Calling all frugal RVers—we want your best money-saving tips!
Do you have a clever way to stretch a dollar on the road? Maybe it’s a habit you follow daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly that helps you cut costs while still enjoying the RV lifestyle.
Whether it’s how you save on fuel, camp for less, cook more affordably, or maintain your rig without breaking the bank, we want to hear about it!
Share your favorite frugal RV tip by filling out the form below (and feel free to include a photo if you have one). Or simply leave your tip in the comment section at the bottom of this article. Your ideas might be featured in an upcoming article, and you’ll be helping fellow RVers save, too!
Thanks in advance for sharing your wisdom—we know it’s going to be very appreciated!
We rarely dine out and I think that saves us big. We get the app for the grocery store we’ll shop at and use the “e-coupons” as well.
GasBuddy helps save a few cents off the pump price for fuel but there can be savings in the fuel stop apps. For example, using the Love’s app or the Sinclair app can knock even more off the gallon and that can add up.
We use the America The Beautiful Interagency Access Pass. That annual (or lifetime) pass gets you into pretty much every Federally managed location beyond just National Parks and Monuments such as COE and USFS sites.
Most importantly, we NEVER carry a balance on our credit cards. Interest rates will drown ya.
+1
Well, we don’t always do the grocery club thing. Park passes are the best deal for park lovers. Gas Buddy saves us more than those diesel deals.
We also put an expanded gas tank in our truck. While there is a small penalty for carrying extra weight, we gain by planning where to buy fuel with Gas Buddy. $1 a gallon savings is not rare. We never get caught in extreme price areas like tiny towns or inside parks. We are more likely to be drop the trailer and navigate freely. Plus we spend less time stopping. There are more pleasant places if we feel the need.
First if you’re carrying less than 6 campers switch to a molded fiberglass camper Even if you’re driving an “ultralite” aluminum trailer My molded fiberglass camper is 17ft long 2,463 lb MPG w/o trailer is 25 mpg, w/it is 26 mpg If you want to try a restaurant in the area go for lunch stead of dinner. Cheaper than even early bird $$ If pulling w/a gas van & not diesel WATCH YOUR DRIVING HABITS I talk about dear ol Dad so often your prolly sick of it BUT his methods work Best mpg is 50-55 mph Lift foot off gas pedal if u see a red lite or stop sign from far away DON’T race up there & slam on your brakes!1/2 tsps of gas saved add up over time
Gas Buddy has saved us massively by being able to check out the next towns prices. And recently I discovered taking a $5 Costco chix off the bone, shred or cut pieces for the recipe I want and sealing in flat bags with name of dish on them. Tripled my freezer space, Get 4-5 meals out of 1 chix (2 of us), cut meal prep time, got us eating less red meat, and even improved a few dishes.
COOK YOUR OWN FOOD. In Maine (10 years ago) a lobster dinner was $27.50. We bought Lobsters from a road side shack for $4.50. In Louisiana shrimp dinners at $18-$24, we bought fresh caught shrimp right off the boats for $4.25 a Lb. Same with fresh Oyesters. What ever the “food of the area” was, we bought it and cooked it at the RV – Especially on my BBQ System. We didn’t travel to all 49 states to eat in restaurants. Geeeeeezzzzz
We save $ by:
– Boondocking whenever possible
– Moochdocking when visiting family
– Harvest hosts between places
Above enabled by solar system
– Use senior park passes & discounts
– Stay at county/state/CoE/BLM
– Stay at Thousand Trails parks
– Store our RV on our own property
– Find cheap/free local entertainment
– Cook instead of eat out/ fast food
– Gas buddy/AAA/Love’s for gas
– Find & use e-coupons
– Do as much maintenance as I can
– Do Research before purchasing
And work from the road for extra $
Hi, Ken. It sounds like you have it pretty well covered. Thanks for the thorough list! Is your middle name “Frugal,” by any chance? Oh, nope. Wrong initial. Have a good night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
Hmmm. A common theme is “cook at your RV”. While I cook most breakfasts at the RV, I want to give my wife a break from cooking when we are relaxing on the road. So, we DO dine-out to get local flavors. Saving money is one thing. Relaxing and savoring the local flavors are two big reasons we travel. Scenery is the third reason we travel, and dining in the right places gives us good views of scenery, also. Do what suits your desires the best.