit. We were excited for finally be living our dream and thought we had to see everything right away. In reality we have the rest of our lives to see this great country, and we found that if we move too often, we miss a lot of things in the area. Three years ago, we took 5 months to boondock through the SE corner of Utah, visiting the mighty 5 NPs and most of the state parks, national monuments, etc. and still didn't get to see everything in just this one corner of the state! We'll be going back next year to hopefully catch some of what we missed. Two years ago, we boondocked through Colorado for 5 months. Same thing. We have to go back and see the 2/3rds of the state we missed. So, my best advice is to slow down and smell the roses a little more. You'll be happy you did.
We save money by boondocking most of the time. For example, we boondocked for 10 months last year. We try to avoid RV parks, preferring dispersed camping on BLM and Forest Service land, though we sill sometimes stay at Forest Service and COE CGs where we can stay for 1/2 price with our America the Beautiful senior pass if it's near the attraction we want to visit. When we do stay at RV parks, we pay the monthly rate, or we don't stay there. I was only in the Army for 9 years so don't qualify to stay in any Fam Camps, but I heard that they are not that cheap anyway. If you like to winter over in S. TX, there's a little RV park in Los Indios, near Brownsville that's from $170-$200/mo. plus electricity. We found another park near Falcon Lake State Park called the Falcon County Park where you can stay as long as you like for free. It has free water hookups, free dump station use and free hot showers, but no electrical hook-ups. But what do you expect for free? Of course, the best deal going for wintering over in a warm safe place is the LTVAs around Quartzsite, AZ/Imperial Dam, CA, where a 7-month permit is only $180 (86 cents/day). This includes free water, dump and trash disposal. BTW I stayed a night at that RV park in Oakley, KS last year heading to The Badlands Wall. It was pretty hokey alright.
We retired 5 1/2 years ago, sold everything, bought a 1999 National Tropical Class A for $15k, hitched our little Chevy Cobalt SS behind us and hit the road, living on our meager social security retirement and a small pension, but debt free. We started out with a 620w liftable solar array on the side of our coach and a couple of cheap golf cart batteries. We traveled with the seasons, like the song says, "Living where the weather fits our clothes." Like you guys, we used to chase 70 degrees. The downside of a small solar/battery system like this is we had run our generator for a couple hours almost daily to live a normal life. This is smelly, noisy and not cheap given the price of gas, maintenance and repairs.
Nevertheless, we've been living this lifestyle for about 1/3 of what it cost us to live in our S&B home. It probably costs less than 1/2 of what it would cost to live in RV parks all the time too, even membership parks like TT - not to mention how living in RV parks, all lined up with other campers like sardines in a can would cramp our style. Since we committed to this lifestyle, we decided to expand our solar system so we could boondock in more places in "shoulder seasons." Now we live off grid just like we were plugged into a power pedestal at an RV park, entirely off the sun. We haven't run our generator even once since we installed our big system (except to exercise it, of course.) BTW, we only pay $1,000 a year to insure both our motorhome and toad - as they are so old and not worth much anymore (like us) through Geico. We spend $60/mo. AT&T for WiFi through FMCA. It's not the fastest, but allows us to stream hi-def free TV through Roku, Netflix movies, etc. so it suits our needs.
Mounting our 620w array on the side of our coach allowed us to rack 8, 550-watt panels (4,400 watts of solar) 15" off the roof of our coach. Not only do the panels run cooler, producing more power, but our RV stays cooler inside too as we bring our own shade with us, wherever we go. We now enjoy 5,020 watts of solar and 23.5kwhs of LiFePo-4 batteries (the equivalent of 18, 100ah Battleborns). Since we designed and built everything ourselves, including our batteries, we saved lots of money, so were able to afford a high-efficiency EG-4 mini split heat pump for 24/7 A/C and heat when needed, using about 1/3rd the power of our soft start equipped, Furrion, front rooftop A/C. Our entire system, with everything, including our heat pump, only cost us around $11,500 to build ourselves. A system this size would cost at least 2-3 times this much to have a professional solar installer build it for us. Where there's a will, there's a way. This gives us lots of flexibility too. We're visiting family in NC now, where boondocking places are hard to find. We're staying in an RV park here, in a spacious no hook-up site for only $100/mo., saving $500/mo. off their normal FHU rates. Our total annual FT budget is around $33k, but our actual expenses run around $30k out of $44k in retirement income, allowing us an adequate emergency fund without dipping into savings. Life is good. We could do it for less, but we like to go to local restaurants and micro-breweries, so we eat out a lot.
Wow, that was a great video. Jackie has a beautiful sincere smile which brings joy to it even though it’s not a fun subject. RV travel is a trade off and you are seeing places you have never seen before. I hope you can continue as long as you like. Best wishes.
@@lizahermandez57 awwww thank you! She’s beautiful inside and out and it shows in that smile!
Love the breakdown. I myself am about to retire from the Army, and my wife and I are looking into full timing. It's funny that you bought the Brinkley toy hauler and have two bikes. We are looking at the model G 3950 and also have two bikes. Looking to travel the US and ride along the way.
@@douglasmitchell1985 it’s a great life! You will love it! It is a big learning curve though.
