How to Cut RV Living Costs While Staying Comfortable

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One of the number one reasons people move into RVs is to save money. Unfortunately, it can be easy to find yourself spending as much as you would in a sticks-and-bricks home—if not more—especially if you’re traveling. I know it’s happened to us. For this reason, we do our best to set a budget and stick to it, plus find little ways to cut costs wherever we can.

Want to save money while living in your RV without sacrificing comfort? Here’s what you need to know.

Save on Power

Many campgrounds include electricity costs in their fees. That said, if you’re staying somewhere for a longer period of time, you may be responsible for your own electric costs. Fortunately, there are ways you can cut those costs.

First, I highly recommend installing a solar power system. If your system is robust enough, you’ll be able to run your whole rig off of solar power so you don’t have to plug into campground power at all. Not only will this save you money on your electric bill, but it’ll also allow you to boondock comfortably, meaning you can avoid campground fees altogether. Our solar system was easily the best RV upgrade we ever made.

Even if you don’t choose to install a solar power system, you can still make some changes to save on electric costs. Replacing all of your lightbulbs with LED bulbs is a great place to start. These use far less electricity, give off brighter light, and put out less heat, so you’ll use less A/C to cool your RV.

Cut Water & Sewer Costs

Water is always included in campground fees. That said, if you do a lot of boondocking, you may find yourself paying for fresh water and dump stations. The good news? You can skip these fees if you plan ahead.

Many places will let you fill your freshwater tank for free. On top of that, there are plenty of free dump stations out there. You can find these places by using apps such as Campendium and iOverlander. It also works well to fill your fresh tank and dump your waste tanks every time you leave a campground. Sometimes paying for a single night of camping is worthwhile just to be able to dump, fill, and shower.

In order to make your fresh water last as long as possible, make sure to install a low-flow shower head, take navy showers, wipe dishes clean before washing them, and reuse gray water to flush the toilet.

Maintenance = Savings

Remember that keeping up with maintenance is key to ensuring your rig lasts as long as possible. Not only that, but staying on top of normal maintenance tasks will also help you save money by helping you avoid costly repairs.

Make sure to inspect your tires, roof, seals, slides, and engine bay regularly, and address any problems you find immediately. Follow the maintenance schedule printed in your user manual, making sure to stay on top of things like resealing and fluid changes.

Of course, no matter how much maintenance you do, things will still break sometimes. Learning to do your own repairs by watching YouTube videos has saved our family a ton of money. We have also bought used parts and have saved a good chunk of change that way.

Choose Budget-Friendly Campsites

Camping fees are a huge chunk of any RVer’s budget. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to make these less expensive. In fact, some RVers even avoid paying campground fees altogether.

One of the best options for avoiding campground fees? Boondocking. You can boondock for free on many BLM and Forest Service lands. It’s also possible to invest in memberships such as Boondockers Welcome or Harvest Hosts to dry camp on private land. Just make sure you’re equipped with a way to create and store power as well as plenty of water.

Another way to save on campground fees is to invest in a Thousand Trails membership. These are expensive upfront, but allow you to stay in Thousand Trails campgrounds at no additional cost, saving many full timers thousands.

Lastly, there is the option of choosing campgrounds that offer monthly rates. We’ve stayed in places with monthly rates as low as $350, which works out to be about $12 a night. You really can’t beat that!

Stay Connected Without Overpaying

We work online, which means we really need to have reliable internet. Because of this, we actually spend way too much on Starlink, a hotspot, and phone plans. That said, if we didn’t rely on the internet for our income, we would definitely find ways to save on Wi-Fi.

Many families have found budget-friendly data plans that work for them. Visible is a good example, offering an unlimited plan for just $25 a month. A Wi-Fi booster can also be useful if you plan to try to use campground Wi-Fi at all, and sometimes just downloading media before you leave home is enough. It really just depends on what your internet needs are while you travel.

Smart Grocery & Cooking Habits

My biggest downfall when it comes to budgeting? Food. I love to eat out, and traveling makes it even more tempting. That said, we really can’t afford to eat out every day, and the more we eat at home, the more money we have to go out and explore all the places we visit. For this reason, I do my best to use the tips below:

• Meal plan — Have a plan for every meal and have all of the ingredients ready.
• Meal prep — Choose one day a week to prep all of your meals so it’s easy to put a meal together when the time comes.
• Buy in bulk — Many things can be purchased in bulk to save money.
• Pack lunches — Always pack lunches when you go on outings to avoid impromptu fast food trips.
• Use a slow cooker — When you’ll be gone all day, put your dinner in the slow cooker so it’s ready when you get home.

Optimize Travel

You can also plan your travels in such a way that you save a bit of money by default. For instance, staying longer in one place will save you money in a few ways.

For starters, your monthly fuel costs will go down, as you won’t be moving as often. Additionally, you’ll likely pay less for campground fees if you are able to get a monthly rate. You’ll also have more time to see and do everything in the area and you’ll be able to spread the cost of these attractions out over more months.

Using fuel apps and memberships to ensure you get the best fuel prices every time you fill up can also save you a good chunk of change. We recommend Gas Buddy, Upside, Good Sam, and TSD Logistics.

Finally, choosing to travel with the nice weather can help save money on propane and electricity. After all, you won’t need to run the heater or the air conditioner as often if it’s always 70 degrees (°F) out.

Discounts & Hacks

Last but not least, I must mention some of the various discounts and hacks I’ve learned over the years. My favorites include the following:

• Loyalty Programs — Pilot/Flying J, Love’s, Good Sam, etc. offer fuel and store discounts.
• Library Cards — Free books, movies, and Wi-Fi from town libraries. Library cards are often free or very inexpensive.
• Workamping / Volunteering — Get free stays in exchange for light work.

There you have it, a number of ways to cut RV living costs without sacrificing comfort in any way. If you’re looking to travel on a budget, these tips are sure to help you do just that!

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