Unveiling Our Full-Time RV Life Budget: Complete Transparency!

[@happycat3399]

Thank you both for your transparency, it so refreshing to have a no bs,no hard, sell real life personal account of your experiences. I’m so glad that I’ve found you😀 we are currently looking into class C’s having sold our TT( we needed more room😃) will be looking into thousand trails for the future as well. Safe Journeys

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Barb! Thank you so much for the kind words, we really appreciate it! We are definitely a no nonsense couple. 😀 Best of luck finding your Class C. Thousand Trails is a bit pricey depending on your wants and needs but well worth it..we think. Stay tuned, more real life videos heading to a KZbin channel near you! Be well Karri

[@pamelacaron54]

Can I just say thank you! The honesty is refreshing and much appreciated!

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Pamela - Thank you! When we were breaking down the costs, even I was like “seriously”. Definitely a eye opener. Karri

[@MariaKrikorian-k7m]

Harvest Hosts is a must membership for us. We did 18 days and 3200 miles and spent only $850 on parks and campgrounds. We live 5 months in our RV on Cape Cod and 7 months on a houseboat in the Keys. We are both still working in both locations. Considering trying work camping to take a bigger break in between locations and see more of the country. Planning ahead for moving towards 3/4 time in RV. Thank You for your very honest useful information. Will be following you and your adventures🏝️🏝️

[@liferedesigned]

We’re thinking about looking into harvest host. The more options the better. Thank you for the kind words and following us on our adventures!

[@user-theonesthatgotaway]

My husband and I are 48, empty nesters and hoping to start our new life journey as full time RV travelers soon! We are in the process of selling our business, listing our home, selling and/or giving away our furnishings and things. Our plan is to use the equity in our home to pay off debt, buy a fifth wheel and an F450 truck with cash. Your information has been so helpful in our planning process! Thanks for posting and being real!

[@liferedesigned]

That is awesome! You got this! If you have any questions along the way - we are here! Safe Travels!

[@dvande9730]

This a dream of my husband and I and we have started by purchasing a used rv and doing the weekend trips now. This way I can see the costs firsthand. Learn as we go, etc. So when we are ready to pull the trigger, sell the house and go, we are not complete rookies....Thanks for putting this out there. I appreciate the education.

[@liferedesigned]

That is exactly what we did! Very smart to transition from part time to full time rather than jump right in 😀

[@kimberleytaulbee9440]

New Hampshire is our home state and we purchased an airstream a few weeks ago and we are getting it all ready to hit the road…our dream for the last 39 years ❤ Nervously excited. Great video thank you!!

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Kim! Congratulations! Have fun, take it slow, and enjoy! All the best, Karri & Bob

[@ddcornell1019]

Thank you Mr. Bob and Mrs. Karri for keeping it real.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank YOU for watching and taking the time to comment - we appreciate it 😀

[@kinerskorner1]

Thank you for a great video! I really appreciate your itemized monthly cost break down!!

[@liferedesigned]

Thank YOU for watching!

[@foxesfouracres629]

Great Video! We are starting our adventure in 6 weeks! We can't wait! We will be doing things much differently than most others. We will rent our 4 acre property to our kids. We will spend the summer in our pasture and take a couple of trips to neiboring states. We live in the North. In the fall we will wander our way over 2 months to our snowbird location where we will stay for 4 months at the same spot. Then we will make our way north back to the pasture for summer.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you and Congratulations on “re-designing”! Please keep us posted and share pictures, I’d love to see them! Be well, safe travels, and most importantly, enjoy your journey! Karri

[@pauldorofeychuk417]

honestly goes a long way. we are going full time in may. hope to see you guys on the road. be safe paul d

[@shewolf3813]

Enjoying all your videos! You two are terrific!

[@liferedesigned]

Thanks so much!

[@weighit]

When we full time traveled we used $100 per day as what we thought that life style would cost and for 8 years some years we were slighlty under but normally fell right into that range. But, we had no trailer payment, no truck payment and no income, living off interest. Had a BLAST....