Bring a check book, or put thousands in a reserve saving account for repairs.
Good video with some good info. Keep it up.
@@TravelingPerkins Thank you! We appreciate you watching
Hi folks! Thanks for sharing your travel expenses. We plan on getting the Z3400 next year and head out full time. We really appreciate learning about your experience with the Brinkley and we look forward to hearing more stories on how the Brinkley toy hauler works for you! Enjoy your travels!
@@NCGRichmond hi!! Thank you for watching! Stay tuned! We are working on a one year review
I appreciate you guys sharing and helping to teach some of us.
Considering full timing and a Brinkley. It’s amazing when people did what we are considering and help to pave the way! Also my hubby and I ride as well and know that there is a motorcycle community, now to hopefully one day become part of the RV community is comforting knowing there are folks like you guys, the Hanks( they crack us up) Chad/Tara , Victoria and hubby❤
@@Monica-v8t Monica! Being included in the list of RV couples by you might just be our best compliment ever!!! We love making the videos and we are so glad if anything we put out helps! Yes we welcome you guys! Get out, live life!
@ look forward to watching all your prior content as it seems informative and helpful. Will be looking for help when we get going. Looking forward probably early to mid 2025. 🤞🏼selling home and looking for the freedom. Understanding that it’s trading one type of freedom for another. One we are willing to trade. Thanks again, I know sharing means dealing with both positive and negative feed back. Positive vibes only. Stay safe!
Just found your channel, subscribed. We are both retired military and full timing! You wouldn’t believe what prices up in New England are during the summer. Crazy
@@drivingmsali we are headed that way next summer! Let us know if you have found any good deals up there! Thank you for subscribing and supporting!
Great video Cuz! and thanks for dinner! Thought those delicious ribs might have made the video. Glad to see you guys are having great adventures! Can't wait to catch up again!
@@stephendobelbower2311 Oh man!! Those ribs mmmmmm! Yes we will be back before you know it!
Thanks for sharing. You provide great insight and strait forward comments. Keep up the great work with the channel.
@@toddgoffoy7601 Thank you for supporting us!
Desperate to find out this kind of info, Thank You.
Single retired and headed towards FT Rving and this info is gold! Watching 'TV' over the internet never occurred to me, other than Netflix
@@chris31215 hope it helps! Thank you for watching. Yes! We use sling TV. I mean we are out in the middle of nowhere. There is zero TV signal. Using Starlink we can access all of our regular shows and news.
Great video, Thank you for sharing! What HH was the horse farm, in NC?
@@SusanS-f1b Looks like it’s a full on RV stop now but still definitely worth the stay
www.walnuthollowranch.com
Welcome to Canada, love your t-shirt. A beautiful place is Banff if you come back again. My husband and I love your details of information. My husband and I plan to retire in a few years and purchase a Brinkley. We have been doing research for the past year. We figure $1500 is a good budget for campgrounds. We don’t need a lot of amenities. Thanks so much for your information, we greatly appreciate it. 🇨🇦
@@lisaconsoli1968 we loved our visit to Canada! It was really fun because neither of us had been before. Waterton was beautiful! $1500 will set you up nicely for sure. Thank you for watching and supporting us!
Just found your channel and subscribed. Nice job on your video! $5400 per month is not bad considering that you get to see and experience some amazing places and get to create awesome adventures! BTW …Thank you for your service!
@@albertoparra8870 Thank you so much for watching and subscribing! Yes, we have gotten some grief about spending $5400 dollars a month but what an amazing month it was! Yellowstone and glacier! Our original goal was to get out and live life 100% and it was my honor to be able to serve!
Just discovered your channel. Throughly enjoyed this video. I’ll go back and watch the others. Your budget sounds very similar to ours. Of course we could and should do better but are enjoying ourselves. We are not full timers though, but rather travel for weeks or months at a time. We will always own a S&B home though. Our home is an appreciating asset, and our rig a depreciating asset. Now that we’re no longer in the workforce if we chose to sell our home and had to stay stationary due to health or some unforeseen circumstances, we would likely not qualify for another mortgage. As much as we love to travel we also love where we live. I look forward to seeing your videos and happy and safe travels from a new subscriber.
@@maitildamcintyre9344 Welcome and thank you so much for watching and subscribing! I get where you are coming from. We will have S&B again one day for sure. We want to travel this beautiful country for a few years first. I’m blessed to have VA benefits which will definitely help when we decide to buy another home. We are glad you are here on our journey with us!
You guys seem so happy. I guess it is worth whatever it costs.
@@mr.monitor. We are happy! How could we not be! Thank you for watching and commenting.
The Blue Angels Military Campground in Pensacola is on the water and the best part is the dolphins that come visit quite often! Just subscribed and can’t wait to hear more about your adventures!
@@suglover9256 I was just looking at that campground yesterday! I’ve all but given up on trying to visit south Florida this winter. Thank you for watching!
