2017 Expenses in our 1st two months of Full-Time RV Living

We have been on the road since June 12th, almost 2 months so I decided to plug in some numbers into our spreadsheet just to be able to start comparing how we are doing and start making some projection of future cost and comparisons.

I have backed out any expense related to our home in Las Vegas from both months (we just received a final water bill for the Vegas property, but hopefully all those expenses are paid now). It looks like the expenses are a little more than I had expected but not by a whole lot.

I have costed out the cost of the Drone over the rest of the year ($214 for 7 months) and moved some RV camping fees we paid in advance to the actual month we will be in the site. I have also amortized our auto and rv insurance ($2100) as well as the Thousand Trails annual dues ($607) out over 12 months.

I am sure there will be new expenses popping up each month that we haven't planned for, but hopefully we will be able to keep the total monthly cost down to under $4,000, at least on average as some months will be up and hopefully some will be equally down.

If you scroll down below the budget, you will see our 2017 Itinerary along with the mileage and that is where the RV mileage numbers come from in the top section of the expense line items. I also entered the times we have (or plan to) move to a new location. Below that, the number of nights we will be staying in a Thousand Trails (TT) campsite (read FREE) along with nights we will be in a regular RV park, Walmart parking lot, or someones driveway. Some of these nights will be free and some will be expensive but on the whole, campsite expense should be fairly low with our TT membership. As you can see, for the 18 days in June it averaged $19.45 but July was only $1.63. Hopefully we can stay well under $10 average per night over the span of the year ($8.40 for June & July).

The Diesel expense can't be used to compute miles per gallon as we use a system called Aqua Hot that burns our diesel fuel to heat up hot water for showers and dish washing as well as heats the motor-home when necessary, although we will more often use electric heaters or the electric heat pump when we get free electricity which is most of the time so it is close but not exact. We also have a 10K generator that burns our diesel fuel when we use it, but that is mostly when we are boon-docking or traveling down the road and need the Air Conditioners running and now that we are trying to stay in milder climates that doesn't happen as often as previously.

We paid for the registration on the Lincoln prior to leaving Vegas so it isn't included but the RV registration is most of the June RV: repair-tags-etc $452 expense. If I am still doing the expense report next year, I will probably amortize those items out also.

If you have any questions or comments please leave them as we are definitely open to improving our budget and/or saving money. We are also open to any great places to go and check out that you may know of along out travel route even if we have to add another line item to account for it.

2017 Expenses JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Totals RV Miles (Actual & Projected)  1499 387 520 2740 1312 120 6578 Times we Moved 7 5 4 8 7 1 32 Thousand Trails nites 11 31 31 20 18 30 141 Out of the TT System 8 0 0 10 13 0 31 Campsite average cost night $19.45 $1.63 $8.40 Diesel Fuel 242 762 Campsites ($51 TT dues) 370 51 51 51 103 51 51 Motorhome-repair, tags, etc 452 304 Auto-gas, repair, tags, etc 185 173 RV & Auto Insurance 175 175 175 175 175 175 175 Groceries 774 891 Dining Out 295 193 Internet & Cell Phone 147 147 Directv 118 118 Medical 242 242 Pet Care 55 Leisure/Hobbies/(Drone/7) 602 235 214 214 214 214 214 Computer 101 469 Clothing 51 Mail 5 TOTALS 3809 3765

Last day at Mt Vernon

We were in town running some errands when Pearl spotted this Mexican restaurant so we stopped for Lunch. I ordered a salad but Pearl decided to get a Grilled Chicken Burrito. It didn't sound too healthy but we have been doing good for quite a while and we both jump off the wagon at least once a week.

Well, I had to apologize for my snap judgement. I have never heard of a burrito like this one, it had all the normal burrito stuff, but was chocked full of Cauliflower, broccoli, squash, jalapeno and I don't even know what else. She even gave me a couple of bites (broccoli and jalapenos) and they were pretty good.

The burrito was so big, she didn't even eat a fourth of it so we took it home and for dinner she heated up a couple tortillas and put the leftover burrito stuffing into them and it was a really good burrito. I don't know if we can duplicate the flavors but I am sure Pearl will give it a good try.

It has rained a little the last couple of days, so I washed the RV in the rain and it worked out pretty good. I have some dry wash stuff that I use to clean it when we don't have access to water (which most parks don't allow washing rv) and I used that today to polish it up and it worked well. You couldn't help noticing in the videos that it was pretty dirty ant had streaks all over it. Looking good now though.

