How much vacation money do you save by owning an RV?
- Thread starter BusynMember
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BusynMember
Well-Known Member
$500 a week is more than our rent for the month. We could NEVER afford that...lol! But I'm glad you had a great time!Oh, Star, THANKS! We won't even have possession of this until next Feb. when we get our tax refund. We are paying it out--they are letting us. So we will have it for next year.
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hearts and roses
Mind Reader
Congrats on your camper. We had a popup camper that slept four for years. When the girls were little, it was great. Then H and I took it out a few times on our own - also great. Then it was set up in June and taken down late August in our yard - great fun in the summer for the girls and their friends to camp out back. We sold it winter before last. It was very clean and we got a good amount for it.
I loved having the camper, but I have to say that after years of camping, I began missing a hotel or cabin. So, we had our fun and saved big bucks while the girls were little and into their early teens. Before the camper we usually rented condos or cabins - fairly cheaply. I look forward to that again. And of course, now we have a time share exchange, so it'll be inexpensive for us in the long run.
We all miss the camper; I think you will love it!
I loved having the camper, but I have to say that after years of camping, I began missing a hotel or cabin. So, we had our fun and saved big bucks while the girls were little and into their early teens. Before the camper we usually rented condos or cabins - fairly cheaply. I look forward to that again. And of course, now we have a time share exchange, so it'll be inexpensive for us in the long run.
We all miss the camper; I think you will love it!
DammitJanet
Well-Known Member
I have noticed that Fairly. With all my trouble with internet service if I had a RV, I would be parked up at our local Walmart...lol. Its right next to a Best Western with free internet.
Shari
IsItFridayYet?
I'm late getting into this, and my neck is fairly red, but we love our camper. Its a 27 foot 5th wheel, an older one that we got in good condition and I work my tail off to maintain that way, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
We use it several times a year, at least once a month from March to November. It also provides a place to sleep when we have visitors. The most expensive place we stay is about $24 a night with electricity. The cheapest is a friend who has a lot on the river. lol We will leave in a few weeks for our 11 day camping vacation. It will be me, husband, easy child 2 and her friend, difficult child 2 in our camper. easy child 1 and his girlfriend have their own camper this year, and my mom is coming in her camper, but I will supply groceries for the group. The campsite cost me about $130 for the entire time, which I paid for in January. The groceries will cost me around $200. Fuel will cost me about $40 each way. Essentially, 8 people will be vacationing in a state park for 11 days for about $400 paid over time (easy child 1 and mom paid for their seperate campsites and I buy and freeze hot dogs, steaks, etc all thru the year to take on the trip). Can't beat that with a stick. Then we take all the other little weekend trips that we do all thru the year, that we wouldn't do otherwise, and we aren't far from paycheck to paycheck. I find that those weekend outings replace other recreational things thru the week that we do if we don't have them...so that part is a wash.
So anyway, here's a vote to love your new rv. Its not an all-inclusive resort; you have to cook your meals and wash your dishes, but there's something about the great outdoors that just makes it less doldrum and less work. Besides that, I'm big into dutch oven cooking, which makes even having to cook part of the fun of going!
We use it several times a year, at least once a month from March to November. It also provides a place to sleep when we have visitors. The most expensive place we stay is about $24 a night with electricity. The cheapest is a friend who has a lot on the river. lol We will leave in a few weeks for our 11 day camping vacation. It will be me, husband, easy child 2 and her friend, difficult child 2 in our camper. easy child 1 and his girlfriend have their own camper this year, and my mom is coming in her camper, but I will supply groceries for the group. The campsite cost me about $130 for the entire time, which I paid for in January. The groceries will cost me around $200. Fuel will cost me about $40 each way. Essentially, 8 people will be vacationing in a state park for 11 days for about $400 paid over time (easy child 1 and mom paid for their seperate campsites and I buy and freeze hot dogs, steaks, etc all thru the year to take on the trip). Can't beat that with a stick. Then we take all the other little weekend trips that we do all thru the year, that we wouldn't do otherwise, and we aren't far from paycheck to paycheck. I find that those weekend outings replace other recreational things thru the week that we do if we don't have them...so that part is a wash.
So anyway, here's a vote to love your new rv. Its not an all-inclusive resort; you have to cook your meals and wash your dishes, but there's something about the great outdoors that just makes it less doldrum and less work. Besides that, I'm big into dutch oven cooking, which makes even having to cook part of the fun of going!
SRL
Active Member
You will need to have a truck or van to tow a trailer or 5th wheel of that size, unless it is an RV with vehicle attached. When I was little it was common to see station wagons pulling campers but those days are long gone due to the fact that vehicles aren't the heavy metal jobs they used to be. Be sure and find out the weight of the camper and then purchase the vehicle accordingly. Trucks will need to be outfitted with a tow package to fit what it's towing (I think it's more than the hitch but also includes extra engine cooling something or another).
Also check your town ordinances regarding campers because many have restrictions on how long they can stay on your property. Ours can be on our property from June 1 to Oct 1 and only set up for 2 weeks at a time. Otherwise it needs to be stored offsite (which is an expense for many people).
Camping can be cheap or expensive, depending on how you do it. If you have to go out and buy the camper, a vehicle, stuff like sleeping bags, lanterns, long extension cords to hook up, etc. it can be a lot of money up front. It can be a lot cheaper than hotels, but not as cheap as staying home or tent camping. Most sites with electrical hookup that we've stayed on have run about $22 per night. Also add in the cost of ice for the cooler (most people take a cooler in addition to the fridge in the camper) and firewood. I think I spent about $18 on ice this past weekend and that was with the coolers staying in the camper with the AC on all the time, otherwise I would have probably added $10 onto that.
We have a very large pop up camper and we've used it a lot. The first trip out we were in a full sun site and spent the whole weekend sweating so my husband came home and went out and bought and installed AC. It's been great.
Also check your town ordinances regarding campers because many have restrictions on how long they can stay on your property. Ours can be on our property from June 1 to Oct 1 and only set up for 2 weeks at a time. Otherwise it needs to be stored offsite (which is an expense for many people).
Camping can be cheap or expensive, depending on how you do it. If you have to go out and buy the camper, a vehicle, stuff like sleeping bags, lanterns, long extension cords to hook up, etc. it can be a lot of money up front. It can be a lot cheaper than hotels, but not as cheap as staying home or tent camping. Most sites with electrical hookup that we've stayed on have run about $22 per night. Also add in the cost of ice for the cooler (most people take a cooler in addition to the fridge in the camper) and firewood. I think I spent about $18 on ice this past weekend and that was with the coolers staying in the camper with the AC on all the time, otherwise I would have probably added $10 onto that.
We have a very large pop up camper and we've used it a lot. The first trip out we were in a full sun site and spent the whole weekend sweating so my husband came home and went out and bought and installed AC. It's been great.