Glen Rose…..sorta home base for us. We stay at Oakdale Park; it’s over a century old built in 1925 with the largest private pool at that time..330,000 gallons And is the only private RV park listed on The National Register of Historic Places. Not expensive, across from the Paluxy River (only undammed river in Texas). And can walk to town. We’ve full timed in 5th wheel for 4 years. We eat out way too much. Your expenses sound about average and even a bit below for folks who really travel as opposed to 6 months here and 6 months there. Have done 38 states at this point. Happy Trails….
$5400 is half a mortgage alone here in SoCal, so you beat the hell out of me, can’t wait for this freedom!
@@user-dw4cv3xq5u It’s so worth it!
Rosie and I have a home, but we are on the road in our Brinkley Z about seven or eight months a year. We don't spend anywhere near what you guys do. Of course, lifestyle is different for everyone. We have never paid for TV. We rarely eat at restaurants. We are both good cooks. We boondock or stay in low-cost places a lot. Last winter we stayed in the LTVA outside of Yuma for 185 dollars for 7 months. My entertainment is mainly music. I have fished off and on while we travel but that was mainly on our three trips to Alaska. Anyway, different strokes for different folks but the RV life does not have to be nearly as expensive as you paint it. Plus, in retirement a tip we live by- go into it debt free and stay debt free. Travel safe guys. Burlington Bii busking on the road and here on you-tube.
When you reference LTVA for 7 months, what did you do for electricity? I mean I get boondocking but 7 months? How do you dump your tanks?
@@chasing70degrees23 There is a dump station and fresh water nearby. I use a 35-gallon Blueboy once a week to empty black. I fill a 67-gallon bladder with fresh and pump it into the Brinkley. I made a system to pump water from a past camper pump to take the stress off the Brinkley's pump. I installed a second 370-watt solar panel and along with four Battleborn Bat. and a 3,000-watt inverter we have ample power because as you know we get a lot of sunshine in Arizona. Travel safe. I'm enjoying your channel. Burlington Bill busking on the road and here on you tube.
Thanks for sharing. It's interesting to hear what other Fulltimers are spending. We've been doing it since 2018 and have found that our monthly expenses can vary so much depending on where we are in the country and how many activities we do in the area.
But like you, fuel is always a huge expense for us because we still move around a lot.
Although it's a lot cheaper now that two of our three kids are out on their own.
@@LiveYourSomedayNow Wow! Y’all have been at it for a while. Yes, so many variables for monthly cost!
Great channel! Really enjoyed watching. If you are in the South, check out the Corp of Engineer campgrounds. Very nice and very cheap. 50% off with a National Park Pass. Some are as low as $11/night. They are normally lake side or along a river. Just beautiful. Weekends are hard to get in but through the week is much easier.
Thank you for watching! Yes, we definitely need to check out more COE and BLM lands. It is all weather dependent though. Boondocking for us is not always worth the discount.
Hey guys , just found your channel. Awesome job , and great video. Lots of great information. Safe travels and happy camping.
@@rvadventuresofdavidkarenlu3362 Hi! Welcome and thank you for watching! Stay safe!
Good to catch you guys again. You both look absolutely great!
@@JerryNewsom thank you!!
Thank you for this episode! We are about to set off on our adventure of full time RV life also knowing nothing! Loved the tips, and we feel ya on not necessarily wanting to drive across CA 😂
@@TheSwellestEllis awesome! You will love it. Make sure you check out our tips and tricks video about stuff we have learned! Let us know if you have any questions!
@@chasing70degrees23 Thank you
The Horse Ranch in NC, Harvest Hosts- where is it? Just returned from Utah & Colorado (Echo Basin Park in Mancos). Met someone that just go his Brinkley 3950 Toy Hauler. Bruce showed me his entire rig and yes we both watch your channel too. Keep up the good work on making the videos. We rode the Alpine Loop hitting the major Passes on our ADV Bikes, I strongly recommend you guys visit some of the neat towns, Million $ Hwy, Silverton, Animas Forks, Ouray ++++
@@jc525exc I stand corrected…it appears it’s a full on RV stay now no longer a harvest host. www.walnuthollowranch.com
@@jc525exc we are headed to La Sal Utah soon and then on to Mesa Verde. Once there we plan on riding the million dollar highway and seeing that area!
Also get Mudflap which is another diesel savings program. Works a little different than Open Roads but nice to have both to compare savings. Some places also have DEF savings on Mudflap but not all. Mudflap also doesn't charge a fee if tied directly to your bank account. We just got back from a trip to Maine and we used both programs save a ton of money. Safe travels.
@@SmokeyBear2001 awesome suggestion! Thank you I’ll look into it today
For subscriptions I find it helpful to rotate them every 3 months. Then you always have something new to watch.
@@larkendelvie you mean you rotate who you subscribe to?
@@chasing70degrees23 I rotate between Netflix, Paramount, Disney, etc.
Jackie's shell shocked looks Priceless.. Recommendation drop Netflix, Paramount, Peacock & get a streaming services for less than $50. Your USAA insurance seems high. Have you checked with Roamly, National General, or Progressive for your Rig insurance?
