Saving Money Tips

[DeanRIowa]

I would be interesting in hearing other's money saving tips?

Some of mine:

• Wood Scavenging - We often stay through Mondays at campground and use wood left by other campers
• Ice Machine - Bought 1 1/2 years ago for a Yellowstone trip and continues to pay for itself easily
• Starting Fires - I save our old cooking oil, pour oil on wood and a little newspaper and fire starts pretty easy

Thanks,

Dean

[GoPackGo]

Don't pay with cash or a debit card. Get a credit card that gives back cash rewards on all purchases and use that instead. Strange, but it actually costs me money if I want use my debit card or pay with cash. I full time and charge EVERYTHING.

Getting back 1-5 percent may not seem likie a big deal on even a small purchase (McDoalds) but it's a whole different story when you see how much you got back at the end of the year.

But don't forget to pay off the CC at the end of every month !

I also visit Costco or Sams and buy bulk chops and ribs. Take them home and get out the Foodsaver machine. I seal 2 chops in a bag and freeze them. There are usually 3 racks of ribs in a package and cut each rack in half and use the Foodsaver on them too. They can keep (frozen) for months, if necessary, until it's time for the pellet grill to make an appearance.

[garmp]

We're really big on the Seal-A-Meal/FoodSaver systems. Cook some of your favorite meals at home, seal & freeze. Our biggies are smoked baby back ribs, BBQ brats, and extra thick smoked/brined pork chops. Even the sides if you wish. Take from the freezer, pop into the microwave. The pouch blows up like a balloon and the food comes out excellent, steamed to perfection with that original, just smoked flavor.

[Harvey51]

X2 on town and county campsites.
We camp in free spots fairly often, too. We drive less and stop more to enjoy wherever we are.
I spent time reading this forum to understand our RV and gain the confidence to do most of the maintenance. 8 years on our former rental MH now and it has only been in garages for new tires. RV stores for parts and caulking but never the shop.
The solar panel means no need for campground electricity.

[prichardson]

All of the above apply. The biggest is use your RVs kitchen. Avoid restaurants
and prepare your meals as at home. You can buy a weeks groceries for what one meal out costs.

[junmy3]

coolmom42 wrote:
If you are 62 or older, get a Senior Pass at any federal facility. It gets you 1/2 off a basic campsite, plus free admission at federal sites.

We have 8 months to go to get our pass, but who is counting.

One thing we do is to keep a budget. We have a program we have been using since we go married almost 20 years ago. Definitely helps to see where the money is going.

[ORbiker]

As you are reading the forum, some are putting this and that on their rigs. Don't get caught up in needing every little thing for your rig too.

Like Passport America; there are other membership campgrounds. Sometimes, depending on your location they can be a great deal. We have RPI and used it so much it paid for itself in the first year.

[welove2drive]

While on the road we stop at point of interest, rest stop, gas station, etc. to eat lunch with food in the trailer. The first thing we look at in a trailer if you can access the fridge & bathroom. We also freeze leftovers, for camping use.

[doxiemom11]

Join Passport America for cheaper campground rates. We use this a lot when traveling and save the membership fee in just a couple of nights.

Browse the marked down bakery, meat, produce sections at the market with immediate use in mind. At places like Walmart with the hot chickens, look in the cooler around that area as many times at closing, all chickens not purchased are refrigerated and then offered for sale at a lower price.

We use Gas Buddy to find the cheapest gas prices. We have found that even though we are 36' pulling a trailer we can get into many/most regular stations to take advantage of the lower prices.

If you use a laundromat, don't go until you have full loads AND most campgrounds have laundry centers that are cheaper, take advantage of that when you find it.

[NYCgrrl]

Not specific to RVing but I'm a bulk cooker and it enters all aspects of my life no matter where I am.
When you see a food item on sale, buy it.

[NYCgrrl]

SpeakEasy wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
I once had a couple large recliner camping chairs that finally broke down. They were too big to dispose of at home, unless I broke out the cloth and cut up the metal to fit in my trash dumpster for the trash truck to haul away.

We continued carrying those 2 broken down camping chairs with us until one day I came up with a brain storm! Why not toss them in the campground dumpsters usualy located near the dump station? So next trip out, I did! That was the only time I got rid of a larger item like that. Normally, large items I take the time to break it down and let my trash truck haul it away, small pieces every week until it's gone. But this one time, I tossed them in the campground dumpster!

Edit: I take that back. Last December when in South Carolina, I purchased all new sewer hoses for the camper while on that trip. I tossed all the old ones in the campground dumpster too!

Ever see the Hitchcock film "Rear Window?" Gross, I know. But your post reminded me of it.

-Speak

Are you confusing "The Birds" with "Rear Window"? Or are we thinking about different scenes on film? :c

[coolmom42]

Go to uscampgrounds.info and you can find almost all federal, state, county and city campgrounds. They are often cheap or even free.

If you are 62 or older, get a Senior Pass at any federal facility. It gets you 1/2 off a basic campsite, plus free admission at federal sites.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Know how much per mile it costs to pull your trailer/ 5er or drive your MH.

When choosing a campground or a gas station - know how much it is going to cost you to go 'off course' to get there and back. Sometimes that lower fuel price or cheaper campground really isn't.

Keep your shopping trips to Walmart or the grocery store down to one per week. It is real easy to get in the habit of going to the store every day, and that adds a lot of miles, fuel costs, to a trip total cost.

Work the various loyalty programs for cheaper fuel. We use Costco, Walmart card, grocery store loyalty card discounts, PFJ, etc. Some work better than others.

We buy restaurant gift cards at Kroger when they are on 'sale' with 4x fuel points. That way $100 of restaurant gift cards gets us $400 fuel points - 40 cents per gallon off a fullup.

[Veebyes]

Stay out of restaurants. One of the main reasons for choosing the model we have is the very large galley. The DW is a foodie & likes having her oven, the 4 door fridge, lots of counter space & the washer dryer closet that is one monsterous pantry.

Stay out of any CG that has "resort" in its name. Also, don't opt for the FHU or pull through sites. In general stay away from the private CGs unless they are a PA or we need to do laundry.

[SpeakEasy]

DutchmenSport wrote:
I once had a couple large recliner camping chairs that finally broke down. They were too big to dispose of at home, unless I broke out the cloth and cut up the metal to fit in my trash dumpster for the trash truck to haul away.

We continued carrying those 2 broken down camping chairs with us until one day I came up with a brain storm! Why not toss them in the campground dumpsters usualy located near the dump station? So next trip out, I did! That was the only time I got rid of a larger item like that. Normally, large items I take the time to break it down and let my trash truck haul it away, small pieces every week until it's gone. But this one time, I tossed them in the campground dumpster!

Edit: I take that back. Last December when in South Carolina, I purchased all new sewer hoses for the camper while on that trip. I tossed all the old ones in the campground dumpster too!

Ever see the Hitchcock film "Rear Window?" Gross, I know. But your post reminded me of it.

-Speak