Retirement budget? What do you do??

[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.

[RSchleder]

That's an extremely difficult question to answer. Seems to me that each person/couple is in the best position to decide what their budget should be. We have been retired since 1995 and, like you, haven't borrowed money since 1986 when we bought our last house. We don't dig into our 401k or savings (except for major home or household expenses) and we don't spend more each month than our monthly income. That's our formula. Only you can decide what your budget can/should be as there's way too many unanswered questions here ( and rightly so) about how you want to manage your money and your estate!

[Texanmark]

Guess i'm not really looking for specific dollar amounts, guess i should have dollar saving tips?

[Mr. Dan]

We use Corps of Engineers (COE) parks whenever possible... and we have the Federal Senior Access Pass which allows a 50% discount on most/many fees. We sometimes camp at full service sites for $12 per night.

Caveat: we do our reservations through recreation.gov and pay ahead with a credit card. I assume debit cards are also accepted. You could check.

[Oakman]

If you are 62 or older be sure to get the America the Beautiful senior pass available online or at NPS parks. It gives half price camping at NPS and COE campgrounds.

[Texanmark]

Wonderful... i will retire at 55, but what a blessing to look forward to!

[MartiB]

Originally Posted by Oakman

If you are 62 or older be sure to get the America the Beautiful senior pass available online or at NPS parks. It gives half price camping at NPS and COE campgrounds.

Is that the same pass that gives you free admittance to the parks?

[Mimi Lucy]

Thanks, I didn't know about this pass.

[Blaster 84]

For three years we traveled a lot seeing the USA. Spent a lot of money on gas. This year we decided to try workampering. We work 20 hours a week and that pays for our site. That leaves a lot of time for a more intense sight seeing and getting a feel of the local culture. Also saves a lot on gas and park expense. This year we are in NC and next year it'll be VA or PA. Check out workamping.com.

[Wilco]

If you are retired or disabled military, many of the military bases have campgrounds you may stay at very inexpensively. You should also check out the lesser known state campgrounds. Most state campgrounds are in the $25-$30 per day bracket but with a 2 week limit.

[Rollingdunder1]

Welcome! And, happy retirement! I have been retired for about 18 months and full-timing for a little over a year. Both are fantastic. Budget stretching strategies include: cooking rather than eating out, mixing state and federal campgrounds with private, visiting "resorts" or resort areas during off-seasons (rates go down), using club (such as Escapees) campgrounds, performing maintenance to help limit breakdowns, driving a little slower to conserve full and enjoy the ride. 🤗

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by Texanmark

Wonderful... i will retire at 55, but what a blessing to look forward to!

Congratulations . I retired at age 55 in March of 2003. We rarely dip into savings but would not hesitate if there was a need or anything desired. We spend at least 140 nights a year in a CG. At 35' plus the F350 I do not use public CGs. We prefer FU and a pullthru if possible. I just find that most comfortable. One reason is we are no longer real campers but snowbird. Also, We find a place of interest and explore the area staying a week or more.

[flagstaffman]

My first suggestion would be to join Good Sams Club which will give you a 10% discount on many campgrounds around the country. About $25.00/ year and also gets you discounts on items at any Camping World. Next I would Recommend you enlist in Passport America which gets you a 50% discount on hundreds of campground across America. Cost to join $44 / year. Both of these options gets your money back the first time you use them. Then I agree with other that Corp. of Engineering parks are very reasonable. I do not recommend plans where you sign up for certain zones at a highly discounted price. It usually turns out that you are not traveling in that zone most of the time. With the suggestion above you can stay anywhere across america that participates as a Good Sams Club member or Passport America member. Next apply for the America the Beautiful pass. You can get this for a one time fee of $10 if you are a senior. This gets you into most every National Park in the country free of charge for the rest of your life. That gives you a good start. I am a member of each of the above and have enjoyed several hundred dollars of savings from them. Have only been RVing for 4 years.

[Texanmark]

Thanks Rolling... My wife and I are.... Well... Frugal. We are generous we are needed to be, We live below our means. My long retired father in law just told me to get my foot out of the engine and we wont miss so much and will see dramatically better gas mileage! We travel with a portable electric smoker, turns out some incredible meals, I love to cook. Thanks for the great advice.

[Texanmark]

Thanks capn... Ive seen the tremendous savings in the off seasons, especially a monthly rate... We are at 32', so far, just on the edge!

[Texanmark]

Thank you Flag, we are members of good sam, have just recently looked into PA, will look harder too. We certainly arent destitute, but always looking to save a dollar on us... We have 9 GRANDkids

[robsshots]

How is your Ecoboost performing? We have a 2014 and are very appreciative of our truck and its performance. We are full-timing in a Rockwood Ultralight 8280WS

[Texanmark]

Dont think I have one? I'm a dodge 2500? Let me know if I do though!!!

[CaptnJohn]

Usually you can join PA at CW for $39 and or an extra few months when you sign up.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by MartiB

Is that the same pass that gives you free admittance to the parks?

Yes it does get you free admittance to the National Parks. It is a great deal for old folks like me.