@@Freedomisnotforsale2024 thank you for watching! Yes we have had numerous suggestions for insurance since this video! We will definitely be shopping around for that and for options for streaming channels
@@chasing70degrees23 Keep up the great content
Gotta love those memories and the ones that make you laugh because you forget the time….
lol
@@marcusaponte1287 💯
Glad to see another video from ya'll! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
@@jonathanwilliams7161 thank you for supporting us!!
When are y'all going to give us a tour of the Brinkley?
@@michellehefner8971 Great question! We will be showing parts of it and things we’ve done to our G3500 specific in our upcoming 1 year review! Make sure you get our notifications!
Great video! ❤️ You could save on star link by using your own antenna or set up! JS ❤️
Do you use anything other than Google for navigation? Is there something you'd recommend instead of Google?
@@jonathanwilliams7161 we use a Garmin RV GPS the “RV 890”. I like it because you put in your parameters such as height, total weight, length etc and it plans you a safe route. When in the truck we use Waze simultaneously but just for hazards, traffic and Kojaks with kodaks. The Garmin also links to your phone and can provide real time traffic and weather mapping through the Garmin app using cell data.
@@jonathanwilliams7161 the G comes with a digital TV antenna but out in the middle of nowhere there is no signal. That’s where Starlink comes to the rescue!
@@chasing70degrees23 awesome thank you for the information! ❤️
I cheated and went to the end of video to find out what your total expenses were😂. I thought, well there goes that, we can’t shovel that much doe at RVing. But then I watched the whole video.
1) I pay too much for motorcycle insurance. Mine is $55.00/mth for ONE older and less expensive motorcycle(Suzuki DR650). So, I’ll be shopping around for a new policy.
2) I could easily cut that monthly expense in half.
Thanks for the information!
@@ThePriceIsRising I’m glad you stuck around to watch the whole video! Cheater 🤣 We chose July because we did a lot of travel, cool things and National Parks. You are right! A month of just staying at one RV park, or maybe just two parks with less travel would be waaaaay cheaper!
Thank you for sharing your travels and adventures God bless you
@@dannycaldron430 Thank you for supporting us!
You guys are awesome, keep up with content! Love tips and tricks type videos!
@@LucasBassFishing thank you for supporting us!
Thank you for the video! More things to plan on prior to retiring.
@@benpriester6657 thank you for always supporting us!
Thanx for the breakdown...we have a Z3100 and plan to take our first long trip from New Hampshire to Texas (Seguin) next Spring. Will be interesting to see the $$$ for that trip. Mostly we stay in New England, but the Brinkley was to allow us to expand that. Love your channel!
@@ibrewalot you will love That area of Texas. So much early Texas history! Let us know if you have any great deals up there because we are headed NE next summer. Thank you for watching!
I think you guys are doing pretty well. We are full time in a Brinkley z3100 and are stationary in Texas all winter and this summer been parked on our daughter/son in law property yet we’ve had many months that high for other stuff (mostly fun). Life is interesting sometimes but still very good. Enjoy your travels!
@@pennee365 we have been on the road traveling since April. It’s been some amazing adventures but we have a month long stay coming up in September back in Texas. I’ll be excited to see what the total cost of that month is. Thank you for watching and supporting us!
Great video! Can u do one on health insurance...seeing as you're retired military... wevare too and want to know how it will work when we go FT
@@snapmagnet I use the VA for all of my medical care and my wife is on CHAMPVA. Might not be a lot of retirees who fall into that category. Do you use tricare or the VA?
Currently the VA but we have mthly meds so kinda worried
@ We are blessed in that my parents receive all of our mail and then forward it to our current or planned destination. There are mail services out there that will perform the same task though!
Thanks for sharing. I learned a lot. Need more
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the info, retired 1SG myself. Just became empty nesters and my wife and I are preparing to move to RV living. Curious as to why you guys don't boondock and save more every month? Thanks
@@garycryder3688 Awesome Top! RV living is the best. Boondocking…It’s a double edged sword. We do some but it depends on the weather. We were planning on doing more up north but it was consistently in the 90’s to 100’s even in northern Montana due to the heatwave. I don’t want to run the generator 24/7 and we only have the factory solar and 200ah batteries. I’d love to add more batteries so we could at least run one AC unit while boondocking if needed.
@@chasing70degrees23 Thanks brother and that makes sense. We are doing all the research we can before we pull the trigger. Your comment on solar is something I've seen from many just wasn't sure. I'm going to follow and keep up with your updates as you do them. Take care!
@@garycryder3688 let us know what you get!
You should check out Thousand Trails, Passport America, RPI.
Extremely helpful information. This is the grand scale of things 360 view of this lifestyle. i think it could be cheaper everyone is different but not by a whole a lot. example more wholefoods and no motorcycle expenses would be my personal saving. souvenir too but again those create memories on places someone has been to. What about a full hookup for long periods of time, like a month or weeks can that save?
Thank you for this video. remember that you're actually traveling places and enjoying life so its completely worth it.
@@nature10879 Thank you for watching! Yes there are so many variables. We have been informed that in our first year we are in “Vacation mode”. We weren’t aware of this phenomenon but we are embracing it 🤣. You are correct, longer stays are cheaper generally. You can expect to spend $250-$285 a week as opposed to $45-$55 a day. The more you park the less truck fuel you use which saves a lot of money. We focused on July because we knew it was a lot of traveling and vacation type stays.
