If you’re ready to hit the road and ditch your job, then you need to learn how to live in an RV for cheap. There are ways to live in an RV without spending a lot of money, but you will have to let go of some of the things you might be used to right now.
Determine Your Goals for RV Life
Since you’re talking about how to live in an RV for cheap, there are probably one or two reasons that you want to know this.
- Because you can’t afford to live anywhere else
- Because you want to maximize your fun while RVing
No matter which category you fall into, the following information will help you. However, if you are broke and can’t afford some of the fun things I talk about doing in the post, just think about this for the future because your current situation doesn’t have to be your permanent situation.
When you set your RV life goals and are learning how to live in an RV for cheap, know that you can change them later if you want to, but for now, you need to figure out what’s important as you’re starting out with RV life.
Get Your Expenses Down to Bare Bones
The first thing you need to do if you want to live in an RV without spending a lot of money is to get your expenses down to bare bones.
If you can avoid having an RV payment, you’ll take out one of the biggest expenses that plague people. That doesn’t mean that your RV won’t still cost you money. You do still have to pay for RV insurance, repairs, and of course, travel expenses like fuel.
You also need to figure out where you will stay. If you can avoid expenses like campsites, that’s another major financial burden off your shoulders.
Those of you out in the west can find dispersed camping pretty easily so you can boondock and not pay any expenses, but if you’re on the east coast, that’s a little more difficult. If you can find someone that will let you stay in an RV on their land for free or cheap, then that’s another good option.
If you work online, you might think that you need the internet, but it could be better to just go to public libraries or to cafes and use the internet. The money you save not paying for the internet can help you keep from working so much.
Making Money While Living in an RV
Even if you are living cheaply in an RV, you still need to have money. We talked about getting your expenses down to the bare bones above, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t need any money.
If you are living on retirement, then you might have a little bit of a different situation. You might just need to make sure you stay under your fixed income.
For those of you that don’t have fixed income coming in on a monthly basis, you can find some odd job around campgrounds or find people that need handy work done. Figure out what skills you have that are marketable no matter where you go and use them to generate enough income so that you can make it without worrying too much.
Cheap Entertainment for Cheap RV Living
When you are trying to live in an RV for cheap, you still might want to find cheap entertainment nearby.
Learning to love being out in nature can really help you save money. It doesn’t cost anything to take a walk or to sit in the park and watch people and wildlife.
Another way to get discount fun is to join a zoo or museum that has partnerships with other attractions. Sometimes these discounts can be pretty large, so don’t sleep on it if you like going to zoos and museums.
Cheap RV Living Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in an RV than in a home?
Yes. In some cases, if you budget well, living in an RV can be cheaper than in a home.
Is it a good idea to live in an RV?
Yes. If you want to live in an RV to save money, it can be a good strategy.
How long can you live in an RV?
You can live in an RV as long as you want to live in an RV.
How to Live in an RV for Cheap – Conclusion
Now you know more about how to live in an RV for cheap. Saving money by living in an RV can be a short-term or a long-term strategy. We lived in an RV for 2.5 years and saved a lot of money, and only moved back into a house due to the pandemic and all the RV parks closing down.
Who knows what the future will hold, and that’s okay. Do what you think is right for your situation right now, and you can always change things in the future.
When Jessica was older and had a family, she took her crew on the road for 2.5 years. They lived in 2 different RVs during that time. One 18 foot long and one 28 foot long. Both pull-behind RVs.
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RV living can be super inexpensive when considering the steep cost of owning a house, paying a mortgage and doing that whole bit. What a fun and freeing lifestyle this is for you.
Ryan
Hey, Ryan! It was pretty cool living in the RV for 2.5 years. Now we’ve decided we’re going to RV part of the time and have a house as well. However, if that’s not an option for everyone, I think going the RV route and living an inexpensive lifestyle can be pretty amazing!