How to Afford the RV Lifestyle

💰 How do you Afford to Travel? 💰

Afford the full-time RV Lifestyle 

This is everyone’s biggest wondering, is RV living cheap? Well, it all depends. For my husband and I, the answer is YES! For us, it has saved us thousands of dollars per year.

• We purchased a Thousand Trails membership, “used,” from another member. For only $3,200, plus $800 in yearly dues, it was only two and one half months of our mortgage we had previously. We were able to fill 90% of our first years reservations using Thousand Trails, which doesn’t have nightly fees (if you stay at one of the approved campgrounds listed in your membership). If you break down the numbers, we pay $10.96 a day for the first year of our membership. The second year we will pay $2.19 per day. 
• Most of the Thousand Trails campgrounds have water and electrical for free. The only time they don't is if they are having electrical/water problems. Some locations have sewer hook-ups, but where there are no hook-ups there are free dump stations. 
• So far, our budget is shaping up to be ridiculously affordable, but we do have advantages others may not. We have no trailer or truck payment. 
• We did, however, need Starlink given that internet is required for work. The initial cost was $400 for equipment and $150 a month.
• RV insurance is affordable. With Good Sam we pay $26 per month. We have an older, 30ft 2012 Forest River Cherokee. Insurance on the truck, through National General, is $76 per month for our 2019 Dodge Ram 3500. 
• Gas is a tricky one to calculate for you. We spend $500 a month. We travel frequently and I need our truck to travel back and forth to shopping centers almost daily. ***I won’t include gas in the budget total since it can vary so widely depending on truck type and lifestyle.***

This budget is insane 💥 We are at a grand total of  $615

So, is RV living worth it, financially? I say YES! When we owned our own home our budget, that included the same necessities, was quadruple that. 

But how do you make money for even $615? There are two major answers I have for you, but you will only like one of them. 99% of people won’t pursue both of these avenues, but both are necessary for success. But first, the answer you will appreciate:

1. Amazon Arbitrage: I sell products on Amazon. The best part it, they are not my products, so I don’t need an idea and a large amount of money to get going. I sell brands you’ve heard of: Northface, Columbia, Underarmour, etc. It’s incredibly easy to get going, you can make your first paycheck with eight weeks (even less if you follow a program so you don’t make any mistakes). If you’d like a free guide on getting going, visit our website. Many people create a full-time living doing arbitrage alone. 
2. Amazon Affiliates: When I blog or create content I recommend products to my audience. It costs my/your customers no additional costs, but you make a commission off of their purchase. It’s a win-win! I help inexperienced RV’ers find the products they need without needing to do research, and without (my views) spending extra money, I still make a small portion. For a guide on becoming an affiliate, visit the resources section of our website, here. 
3. Content Creation: If you were in a drama club back in your school days, or video production, you may love content creation more than you think. I like to think of this job as sharing the crazy film-like scenes that appear in my head at 5a.m., when I have had too much coffee. 

Remember how I said you wouldn’t like my second piece of advice? Well, here goes nothing… you need to change your attitude. That is right! If you sit around complaining about what you don’t have then you are not putting all that energy and brain power towards moving your life forward. The energy you have (which is likely limited these days) goes into keeping you stuck when you focus on what’s wrong. By being positive and putting energy each day into what you want, ideas on how to achieve it, and practicing those ideas, you will get there.