Retirement budget? What do you do??

[flagstaffman]

Doesn't hurt to save where you can. There are so many cost savings programs that we here about as we travel. Take advantage when you can. Good Luck and Safe Travels.

[flagstaffman]

One other cost savings as a Good Sams Member you can sign up for a flying J / pilot gas card, this is not a credit card it is a savings card. You get .03 savings per gallon when you purchase gas. That really adds up.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by flagstaffman

One other cost savings as a Good Sams Member you can sign up for a flying J / pilot gas card, this is not a credit card it is a savings card. You get .03 savings per gallon when you purchase gas. That really adds up.

You can also sign up for the RV Plus credit card for Pilot/Flying J and get better discounts. Especially if you are a deluxe or lifetime Good Sam member. We save 7 cents a gallon for diesel as well as discounts on most items bought inside.

[rthomaslyons]

Originally Posted by Texanmark

Dollar stretching tips!!??

Ok...we are looking at extended travels upone retirement in 11 months. We love to save money on campgrounds. While we can afford some of the luxurys of a $60 a night "resort", we love the State Parks a little more. We are also looking at the nicer COE campgrounds. There is so much do in our beautiful country that is affordable or free!

So, any budgetting tips would be great!!! We are strictly cash (debit), we dont borrow money.

Buy a small Quiet generator 2500 w (Honda or Yamaha) or so, then you can dry camp in all kinds of places.

[oldcat]

I agree with all of the great suggestions - Good Sam and/or PA, drive slower, eat in, etc. Another way we stretch our budget is boondocking on National Forest or BLM land. Sometimes on extended trips we enjoy getting away from it all to "recharge" for a couple of days. We find a remote free site, put out the solar panels and kick back. We read books, play board games, cook on the campfire, and just relax. Our next stop is usually a full hook-up RV park of some sort where we can give the tanks a good flush, do some laundry, shopping, gas up, and hit the road again.

Safe travels, and enjoy your retirement (we sure are). You earned it!

[erniemary]

We were full-time for 10 years. We mostly used Coast to Coast, RPI and PA.
National Parks, State parks and some county parks. We would overnight at Walmart, truck stops and such if we were just on our way to a specific place,never had a problem.

[Maron]

This is our second summer volunteering as a camphost at a State Park. We get a free full hook up and have access to the whole park which includes prohibited areas to other campers where we can let our dogs off the leash and let them run. The park trained us on the Reserveamerica.com computer reservation system and we work ( or as I prefer to call it on duty cuz it's fun)2 8 hour shifts a week with plenty of idle time and vacations.
Go on line and look up "camp host" positions. There are certain agencies that are looking to fill camp host positions mostly during the summer all over the country and most include a free full hook up site. Many require a 3 month commitment but you sure get to know the area. This summer there were positions available in the Sierra mountains of Ca., North Rim of the Grand Canyon, fishing lakes in northern Wisconsin, Tennessee, Georgia, and a few others.
It also gives us. Feel of contributing and accomplishment. We enjoy it!

[Texanmark]

We've talked about that Maron! We always enjoy meeting the campers working in the park!

[Filterman]

Well, we are in our third year of retirement and have about 220+/- night of camping under our belt. We started hard budgeting 3 years before retirement because I have to say I was a little parenoid.
Neither of us has work pensions so we have OAS, CPP and income from our investments with no debt in years. We basically budget everything we spend in categories on a detailed spreadsheet by day, month and year. When we travel I have a separate spreadsheet for our travel expenses (camping etc). We have a long term plan (til 90) and do a quarterly review with a financial consultant ( at no cost to us other than the MER on our investments. )We budget $12000.00 annually for travel. That could be camping, cruises, road trips with hotel etc. Last year we over spent our budget so this year, we have curtailed our travel and should end up with an additional $3000 to add to 2017 and so on.
We try to use provincial or federal parks about 40% of the time with private otherwise. if we are doing a through trip and just stopping for a night, it's a truck stop or Walmart. (DW isn't in love with rest areas overnight and I'm OK with that).Privately, we choose electrical and water only because for a nominal or no fee, you can dump when you leave the campground. We cook and eat 90% of of meals ourselves and treat ourselves 10% of the time. I adhere strictly to under 60mph speed because it's the sweet spot for our unit for fuel consumption
. We bought a new truck and one year old trailer while I was still working and have $40000.00 in our budget to replace the trailer with another used one in five years. Enjoy your travels, keep it safe and sane!👍🏻😊

[frogsandhogs]

Agree with all the above. We love Army Corps campgrounds, and our free nights at Cabela's. We found Cracker Barrel has spots, but are usually by a freeway and noisy. County and city parks are usually great values. Use the All stays app on your phone or tablet, shows them all. And rethink your housing needs. Downsize your house and the maintenance, taxes,etc. If you are traveling, you don't need your money tied up in a big house. We splurge on the fancy rv parks at times, and are more frugal others notes. Tonight we are at Gros Centre campground in the Grand Tetons National Park, choose a site with no hookups, put water in our tank and dumped this morning before leaving our full hookup park. $13.00 to note for site with our America pass. Also, US Forest service sites honor the pass and have lots of small, lovely campgrounds.

