Roving Reports by Doug P: 2014-35 2014 Monthly Expenses

2014-35

2014 Wrap up on costs.

scenes from my morning walk in the desert

I keep track of my living expenses as they relate to full-time camping. The monthly expenditures are for camping, diesel fuel and any misc expenses associated with camping. I do not include food expenses as that is a personal preference as to how much a person may wish to spend on themselves. Whether eating in or going out to eat can change ones food expenses drastically.

Compared to last years expenses, this years traveling expenses have been reduced dramatically due to my taking advantage of my Government senior Parks Pass. it gives me 50% discounts at all government campsites. I also use my Passport America club to give me 50% off of over 1,900 campgrounds across the country.

Another reason my expenses were reduced so much this past year is that I stayed at each campsite usually for 9 to 11 days. This helped me get more of the 50% discounted campsites for a longer period of time and reduced my fuel expenses by remaining in one area for a longer period of time. When I arrived in New Mexico, (for 2 months) I took advantage of their yearly park pass for $225, letting me camp in their state parks for a full year with the addition of a $4 fee for electric.

Over all I saved well over $100-$200 on my camping fees per month and between $200 and $250 on fuel per month. That all adds up. A note on fuel expenses. I rarely traveled more than 150 miles between campsites which kept my fuel expenses down considerably.

2014 Travel expenses: CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

If a person assumes $600 for food per month on average, I'd say a person could camp for as little as $2,000 per month. That figure can quickly go higher with spending money on activities, entertainment, staying at full price campgrounds that can easily cost in the $35-$75 range and traveling farther distances between each campground, doubling fuel expenses instantly.

As a final note, in previous years, I always budgeted around $500 for camping and $500-$700 for fuel expenses. So this years expenses were well below those basic figures.

Enjoy your travels whether on a budget or going first class, it all brings us to the same oceans and beaches, mountains, forests or deserts as we end each day watching the same scenic views and spectacular sunsets.