Thank You for checking out our little video - What costs were the most shocking to you? Was the outcome what you expected? Let us know below! Want to support our channel? Before shopping on Amazon click this link : www.amazon.com/shop/liferedesigned (Does not cost you anything but earns us a small commission that goes back into our channel) Be Well, Bob & Karri life redesigned

Ive been homeless since i got out of the marines in 2012 ive lived in a sailboat a teepee multiple cars and i also lived off a enduro motorcycle for a year... I learned there is always a better way to do anything your doing. It takes time to teach yourself to cut down on things. All my clothes fit in just a couple of bags. I enjoy sleeping in a hammock and using a fire to cook and heat. You can live for free. FOR FREE... the money comes in for convenience items. If you need a shower every day and you like to eat out. You better have income. If youre not an outdoor person it will cost you more money to be comfortable. Some people say living this way is cheap some say its not worth the price. Once you sell all your stuff you will be amazed what all you dont need. I live in a 6x12 foot enclosed trailer now and that space feels huge to me! Most people wouldnt call that a big room in their house. But at the end of the day eventually you will want a property of your own. Thats what cost the big bucks. Once i get some land ima build a cabin. Ive meet countless homeless people and adventurers in my years. There are entire off grid communities around the united states that loves when travelers stop by and work on the farm for money or trade. Trade still exist once you get out of the cosumer market that our government pushes on its citizens. I recommend that if you're doing research to live like this that you have an open mind and be willing to adapt to change. Life is hard for everyone. The sacrafices ive made to not be normal and live an adventurous lifestyle will give me endless stories to share when i get older. It cost a lot of money to live when you only know how to get a job then spend the money. Its free if youre creative and can adapt. Good luck

Of course, everyone's lifestyle is different, but we've experienced even more dramatic savings than you have. We're retired and live the FT RV life for about 1/3rd of what it used to cost us to live in our S&B house. We retired, sold everything, purchased an older MH in great shape for $15k cash and used the car we already owned, a Chevy Cobalt SS, as our toad. It helps if you can start out and stay debt free with some cash in the bank for emergencies. I also recommend a good roadside assistance plan, like the one we use from Escapees for only $109/yr. Instead of using TT or other camping club discounts, (though we are Escapee and FMCA members) we only rarely stay in RV parks, choosing to boondock most of the time. We boondocked for 8 months straight this year. We love living free and wild in some of the most beautiful wilderness areas imaginable, not packed into an RV park with other RVers, all lined up like sardines in a can - and we save money at the same time. When we do stay in an RV park, we find those with inexpensive monthly rates. Last winter it only cost us $170/mo. (plus electric) for a FHU 50A site in an inexpensive park near Brownsville, TX. It's a real friendly park, which is why we've stayed there for 3 winters so far. The winter before we stayed at the LTVAs around Quartzsite, AZ/Imperial Dam, CA. A 7-month permit, which includes unlimited water, dump station use and trash disposal only cost $180 or 86 cents a day if you stay all season. We travel across the country a lot, having family on both coasts, so this savings on RV parks offsets our fuel use. If you are into boondocking like we are, it helps to select a rig that is more suitable for it, with a large carrying capacity (weight rating), big tanks, good insulation and an ample solar system. Those on a budget can get started with a generator, small battery bank and can expand later once you decide this way of living is right for you. We started boondocking with 2 golf cart batteries, a generator and 620 watts of solar. Our system has since grown with large lithium batteries and 4,400 watts of additional solar that we're in the process of installing now. We're able to afford this upgrade with the money we save by boondocking. BTW we spend $65 a month for unlimited Wi-Fi internet through FMCA using AT&T. It's only a 25Mbps connection, yet that's enough to stream HD TV through Netflix, Roku, Internet videos, etc. We typically use over 300gb/month of data and with an external memo antenna we get great coverage, even in the boonies too. Hope to see you down the road one day!

Good for you. I am the breadwinner and I cant retire.

Great info! Thanks for sharing!

