How To Set A VanLife Budget

If you plan to live on the road with your van you need a budget. I am very, very bad at budgets so do what I say not what I do! I'm going to use my numbers hoping it will turn out to be my budget. I'm a little scared.

Monthly Hard Van Costs

I have a van payment. If you can pay cash, God bless you! I bought a new tricked-out van and didn't have enough to pay cash. I've had the good fortune of making a few pre-semiretirement bucks and it is nearly paid off.

At the moment my van payment is $571 a month. Oh my. Well, it had to be done and it won't last forever.

Next is insurance. This can vary greatly depending on lots of things. Sometimes insurance can be harder to get on a build-out than on a manufacturer build. It is also based on credit.

I have a manufacturer built. My insurance is about $1100 a year so that is $92 a month.

Licensing and inspection. My van is licensed in Texas and my renewal has been about $75.a year. An inspection is required in Texas IF your van is in Texas at the time of renewal. My van is never in Texas at renewal time (July) so I skipped that.

Texas does not have an excise tax. If your registration is in a state that is that number is surely in the $$$100's. For instance, in Massachusetts, the excise tax is $25 for every $100 worth of value. If your van is worth $20K that is $500 a year on top of your registration fee. Holy mazoli! You might consider licensing in a different state.!!

Here is a breakdown of my expenses:

- $571

- $92

- $6.25

Total cost: $699.25.

Food

Not much sense to have a Costco membership if you live in a van. I have no room for bulk purchases. I barely have room for a week's worth!

I don't eat out so this number will vary. My weekly average is $120 and that includes dog food and incidentals like toothpaste and wine. I drink the cheap stuff; $7 for 1.5 liters. Just a level above Boone's Farm!

My Cost

$480

Dumping

I've got a fancy, dancy toilet and I can haul 25 gallons of water for toilet and dishwashing, etc. If you have a bucket and a pee bottle you don't have a dumping fee. I dump (empty my poop and dishwater) once a week and the cost is $10. That is at a truck stop usually, like Love's or Pilots.

But many places across the US are free. County fairgrounds, city water facilities, and big RV sales and repair places like Camping World. I search out the free ones first so my average is $20 a month. That is considering 2 free ones. The water is free when you dump.

My cost

$20

Campgrounds

Campgrounds can be very expensive. They can range from $20 to $120 a night. Or maybe more. I'm a boondocker and rarely stay in campgrounds. In the last year, I can only think of three times I stayed in a campground. For all three it was $175. If you spend lots of time in campgrounds that can be a big number for you.

My cost

$15

Maintenance

This category covers things like oil changes, tires, and brakes. Things that wear out from normal wear and tear. The biggest variation in this number is whether or not you can fix these things or not.

I have changed my tires out once in three years for $800. I get them at Discount Tire so if I need them rotated or I have a nail puncture they fix it for free. So I am going to count this over 2.5 years because I had them done a few months ago.

I've had my brakes changed out once for a cost of $500. Over 2.5 years,

Oil changes for my Ford and my generator cost about $600 a year.

Here are my expenses:

- $27

- $17

- $50

Total: $94

Gas or Diesel

How much you spend on gas or diesel depends on several things. First and foremost is how much a gallon you pay. This number varies depending on where you live in the country. I recently saw $5 a gallon for gas in Arizona compared to $2.99 a gallon for gas in Texas!

Next, it depends on how much you drive. Last year I drove a lot around the country. From Texas to California to Maine and back to Texas. I spent $6000 on gas. This year I don't know. I've been reasonably stationary from Jan to May. But now I am getting ready to drive to Alaska!

My cost

$500

Repairs

At one crazy point in my life, I flipped houses. I would buy low, rehab, and sell high hoping to make a profit. The biggest difference between profit and loss depended on what I fondly called the "oops" fund. There were always things that I hadn't planned for that popped up. I hoped they were all small but I got burned more than once.

If you live in a van you need an "oops" fund. This is for unexpected things that pop up. Depending on the level of bells and whistles you have, this may be very big or if you can fix most things yourself it can be much smaller. But for sure things will happen so be prepared!

I've been under warranty for a while but not anymore. Of course, not much broke while I was under warranty. Since then I have had to replace my generator for $5000! Puke. But over almost 4 years...... My solution/goal is to use my solar and less generator. (The generator charges my battery).

The amount I pay every month is $104.

Miscellaneous

I've got way too many of these. I'm embarrassed. However, these are NOT van costs and would apply if I lived in a house or an apartment. That's how I justify it

Health insurance. $700 (it's a family plan but I pay it)

Phone and hotspot. $350 (I have a family plan but I pay it all. Includes 3 phones, 2 Ipads, an IWatch, insurance, payment for my iPhone 14, and $55 for a hotspot)

Clothes. $30 a month. I like to thrift but if I buy jeans or boots I buy new ones.

What else? What have I forgotten?

For me, that comes to a grand total of $1912.25 for van costs and $1080 for Miscellaneous. Looks like I need to pay off my van ($571) and split the family plans ($525 savings).

$2992.25

Geez. I guess I need another job. Who has one?

You'll need to plug in your own numbers to set your budget. You may have other debts and monthly obligations that I don't have. Plug those in. If you can fix things you save a lot. I am self-taught to fix little things but for the bigger things I need help.

There it is. I lifted my skirts! Set your own and do better than I do!!

See you on the road!!

Pam, Coco, and DeeDee

boondockandbeyond.com

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