budgeting my income

[a45cap]

ok, I am wondering how I can budget my SSD so I don't end up going hungry towards the end of the month. I've always been one of them hubbies that handed his check to his wife every week, and she paid the bills. but that's over. so I'm not all that when it comes to budgeting my money.
I receive $1,300.00 the 3rd of every month on a debit card. What I have to pay every month is my car insurance. $38.00 for liability, but I'm thinking of adding 24/7 roadside assistance if I can afford it. besides that I am hoping to set back $300.00 a month, and just live on the $1,000.00 that's left. is this feasible? Do I break it down and only spend so much per week? and then if I overspend I would only go hungry for maybe a day or 2, then break into my next week budget. Break it down to what I can spend in one day? then if I hit my limit that day just stop, and don't spend another dime till the next day? Since I'm starting out with zilch as far as gear and supplies go I know my first month is going to be rough. I'm hoping to get a tent, basic camping gear, lantern, stove, pots and pans, maybe even an air mattress to keep me off that hard ground for about $200.00. Is this possible? If I spend even 300 to get started I will have to forgo putting back any savings for the first month, and try to make it on whats left. I know there's a lot of people out there living on less, but seems they all have a van, rv, or campers. any one in this same basic situation have any ideas or advice?
I know I sound incredibly green about this, but I am a quick learner.

 

[Lucky mike]

your going to starve!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been out here on disability of 710.per month and I drive a class A.....that being said. the object is not how much you can spend in a day like you said ,but not spend...take care of your basics and you will do fine......screw up and you will be living under the bridge with nothing.....but I am willing to teach you your first lesson on the streets seeing your a quick learner..

I will hold your money for you!!!

 

[a45cap]

wow, thanks Mike, you want cash, or will you take a check.?

 

[Lucky mike]

prefer cash...it will save you from having to go to the bank when you need some money!!

Really you will do ok out here once you remember to minimize spending.....craigslist and find your tent & camping gear....dont drive the death out of your car because your bored....budget your gas weekly and dont exceed it.....stay out of pay campgrounds...plan your meals....

find a van when you can or a class C camper....and go from there......in your other post you thought 2K was to much for a class C......if you found one that runs for 2k and everything works inside and its clean.....thats a steal,,,,,,think , water ,shower ,cooking , and a bed.......

sleeping out of the car is a choice....Ive done it , when I first became disabled I lost everything....it was a long road to learn and not have means to make a living....so when I tell you you could end up living under a bridge and eat from a dumpster...its first hand knowledge!!

like most here will tell you...find a van and work the inside to a comfort level. if you need to go bigger you can later.

like I said I get 710 a month plus food......I live good ! I have a roof over my head...a place to take a bath/cook/TV internet/a bed and clean clothes....plus the dog loves it!!

if you budget and take savings from all those areas and place them in reserve it adds up...one of the guys that travels with me lives & Drives on 500 budget a month(he needs a bath)...but he does it!

 

[sassypickins]

@Lucky Mike - I remember when you posted your budget. I used it as a template for my own planning estimates.

 

[Lucky mike]

if you want a weekly budget.......150.00 no more, no less, no add ons....thats food & fuel and then try to shave it down....Im giving you 20 a day x 7 and 10 for the dog!....now I can eat good on 10 a day.....and drive pretty far on 70 worth of fuel...and you dont need to use that much either.

and you dont need a ton of stuff to start out either.....
Tent ....40 bucks walmart 4 man dome
single burner stove..20
10x 10 blue tarp
air matress
solar shower
solar LED lantern
small cooler
2 gallon water jug

thats it......then rough it....read and relax.....save money move up!!!

 

[kyonu]

Lucky Mike's gotta point! I don't have first hand car/camper knowledge, but in my younger days (which wasn't so far ago actually...) I had to budget very well to not live on the streets.

For the first month, take necessity to the extreme. Only get what you need, and learn the way of the camper. By that I mean enjoy nature, learn what you need to get by and survive, and then just add on to that. It's like building with legos... You have a big green 12"x12" lego mat, and each block is a month paycheck. If you want to build a house, then start stacking the blocks one at a time!