I bought a 2010 Chevy “Roadtreck” camper van back in April, 2024. So, I am new to the camper Van life. At this time, I have no plans to live in my van full time. I have a very nice new home that my wife and I bought in 2019. I love my house, and where I am located here in Tennessee. However, just having my Van for a month, I could see how it would become very expensive, if I took the van out camping for an extended period of time! First of all, many of the campgrounds in my area, (especially within the Great Smoky Mountains), are charging $70-80 to camp for one night with full hook up. Many campgrounds have premium sites next to a river that are well over $100 a night. My Van does not have a generator, like most “Roadtreck” Vans do. For some reason, my Van was never equipped with a generator. When I bought the Van, I thought this was a minor issue. Now, I am not so sure! My air conditioner will not work unless I am connected to A.C. Power, and living in Tennessee, you cannot survive without air conditioning! It is just miserable! So, boondocking is out of the question with my Van, unless I do it in the winter, as my Van does have an excellent propane furnace. So, I have become a little disappointed with the prospects of using my Van a great deal. $70-80 a night to camp in a campground that may already be filled up without a reservation is very frustrating to me! If you don’t reserve a site, you might just be out of luck. Where is the freedom of traveling on the road, if you have to reserve a designated spot that you may change your mind about staying, and want to go somewhere else; yet be stuck with the similar prospect of finding a campground with no vacancy because you didn’t reserve? Where is the fun in that? No! I can see where camping can get very expensive, and get very expensive very fast! But, again, I am very new to this camper business.

Great, straight forward info! So good to use as a guide when I go full time.

Great video, thank you for sharing those numbers.

Thanks for sharing this!

Awesome, thanks guys.

Great content! Solo empty nester. Full time rv nomad est January 13, 2019.

THat's a great breakdown. That book of knowledge is so smart. I think this is a terrific topic that a lot of people out there need to discuss more. And this information can certainly be expanded upon. I think I know a guy that just might do that.

The chemistry you two have on camera. I love it. Keep up the hard work, guys.

Great video.

Thanks for the eye-opening breakdown of expenses. I'll be there ASAP.

I love your channel. Thanks.

Thank you for breaking that down for everyone abviously that is the biggest concern that everyone has. Being from Massachusetts I understand how much the heat costs, I moved away in 2006, at that time it cost me around 400 every month for oil. My wife and I are really looking forward to getting on the road and enjoying life. Stay happy and safe travels

Thanks

Great video! I curious why you compared your mortgage to Thousand Trails.

I see my problem . My wife and I did a lot of travel but never sold the house. So now that I stay home more we save a bundle. We were tempted to sell but then 2019 hit. We were very happy to be out in our rural NH property then. In recent years we've had other issues that have kept us more local. Still looking at travel options as our situation changes.

Thanks for the break down of RV vs Sticks and Bricks!!!! I truly hope one day my Hubby and I can do this! Denise

Next time I fill up the 41ft diesel pusher I’ll remember smiles per miles 😀. I figured your expenses would be a lot more. We pay closer to 25 grand for the mortgage. Thanks for the run down. We would like to full time when we get closer to retirement.

I was hoping you would share your expenses with us. I appreciate it a great deal! More info to share with my wife regarding our upcoming planned retirement to full time RV life. Thanks!

GOOD VIDEO. NICE SAYING. SMILES PER MILES

That's great that you are saving money through this lifestyle! Isn't it a great feeling? 🙂

We live about 2 hours away from where you're at.... that campground wasmy first 1000 trails in 2009, and I was overriding to fire ants there as well

Just started watching your channel a few videos ago we have a gas motor home are going to be buying a diesel for full time the end of Next summer Great information enjoyed the video

Really enjoy you two. Carrie you are the perfect straight (wo)man to Bob. Ginger to his Fred. 🎉

Oh yeah, I easily pay $3000+ per year for electricity so I’m ready to leave stationary living!

Oh my gosh! Just saw your video for the first time. Bravo 🙌from one Italian to another.! Really loved watching you two enjoying telling YOUR. YOUR STORY ❤️🙏 IM here in stick in brick in NH with the wood stove fired uo. Please stop by anytime you guys come bye. I really want to hit the road in the winter. Hang on to the house for summer. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! You definitely have a new subscriber here✌️

I like the format of your channel,refreshing. As a Canadian snow bird (love rving in Arizona) I’ve always been curious about what kind of work someone like your self does. Just curious not trying to pry .

