average yearly costs to live full time in a 40' skoolie?

[Ally420/Akasha099]

One of my friends thinking making a huge mistake with this lifestyle choice. Can anyone help me answer this question for him? He thinks it would a lot more than house/Apt living and I have no real numbers to give him yet. Thanks so much for your kind and bright replies.

[gbstewart]

to many things to factor in, ie; are you putting on lots of miles ,are you boon docking, are you going to rent a campsite, cost of propane, etc etc.
it rally all depends on ones life style . wants and needs.
gbstewart

[Azuleslight]

Originally Posted by Ally420/Akasha099

One of my friends thinking making a huge mistake with this lifestyle choice. Can anyone help me answer this question for him? He thinks it would a lot more than house/Apt living and I have no real numbers to give him yet. Thanks so much for your kind and bright replies.

It all depends on him. If he buys alot of take out, drives everywhere and stays at resort rv places it could cost 10k a month. If he lives a moderate life style it can cost less than a apt. If he plans to go off grid on some land he owns it could be even less. Also WHY hes moving into a skoolie or rv may be the largest factor to consider. Some people also just find out the rv, skoolie life isnt for them in the end. My guess is he'll pay about the same or a bit less if he owns the vehicle. Again, it all depends.

[Robin97396]

He wants number on yearly expenses of living is a schoolie? Only he can do that because nobody else knows his budget.

Living in a bus can be very inexpensive, but it completely depends on your situation.

[Ally420/Akasha099]

It's actually us that is moving, and our friend trying to stop us from this choice. We want the freedom of the road and have a family with tons of experience in house building. All we are looking for is really numbers of about what it costs people who are currently living in a Skoolie full time and what makes their situation different.

Many of the YouTube videos we have watched specifically for life on a Skoolie or bus have suggested as little as $200 per month. We plan on using majority Solar energy, with Propane back up. Our clean water will run into the gray tank which runs into the black tank, so will be one disposal price. We plan to hand wash clothes and dishes from tap water gained from family/friends. So, water tank will be majority for showers. Then there is insurance and registration. We'll most likely be registering in Virginia.

Majority of our time living in the bus will be in the "boon docks", with a little traveling here and there.

Is anyone willing to do a little break down of their current situation with some real numbers? Would be perfect!

[Robin97396]

Everybody has a different setup and lives under various conditions. Even if you get number they won't apply accurately to you.

If you're boondocking you can exist for basically the cost of food and fuel, assuming your insurance isn't monthly. You know your monthly expenses, not including rent obviously. You're the only one that knows if you've got another vehicle with expenses that you need to figure in. How can anyone give you numbers?

[Azuleslight]

Ill let others give you specific numbers. I dont think it is needed though. The person telling you not to move is not you and you do not owe them a single explanation. I have alot of people telling me the same thing. I ignore them and live my life.

[cadillackid]

there are a lot of variables to living mobile... while I havent done it, i know someone who did after their country House burned down.. and they decided to take the insurance money and learn / build a new house thenselves.. they sold their property and lived in the RV driving from state to state looking for a place to build.. some expenses they didnt think about...

Insurance to live in it more than just a small percentage of the year went way up.
Propane for heat went fast in the cold winter months and was pricey
price for a PO box for the mail to be delivered to.

price to drive to UPS / Fedex anytime they wanted to buy anything online... no physical address to deliver to that UPS could send to..

price for hotel rooms when the RV malfunctioned and needed work (it was 20 below.. tough to work outside for long when the interior heat is broken)..

price for mobile internet.. or price for coffee at starbucks to use the free internet.

price for groceries / food / toiletries.. living in an RV meant they couldnt take advantage of the mega size paper towels, laundry soap, soda, food, etc..

campground fees - many places they travelled until they found property were illegal to park an RV overnight unless at an approved campground... plus they needed a place to dump and fill on a regular basis which some camp-sites required a 1 night stay to dump / fill.

Generator fuel - pricey.. i see where you plan to run on solar. but in winter that will be tough unless you are somewhere with longer daylight hours / warmer temperatures.. or planning being dark N cold alot of the time.

Schooling material - living on the road meant they needed to home-school their kids.. the approved curriculums and testing materials werent cheap..

now.. once they found land to build their new house things got easier as they put up a nice sized storage shed with a deep-freezer then had the septic,well and electric systems installed first so that the RV then became more like a house.. running on shore power all the time.. their expenses dropped significantly at that time.. then they Built a Much nicer Home than they wouldve had..

-Christopher

[gbstewart]

$180.00 for six months, you can live off the grid on BML land In Arizona, price includes dump station, water, and trash, and all the dust you want.
then you just have to eat, and hope your solar works
gbstewart

[dgorila1]

Originally Posted by Ally420/Akasha099

It's actually us that is moving, and our friend trying to stop us from this choice. We want the freedom of the road and have a family with tons of experience in house building. All we are looking for is really numbers of about what it costs people who are currently living in a Skoolie full time and what makes their situation different.

Many of the YouTube videos we have watched specifically for life on a Skoolie or bus have suggested as little as $200 per month. We plan on using majority Solar energy, with Propane back up. Our clean water will run into the gray tank which runs into the black tank, so will be one disposal price. We plan to hand wash clothes and dishes from tap water gained from family/friends. So, water tank will be majority for showers. Then there is insurance and registration. We'll most likely be registering in Virginia.