That's what I did, now I'm living it up with a wonderful job, beautiful lady friend, and prepping to hit the road full time. You can do it too! 1300 a month is well over minimum wage, so it's definitely doable, AND saving 500 a month!

 

[sassypickins]

@Lucky Mike - Oops, I discovered it was Van Tramp who posted his budget but I did save a post from you too about how you doled out your monthly $.

So much good stuff here I lose track of it - but then I lose track of my glasses when they're on my head, so nothin' new ....

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I went on SS in 2012 and we couldn't afford to keep up the way we were living, so we got the RV. My SS is currently $740 (was a few bucks less last year). Margie (fighting for disability) gets $189 food (EBT), down from $200 last year....(one hand giveth, the other taketh away). That covers 3/4 of our food and goodies.
We get lousy MPGs in this rig.
I budget $300 for fuel which means we can drive from the north line of Nevada to Pahrump where we know we can boondock and have friends. This means we can cross a state that size per month. Knowing this, we take our time, boondocking and using WalMarts, etc along the way...few days, a week, whatever feels good. At the end of our fuel allotment we don't have to sit in one place for 3 1/2 weeks. We're in no hurry anyway.
We live on the balance by careful spending. We're easily entertained, so can always find free/cheap things to do. Things we want, but can do without move to the end of the month...not the first part when you feel that fat wallet....save it till later.
We have a little left over each month, not much most of the time, and it goes to savings. Savings don't build fast, but it does grow over time.

We're currently in Tucson taking care of our medical and need to be in a central location. No fuel costs, so we opted for paying someone $200 to use their RV pad with hook-ups for the month. Right away I put the other $100 in savings.

It can certainly be done on $1000, especially with better MPGs than we get and one person to feed. Plan and stick to the plan. You'll quickly figure out what where you can adjust to your best advantage. You won't have to live like a pauper, but will need to be frugal.

 

[Starlight]

I can't imagine trying to full-time from a car. I have done it in the past, traveling across the country. We had two tents, one for supplies -- water, coolers, clothes, bathing, etc, -- stuff we used but didn't want stolen overnight we kept in that -- slept in a small tent on thick wool blankets. Trouble was the raccoons saw the opportunity and chewed into the supply tent and ate our shoes.

One thing I've become aware of -- is -- full-timing is a lifestyle that requires skills. I've got some skills, and not others -- and I'm spending some time doing the learning. This could get messy really fast, and I need to find the way to keep it organized and minimized. I've seen someone living in a Prius (the front seat folds down) -- and it has a tent on the hatchback.

Here's some of my own strategies -- which are always subject to change.
I'm going to do this full-timing in a minivan. I'll pack with the idea that I'll be un-packing in camp. Screen tent, etc on luggage rack. I'm even gonna stick a bike inside the van. I won't have so much that I couldn't manuever if I didn't unpack. What to take?? depends on what you want to achieve. Bed= length of van and 20" wide, narrow shelves and desk on other side. Shelves inside tailgate.

I'll be camping fairly close to towns where I can shop for things I'll need to adjust to this new lifestyle -- trial and error. Also, I'll need the internet to do some problem-solving as I work things out and develop my skills. When I plan for supplies and budget -- there are actually several categories.
1-- supplies that last 6 months to a year --2-- supplies that last a month -- 3-- supplies that last a week -- So it seems best to plan on a long-term scale, rather than short term.

I read blogs of people that full-time. Some don't travel more than 100 miles from one camp to another. (Even at 10 mpg that's about $40. for gas a month or so.) Then they'll hunker down in a pleasant warm winter camp and save for the spring traveling season. I think the longer you stay in one place the more organized you'd be.

I won't have a cooking stove, per se. I found a strong steel roasting pan that I will put on a portable metal table outside, (with a shield for wind)and build a small fire in it. I found a small steel grill that fits on it.-- might cut out something from a coffee can -- and build a small hot fire. If I find a small hibachi, I'll use that.

I won't barbecue -- I'll use a medium-sized iron skillet for most of my cooking. I'll gather a good amount of small branches on site and keep them dry to use during camp. I'll save leftover grease to start the next fire.

