By Cheri Sicard
Have you been thinking of hitting the road, simplifying your life, and living the RV lifestyle but you are not sure how to afford RV life? In the video below, Bob Wells of CheapRVLiving, our readers’ pick for best Budget RV YouTube channel, discusses the cost of full-time RVing and shares what he says are seven essential money steps to RV freedom. (I know the video title says six, but I counted seven.)
Bob’s RV lifestyle and philosophy will not work for everyone, but if you want to live a more simplistic and minimalistic life, Bob’s your guy!
He says when it comes to managing the cost of full-time RVing, it’s all about breaking the bonds that money has over us. He says that for many people, their lives are ruled by the four P’s:
- Possessions
- Power
- Prestige
- Productivity
He also believes it is time to develop new values that break the tyranny of money.
Bob Wells’ tips for how to manage the cost of full-time RVing
#1 Eliminate rent. This cuts a major expense if you can live in your RV/van/car without having to pay regular rent.
#2 Live a simple, frugal, life. Bob says the more you live this liberating lifestyle, the less you will crave material things and the easier it will become to live simply.
#3 Adopt a lifestyle of reducing, reusing, and recycling. Bob advises shopping at thrift stores, repairing and reusing items as you can, and keeping your vehicle in good running shape so that it lasts a long time.
#4 Learn self-reliance skills. Anything you pay others to do for you that you can learn to do yourself will save you money. For instance, doing your own oil changes or repairing your own clothes.
#5 Live in harmony with your community and learn to barter and trade. Bob has indeed developed a large community that meets each winter in Quartzsite. Bob also advises learning some sort of skill that allows you to create and sell.
#6 Buy things that serve multiple purposes and are of high quality. When it comes to things, it is all about quality over quantity.
#7 Get a job. Many people will still need to work while living on the road. But you can do so in a way that doesn’t crush your soul and so that you still have time to enjoy life on the road. Bob has separate videos with details on this. The goal is to work the least amount of time in order to afford the maximum amount of freedom.
More videos we’ve featured from Bob:
- Slide room in a van?! Tour the ultimate DIY RV van build
- Cheap van conversion: Turn a rented van into an RV for $365!
- 5 things veteran full-time RVer can’t live without!
##RVT1161
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 Bob certainly appears to live quite a bit differently than we do. The most basic difference is that he is full-time and we aren’t. Still many of these principles are general enough to work for anyone. Thanks again, have a great week, and safe travels! 🙂