7 Smart and Creative Ways to Save Money While Living Full-Time in an RV
Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
If you’ve found this article, it’s most likely because you’re either considering giving full-time RV living a try or you’re already doing it.
No matter which of the two can be applied to you personally, the fact of the matter is that you probably don’t have a handle on all the things full-time RV living implies. At least not yet.
That’s why we’ve decided to list some things that will not only allow you to save money in the long run but that will potentially also, in turn, significantly improve your quality of life.
So, let’s see what are some of the smartest ways you can save money and improve your experience while living full-time in an RV.
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Be ready to downsize
If you’re considering adopting this new way of living, you’ll need to prepare yourself for some serious downsizing. Full-time RV living is certainly not a great option for people who enjoy having a lot of things. Instead, it’s more suited for people who embrace a more minimalistic approach. So, make sure you don’t go crazy and overstuff your RV with unnecessary things. Not only is the storage space in most RVs really limited but if your vehicle is packed to the brim, it will affect your gas consumption as well. So, by lowering the number of things you pack into your RV not only will you reduce the amount of unnecessary clutter but you’ll also cut your gas consumption.
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Plan ahead
Another common mistake people who live in RVs make is failing to plan ahead properly. This mostly applies to food and grocery shopping, particularly when fresh produce is concerned. No matter how much or how often you eat fresh produce, chances are that you will find yourself also wasting a lot of it. That’s why you should be more careful with grocery trips and plan your meals more carefully ahead. This way not only will you limit your unnecessary spending but you’ll also avoid wasting food.
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Invest in comfort
Next, the fact that you are or will be living in an RV full-time doesn’t mean you have to give up comforts. On the contrary! Investing in comfort is probably one of the smartest decisions you can make. When looking for the right mattress and pillow, for instance, for your RV, make sure that comfort always comes first.
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Improve safety
On a similar note, you also need to make sure that you amp up your personal safety when living in an RV. You can easily do this by investing in a top-notch RV camera system. RV cameras are a smart long-term investment because not only will they improve your own safety but they can also significantly reduce the possibility of some unwanted damages, such as break-ins. Therefore, by installing a good camera system, you can rest assured that you will prevent some unexpected costs.
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Get familiar with the make and model of your RV
By learning as much as you can about the make and model of your RV, you can also save money on small repairs and fix-ups. While it is definitely true that more serious issues are best left to the experts, there are some small repairs you can take care of yourself and save some pretty penny. Small expanses tend to add up fast, and you can significantly lower them if you learn how to take care of some basic things on your own.
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Stay connected
When living on the road, it’s really important to stay connected with the people you know. Chances are that, sooner or later, you’ll be visiting a town some of your friends or relatives live in. This offers a great opportunity to cut some costs by either staying with them for a while or at least parking your RV on their property. Additionally, even though it is important that you get a reliable Wi-Fi connection for your RV, you can also cut some costs by using free Wi-Fi networks whenever possible.
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Stay on top of your spending
Finally, in order to ensure that you’re actually saving money, you need to stay on top of your spending. What this means is that you should track your spending for a while to get an idea of how much money goes on what. After you get a clear picture of how much money you’re spending, you can more easily see if there’s any room for improvement. So, by staying on top of your budget, you’ll easily prevent yourself from overspending.
Therefore, if you’re considering trying out full-time RV living or you’re already enjoying this lifestyle, make sure you keep some of these money-saving tips in mind. As mentioned, not only will they enable you to cut costs but they can also potentially improve your entire experience.
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Mike Johnston is an avid blogging enthusiast and experienced freelance writer. He is a regular contributor to numerous online publications, where he writes about business, technology, entrepreneurship, and real estate.