[@psehunter3525]

Thanks this was quite helpful, I was nervous thinking 350,000 in savings wasn’t enough plus a pension and eventually social security 👍

[@liferedesigned]

Glad it helped!

[@raymondc5473]

We're 65 & 62 currently living in a beautiful mountain village in Spain but we're now getting a bit bored and want to travel by selling our village house. We're thinking, a narrowboat and a camper van. Your videos are really helpful. As far as we're concerned, time is the real commodity today. Have you done your diet video, I'm going low-carb for better health. Thanks for your great vlogs.

[@liferedesigned]

You are 💯 on time being the commodity. It is an interesting point that a lot of people miss. We haven’t really covered our diet in any videos other than weight loss updates, as we are really just winging it. We predominately stay within a keto diet, avoiding carbs as much as possible and switch to carnivore every so often as a way to eliminate foods that cause inflammation etc. Spain looks like a beautiful place to travel - enjoy!

[@MrPaladin707]

Good Video! We will shortly be going into the Full time RV Life. Our "Stixs & Bricks" actually hits the market today! We have been prepping for this just over a year now. We have been planning a budget?? Tougher, since some of it is a guessing game (Diesel, RV parks, etc) this Video has helped some in reinforcing our "Planned" Budget. I subscribed and will be checking out your other Videos. Thank you. Mark

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Mark! Congratulations! Definitely make the journey your own. Planning is a necessity, but your right, a lot is also a guessing game too, just means more memories to be made 😀

[@dianemullen7005]

Very informative video. We plan to get an RV and hit the road when my husband retires in 2026. I'll still be working full time (we know that reliable internet will be a big part of the budget) but we want to travel to see as much of the country as we can.

[@liferedesigned]

Our advice - DO IT! it is an amazing experience :) glad to help if you have any questions :)

[@ricktaylor6373]

Yep you’re spot on for cost’s. Can’t say more. Another good video.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you Rick!

[@nursekate6772]

Thanks so much for the transparency! I'm looking at going full time, but I'll need to finance my rig. I work full time remotely and currently looking for a used Class B that isn't going to cost me an arm, leg, kidney, and lung to pay for lol. I'm hoping to spend a lot of time boon docking at BLM or Army Corps of Engineers sites, overnight stealth parking, and driveway surfing at any of my 3 sons homes (2 in Wisconsin, 1 in the UP of Michigan). I eat simply (lots of PB&J, beans and rice). With my job I'll definitely need good internet as I'm a Clinical Research Nurse and have multiple Zoom meetings during the week as well as needing access to the company VPN. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to sustain a life on the road. Given that I'm really not a spender, very solitary, and prefer a library book to eating out, I think I should be good. Your video was a great help in seeing expenses I hadn't thought of!

[@liferedesigned]

Sounds like you are going to be starting off in the perfect mindset - you got this!

[@squareshelf]

Thanks for sharing. This helps the wife and I plan for full-time RV life with our 3 kids.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Ryan! I’m glad you found it was helpful. Take care

[@AmericanAdventuresTJ]

We are in New Hampshire and will be going FT next spring. We bought our house 7 years ago and it has doubled in value, so we will be doing the same thing, selling the house to buy the RV!

[@liferedesigned]

That’s awesome, congratulations!

[@brianne1547]

Thanx guys! im catching up on videos

[@brianne1547]

PS i love Bobs Salem gray tee shirt

[@liferedesigned]

Miss that shirt 🙂‍↕️

[@paulvigneau963]

Hello Bob and Karri. Great video. Another New England (Worcester) resident here. I appreciate the honesty in your videos. It is helpful because I am in the planning stages for fall start in the FT life. Hope to see you out there. :-)

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Paul- Thank you so much for sharing! Fall is the perfect time to leave New England and head to warmer weather! Who knows, our paths may cross one day! Take care, Karri & Bob

[@jonathanpopp3529]

Thank you for the transparency of your expenses. We plan on using our RV to see more of the USA during the winter months as we live in Maine. So we won't be doing full time but three to four months a year traveling. Would love to hear more about how places like Costco, Sams club, BJ's as to which you see more of while on the road and how State Parks vs Federal Parks vs camprground associations work out for ease of booking reservations. Also, how to plan two to three months ahead for traveling. Again, Thank you for your honest and actual reviews! Safe Travels.

