I basically eat 1 big meal a day, buy loss-leader/reduced food, do ALL my own repairs, shop at thrift stores/flea markets, don't eat at restaurants and do my own cooking from scratch, avoid (expensive) junk food, and never camp where I must pay. Lot's of other stuff, much of it a minor saving per individual case, but all adding up to major savings. Wal-Mart, Amazon, Craigslist and Ebay are my friends. ..Willy.
Survive on $600 living out of vehicle??
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The minor savings as you say do add up over time. It's those nickels and dimes that you don't notice but can make a difference. What I will need practice and have to gain knowledge of is the never pay to camp area. But I will learn it and the areas I am sure. I am going to start reviewing this site for to find out and refresh my memory of them, and how to also find them.
ACagedTraveller
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rvpopeye said:
I like this advice. It reflects my attitude towards difficult tasks that maintain an unsavory flavor.
eDJ_
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I notice some saying that restaurants are off the menu. LOL
Yes, I know that they are expensive but every now and then a person just wants a burger
or fries from some favorite place.
I have a friend and his wife who retired and are now full timing. They work camp down in Kentucky
and have their Florist Shop being operated by their daughter. They were telling me that they often
visit a Sheets Gas Stop and get 2 for a buck hot dogs there with onions, relish, "boom boom" sauce,
and sour kraut. Then they go to a Wendy's and buy an order of fries and get free senior drinks.
They showed me this small plastic key ring card that when they show it they get a small Jr Frosty.
They say they sometimes get a Jr Cheeseburger with added lettuce & tomato and senior drinks and
bring potato chips with them. Then get the Jr Frosty.
Both of them are eating for less than $2.50 this way. The senior drinks are refillable and they can
drink their fill this way.
In the evenings they may take a box of Little Debby snack cakes in with them and buy a small frosty for a
dollar and get the senior coffee. (free)
But he says they often make sandwiches and brown bag them in and buy fries to get the senior drinks.
I asked them if they ever get any negative feed back and he says no. The Managers know that they are seniors and that they like having seniors in their lobby. For them it's a chance to use the WIFI there and
check email, SKYPE, and stay in touch with folks back home.
He says on Wednesday nights there are a lot of Church folks who come in with baked goods loft over from the Church bake sale and get coffee and eat their left overs. Never any problem.
I'm offering this just as a thought.
Yes, I know that they are expensive but every now and then a person just wants a burger
or fries from some favorite place.
I have a friend and his wife who retired and are now full timing. They work camp down in Kentucky
and have their Florist Shop being operated by their daughter. They were telling me that they often
visit a Sheets Gas Stop and get 2 for a buck hot dogs there with onions, relish, "boom boom" sauce,
and sour kraut. Then they go to a Wendy's and buy an order of fries and get free senior drinks.
They showed me this small plastic key ring card that when they show it they get a small Jr Frosty.
They say they sometimes get a Jr Cheeseburger with added lettuce & tomato and senior drinks and
bring potato chips with them. Then get the Jr Frosty.
Both of them are eating for less than $2.50 this way. The senior drinks are refillable and they can
drink their fill this way.
In the evenings they may take a box of Little Debby snack cakes in with them and buy a small frosty for a
dollar and get the senior coffee. (free)
But he says they often make sandwiches and brown bag them in and buy fries to get the senior drinks.
I asked them if they ever get any negative feed back and he says no. The Managers know that they are seniors and that they like having seniors in their lobby. For them it's a chance to use the WIFI there and
check email, SKYPE, and stay in touch with folks back home.
He says on Wednesday nights there are a lot of Church folks who come in with baked goods loft over from the Church bake sale and get coffee and eat their left overs. Never any problem.
I'm offering this just as a thought.
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My girlfriend gets $700 a month on SS . She gets the state of Arizona to pay her part B for her. Out west she never pays for camping, we always disperse camp for free.
She lives frugally and carefully but has a very good life. She worked at Amazon last winter and built back up her emergency fund but things come up and chip away at it so you will probably have to work every couple of years to build up your emergency fund. But there are lots of good ways to make a bunch of money in a summer or fall so that's not hard.
