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Costs of Full-Time RVing – April 2019


April 2019 found us starting the month in Las Cruces, New Mexico and ending in Woodbury, Minnesota, a distance of over 1,900 RV miles and more miles than we traveled the first three months of 2019 combined. 

While in the Las Cruces, NM area we visited White Sands National Monument, Prehistoric Trackways National Monument, the world’s largest Pistachio in Alamagodo, several museums, and Old Messilla. From Las Cruces we traveled east to Carlsbad, NM to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. What an amazing stop! We absolutely loved the caverns and spent several hours wandering through taking in the uniqueness of the landscape. Our final stop in New Mexico was at an alpaca farm that is part of the Harvest Hosts program. 

Next up was four nights in Littlefield, Texas at Waylon Jenning’s RV Park, a free city park. While there we spent a day in Lubbock, TX exploring the city and visiting several museums at Texas Tech University. While in Littlefield we experienced a major wind and dust storm with gusts nearing 80mph. Yikes! Luckily we were somewhat protected from the winds at the city park and escaped from any damage except for a thick coat of dirt on both the RV and car. After Littlefield we headed north to Amarillo where we encountered harsh winds along with rain, sleet and a few snowflakes. We did make a couple quick touristy stops in the city but the poor weather did not make for a pleasant experience. 

The poor weather and winds continued as we traveled east through Oklahoma and then north to Kansas. We visited a few sights on our list in those states including the Capitol buildings and Strataca – Kansas Underground Salt Museum in Hutchinson, KS but postponed many others for another time. 

The last week of the month was spent in Iowa where we toured five separate John Deere Factories. Each one was unique and very interesting. The technology and engineering involved in manufacturing the farm equipment is incredible. After completing the tours we headed north to Minnesota to our final destination of the month at the home of a family member. More details of all the places we visited and stayed during the month are in weekly posts that are linked below. 

Our total expenses for the month of April 2019 came in at $1,625, slightly above our historical average of $1,500 and $400-600 higher than previous months this year. Most of the additional expense can be attributed to high fuel costs due to rising gas prices, windy driving conditions resulting in poor fuel economy and a large amount of miles driven in both the car and the RV. See the complete expense breakdown below. 

monthly travels

Monthly Expense Breakdown

Below is a breakdown of our monthly expenses along with an explanation of what is included in each category. We track our spending via the free app “PERSONAL CAPITAL” and publicly share it to help others estimate their potential expenses for life on the road.

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Detailed Expense Breakdown

Campground Fees – $0

No campground expenses were incurred this month. Overnight stays included eight nights at Boondockers Welcome host sites, six nights at Harvest Hosts sites, six nights at city parks, five nights at the home of family, three nights at Walmart, and two nights on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land.

Communication – $119

Verizon phone plan shared with family, unlimited data plan with AT&T and UPS mail box costs are included in this category. We also paid to have our mail forwarded this month. 

 

Entertainment – $72

Expenses include entrance fees for a tour of PistachioLand in Las Cruces, NM; entrance fee to the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Museum also in Las Cruces; and entrance fee to Strataca – Kansas Underground Salt Museum in Hutchinson, KS along with monthly fees for Netflix and Hulu.

 

Food – $293

Includes all food and alcohol expenses for the month. $9.29 was spent on meals and beverages eaten out and $283.62 for food and beverages prepared and consumed in the RV.

 

Gas (Car) – $66

Total miles driven in the Kia Soul for the month was 1,092. Fuel prices ranged from $2.33-2.52 a gallon.

 

Gas (RV) – $569

Total miles driven in the Thor Vegas RV was 1,918. Fuel is also used to operate the on-board generator. Fuel prices ranged from $2.43-2.79 a gallon. 

 

General – $220

Purchases included a replacement hairdryer, two pairs of shoes, office supplies and miscellaneous household items such as toiletries, paper products and cleaning supplies.

 

Laundry – $0

No expenses were incurred this month as laundry was done at the home of a family member. 

 

License/Insurance – $115

Full-time RV and tow vehicle insurance and licensing. 

 

Medical/Dental – $139

Expense includes our monthly health insurance premium. 

 

RV/Auto – $0

No expenses were incurred this month. 

 

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Utilities – $33

Expense includes 7.8 gallons of propane from Love’s Travel Stop in Eagleville, Missouri at a cost of $3.19 +tax per gallon and a two-pack of 1 pound propane bottles from Walmart.

 

 

Expense Breakdown

CATEGORIES APRIL YTD 2019
Campground Fees 0.00 0.00
Communication 118.63 467.74
Entertainment 71.50 324.22
Food 292.91 1285.73
Gas – Car 65.50 241.38
Gas – RV 569.29 849.81
General 219.63 571.59
Laundry 0.00 39.50
License/Insurance 115.20 460.80
Medical/Dental 139.22 651.98
RV/Auto 0.00 49.19
Utilities 33.05 177.56
Total Expenses 1624.93 5119.50

2019 By Month

2018 By Month

Annual Expenses

 
 
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