[@liferedesigned]

Right now on the east coast we see about a 50/50 Costco vs Sam’s Club very little BJ’s. We only use Costco now as we trust the quality better. We use some State Parks but now are pretty much exclusively Thousand Trails. With the right package - booking 6 months out is excellent. I was very adamant about getting the best package they had so we wouldn’t have any issues booking where we wanted and when.

[@doug2078]

Wow!! Some of those costs sure are an eye opener !!! But hey we only live once !!!!! Be Happy !! You guys are Cool !! Looking forward to future videos.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Doug! Thank you for the kind words. Some things are quite pricey, it surprised me when we actually broke it all out. We have definitely learned need over want. We appreciate you watching and commenting! Take care and have a great day!

[@BlindViews]

It's nice to hear another perspective on the "Free, Cheap, and Easy" life. lol Enjoy and safe travels.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you sir! Karri

[@ddcornell1019]

Me and the wife think getting starting about 2026. Been picking out our floor plans.

[@liferedesigned]

That is great! That was the hardest part for us - finding a floor plan that we both agreed on 😀

[@toddpressman184]

What a great video we plan on full time RVing in a few years so this is a big help. I will be working at the campgrounds I cant not work my wife says lol.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you! Oh no lol, at least it will keep you busy.😀 Good luck to you guys! Karri

[@MomIDidMakeit]

Timid, newly divorced 60's, single female, contemplating the RV lifestyle due to stalker ex-husband, I am overwhelmed with all the things you need to know regarding maintenance on an RV. Are there many single women out there who feel safe traveling by themselves?

[@liferedesigned]

Quite a few are out there. Best advice would be to search for Facebook groups 😀

[@ducducdave1908]

Starting my adventure in June. Foretravel 40' pusher/24' trailer. Working engineer. Live in Clearwater now, headed West. Me and 2 cats. Lol.

[@liferedesigned]

That is awesome! No time like the present to start the journey 😀

[@susanschmitz5871]

Could you share what you do for health insurance? Or do you go without? Love y’all!❤

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Susan: We have health insurance provided by Bob’s employer.

[@sandrawithoutborders5631]

I didn’t realize that a thousand trails is that costly. Your transparency is amazing.🙏

[@liferedesigned]

They are not all that expensive. This is currently the top of the line package. Our goal is to always be as transparent as humanly possible! When we were looking into this lifestyle we found the amount of misinformation astonishing

[@brdfleetwood]

My wife and mother in-law are considering buying a small class A RV. We plan to only RV during the late spring through early fall (5 to 6) months. Do you have any suggestions for part time RVing?

[@liferedesigned]

Pretty much the same as full time. To be honest it is all the same. Our biggest advice is go slow and always double the amount of time you think you are going to need. This is an amazing country just to see, doesn’t need to be the tourist spots 😀

[@karenmyers3793]

Thank you for the breakdown. We hope to retire and travel in the next 3 years. This gives me a realistic average for monthy expenses. 😊

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Karen! Thank you for watching and commenting! Best of luck to you! Life is too short not to take a chance!

[@777cretbo]

Very Helpful ....

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you! Karri

[@nvragn]

I always thought that the tow vehicle aka the trucks insurance covers whatever you have on or in it. Maybe it's different up here

[@liferedesigned]

definitely different up there.

[@nolanronnolan3202]

I'm 62, getting ready to go to work 2nd shift now, and pondering how I will soon re-design my life in the not too distant future. My rural N.C. home will be paid off this year & am constantly weighing my options. I can see myself spending a few months at a time traveling around....however having a home base is extremely appealing also. I'm leaning towards having a full hookup campsite at my place & renting the house. Maybe renting the home at a bargain to my daughter & her family? Then living in the RV at home when not traveling? Maybe doing as you did & selling everything makes the best sense too? I dunno....with all the uncertainty in today's world what will/would/could be in my future. Thanks for the honest open info as to what expenses are to be Nomadic!