Come out here, become an Arizona resident and have them pay your $100 for part B. It's very easy to move with the seasons and stay comfortable summer and winter and never leave the state.
It's the best possible life for you as hard as that is to believe. What's your option? Get into low income housing and sit in a rocking chair watching TV and waiting to die?
How can that possibly be preferable to living free and wild on Gods green (and brown) earth?
Bob
She lives frugally and carefully but has a very good life. She worked at Amazon last winter and built back up her emergency fund but things come up and chip away at it so you will probably have to work every couple of years to build up your emergency fund. But there are lots of good ways to make a bunch of money in a summer or fall so that's not hard.
Come out here, become an Arizona resident and have them pay your $100 for part B. It's very easy to move with the seasons and stay comfortable summer and winter and never leave the state.
It's the best possible life for you as hard as that is to believe. What's your option? Get into low income housing and sit in a rocking chair watching TV and waiting to die?
How can that possibly be preferable to living free and wild on Gods green (and brown) earth?
Bob
WriterMs
Well-known member
Even back East there ARE free places to camp, but you have to do your research. I was bummed to learn there were only a few Forest Service camps that were free in Missouri. Then I found out there are state "conservation areas" littering the state.. and camping on those is all free!
I'm thinking you are in Florida? If you look up some of Mr.LooRead's threads and posts, he gives specific places in that state where he camps two weeks at a time for free. He is also hosting what is sort of a Florida RTR in January... don't remember the dates, but several in that area roll from one free camping place to another for the winter. Check him out if you want to save gas money but still have folks to help guide you.
I'm thinking you are in Florida? If you look up some of Mr.LooRead's threads and posts, he gives specific places in that state where he camps two weeks at a time for free. He is also hosting what is sort of a Florida RTR in January... don't remember the dates, but several in that area roll from one free camping place to another for the winter. Check him out if you want to save gas money but still have folks to help guide you.
Free camping in Florida is getting hard to find. Tourism and paying snowbirds are big business, here, and they do their best to discourage staying for free. The beaches are mostly off limits. Walmarts are being discouraged from allowing overnighters. If you are especially attractive to mosquioes, no seeums or other pests, it can be really uncomfortable. We are here this year to see family and get our checkups and use the son's workshop. But we will be heading west as soon as the weather lets us. May be stalled for a extra month as MIL is scheduled for some minor surgery next month.
LeeRevell
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Certain food items at grocery stores can be frugal. At the local Publix, I buy an 8-pack of frozen Burritos for less than $8, so a bit less than a buck a burrito. Two make a good lunch. Publix Fried or Rotisserrie Chicken is less than $8 a bird, and I can stretch one over three meals, with cheap sides.
On the military angle, I need to check into the VA health system myself. Had to give up my expensive HMO I had through my state employment - just couldn't pay for it. $642 out of my $935 a month pension left too little to live on.
But.... some programs like the GI Bill have time limits on certain provisions. In the late 80s to 1990, I used my GI Bill (the old one predating the Montgomery GI Bill) for tech school to learn IT. I timed out just as I finished school. I had left the USN in 1986. It also had a finite dollar limit on the benefit. Other GI benefits likely also have time and monetary limits. Have to talk to the VA and see what, if anything, I qualify for with nine and a half years of military time in (four years USAF and five and a half USN).
I refuse to get caught in the trap of obamacare.
On the military angle, I need to check into the VA health system myself. Had to give up my expensive HMO I had through my state employment - just couldn't pay for it. $642 out of my $935 a month pension left too little to live on.
But.... some programs like the GI Bill have time limits on certain provisions. In the late 80s to 1990, I used my GI Bill (the old one predating the Montgomery GI Bill) for tech school to learn IT. I timed out just as I finished school. I had left the USN in 1986. It also had a finite dollar limit on the benefit. Other GI benefits likely also have time and monetary limits. Have to talk to the VA and see what, if anything, I qualify for with nine and a half years of military time in (four years USAF and five and a half USN).
I refuse to get caught in the trap of obamacare.