What do you do with your dogs when you are biking? We r headed full time in June and worried that we will be so limited with our dog. ? Love your videos!
Great question! Our larger dog (Maggy) is 8 and is a great chill pup who has no problems being left alone loose in the RV for 6-7 hours. Our little guy (Mamba) is just over a year and is kind of a super chewer. He stays in his crate while we ride. We rode on Monday for 6.5 hours and he was great in his crate! We also have NEST cameras which we use to monitor the dogs while we are out. Wi-Fi connected temperature and humidity in each room too so we can monitor temperature. They both sleep in their crates at night and are not loose. What RV are you guys looking at?
Ha! Who knew you were a RUclipsr influencer! How are you Ross? Your daughter is 29 - time flies! Good to see ya!
@@reneerodgers3685 hi!! Oh my gosh it’s been a while! Good to hear from you. Yes we started this about a year and a half ago! I hope your family is all well! ❤️
About $65,000 a year!
@@jamielancaster01 Well, that isn’t an accurate reflection of a years worth of cost. That’s only July, in full travel mode, in a touristy area and eating more meals out. When we are stationary, like we have been since Dec 15, we spend WAY less. Less meals out, less diesel fuel and way less on RV spot because we can pay by the month which is normally discounted.
So we have noticed average cost for most is 60,000 to 65,000 a year. You are right there!
@@Harleylora yup! Some find that surprising!
Awesome vid. Do you guys have solar to potentially go off grid for few weeks at a time ?
@@DebbieBrown-tw6qy Yes! We do have solar and a generator. I guess it was my 23 years in the military but the weather would have to be just right for me to want to go off grid. We haven’t found that weather yet.
If you’ve never tried it the summers on the Oregon coast are stellar!
@@Grumpyseabee22 We will get there eventually!
@@chasing70degrees23 it’s has the lowest temps in the nation at the peak of summer.
We converted a skoolie and chased the 70’s too and that was where we found the best temps.
@@chasing70degrees23 I’m also a veteran, and we bought a house and almost immediately regretted it… our 2 year plan is to sell and get a diesel pusher and be nomadic again.
Hi guys! I just came across your channel! Thanks SO MUCH for sharing with us what it's like and what to expect when you're full timing. My wife and I are at the very beginning of researching the full timing life style. I was just wondering, what happens if for example something happens with credit cards accounts and you need new cards, or when it's time to renew your drivers licenses? Is there a "home base" that you have to return to from time to time?
Please be safe and well as you travel! Blessings! 😊
@@moe.cabrera great questions! We are blessed that my parents let us use their address in Texas as our permanent address. This allows us to vote and obtain vehicle registration and driver licenses. My dad also gathers our mail and about once a week will mail it “General Delivery” to a nearby post office wherever we are. There are pay services that will do this as well. Amazon has made it easy by letting you select a nearby pick up location. It does take some planning ahead. Example…I just ordered new brake pads for my motorcycle. Cycle gear dropped shipped them to their Albuquerque store where we will be next week. We also return to Texas every few months. We have an RV park near where our house was that we really like. Hope this helps! The lifestyle takes a little organization and effort but it’s so worth it!!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your thoughts and information with us! I pray that all of your travels are safe ones, full of unexpected great experiences filled with blessings and peace! 😊 🙏
P.S... And THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE!!! 🇺🇸 🫡 👍
@@moe.cabrera Thank you for supporting our channel!
Love you and love your channel so much. Learned a ton for when we started our journey earlier this year. But time to maybe help you. My high-value RV insurance with Geico because they claim our Brinkley G3500 is, with full replacement coverage and all the shiny extras is 501.00 per 6 months.
@@dougwilliams3276 I’d love to be able to chat about that insurance! Lol
@@chasing70degrees23 I went and double checked when you said what yours was. I and I have a "Ticket" and a backing booboo on my record LOL
IM me and i will throw my phone number out to you
This is so helpful
Thank you for watching!
Hello there. Try Mudflap as well. If you are going to be in the west a lot, get a Maverik Chrome card, generally save 10 cents a gallon, sometimes more. I cancelled HH. I only used it like 3 times in 2 years. Gave up on it. The $30 min to purchase something, may as well stay in an RV park with power. I am assuming your insurance is based out of Texas...??.. that is very pricey for a month $300 for the truck? $250 for the rig? Wow. I've been considering swathing to TX for my domicile, but the cost of insurance is almost double my state. ☹ Safe Travels.
Thank you for watching! Since we made this video, we now use Mudflap and it has been a great option in combination with Openroads. I don't think we will renew HH again next year. Yeah, I think there are multiple variables associated with insurance. As a homeowner, there were deeper discounts to bundle.
@@chasing70degrees23 You mentioned GS in a video.. not sure who your insurance is through, I had GS, thought I was doing good, until I joined FMCA and used their 'connection' for insurance. Went from almost $800 per 6 mo to just over $900 for a year. Just a thought. Still found USAA to be the best rate for the truck though. Thank you for sharing.
@@lifeswhimsytutelage I’ll definitely check into it!
