Cheap RV Living






Do these words stir a fire deep within you, awakening a spirit of wanderlust
and travel? Maybe you were a gypsy, vagabond or hobo in a past life, but you
think you could never afford to live the life of freedom you long for? Maybe
you are a survivalist, or just want to drop out of society but don't know how.
Perhaps you are just sick of the rat race and want to simplify your life. We
have good news for you,  you can, and we are here to show you how! The key
is eliminating the single highest expense most of us have, our housing. We will
do that by moving into our vehicle (see the pages How to Make A Camper Van
and A Great Van Conversion) and "boondocking." By that I mean living in your
vehicle without paying for a campsite. Go to the boondocking page for a full
explanation.

Let me prove to you right off the bat that you can live the free life. Here is a
budget to live and travel full time. One column is for a $500 a month and the
other is for a  $1,000 a month for one person.
$500
Per
Month
 $1,000
Per
Month
Explanation of Item
$50
 $150
 Savings for vehicle maintenance/repair and a rainy day. Problems are
inevitable so better save and get ready
$150
 $175
 Food. Obviously you can't eat out a lot, but you can eat well.
$50
 $50
 Vehicle insurance. This is just a guess as there are so many variables.
$50
 $75
 Cell Phone and Internet access.
$150
 $300
 Gas. This is a low amount, especially with the price of gas being so high.
We will just have to travel less. Stop and smell the roses!
$25
 $150
 Miscellaneous items.
$25
 $100
 Entertainment
$500
Total
 $1,000
Total
  







Of course, at $500 per month this is a sparse life, but I am just showing
you that it can be done. In fact when I posted the $1,000 per month budget
on a yahoo group called VanDwellers, (everyone wanting to live this life
should join VanDwellers!! click here) the majority of the responses were
that they were living on much less. Several people mentioned specifically
living on $500 since that was what they received  in their disability check, so
I know for a fact that it can, and is, being done right now (read Jim
Jaillet's article on Fulltiming in an RV where he shows how  he lives easily
on less than $1,000 per month.) That still leaves us with the question, where
will the money come from? Let me show you some simple strategies for
living the cheap RV lifestyle.

1) Move Into Your Vehicle and Save your Rent/House Payment
You are probably working at a job right now and paying for an apartment or
house. The first thing you do is decide what type of vehicle you want to live
in and purchase it. Then you have a garage sale and sell as much of your
excess stuff as you can, and give the rest away. Then you move into your
vehicle (to learn how to convert a van: click here). Now this is very
important, you open a savings account and the money you used to pay for
your apartment or house and all utilities goes into the savings account
instead. The hardest part is that it will soon turn into a lot of money and you
will be tempted to spend it. Don't do it! Leave it there unless it is a total
emergency. If you are currently paying $600 a month for rent and utilities,
then at the end of the year you will have saved $7,200. Now you can travel
for the next 7-14 months without working. Or if you work intermittently,
you can extend that even further.

2) Alternate Work and Travel
(See Living in a VW Vanagon for a perfect example of this)
So, we take our $7200 and leave on our new life of freedom  until we need
more money. Then, we choose a place we want to be for awhile, stop there,
and get a job paying as much as we can, but at least $7 per hour . For that
month we take home about $1000. We spend half of that to live on, and now
have $500 in savings.   Actually, we should have more since we won't be
driving much (some of us  will ride our bike, scooter or motorcycle  which we
are carrying on a bike rack or trailer). So we can take that $500 and are
off again. Or we can spend several months at one place and then travel
several months. Maybe you like to ski so you spend three months at a ski
resort working and skiing on the weekends. Then you have the next three
months off to do whatever and go wherever you want. When you need to
work again,  you drive up to Glacier National Park and get a job there doing
dishes at the resort. You spend your summer weekends hiking and taking
pictures. Three months later, you are free again. Or maybe you are a
history buff.  So you drive to Gettysburg and get a job there. You spend
your weekends exploring the Amish country and Philadelphia. You then go to
New England to photograph the fall colors and spend a month exploring
Washington DC. When you need to work again you drive to Orlando or Miami,
get a job, and explore Florida. If you are adventurous you can  work your
way down to a beach resort in Mexico where you work for the next three
months and surf, fish and snorkel on your weekends.  Working in the tourist
industry you probably double your wage in tips and living in Mexico is very
cheap so you save even more than usual. Now you can take the next six
months off in the U.S., or maybe nine months off in Mexico (see Jim
Jaillet's articles on traveling in Mexico and Central America.) You keep
doing this to your hearts content!

