Whether you are a vacationer making a single trip, or an intrepid nomad living in your RV full time, there are many things you can do to relieve the pressure on your budget.

Fuel Pricing

While your RV gets incredible mileage for a house, as a vehicle it is less than ideal. This means that you will spend a lot of time and money at the pump. Web apps like Waze and GasBuddy can help you to navigate and plan trips, and offer additional features like finding the lowest gas prices along your route. While a few cents per gallon doesn’t seem like much, when you are frequently refilling it adds up!

RV Services

Recharging batteries, dumping storage tanks, and refilling your water and propane are essential to the RV lifestyle, and saving money on them will add up quickly. One way to meet these needs is the Pilot/Flying J rewards membership. These are truck stops that have expanded to cater to the RV crowd, offering overnight stays, showers, food, and basic RV services. The Flying J RV Plus Card will open up many discounts and coupon options to you can save you a lot of money.

Boondocking

When you are in an RV, you don’t need to pay to stay anywhere, as long as you aren’t bothered by the lack of conveniences. This is called boondocking and involves parking your RV in free public places such as National Forest land.

Some of the options for boondocking are:

• National Forests: You are typically allowed to camp free for up to 14 days, though some allow longer stays.
• State Forests: The rules for these will vary from State to State and even forest to forest. You will need to research the requirements to avoid problems with the Rangers!
• Public Rest Stops: If you are a heavy sleeper, you can stay in rest stops along highways in some States. It is important to research State rules to avoid problems.
• Store Parking Lots: There are some businesses, such as Walmart, Cracker Barrel and Cabela’s that are friendly to RVers, and permit one or two overnight stays. Some will even offer RV services like dumping stations and water fill up.

Some websites will help you to find and research free camping options, and these can make it much easier to plan your trip.

Meals

Meals on the road can add up, so it’s best to make use of your RV kitchen as much as possible. Cook meals using fresh ingredients you find at local farmer’s markets along the way. If you’re staying in one place for an extended time, you can even have a meal kit like Sun Basket (check prices) or Blue Apron delivered to your campground for some new recipe inspiration. Use a current promotion or coupon to score big savings on your first meal delivery box.

Lodging

If you aren’t the intrepid type, and you prefer to stay in RV campgrounds, there are still ways that you can lower the costs of your camp fees. Many campsites are chains, such as KOA campgrounds, and will offer memberships that will provide discounts and coupons. They typically feature camping in many locations, so they are reasonably easy to plan around. If that still costs too much, some campgrounds will permit you to work in exchange for your camp fees. This is an excellent way to offset the expenses of staying in a campground!

Using some of these simple techniques, you will be able to reduce your budget and enjoy more of your RV time. Where will your savings take you?