Great break down but do you have medical insurance (medicare), life insurance, Long Term health insurance, prescription meds. Did you put phones under the subscriptions or do you just use internet phones. We are looking at getting on the road next year and these are some of the things we budgeted for.
@@rodneylacy Great questions! We are both covered under the VA for healthcare. Mine is covered 100% and hers is through CHAMPVA which is basically Medicare for spouses of disabled veterans at no to low cost. I do have prescription meds but those are at no cost through the VA. I didn’t include cell phones because there are so many variables, plans, companies out there. With 3 phones and 2 Apple Watches we are at about $250 a month. Again, great questions!
Thank you for sharing this. I've been watching videos considering if full time RV'ing would work for me. Hearing your total for July, it's definitely not an option for me. 😞 I'd have to find a rich husband...haha. I don't think that's an option for me either.
@@bamatina777 There are sooo many variables. Initial cost of your RV and truck as well as where you want to stay. July was our most expensive month. A normal month would not cost that much. We hate to see you abandon full time RV life. Plus so many RV options. Vans, class Cs, smaller used class As.
Wendy and I love watching you guys!! We are 3 months away from heading out full-time with our new Z3100 and Longhorn. Time seems like it is crawling. I'm retired Coast Guard. Have you had good experiences with base campgrounds?
@@jamesworr50 thank you for supporting us! Yes, the main issue we have had is getting reservations. Most only allow retired to make reservations 30 days out. First come first serve are the worst because you plan your drive of 300 miles, get there and they have no spaces or only boondocking on a grass patch. The other issue is most are poorly managed. Some outdoor recs treat it like a burden. There are a few really nice ones we would recommend. Joint Base San Antonio at Canyon Lake was very well run, organized and empty during the off season (in Dec). NAS Corpus Christi isn’t the newest but they have big lots and there is a lot to do off base on the gulf coast. Buckley Space Force base in Aurora Co was really nice with big spaces but not well run. Hill AFB in Salt Lake City was beautiful and had everything you could want. It was also run by a civilian camp host which is better I think. We are headed to Kirkland AFB in Albuquerque in a couple weeks. Its first come first serve but they just expanded it so we are hopeful we can grab a spot
We went back and watched your videos from the beginning of your journey. You both look so much happier than when you first started. God must be blessing your lives without all the daily stress.
@@jamesworr50 thank you so much for painfully watching all of our early videos! 🤣 yes, 100% a much happier life. I always say that selling everything you own and ditching the HOA is a huge weight off of your life!
do you have a list of your campgrounds you stayed at and the site numbers?. we usually use pull through sites due to our length. we have a 2024 g3500 with a silverado 3500 dually.
thanks carl
@@carlblum1221 I do keep a spreadsheet but not down to the actual space numbers. If you’d like it you can email us at chasing70degreesx2@gmail.com
Nice to see you again waves from Washington State. Where do you find the city parks?
@@dougwilliams3276 on allstays or google map searches!
So happy to see y'all! When are y'all going to come to Asia?
@@eyecool Vietnam has always been on my bucket list!
Do you have the G3750? What Ram model do you have?
@@ChrisKelley-b1p We have the G3500 and a 2020 Ram 3500 Dually.
@ thank you.
Badlands we stay on national grassland ( the wall ) it’s free beautiful and cellular works great.
@@vintagesportscards8265 we’ve been to the wall! Boondocking out there for us is weather dependent. We were there and it was sustained 40 mph winds. Made it crazy up there. We ended up in the RV park there next to the restaurant.
Blessed would be an understatement !
@@flexjay87 1000% agree!
Can you give me the name of the Harvest host that is a horse and beef ranch with full hookups please. Thank you
@@sandrahartley3461 we apparently misspoke! I looked it up and it seems it’s a farm that charges for hookups. They still offer beef for sale though and their ranch is a beautiful place! www.walnuthollowranch.com
@@chasing70degrees23 still sounds like an amazing place thank you.
@@sandrahartley3461 oh it’s beautiful! We were there in October. Trees were amazing!
You could cut a lot of corners on that budget😅. We aren't cheap, but we love to be frugal😂.
@@jim87vette we are definitely working on our frugality 🤣
Usaa is extremely expensive for insurance. You should def shop around.
@@toryloving3492 We use Progressive for our RV and motorcycle insurance. USAA for the Dually and the Honda Accord. They actually gave us the best price on the Dually. I was shocked how much it cost to insure that Ram!
Great video guys
@@marckodiak8513 thanks brother!
Didn't know if both your truck and rv are paid for. Does the total include a monthly payment on those items?
@@adolfoguerra5783 We did pay cash for the truck and put a huge chunk down on the RV. That total does not include our RV loan.
With y’all being military, a lot of the local VFW’s have hookups or allow for overnight camping when traveling . Fraternal organizations are the same if you are a Moose Lodge or an Elks Lodge member.
@@AmfIII I had no idea about the VFWs? Is there a list of the ones that allow it?
@@chasing70degrees23 thank you for your service. I never served. I just know from what I have overheard from fellow campers that it is an option at VFW’s at some of their locations that they have visited. I would suggest googling for a website and always call ahead.