3) Live on a Pension
Or maybe you are like me. I took early retirement with a pension of about
$1100 per month and I don't have to work at all unless I want to for
whatever reason. I am young and healthy so I am working as a campground
host in some beautiful places (see my article on workamping). That way I
can build more of a savings account or spend more as I want. Many people
have social security or disability checks they live on.

4) Work While You Travel
With a little creativity you can find ways to make money while you travel.
The possibilities here are endless, only limited by your abilities and
imagination. With access to the Internet, many traditional jobs can be done
remotely as you travel. Here are  some possibilities but they are just to
jump-start your thinking. There are many books and websites with a huge
selection of ideas:

  • WorkCamp  (Click Here for detailed information)
  • Make crafts and sell them
  • Buy and sell on Ebay
  • Create works of art and sell them
  • Handyman services
  • House painting
  • Animal grooming
  • Auto detailing
  • Knife Sharpening
  • Web Site creation and maintenance
  • Photography
  • Sewing
  • Accounting

This life can be for you if you want it! We have shown that you can live on
very little, and four ways to make the little money you do need. So what is
holding you back? For most of us it is fear. Let's address that and show you
a simple strategy to overcome your fears.

Overcoming Your Fears.
This is a tough one. Many of us live lives of quiet desperation, hating our
jobs, and just enduring our life. We meet our obligations and conform to
societies dictates.  On the surface, all looks good. But on the inside is a
desperate but muffled cry for a life of passion, adventure and travel.
Summed up in one word it is a cry for FREEDOM!!  This is probably
overstating it, but if you look at your life, you can probably find some
element of it in there. What holds us back? Why can't we break out of our
rut into a new and exciting life? For most of us it is fear. An unpleasant
but acceptable present is better than an unknown and dangerous
future. So, how do you overcome your fears? Allow me to lead you through
an exercise to overcome a fear.

The first and hardest step is to take an unflinching look at ourselves and
identify the fears that hold us back.  I will list a few possibilities, but
remember this is just a starting place, you must do the hard work of finding
your own fears.

  • Fear of going broke and being homeless and penniless.
  • Fear of being alone (see Traveling With Your Pets).
  • Fear for my physical safety. (see Vandwellers Safety)
  • Fear of failure.
  • Fear that I'm not good enough.
  • Fear of what others will think.
  • Fear of the unknown.
  • Fear that I'm Too Young (see Young Vanweller)

After you have identified your fears, accept them, even embrace them.
They are a natural instinct given to us to keep us safe and from taking
stupid risks.  They are a good thing unless we let them paralyze us. When
that feeling of  fear and panic starts to well up from your gut,  take a really
deep breath and thank it for the wise warning. Assure it you will consider
the warning very seriously. This may seem very "new-agy" but try it any way.

Next, address the fears and find solutions. There are solutions to every
problem!  On this page we have presented a solution to one of our biggest
fears, that we will run out of money and be indigent. We have shown how
little we can live on and how to make the money we need. Start right now
doing your homework:

  • Record all your expenses so you know where your money is going.
  • Decide what is really important and spend your money only on those
    things.
  • Write up a detailed budget and follow it.
  • Start researching new ways to make money.
  • Increase your work skills and gather the necessary tools.

Now, when that fear wells up again, gratefully embrace it and say. "Thank
you for the warning, but this is a safe risk. Look at my budget. Here is my
savings account for emergencies. This is how I will make more money.
Everything will be alright," You may have to do this many times, but
eventually your fear will turn to hope as it embraces your new life. Then,
come, and join us as we travel the road of carefree destiny.
To Contact us about this
site, write to:
akrvbob@gmail.com
akphotobob@yahoo.com
 


Living and Traveling Full or Part-Time in a Van, Car, or RV

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."  
Attributed to Mark Twain
Jim Jaillet has written a book
must-read for anyone who is like
me and wants to travel in Mexico
and Central America, but has
been too afraid to proceed. Jim's
book has calmed my fears and I
hope to follow his route myself
some day. He has written a series
of articles on traveling in Central
America and has graciously
allowed us to reprint them here. I
highly recommend  these articles
to you and hope that you are as
inspired as I have been.
Click Here For Articles

Also see his excellant article on:
Extras For Fulltiming
Visit the New
Mobile Living Store

We have handpicked items that will make
your new life easier and More successful
Plan now to Attend:
The 2nd Annual

Rubber
Tramp
Rendezvous

January 10-24, 2012
Quartzsite, Arizona

Everyone who lives,
(or dreams of living)
in a vehicle, is welcome.

Do you have a question you don't see addressed
in the website? Or, do you just want to meet
like-minded people? Join the new forum!
cheaprvlivingforum.com

Inspiring Quotes
Profound Words
for a Simple Life
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Zion National Park: Photo By Charlene Swankie