June was an amazing month; we visited three states, three great lakes, and did it all with our lowest monthly expenses to date! While this is cause for celebration, we still have budget areas to focus on trimming.

Here’s the breakdown:

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Camping Fees

We camped in 10 different locations during the month of June; three nights were paid, and 27 nights were free! We used our Passport America membership for all of the paid nights and received 50% off. We were also able to score some sweet boondocking sites, overnight at Harvest Hosts and barter free-camping days as well.

We dry camped for 7 days, had partial hookups for 7 days, and full hook-ups for 16 days.

• Total Camping Fees: $51 ($288/previous month)
• Daily Average: $1.70 ($9.29/previous month)

Food Expenses

This category always surprises me; food expenses add up quickly! We were mindful at the grocery store, only ate out twice, and cut out cheese from our diet – and we still spent over $500 on food. Our “big ticket” food items are coconut oil, coconut milk, quinoa, walnuts & almonds, and rice pasta.

• Total Food Expenses: $541 ($347/previous month)
• Daily Average: $18.03 ($11.19/previous month)

Gas Expenses

This was a huge money pit. We traveled from Bloomington (IN), north through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and into Wisconsin’s Door County. We towed the camper nearly 1000 miles around some of the nation’s highest priced gas stations.

The average gallon of regular gas was $2.60, paying as high as $2.79/gal.

• Total Gas Expenses: $369 ($287/previous month)
• Daily Average: $12.30 ($9.26/previous month)

Other Expenses

This month “other expenses” consisted of an RV power adaptor, Harvest Hosts products, laundry, propane, toiletries, and a dog harness. We were glad to keep this category under $100 bucks.

• Total Other Expenses: $84 ($112/previous month)
• Daily Average: $2.80 ($3.61/previous month)

The Monthly Cost of RV Living

June was our most successful budget month, and we consider that a great accomplishment – especially since we were in an expensive part of the country with few boondocking options. As we go forward we’ll continue to focus on free & cheap camping, and keeping our food costs in check.

After the “June Living Expenses” line, you’ll notice the “Fixed Expenses” line. Fixed Expenses is the combination of our unchanging monthly bills – insurance, internet, cell, student loan, and subscription services.

• Total June Living Expenses: $1045 ($1248/previous month)
• Total Fixed Expenses: $400
• Total Cost of June RV Living: $1445 ($1648/previous month)
• Daily Average: $48.17 ($53.16)

 

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