This has been the biggest concern for me and my wife, we are getting very close to making RV life a full-time gig for us. We won't be staying at any campgrounds, that's not our style, and our power consumption is pretty low, we have two 1000 watt Jackery power stations that handle our daily usage. We also have a Honda generator as a backup. Our rig is a 2019 Casita 17 foot camper being pulled by a 2022 Toyota Tacoma. We are both retired military with decent pensions, our combined monthly income is around $55,000 a month and that varies depending on how our stock portfolio does. This is all new to us so we will keep a close tab on our monthly expenses and report back soon.

You looked like you two are doing good. Great to heard it. PS. I just finished putting on on new roof at my House. OUCH!!!

I stumbled on your channel researching permanent RVing. Thank you for this informative break down. My family and I (myself, husband, and 2 kids) are getting set up to go permanent full time due to cost of living at the end of December. After much research and crunching the numbers, we will be saving on average $11,000 a year! We live frugally as it is so just cutting out rent water and electricity is saving about $6000. I was amazed at how much cheaper its going to be.

Did we miss you adding in your payments on the RV? Wouldn't that have been included in the "mortgage" category?

Lmmfao I love the people that have never lived this lifestyle, but think they know the true cost. That’s fine. Sit at home with doubts, because that just means more campsites for us.

I appreciate your take on rv expenses. While some claim it cost nothing to travel and others say it's to expensive, there is the middle ground where if you live a modest lifestyle, you no longer have to kill yourself 14 hours a day to have "stuff". BTW, it was 28 on the upper side of Texas this morning, so we definitely spent a little extra on propane for the winnebago minnie furnace 😊.

I went full-time in 2018 and have no desire to own property. Living the RV life provides better cost control and total consumer management. Basically we are forced to live economically due to lack of space and total weight balancing. Less is more in our world. Plus we tend to live healthier and be better mentally. Connecting with people and to the world through nature as the world is our livingroom. The main point is we can control spending while sacrificing nothing that's important. For those who couldn't afford the RV life most likely didn't adjust their approach to the simple life. Clear out debt, consolidate and condense everything. Dump your stuff. Yes you absolutely need to downsize. Understand that a simple walk in the woods is far superior for quality of life over the fancy expensive new devices and machinery that the marketers push. Eat simple, live simple and smile all while asking why we didn't do this sooner. I refuse to be a rat in a cage!

Miss the Great Pizza from back in NH. SALS Just Pizza was one of my favorites. Formerly from Newbury, NH (Lake Sunapee) now in NW Montana. Cheers, Bugs

Thank you for your openness in sharing your budget, I'm not fulltime rving , I live in Florida in a 55 and older mobile home park, I've been thinking about selling and going fulltime rving but I live on social security, I can do it and live a few hundred dollars a month cheaper if I do a Lot of boondocking and state parks with the America beautiful card I think it's called being that I'm 67 I can get half price with that card from what I've heard on KZfaq, but I'm still on the fence about taking the Plunge but thanks again for sharing I appreciate your willingness to put yourself out there in order to help others, I just subscribed to your channel, GOD BLESS AND stay safe.

Let me stop you at heating. You are saying that you don't use the propane on the RV to heat the RV? I know that you are in Texas, but it does get cold a times in Texas and Florida, and in other states in the South.

Great information I have two homes paid off obviously it's expensive for both I'm thinking to moving to the Philippines and renting my primary house out

You could put a price on the enjoyment you get from traveling around the USA. Hard to figure, but something to think about.

Well that’s good news for me 😂 when I retire I’m getting a public safety pension and I’m good with those numbers. We got TT since 07 and I consider it paid for years ago just from use and it’s been paid off. No RV payment because it’s paid for. Only 2 1/2 years to go and we are going 👍🏼

Hi Bob and Karri. I’ve been listening to you since June. I’m very interested in retiring and Going solo full time. Your cost breakdown was very helpful. My question is how many miles per 1-3 week move do you drive? Just trying to figure what is typical to figure out how many miles I can get in a year for the cost given. Thank you so much!! You’re a big inspiration!

I kinda miss the banjo music tho!! ;-)

So only electric for heat when needed? And what about propane costs. We are still debating but we do live in Canada and even Vancouver island is cold in winter.

Thanks guys!! You must not do too many campfires . . Wood at a lot of places is expensive!! ;-)

Staying monthly is much cheaper than moving more often.

