When we decided to sell our business, and live full time in our RV, we had limited funds, but figured we could do it. We set a budget of $1500 a month and tried to live within it. We found it difficult if we were doing cross-country trips, but if we stayed in Alberta and BC, we were able to manage. We will follow with our exact budget, but first, a few tips on how to save money.

The obvious is to find as much free parking as you can. On trips we use Wal-Mart, churches, (we always leave a small donation) truck stops, our kid’s driveways, etc. For long-term parking we shopped around until we found full hookups that we could afford, and still have nice ambiance. Last summer we stayed at Qualicum Bay just across the street from the water, with phone and cable for $350 per month. If you were staying for the winter, it would even be less expensive. We always ask if there is a deal for weekly, monthly etc. We have found that some parks even gave us a club member discount even if we weren’t members of that particular club. We are members of the FMCA, so I always ask, "Do you give FMCA discounts?"

When we are on the road we usually stay at least two nights a week in full-service campgrounds to dump and fill with water. In Alberta and Saskatchewan we have found that there are a lot of municipal campgrounds that are very reasonable, but are not listed in any of the campground guides. It is always helpful to obtain the provincial campground guides because most of them are listed there. We stayed at Big River, SK for only $15 a night and in Shellbrooke, SK for only $12 a night. Most of these campgrounds also have free dumping.

Groceries are always a problem, as saving money in this area is difficult. This is because sometimes you don’t have access to big supermarkets, and in an RV you can’t buy large quantities. We save money by buying very little junk or prepared foods and making most stuff from scratch. Keeps us healthy, too.

We like to eat out two to four times a month, it is not cost saving, but fun! When we are in the US we eat out very little, as it is expensive. While travelling we always stop for breakfast or lunch (we usually brunch) at a rest stop, park or pull out.

We also shop for fuel. If we are going to visit one of our children or going to a friend’s house, I will phone ahead and ask what their fuel prices are, then just buy enough to get us there if they are cheaper than where we are. We have saved up to 10 cents a litre this way, and at 400 litres a tank full, this is significant.

Laundry is always an issue. The way to save money here is wear everything twice or longer. We do this, except for socks and underwear. Also, in the summer you need a lot less clothes. We have found it to be a bit more expensive in the US to do laundry.

We keep our entertainment costs low. Buying movies at discount stores saves going out, and if we like the movie we can watch it again. We also travel with satellite TV so this is part of our leisure activities. But, our main amusement is eating out.

We pay all bills by automatic withdrawal or by credit card. Our credit card is automatically paid from our bank account, which means we do not pay any interest. If you are over 55 most banks have no-charge checking accounts. Some banks automatically switch you over, but some do not, so check this out.

We have a storage locker, but want to somehow alleviate this cost. We threw out everything we didn’t think we would use and downgraded our locker, but still wish one of our children had room for our stuff.

There are lots more money saving things we do, but we would like to hear from our readers as to what you do to save money on the road.

Last year in Mexico we spent $1400 dollars a month, not including fuel. We spent a $700 per month for RV parking, but found we could live on $700 a month. Our fuel costs were approximately $2000 for the trip, so a Mexico trip for four months would be approximately $2000 per month (20,000 dimes).

This article is intended for budgeting expenses only. Our income is more than the budget, and the extra goes into savings for unexpected expenses, such as repairs, or for purchases, like new lawn chairs, etc. What we would really like is to win a lottery and not have to worry about all this stuff! I hope you share some of your money saving ideas with us.