[@liferedesigned]

Hi there! Thank you for sharing! This is exactly how we felt and why we use the term pivot all the time. “A change in strategy without a change in vision”. I pushed Bob a little harder to sell, it was just the right time. You will know too and when you get out there, however you choose to do it, it will be your journey! Take care, Karri

[@vonhalberstadt3590]

But a property to rent out.

[@TreeTalkerTheTraveler]

Good video.

[@liferedesigned]

Thank you! Karri

[@michaellowrey8159]

Question - 1000 trails. The membership $1300 or $13000? And when you book is it free or the membership just alows you the ability to book? Do you have a America Beautiful Pass? This pass not only gets you into National Parks - but it cuts your RV booking at Army Corps in half. Thus a 👉 $30 night now is $15. You can't RV for much cheaper. You should look into this as a way to cut some cost and still have water and electricity. You'll have to make use of dump station but ----

[@liferedesigned]

for TT - the initial cost was $13k then goes to just dues annually after that. When we book, the stays are free with a couple of exceptions in the Florida Keys ($20 per night) Our breakdown now for TT is roughly $6 a night as we use them almost exclusively. We have considered America The Beautiful as something we may add in the future. We definitely see the value in it, but prefer to have sewer at site due to our schedules and current workload.

[@michaellowrey8159]

@liferedesigned TY for the explaining. Fully get the picture now. I had Lasik done on my eyes and said if I can go 10 years without glasses it would pay for itself. And so TT is the same if you make using over a lengthy period - it pays for itself. If your 1 and done maybe not.

[@liferedesigned]

We looked at it from the standpoint that we needed to cover our investment within the first year to make it viable. On an average of $1100 a month at RV resorts - we did just that. Second year it is just dues (under $2k) so we are now ahead of the game. Guess it all depends on how you look at it. It has been a legit game changer for us though

[@johnmackey3937]

Did your new rig come with factory installed hitch arrangement or add on?

[@liferedesigned]

We had a Husky Centerline that we just transferred to the new rig

[@kengreene6804]

Thanks for the video. Bob how many hours a week are you working at this point? If we do this I will be working still does it take some of the fun out of it. Thanks

[@liferedesigned]

Hey Ken! I am working my 40 but Karri is officially retired. Honestly I think I would go a bit crazy without the job as I like to keep busy. Best part honestly is when work is done, we have amazing views, always moving every couple of weeks gives us constant experiences - The key is to make sure work is put away when done. It took me a few weeks to figure that out but once I did, life has been great!

[@colettefizel5185]

How do you feel about someone in their 60s packing up selling everything and going on the road like you did Or do you think we’re too old to start 67 is our age?

[@liferedesigned]

That is a very personal decision. I (Bob) have known 80 year olds that could run circles around me and also know some 30 year olds that could not lace my boots :) I will say this - at 50 years old, I immediately knew within our first month that I needed to lose weight due to physical inactivity and the demands that this lifestyle has. My immediate concerns would be setup and teardown and how often you plan to move etc. Other factors to consider are routine maintenance , the ability to check roofs etc. that all aside, if physically you feel you can handle it - do it now!

[@michaellowrey8159]

So the $55,000 rule. Is this accessible funds only? Does this include or exclude funds such as pension, IRA etc--- So example you have a RV or Vehicle repair of 15,000 and your bank funds are sitting comfortably at 60,000. Your now below the 55,000 but you also have a IRA with 25,000. By just saying funds from a house sell thats one thing but is that all or does your 55,000 rule have funds not seen that help back and control the long plan. Just asking

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Michael - that is all we feel comfortable exposing in a public setting. Hope you understand

[@julieandco]

Ha! Salem, Mass t-shirt ❤️ My home

[@liferedesigned]

Salem is amazing! One of our favorite places in New England

[@AWOLlcdrpeterson]

Appreciate the video! However, your math is not adding up to me. If you spend roughly $1k for campsites and approx $1k for truck payment, how do you manage to budget and live on $3k/month?