I had a lot of extra video so decided to put together another video last night. I need Brynn and Jared to do some guitar numbers that I can use as background music as I have heard both of them play and they do as good and probably better that the stuff I get off the internet. I may have to look harder or start purchasing some canned music if I can find a good site, assuming I don't anything from either of my musical talented grandkids.

Chehalis and Mt. Vernon RV parks

We are getting closer to that Canadian border each week. We are just about a week away from our 3 week stay at Birch Bay which is right on the border. The best part of all this is we are staying in 70 degree weather the whole time. I don't think we have seen anything above 70 degrees since we got to Elko, Nevada. It is our wish we stay in the 70's for the next year or longer simply by chasing the sun but not getting too close.

This video is of both Chehalis and Mt. Vernon. We like them both, but so far it appears Mt Vernon is our favorite of all the thousand trails we have stayed in to date. We were out on a hike today and found a really neat trail that cut through the forest and ended up at the pool, park, community area. It really looks to be in great shape and we will get some video of the trail and the community area soon. Every Thousand Trails has an area like this but Mt Vernon seems to be the nicest and biggest so far.

Our site has full hook-ups which is great because we can do laundry and use all the hot water we want for showers, dishes or what ever and that really makes life flow along smoothly. All the sites have electricity and water but probably less than 25% have sewer at a lot of the Thousand Trails campgrounds. I guess that for a lot of folks that only stay a few days that is fine, but when you are in the campground a week or you have to have sewer or take your camper to the sewer dump site and dump your tanks then to back to the campsite and set it up again.

I have found the secret to being able to fly the drone at the different campgrounds is to read the rules and if it doesn't say "No Drones" and none of them say that, then simply assume it if fine and fly away. No one has said a word, and lots of folks seem to enjoy watching and asking questions. So I plan to get lots more practice here. In this video, there is lots of drone footage, but I talk talk quite a bit about our thoughts so far in our adventure, including some basic financial information on expenses as well as how we like the overall RV experience. Spoiler Alert "We Like It" and like it a lot.

Steve and Jinxi mentioned they would like to know more about how the cost of living in an RV compare to living in a house, as well as the specifics of shopping, preparing meals and overall rv lifestyle. While I do address several of those items briefly, Pearl and I plan to do a more detailed blog centered around those items in the near future. Stay Tuned

Enjoy the Video and I think it is almost time to take Tinker for another walk, so we are off down the trail.

New Drone Pilots in Kelso WA

We have moved on to Chehalis Washington (40 mi north of Kelso) and pretty much kicking back and relaxing. The campsites are all in the trees so a little more privacy but still fairly close together. It has been in the 50's in the mornings but warms up to the low 70's by mid afternoon. All in All, a pretty nice campground to spend a week or so.

On Tuesday, we drove into Kelo to have lunch with everyone that was available (Lance and Joey had to work) and we fell off the diet a bit with sweet potato fries and hamburgers (I had bacon cheese burger) and it was pretty darn good. We also went to the park and let everyone fly the drone. Jordan only had an hour lunch break so she didn't make the flying time so maybe next time.

Here is about 13 minutes of drone flights (spoiler alert "No One Crashed") and there are quite a few shots of everyone but a lot of flying around the park type shots that maybe too much, but the good news is it doesn't take too long before the drone comes back around and gets a little more
footage of everyone.

We haven't done much the last week or so but I am sure we will get out and about here pretty soon and assuming I don't forget to take pictures we will post some video of what we are up to other than flying the drone. With all the trees around, often we don't receive a satellite signal and our day consist of walking the dog and reading a book. Not a bad day, but not room for a lot of video or photo shoots.

If there is anything anyone would like us to include more video of be sure to let us know, other wise you will have to choose between simply watching what I like to video, which may get pretty old to everyone except for me, or end up skipping the blog altogether.  

Lettuce Wraps for dinner last night (Good Stuff)

Paradise RV Resort

We have been here for almost a week now and although it was really full up and crowded when we arrived last Sunday, it got even fuller by the 4th of July. The good news is probably 50 or more campers left Wednesday morning and it has really been nice since then. 

You can tell it's Friday though as it is starting to fill up again for the week-end. We have driven around the area in several directions and I could see myself living here pretty easy. There is a really nice lake and it if full of houses right on the shore line with docks and piers out into the lake. It looks so peaceful. Pearl still doesn't like all the small windy roads and overcast weather although it has been pretty nice weather since we have been here.