Right now its not as much inflation as much as price fixing by manufacturers etc & trickle down pricing is making it hard on everyone
@@AndreaSimone57 agreed!
We eat cereal for supper to save money most nights. Food is so expensive. Keep enjoying this life. We love it and wouldn’t change .
@@kristiegodfrey8164 That’s what I had for dinner last night! Thank you for watching and supporting!
Long-term, that doesn't seem like a good eating plan. A lot of carbs and liquid calories like milk at bedtime usually result in weight gain and having to pee on the middle of the night, interrupting sleep schedules.
@@mr.monitor. so true! That’s why we mix in veggies and don’t eat after about 7pm!
This is the second video I’ve watched that truly scares me. We are 5 days away from signing “sold” papers on our house and purchasing the RV and truck and now we are both at the phase of Holy %#*! I think we made a mistake. We don’t even make enough money to cover these costs.
@@rachellejohnrockiejo There are so many variables that go with full time RV. It all depends on how much you travel, where you travel, how much fuel you use. We estimated we drove 2200 miles in July. That’s a huge expense. Staying longer at one location saves money as well. The longer you stay the cheaper the RV park cost. There is a lot to consider for sure.
Check out Thousand Trails, Passport America and RPI.
@@davidking4525 We’ve looked into it. Even used the initial cost of those memberships with Thousand Trails is cost prohibitive. Passport America is okay but the places you want to visit…say southern Florida, they limit the number of available slots at most parks.
@@chasing70degrees23 I’ve had a national membership with Thousand Trails for eight years and have spent over 600 nights in TT parks with an average cost of $9 per night including original purchase price plus monthly dues.
@@chasing70degrees23 PA is useful for a night or two when traveling from point A to B. Same with RPI.
We live full time in our RV for 16 years now in our 2006 Fleetwood Bounder i bought used for 30k , and never had any breakdowns (PM MAINTENACE IS THE KEY TO RVing, not even a flat tire over 150,000 miles, SORRY but it's just me that i would never own a 5th wheel even if someone gave me one for free. I have helped so many people work on these units. as a retired Structural Engineer, these 5th wheels are not designed to be driven down a road, (JUST MY OPINION) sure buy one and put it on a property for a cabin or weekend getaway.
@@kar-r5i4f Sounds like you do a great job at maintenance! That’s our mantra as well. Any issues we have we have found and fixed prior to things getting worse. We are 20k miles in 18 months and our 5th wheel is doing great! To each their own when it comes to the style of RV.
Did I miss it or did you list the monthly payment on the G3500?
@@Offgridinmaine glad we connected offline!
Where did you stay in Livingston?
You should have stayed at Owen’s/starry night.. amber is awesome.
@@janapecherek4158 www.livingstoncampground.com
@@janapecherek4158 it’s wasn’t the best stay but it was reasonable which is hard to find cheap in the summer near Yellowstone
@ we where to stay at the 1 you where at but we drove and saw it and I said nope. We pay more for a better place.. will always go to Osen/starry night. Any day of the week
Do you have a truck and RV payment? Also, how do you get mail?
@@patrickdahm6822 We paid cash for the truck and put a huge chunk down on the RV. So many variables when it comes to how people purchase their RVs so we didn’t cover it. Great question about mail. Our mail goes to our permanent address in Texas. My parents collect it and send it via priority mail flat rate as general delivery to whichever US post office is near us or along our route. There are pay services that will do the same thing
How many miles did y'all cover in July??
@@TheSwellestEllis About 2200 miles
@@chasing70degrees23 we'll have to watch more, that seems like many miles
Would like horse ranch in ncarolina link thank you
@@DavidCummings-b3u www.walnuthollowranch.com/rv-ranch
@@DavidCummings-b3u looks like they are closed until March of 2025. Might be due to hurricane damage
Are you all setup for boondocking?
@@HSTWXMAN yes, in the right weather you bet. 150 gallons fresh, 52 gallons black, 104 gallons grey with Solar, lithiums and a generator. It just hasn’t been the summer to boonedock. We even went to northern Montana and it was 100 degrees.
Harvest host they say to spend $30 a stay plus utilities.
@@rene-Slater yes! And sometimes I’d rather pay $10 more and have full hookups and run all 3 ACs
Trueful real life thank u
@@ronhiggins6629 Thank you for watching!
I think you said you spent $800 on food. I don’t think that’s too bad for two people.😮
I think your key is to focus on
needs versus wants.
@@RVingwithG Agreed! We were not over our budget in July we just wanted to to share what it cost US. There are tons of ways to cut that cost down! Thank you for watching
Oh and if you truly want to chase 70 degrees in the summer you’ll only find it in Alaska these days. :)
@@jasontwing yes! Without a doubt but I’m not dragging my home to Alaska. Plus I have to cross Canada and I have weapons they won’t allow 😂
@@chasing70degrees23 yeah that is the one thing I don’t like about having to travel thru Canada, however, the journey and the scenery are worth it.
whats the truck and 5th wheel payment each month?
@@RussLittlejohn paid cash after our house sale.
thanks for the video
@@RussLittlejohn Thank you for watching!