[@liferedesigned]

It’s all about HOW you spend the remaining money. You can spend a lot more or a lot less, you have to spend based on what you can afford. Our average is $3k per month. That being said, we are in the Florida Keys for the next month and could easily blow through that budget if we are not careful. It is all about planning.

[@ronmitchell5552]

What truck did you purchase?

[@liferedesigned]

New video out this morning at 8:00am EST has all the info 😀

[@georgecook1374]

thnx for the numbers gonna be a while yet before I can start nice to have a real clue to what i could be spending when its time to jump in. Side note why not set up the home base to be somewhere the insurance rates are less and in a state without state income tax? that would help save some money.

[@liferedesigned]

Florida does not have a state income tax 😀 As for why we chose Florida- we advise to make sure that the state you choose matches your value system. As in the case of the pandemic was concerned, and if there is another - Florida matches what we would want in that situation- that is way more important than saving a couple of bucks on insurance 😀

[@georgecook1374]

@@liferedesigned gotcha knew about them being good about the COVID bs stuff. didn't about the Taxes though. (i thought you went there cause thats were old people go LMAO all in fun) I want to go to Wyoming I love it out there. in the summers. one of the least populated states if not the absolute lowest. my .02 not that you wanted it LOL

[@nvragn]

I figured that the EST 1993 ment. How old are your kids but only if you want to say of course?

[@liferedesigned]

The 2 that we ever show on camera are 27 and 21. We also have a daughter who is 29😀

[@markreynolds9570]

How much for the TT package?

[@liferedesigned]

Roughly $13,000. We got the adventure package plus add ons.

[@markreynolds9570]

Thank you. So what is the annual number? We head out from cape cod next month FT. Headed to TX to become residents. Escapees. We will run like we are not on vacation, because that seems to be how so have trouble. So we will do monthlys and military campgrounds alot.

[@ourdreamstoreality]

Thank you for sharing I assume you have another source of income as in full time work from home/rv since you have a heavy internet usage besides affiliate.. youtube.. google ads... etc... cause that alone doesn't pay the bills Thousand trails thats an annual fee of 13k I've seen others mention 18k so it's basically dead money... especially if one doesn't travel for example outside florida.. in this case i would do something totally different but if travelling to other states in a short period of time possibly some savings to be made as cost of living varies state to state but either way i'm no fan of memberships it's like an HOA on a property as they control what one can and cannot do. I seen this quote I'm stuck between i need to save money & you only live once

[@liferedesigned]

13k is not annual, it is a one time fee. Dues are under $2k yearly. For full timers that breaks down to a little over $3 a day. Many different packages available.

[@martyh4777]

I hope your employer reimburses you for the internet or part of the internet cost.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Marty! No reimbursement. We choose to have multiple sources. It’s expensive but worth it to us. Have a great day!

[@broadstbully1512]

Great Site! Love Your Channel. I would say our countdown to FT is now at about 4-6 months. Our story seems very similar to yours. Only difference being we are about to both be retired and we are going to hold on to our Seasonal Jersey campsite for at least a couple years because of family and just to have the peace of mind of knowing where we will being staying for at least half the year. Was that RV insurance price correct? I thought for sure a full-time policy for a fifth wheel/travel trailer would have been more. We will probably be going with progressive and our Domicile will be Florida too(loved that video also). Thankyou in advance and hope we someday see you on the road. Safe Travels, Jeff D.

[@liferedesigned]

Hi Jeff! Pricing through Progressive on the RV is correct. This was pretty much in line with what we paid in NH. As for Florida, we have noticed a significant jump in pricing from NH to Florida in terms of Truck insurance almost double NH. Other than that, FL has treated us well, we even still get that “happy” feeling seeing our Florida license plates lol. Congrats on the 4-6 month timeline. It is a process, but so worth it in the end. We should have an updated cost video coming out in the next few weeks so stick around 😀