[Texanmark]

Thats awesome Filterman... You sound like what I want to be when I grow up! Im the budgeting spreadsheet nerd in our crew. When went Dave Ramsey crazy about 5 years ago and it was very beneficial for us! My wife and I love to do the overall budget together. So, does your 12k include gas, food, and all? We are looking at about 13-15k including all but our personal spending bucks. I am blest with a Civil Service pension, so I kniw exactly my income. Our private 401k will replace truck or trailer every 10 years or so, just bought us a new 5er so we are good for a bit. Im also blest with family longetivity, dad was 90, grandpa was 92... So Im hopin!! I havent quite convinced DW to boondock yet... All we have to compare is brutal Texas summer, I think I can bring her around. We want to travel pretty much exclusively in our 5er... Im a planner, so 11 months out we want no surprises! We are already living on retirement budget!

[Rollingdunder1]

Please keep in mind that the "senior pass" provides free admission to virtually all federal recreational lands. The Forest Service, Fish & Wildlife Service and BLM all have some incredible facilities. And, we have found them to often not be as crowded as the National Parks.

[757Dave]

Originally Posted by Rollingdunder1

Please keep in mind that the "senior pass" provides free admission to virtually all federal recreational lands. The Forest Service, Fish & Wildlife Service and BLM all have some incredible facilities. And, we have found them to often not be as crowded as the National Parks.

And I believe the Corp of Engineers parks and campgrounds as well...

[Filterman]

Originally Posted by Texanmark

Thats awesome Filterman... You sound like what I want to be when I grow up! Im the budgeting spreadsheet nerd in our crew. When went Dave Ramsey crazy about 5 years ago and it was very beneficial for us! My wife and I love to do the overall budget together. So, does your 12k include gas, food, and all? We are looking at about 13-15k including all but our personal spending bucks. I am blest with a Civil Service pension, so I kniw exactly my income. Our private 401k will replace truck or trailer every 10 years or so, just bought us a new 5er so we are good for a bit. Im also blest with family longetivity, dad was 90, grandpa was 92... So Im hopin!! I havent quite convinced DW to boondock yet... All we have to compare is brutal Texas summer, I think I can bring her around. We want to travel pretty much exclusively in our 5er... Im a planner, so 11 months out we want no surprises! We are already living on retirement budget!

The 12K covers everything other than personal shopping from the time we leave our house door until we arrive back......camping, fuel, groceries,dining, entertainment,gifts for grandchildren😊 ,repairs. As I said, some years we may use it for cruising or otherwise but that what we have to spend per year. We went over last year because we did a 3 month , 15000KM trip to the Arctic Ocean via Alaska, return and then spent 9 weeks in Maui! This year we have dialled way back and will make up our shortfall and put a few Gs in next years kitty. We are in the early planning stages of a cross Canada and New England states trip for 2017. Love the planning......it's part of the fun.

[Texanmark]

Originally Posted by Filterman

The 12K covers everything other than personal shopping from the time we leave our house door until we arrive back......camping, fuel, groceries,dining, entertainment,gifts for grandchildren😊 ,repairs. As I said, some years we may use it for cruising or otherwise but that what we have to spend per year. We went over last year because we did a 3 month , 15000KM trip to the Arctic Ocean via Alaska, return and then spent 9 weeks in Maui! This year we have dialled way back and will make up our shortfall and put a few Gs in next years kitty. We are in the early planning stages of a cross Canada and New England states trip for 2017. Love the planning......it's part of the fun.

You've made me feel much better. Admittedly, I'm an overplanner... Every dollar has a purpose and a name. We hope to hit 50 nights this year still working, 60 the first 9 months next year... Then... We will just see!! Only thing that will pull us off the road will be our 9 grankids

[Rollingdunder1]

You betcha! ��

[Brother Les]

You are 'retiring' at 55 and you are asking how to save some money on camping? Corp of Engineers that charge nothing.

You will out live any retirement that you have or it will implode with the economy and will be gone shortly. you should not quite your job.

[Texanmark]

Well Les... Thanks for your pleasant, helpful, concern, however a lifetime of frugal living and careful planning will allow my wife and I to have a healthy and happy retirement. We aren't quitting... We are just moving on to another phase. My father enjoyed a retirement of 40 years quite successfully. I'm not "quitting" to sit in a rocking chair. I stay very busy with my large family and 9 grandkids. I have no shame in being able to afford the life I've chosen. I've worked hard. I was simply asking for tips, not charity? Thanks for the great tip of the Corp of Engineer Parks. They look great! I assure you, we won't outlive our retirement. I hope yours is happy and full of health....

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Brother Les

You are 'retiring' at 55 and you are asking how to save some money on camping? Corp of Engineers that charge nothing.

You will out live any retirement that you have or it will implode with the economy and will be gone shortly. you should not quite your job.

Ouch!!! Very pessimistic!! We retired a year ago at 56. Our pensions should last as long as we do, but we still want to save $$$ where we can.... Just like the OP. Of course the world could end, or another depression could come, so we will deal with that when it happens. I would rather really enjoy our retirement while we can than worry about everything and never do anything. Have a nice day!!!

[Texanmark]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Ouch!!! Very pessimistic!! We retired a year ago at 56. Our pensions should last as long as we do, but we still want to save $$$ where we can.... Just like the OP. Of course the world could end, or another depression could come, so we will deal with that when it happens. I would rather really enjoy our retirement while we can than worry about everything and never do anything. Have a nice day!!!

Yes... I just had a very dear friend that didnt wake up this past Saturday morning. He was seriously thinking about retirement
I will not be ashamed of being able to enjoy my life and family at ripe old age of 55!