Another pot will be a medium enamel-ware saucepan. I like enamel ware. It's cheap and can withstand the heat. Never use teflon stuff. I'll heat water in a larger pan after I'm finished cooking breakfast, and have coffee during the day off of the little fire I've got going... using a steel tea ball for each cup. (let it steep only 3-4 minutes, no more).

My ideas for food are:
Buy food that keeps well, or cook it into a form where it keeps better.
In my cooler of ice (that I'll double-insulate) I'll have eggs, veggies, cooked meat, corn tortillas, picante sauce, plain almond milk. I won't buy more til I've used what I have.

Food ideas: Breakfast: scrambled eggs in corn tortillas w/ picante sauce, orange juice. All these should last a week. $8.00 a week

Lunch-dinner: Whatever I cook I will eat until it is gone. (3-4 days)
One set of meals -- 2-lbs ground beef, taco seasoning, 6 roma tomatoes, lettuce, cheese -- cook all the meat at one time and make tacos or taco salads. 6+meals= $15. -- I'd wash the lettuce well in a large plastic bowl that has water and a little vinegar -- drain and keep in gallon ziploc bags-- keep drained. Keep everything in separate thick freezer bags and immerse in ice water.
#2 set of meals -- 3lbs roast, 5 lbs potatoes, can corn, etc -- cut the meat into slices and fry, remove, cut potatoes into small pieces and fry, heat veggies in saucepan or finish up the lettuce. A good salad dressing is just a little cider vinegar and seasoned salt.

Food supplies: Tang, pancake mix, instant rice, instant potatoes, shortening, syrup, coffee, vinegar, salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, chili powder, popcorn, canned chili for quick meal, butter flavoring
Other: thick aluminum foil, ziploc bags for everything, corelle dishes, enamel cookware, good knife, can opener, metal utensils,

Shower: hula hoop with a shower curtain hooked to it, jug of water, -- mine will attach to the van's opened flip-up tailgate, where I can reach my supplies out the back of the van.

Your question has helped me get myself just a little more organized. Thanks.

 

[akrvbob]

Here are my suggestions but remember they are general and may or may not work for you.

1) Set up automatic payments for all your fixed bills so you know they are payed.
2) Set up a savings account and set up an auto payment of $300 into it.
3) Figure out how much that leaves you
4) Figure out your categories of spending and budget the money up for each category.
5) One of the oldest and best methods of budgeting is envelopes. You get an envelope for every category and write the name on the front. Put the amount of money in it you budgeted and then that's it, when it's gone, it's gone so be careful!
6) For items that you only pay periodically like your car insurance, here's what I'd do: If your car insurance is $40 a month and you pay $240 every 6 months then increase your automatic deposit into your savings by $40. Then in 6 months the $240 will already be there and all you need to do is transfer it to your checking and make the payment. Do this for all your irregular payments.

I'd probably start by doing it by the week. So let's assume you have $800 after payments and bills. That leaves you $200 per week (not really, there are an average of 4 1/3 weeks in every month but for this example we are rounding off). So every Monday get $200 cash out of the ATM or Walmart and divide that up by your categories and put it into the envelopes. When you go into the grocery store, take the food envelope in with you. As you go through your week it'll be easy to see how much there is in it and exactly where you are in your budget. It's a very visual system and you get to see the money dwindling and then running out. If it's Wednesday and you only have $5 left in your food envelope you will need to be very frugal!

With a few things you may have to get the whole month out at once--for example filling your gas tank may take 2 weeks worth of money. You'll have to work out all the kinks.

Just an idea but it's been around a long time and many people find it works for them.
Bob

 

[sassypickins]

I hope it is ok to repost this budget worksheet that I believe was posted by Van Tramp but I am not sure when.

This is it in Excel and it can be saved and customized to suit:
View attachment Budget Worksheet.xlsx

This is it as a PDF snapshot in case you don't have Excel:
View attachment Budget Worksheet.pdf

 

[Zil]

Don't forget to use the food pantry. There is usually a church sponsored one nearby. Most, but not all, do not require local address.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Food banks can actually overload you sometimes. Be sure to let them know about your cooking/cold storage and they will work within that.

