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Finding Money For Camping and RVing, Repairing Camping Gear
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You love to camp, and you love to travel. But finding money for camping and RVing can be as tricky as finding time. We’ll deal with finding time another day. Let’s talk about finding money.
Before we start talking about finding more money for camping and RVing, we need to set a target goal. When you’re trying to save money for something, you really need to define that goal. In our case, our minimum budget would be $400 a month. Here’s how it breaks down:
- RV loan payment, $125
- RV storage, $50
- Insurance, $25
- Fuel and 4 nights of campground fees (2 weekends per month) $200
Kris and I have narrowed our search to a few travel trailers in the 17 to 18 foot range. Most of these would be considered entry level. weighing in at around 3,000 pounds, they could easily be towed by our Chevy Trail Blazer. If we can save that $400 for 5 months, we’ll have a nice start on the purchase.
Quick Wins In Finding Money For Camping and RVing
Photo by Blake Wisz on Unsplash
We’re starting with some low hanging fruit. Some luxuries in the budget are easy to trade, as long as the trade is an RV and the ability to use it.
How much is your cell phone bill? My job used to take me all over the country. A national plan and unlimited data were a must. We’re in the process of shopping around, but I feel confident we can cut our $204 dollar plan by at least $105.
Update: We cut the bill by $75, but we did cut it.
Take a good look at that cable bill. Are you willing to give up a few features to save a few bucks? We gave up our land line a year ago, and saved an easy 20 bucks a month. We don’t miss it.
Although we still have several channels, we know several people who’ve cut their service to internet only, then subscribed to Netflix, Hulu or another service. Oh, and if you live in a city, a digital antenna will still get you several channels for free. Major networks and several independent channels are still sending the signal the old fashioned way.
Renegotiate what you have. Even if you decide you don’t want to give up anything on that cable bill, call and ask for a discount. We’ve had success with this one several times.
Small balances you can snowball and pay off soon. If you have a lot of debt, you should probably put the RV idea aside and focus on getting rid of some of it. Spending money you don’t have on camping weekends you can’t afford takes a lot of the joy out of things. Don’t ask us how we know.
We’ve finally paid off some student loan debt. Oh, what a feeling!
Starbucks and restaurants are also low hanging fruit. $400 per month breaks down to a little over 13 bucks a day. If you’re a coffee junkie like us, you hit the coffee shop 3 or 4 times a week. Cut it back to once a week. You’re not giving it up, just cutting back.
Coupons… they work! Just Ask Kris. My wife is the coupon queen. Although it’s only the 2 of us, she has to save an easy 15 bucks a week.
Start an online side business. This isn’t a quick return, but you could find ways to turn your hobby, passion or skill into an online revenue stream. You may not be the next millionaire blogger, but you could bring in more than enough to cover the costs of your camping and RVing.
Bottom Line
Look over your budget. If it’s not in writing, start tracking your income and expenses every day. If you’re like most of us, you’ll find your share of low hanging fruit.
Look at the top of this web page. Read that line “Helping You Keep Camping and RVing Affordable, Simple And Fun.” Kris and I are committed to this tag line. In fact, it’s more of a mantra. We remember when camping was a struggle. We shared some of our biggest RV mistakes back in Episode 8. It’s worth a listen, or a relisten.
Repairing Camping Gear
Our daughter Kelly and her three boys decided to have a backyard campout. Like many young families, they have an inexpensive tent. It’s at least a 6 person tent. Her 7 year old can pitch the dome tent with little help. Seven year old boys are a bit tough on tents. A few of the metal tent stakes are bent. Some of the fiberglass poles are split or broken.
Kelly’s goal is to have an RV of her own. Rather than tow it around, she’d like to leave it on a permanent spot in an RV resort. She and the boys would have a great time with this arrangement.
Should she replace the tent? Should she invest in a few new parts? The answer is, what will get her closer to that RV she’s dreaming of?
Campers use many kinds of gear. It’s easy to just replace something that’s damaged or broken, but it might be a quick and easy repair. Just walk through your favorite outdoor store and you’ll see a whole aisle or more devoted to parts and repair.
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