Can you save money by boondocking? Just wondering?
@@WanderingWedemeyers of course! It’s just harder when the weather doesn’t cooperate! I’m not going to boondock when it’s a 100 degrees during the day. We do some when it’s nice though, like low 70’s and 60’s. 😁
@@chasing70degrees23come on it’s a free weight loss program 😂 lol not that you guys need it. I’m just being silly. Trying to figure all that out before we hit the road next year. Thank you for replying!
@@WanderingWedemeyers we were chasing 70 degrees this summer, we even went to northern Montana and it was still in the 90’s! We are hoping to find that cooler weather next summer! Y’all should plan to be waaaay north in the summer ☀️
I would guess the large distances traveled are a huge part of it.
@@THEALLIANCEZERG definitely why the diesel cost was so much! Plus up north in Montana they can charge whatever they want
What is a star card?
@@On-down-the-road it’s a credit card issued by AAFES for military members.
@@chasing70degrees23 not for veterans?
@@On-down-the-road Not sure. I had mine prior to retirement. I know veterans have access to AAFES including online so maybe see if you can apply on their site.
What about the all very free filters
@@rogergraves242 free filters??
Corp of engineers parks?
@@chadkoller7809 yes! We haven’t ventured out to those much because of the lack of electric and this ridiculous heatwave all over the country. We were in northern Montana near Canada and it was 100 degrees. After 23 years in the military I’m not going without electric hookup for weeks at a time. A couple of nights it’s no big deal. We are hoping for a nicer fall.
Wow for 1 vehicle insurance you pay that?? Better get different insurance, we have 3 full coverage vehicles a 2010,2016,2023 vehicles through progressive and pay $260 a month for ALL 3
@@NelsonsRetreat Thank you for watching! It’s actually our auto insurance for a 2013 Honda Accord and the dually. I was astounded at how much full coverage on the dually cost. I’m guessing it’s because of the replacement cost.
I would still shop around
0@@chasing70degrees23
OMG...I might have to change my plan for retirement. $5400 a month, and that doesn't include any payment for the truck and trailer
@@vincentmurante5142 there are so many factors, the amount of travel we do and the cost of diesel fuel adds up a lot! We paid cash for the truck and put a good chunk down on the RV. It’s all about finding a budget that works for you
Sounds like buying 2 or 3 acres in 2 or 3 states. Makes sense and open your own rv parks
@@caption87 I think that would be profitable but also a lot of work. 🤣
I would buy Jackie whatever she wants WOW
@@arthurjackson861 she doesn’t want for much 🤣
That’s not shocking. Tho we have a sticks and bricks we stay out typically a month at a pop. Now just food, fuel, campgrounds only we are at 3500 for a month. That’s the big ones.our motorhome is 2 years old and our 6th in 30 years. We stay in spot typically 8 days so that off sets fuel cost significantly. We do have incidental expenses but rarely exceed 200 per month. I do 90% of the maintenance on the coach and I farm out the 10% I cannot do. Now folks do spend way more or less but it’s indicative of one’s lifestyle and other factors. At the end of the day it boils down to if you’re happy. We’re content.
@@Rick-x8h exactly! We do all of our own repairs unless it’s covered under warranty. We are learning to increase our stays to at least a week for cheaper stays.
Ouch.
Like you guys.
@@BrilliantDesignOnline Thank you for watching!
Tldr.. how much?
Florida Colorado and Arizona
@@caption87 those are the expensive states!
Do you boondocks?
@@rebeccamikesh422 yes! We mentioned it in the video. We have done a few harvest hosts and Walmarts are easy for a one night stay. We are not really interested in doing long periods of boondocking day on BLM lands. Especially not with the heat we have encountered this summer even up in Northern Montana/Canada
Oregon has great state park privileges for veterans ! 10 days free per month!
@@Grumpyseabee22 Wow! That’s great to know. We plan on getting to Oregon eventually.
I love COE campgrounds we get sites for 11 bucks a night
@@missouritravelers that’s awesome! With hookups?
@@chasing70degrees23 some are full hookups 50 Amp but most have no sewer connection
$458 in subscriptions...Damn..someone needs to go outside more. Lol..Thats a truck payment just to watch tv. Doesn't your sites have cable? Awesome job on the break down. Look into emission compliant tune for the ram and you can get that mpg up substantially.
@@Kevin-midmichigan 🤣😂 $278 of that is actually subscriptions. The rest is Starlink and waggle. We are ditching the waggle subscription this month because it hardly works! Most places we stay have very spotty WiFi and hardly anyone offers cable hookups anymore. I’ve been eyeing the stealth performance plug in for the Ram. Have you heard anything about it?
You forgot the big depreation on that expensive rv...... Thats another 2 to 3 thousand a month..... An be assured a big repairs coming...... So its crazy expensive
@@petepayette6690 wow, okay. Well it’s not for everyone. 30 years of hard work and planning plus good financial decisions on our part has enabled us to be able to absorb any depreciation plus my attendance and education as an RV tech will thankfully offset any big repairs. We didn’t go into this uneducated or unplanned. Thank you for your honest and sincere comments.