I’m shocked at the cost of water in NH. I pay $40/$45 a month in Arizona…you know, the state they always say is running out of water! 😂😂😂

Re: thousand trails. I thought that once you buy into an expanded package ( like the elite ), the only costs are yearly dues, much like what people with a yearly camping pass pay. The basic Camping pass is now around $725/yr with no discounts. You quoted $2100 as your two year costs. Do those with the park to park memberships pay a different yearly rate? Explain.

What is the cost of the health insurance for you traveling?

I bought my house in NH 35 yrs. ago and traveled to Ma. for work. I never spent 1/3 what you guys did. I have a well and spent 0, The numbers all make no sense to me. I believe what you`re saying but I never made as much as you guys spent. I understand everyone is different. I would have hit the road too. Haaa

I play a full timer on tv, and a doctor...

If I could just come up with the money to buy a motorhome I would be gone in a heartbeat. My husband passed away in August. Our dream was to travel and see the country. He wanted me to go do it anyway even though he couldn’t go. Some day I will be on the road. I can easily afford it once I get a motorhome.

I'm sure you did include your real-estate taxes but I couldn't catch where you accounted for that. Can you tell me?

I am curious how you managed the capitol gains from selling your house and not re-investing in a primary residence. Or do you still own your home?

Seeing full time rv KZfaqrs put out their expenses made me come up with the “average” of between 25,000 to 35,000 dollars. Some spend more and some spend less. I would suspect those whom spend 25,000 or even less could be sitting permanently. There are variants but just an average.

Great video. I am wondering what way are yall eating? We are full time RVers and I am going to start eating the carnivore/ketovore way.

👍

Other than your KZfaq channel what type of work do you do remotely?

@Liferedesigned Could you guys do a video on remote jobs. Those remote jobs are totally fake, Even on resume upload sites like monster and the rest of them. The only real remote work that I have found is hybrid

Do you only stay at 1000 trails?

I’ve been looking for a breakdown like this and you two delivered. Thank you…I’m a new subbie! I’m saving up to hit the road…the thought of caring for a house is overwhelming. Plus, I’m the type to want to change scenery every so many years so the thought of sinking money into a house and not wanting to be there is scary.

One part that you may have missed was the expense of campgrounds, that's a big one. Like your channel, soon to be one of the top ones. Twister Collins.

I thought the UK was expensive but seeing your outgoings leaves me gobsmacked ,

Ok so how about money spent on where y stay every night, or did I just miss that

Carnivore diet?

You pay something for the garbage and the water and the electric as you are paying for the site you sit the camper on, Believe me it has not been free. You just do not get a monthly billing for it. I am supposing that you put the fees into the cost of the camper vs the mortgage part. Yes it does all add up but no it is usually cheaper in the long run to live like you are rather than have a bricks and mortar home. Of course someone can shoot that down the toilet if they have to drive the Taj mahal around and keep up with the Kardashians.

I spend around $500 max per year full time for just property ( we don't stay in RV campgrounds, nor do we belong to any Clubs, IE- Thousand Expensive Trails, Harvest Hosts, nothing. We spend $180 a year in LTVA (BLM Land) in Arizona from Sept 15th to April 15th, this includes Water, Sewage dump station, and Garbage. (average ($25 a month) Then we travel to my Son property in Wisconsin for the summer where he has full RV hookup for his Travel trailer and Mind ( so yes I help him with the electric bill which isn't much from April to Sept. My rig is total setup for off grid, all I need is propane fills which is maybe $50 a month tops since we cook a lot on our RV stove/Oven. The most we spend in each year is fuel around $4000 give or take diesel prices travelling back and forth from Wisconsin to Arizona. My Wife and I can live full time RVing just off of our SS money and still have money left over for that month. So it all depends on how you RV. if your spending 3000 for repairs then that's were you should be doing more maintenance yourself. I haven't spent that much in 10 years on repairs. The most I spent on my rig is Tires (every 10 years I buy tires).. I've spent only 2K on a awning only because I hit a tree limb once. I don't think that you need to spend $40K yearly RVing. I don't think your giving the real dollar number with Thousand trails. They are much higher then that depending on the package you buy. I've seen Thousand trail packages and there can get as high as 10K per year.

RV's do not have concrete foundation amd lose a lot of value quickly....

This is ridiculous

We make 35 grand a year,, should we sell our home, and do full time, were retired 😎