The truth is we both are really loving the RV lifestyle, we will be leaving in a couple of days for another campsite just up the road a bit. We have put together our agenda from now through the first of November and it is posted at the end of the video. It is a little blurry as I couldn't format the blog page correctly so I just took a picture of a picture and used that. If it is unreadable due to the blurriness, post something in the comments and I will email you a copy that is much crisper.

Unfortunately the FAA test center postponed my drone test as no one would be in the office Wednesday due to the holiday but I did get to go in on Thursday. One thing is for sure, I need a lot more practice actually flying the drone. I am just so scared of all these trees (not to mention that big ocean). I keep thinking I am getting more confidant but as soon as it get a couple hundred yards away and I see trees all around I start getting nervous all over again until I land and my confidence suddenly comes back once it is safely on the ground. I was just the opposite when I actually flew  real airplanes. In fact when I went in to take my test, the computer still shows I have a Commercial Pilots License and a Aircraft Mechanics License and they treated we with a lot more respect than I actually deserved, but I didn't mention anything about not flying in over 40 years. We all have our little secrets.

Well, it is cocktail hour here so I will post the video and I am headed to the bar. Enjoy and I will see everyone once we get to Chehalis Thousand Trails RV resort this Sunday.

Long Beach - Oceana - Paradise

We only had a couple of days each at long Beach and Oceana, mainly due to just getting our Thousand Trails membership finalized and most campsites are booked up on the week-ends. Now that we are members and can book out several months in advance we have been able to get camp sites several weeks ahead of the crowds, arriving on Sunday or Monday as everyone else is leaving and hopefully we will start getting our pick of the sites and staying for a couple of weeks at a time so we have time to explore the areas a little more.

Still loving the RV lifestyle and enjoying every minute. I really like the fact it doesn't cost anything to stay at any of the campsites and (so far) I can see our budget really holding up just fine. It helps to not have a mortgage and those extremely high summer electric and water bills. That allows for much more entertainment and dining out adventures, and we both like that. It feels like we are in the Sweet Spot of life and although it may only last a short time, it sure feels good.

As you will see in the Video, both Long Beach and Oceana were about the same type of campground with Oceana having much smaller campsites. Both are an easy 10 minute walk to the beach and we enjoyed out stays at each location. We are currently at Paradise RV park and it is much bigger (and full) but it is in a forest and not on the Ocean. We aren't too far from the swimming pool and we can hear kids playing all day long but there are lots of walking trails around as well as canoes to take out on the little lake if we so choose. I plan to do some studying up and get ready to drive up about 60 miles to a FAA office to take my test drone test on Wednesday. It will be nice to get that behind me and be able to fly in a lot more places without having to call the different airports to let them know I am flying in their area.

Diane sent an email saying she and Steve might check in occasionally and we hope they do. They once mentioned they might be interested in getting back into owning a 5th wheel RV. If that does work its way up to the top of their list of things to do, maybe we can have another family reunion at some central location somewhere, sometime, somehow. It's easy for us to vote for it as we don't have much else to do, and we plan to come drifting by each of your homes over the next year, so either way we will be seeing you soon. Count On It.

I was just watching the video prior to posting it and admiring Pearl's hair. She was getting tired of it being so long while we were in Vegas in 100 plus temperatures so she asked Melissa if she would cut and style it while we were at their home in Spring Creek.  I didn't expect to really like it short but I think Melissa really did a great job and I like it a lot. Makes me pretty proud to be escorting such a lovely lady as we walk around the campground. I sometimes even put on a clean shirt and comb my hair (might even have to shave soon) so people won't think i'm a knucklehead harassing her instead of her husband (harassing her). Thanks Melissa!

Enjoy the Video, I sure enjoyed making it.  

Maybe a Little too Confident a Little Too Soon!

I have been practicing with the Drone for a week or two now and have been doing a lot of studying on the computer to learn the rules and regulations, but I just discovered that if I don't want to crash it in the Ocean, the Forest or anywhere else I need to do a lot more flying.

A couple of days ago, I took the drone down to the ocean to fly it on the beach and get some neat pictures and video. All went well until the wind started picking up and I realized the battery was running down a little faster than normal fighting the wind.

The video covers it pretty well, and although it makes me look a little foolish, I learned a good lesson and realized I need a lot more practice flying and learning all of the features of the drone. While I work on learning some of these things, you can enjoy the video. 

It looks pretty easy on video, but even though it is a drone and it has lots of features, you can still loose it or crash it if you aren't paying attention.

ENJOY