Majority of our time living in the bus will be in the "boon docks", with a little traveling here and there.

Is anyone willing to do a little break down of their current situation with some real numbers? Would be perfect!

When you say "boondocking" are you talking about parking at a relative or friends property or moving around trying to find places that you can park overnight that won't run you off? If you're trying to mobile boondock it will be hard, at least in the developed areas of Va since pretty much every city doesn't allow overnight camping and skoolies stand out..
I've been following a bunch of full time stealth van dwellers on YouTube and most of them have cost info. On average they all spend approx $500-$600 a month or so, but they are stealth van camping in mostly city areas and taking showers at gyms (Plant Fitness is popular due to low monthly membership). The costs rise if they are traveling allot due to fuel.

[dredman]

I have been full-timing since August, and I have a perspective you might be interested in, as it is similar to what I understand you are looking to do.

I think the main thing to keep in mind is what others have said, your costs will vary depending on your standard of living, and expectations. If you are truly wanting to live detached ( I hesitate to say off-grid, as I don't want flame) your expenses can be minimal, and WELL below what you would pay for rent and close to zero.

What you need to eliminate from your estimates:
-things you will need if you lived in a tent(food, water, etc.)
-things you will buy regardless of your housing (health insurance, cell phone)

Things you need to calculate:
-fuel costs for the rig (unless you own the land, you will need to move occasionally)this number will vary greatly depending on how much you move around, and may likely be the single biggest expense
-fuel for cooking, heating(I have spent well less than $100 in 6 months)
-repair costs (tires, oil changes, brakes etc.)
-registration and insurance( mine is less than $1000/year)

So my suggestion is figure what it costs you to LIVE, anywhere( minus rent/mortgage) and add that to the $200-500 it will cost you to operate a bus/house, and you should have an accurate number.

If you can find a place to park your rig(friends/family) for free, a majority, if not all of your expense disappear.

[dgorila1]

Originally Posted by dredman

If you can find a place to park your rig(friends/family) for free, a majority, if not all of your expense disappear.

That's a new sticky that needs to be added to this forum: a list of people nationwide that are willing to host skoolies, short or long term, for free or for a nominal fee. Basically a "campground directory" for skoolies!

[dredman]

Originally Posted by dgorila1

Basically a "campground directory" for skoolies!

Here ya go

Free Campground Directory for Skoolies from My Uncle

[Tango]

Outstanding info Dredman! Many thanks.

[dgorila1]

Originally Posted by dredman

Here ya go

Free Campground Directory for Skoolies from My Uncle

That's great for the Western states. I'm talking about nationwide. That's one thing I wish we had in the East.....lots of public access land.

[Roadschooldreamer143]

Originally Posted by dredman

I have been full-timing since August, and I have a perspective you might be interested in, as it is similar to what I understand you are looking to do.

I think the main thing to keep in mind is what others have said, your costs will vary depending on your standard of living, and expectations. If you are truly wanting to live detached ( I hesitate to say off-grid, as I don't want flame) your expenses can be minimal, and WELL below what you would pay for rent and close to zero.

What you need to eliminate from your estimates:
-things you will need if you lived in a tent(food, water, etc.)
-things you will buy regardless of your housing (health insurance, cell phone)

Things you need to calculate:
-fuel costs for the rig (unless you own the land, you will need to move occasionally)this number will vary greatly depending on how much you move around, and may likely be the single biggest expense
-fuel for cooking, heating(I have spent well less than $100 in 6 months)
-repair costs (tires, oil changes, brakes etc.)
-registration and insurance( mine is less than $1000/year)

So my suggestion is figure what it costs you to LIVE, anywhere( minus rent/mortgage) and add that to the $200-500 it will cost you to operate a bus/house, and you should have an accurate number.

If you can find a place to park your rig(friends/family) for free, a majority, if not all of your expense disappear.

Awesome answer! Thank you!

[Ally420/Akasha099]

Originally Posted by dredman

I have been full-timing since August, and I have a perspective you might be interested in, as it is similar to what I understand you are looking to do.

I think the main thing to keep in mind is what others have said, your costs will vary depending on your standard of living, and expectations. If you are truly wanting to live detached ( I hesitate to say off-grid, as I don't want flame) your expenses can be minimal, and WELL below what you would pay for rent and close to zero.

What you need to eliminate from your estimates:
-things you will need if you lived in a tent(food, water, etc.)
-things you will buy regardless of your housing (health insurance, cell phone)

Things you need to calculate:
-fuel costs for the rig (unless you own the land, you will need to move occasionally)this number will vary greatly depending on how much you move around, and may likely be the single biggest expense
-fuel for cooking, heating(I have spent well less than $100 in 6 months)
-repair costs (tires, oil changes, brakes etc.)
-registration and insurance( mine is less than $1000/year)

So my suggestion is figure what it costs you to LIVE, anywhere( minus rent/mortgage) and add that to the $200-500 it will cost you to operate a bus/house, and you should have an accurate number.

If you can find a place to park your rig(friends/family) for free, a majority, if not all of your expense disappear.

Indeed, thank you very much. That is the sort of info we were looking for.