 

[Starlight]

Food banks will always have bread, sometimes you can find the more expensive types of bakery breads... and they really need to move them quickly. Make sure you look at the expiration dates on everything. Some people clean out their cupboards and donate their expired food. Yukkkkkkkkk -- Some things are fine after the expired date, but once you open them they go bad fast.

Sometimes you can find a little store that will cut you a deal on day-old groceries when the newer stuff is being put on the shelves. If they stock at night, you can ask them for "food for your dog." -- Well, you could feed expired polish sausage to your dog... or you could cook it well and eat it yourself.

One time I found pre-made pizzas that were expired that day... talked to the manager... she was "so surprised." She couldn't sell them, but she gave them to me at the back door after closing with the understanding they were garbage. Cooked up quite nicely.

 

[a45cap]

A big thanks to everyone who has offered tips on how to do this.

MIKE: I'm going with the 150.00 a week. I believe I can do that. That way I can start saving enough to eventually get me a van, or even a motorhome hopefully within a year. The basic start out list was just what I needed. Might hold off on the solar shower thing though for now. Having been a trucker for 28 years I can use my knowledge of truck stops for a shower. Also I know most of them you can sleep in the car parking lots pretty easily.
BOB: Very good suggestion about just taking out a weeks worth, and keeping track of what I can spend by actually having it on hand at the time. But for some reason my direct express debit card doesn't allow automatic deductions. Found out when I set up my car insurance for auto payments.
I do have one of them government paid cell phones, just got it yesterday, 250 free minutes and texts every month. so theres 33.00 a month I'm going to save. I have a pretty good laptop also.
This website is a lifesaver. It's comforting to know there's a lot of people out there going through what I am. And keeping such a positive and refreshing attitude. Maybe there really is something to this rv lifestyle. I'm almost shocked that there are still people in this world willing to help, and share like the ones I have found on here.

thanks again to all of you for your positive feedback.

 

[PastTense]

There are millions of people who used to go camping, but haven't done so in years and their camping stuff is piled in garages, attics, basements. Some of them would be quite interested in getting rid of some of this stuff very cheaply. So put a wanted ad in Craigslist, as well as searching Craigslist for stuff as well as thrift shops, garage sales, etc. Buy used instead of new!!!

 

[Starlight]

Just a thought on getting a van.

A few years ago my car was stolen. After a really good effort to find it, nearly 2-3 weeks had gone by. It was the law that towing services report cars they are holding by the end of 30 days. Finally my car was reported and I got it back. They had waited almost the full 30 days before reporting it, and charged for 30 days' storage. My car had been cleaned out even of the junk. I wondered... were they hoping to auction my car off...??? Hoping to get a few hundred bucks...??

So....... it occurred to me... that towing services might have some half-way decent vehicles they'd let go of pretty cheap. My car was a darn good car albeit a little old. If I hadn't been right on top of it, it would have gone to auction.

The van I have now, I got cheap because the guy lived a ways from the city and the tag was expired. It was a one-owner car and he'd taken good care of it. He was moving and took my low-ball offer.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I've been with Wells Fargo for years and I like the easy of saving and budget management. A call 24/7 hooks me up to a real person right here in the US of A if I need anything. SS auto deposit, no fees, Visa card. Lots of stores give cash back, easy for me. To avoid ATM fees I go to a teller at other banks and they will often give a "freebie".

I got so many ways to pinch a penny that I can make old Abe whistle "Dixie"

---

Monthly automatic payments....I set mine up to pay toward the end of the month. If an emergency comes up I can call to defer a payment. I just know how much I CAN'T spend thru the month.

Also, most banks you can only make so many savings withdrawals/transfers before you incur fees. Check the fine print.
Always remember....the large print giveth, the fine print taketh away

---

If you have a good running vehicle it may be worth running a Craigslist ad to barter privately for a van. Someone out there has a van and wants a car.
We traded a vehicle straight across for our RV.
Currently, looking to swap for a nice van to shift modes for a while. Have no idea what's next, but I'll look for a trade then too.

Barter is a win win as long as both parties are happy.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Feel free to browse my finances: http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/category/van-living/finances/

I live on roughly $1000 per month (after savings and money sent back to my kid) and I spend a third of that on gas alone.

My total 2013 finances (and spreadsheet) can be found at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/the-cost-of-2013-year-end/