Having a 12v compressor cooler/freezer (now got 2 of 'em!) REALLY helps insofar as I can buy 'family packs' of 'reduced to clear' meat, then individually bag 'n freeze, and on-sale frozen veggies as well as keep fresh perishables for longer. Right now I've got about a month's worth of cheap frozen meat in my Engel and fresh veggies in the smaller Waeco. This drastically reduces my food expenditure and, being powered off solar, isn't costing any extra to maintain.
Another very important thing is TOOLS, got tons of them, which can be bought cheaply at garage sales & flea markets. Doing my own maintenance/repairs saves a bundle and learning how to do so, IMO, helps keep the mind 'flexible'. ..Willy.
Another very important thing is TOOLS, got tons of them, which can be bought cheaply at garage sales & flea markets. Doing my own maintenance/repairs saves a bundle and learning how to do so, IMO, helps keep the mind 'flexible'. ..Willy.
Phantom Blooper
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I know that there is a difference between regular active duty service and reserve benefits.
However with all the NG being activated over the past years some may have changed so it doesn't hurt to make the call and follow up with a service organization.
(DAV,VFW,AMVETS et.) to help with the process. You earned those benefits,it may take awhile to process....but the key is not to give up.
Good luck and call that 800# or go to your local county Veterans services with your DD214......The most important copy of the DD 214 for the individual is the "Member 4" copy.
However with all the NG being activated over the past years some may have changed so it doesn't hurt to make the call and follow up with a service organization.
(DAV,VFW,AMVETS et.) to help with the process. You earned those benefits,it may take awhile to process....but the key is not to give up.
Good luck and call that 800# or go to your local county Veterans services with your DD214......The most important copy of the DD 214 for the individual is the "Member 4" copy.
WheelEstate USA
Well-known member
I urge all vets to check the benefits available.
I found out, quite by mistake, that I qualified for a Navy pension (not retirement).
A DAV service officer helped with the application and 3 months later I woke to find my income increased by 400 bucks/mo. It also included a settlement for the 3 months I waited.
VA medical...Please, look into this. The VA covers me with no co-pay. Being an oxygen patient, they keep me breathing.
I found out, quite by mistake, that I qualified for a Navy pension (not retirement).
A DAV service officer helped with the application and 3 months later I woke to find my income increased by 400 bucks/mo. It also included a settlement for the 3 months I waited.
VA medical...Please, look into this. The VA covers me with no co-pay. Being an oxygen patient, they keep me breathing.
karenishere
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I think I would have to consider a couple of things as far as the budget goes, because you won't be living in a full-amenities trailer: 1. Personal Hygiene. Showering anywhere but something rigged up outside your vehicle will cost money. I suppose this is an optional expense, but not being able to get totally clean at least once a month would make me nuts. 2. Laundry. 3. Propane. When on the road, I use propane for a small heater, cooking my food, and heating water for showers. It's not expensive but these things add up.
I would also ask if you've ever done anything like this before. Do you consider yourself a camper? My experience with road life, even in a small class A, is that ... sometimes I just wanted to *really* be inside, with space to move around, a real bathroom, reliable temperatures, no rain beating on the roof, a sense of being in a "normal" space with privacy ... YMMV, totally, but camping in my Matrix was even more challenging because I couldn't stand up in the vehicle and I really had nowhere to be but inside it holed up if the weather was bad. This is a financial question, I think; I dealt with my claustrophobia with a day in a cheap motel every couple of weeks, but I don't think your budget would cover that.
ETA: Why not try living on $600 a month right where you are and see what that's like? (Or do you do that already?) Don't include expenses in your budget that you won't have, like rent, but try to be super mindful for a couple of days. Example: what am I doing right this second? I'm reading a book. Did this cost me anything? No, I got it at the library. Can I do that on the road? Yes / No, I'll have to buy a used book now and then / I'll just do something else instead of reading a book. (Ok, what will I do and how much will that cost). What am I doing right this second? Putting my clothes in the wash ... etc. etc.
I would also ask if you've ever done anything like this before. Do you consider yourself a camper? My experience with road life, even in a small class A, is that ... sometimes I just wanted to *really* be inside, with space to move around, a real bathroom, reliable temperatures, no rain beating on the roof, a sense of being in a "normal" space with privacy ... YMMV, totally, but camping in my Matrix was even more challenging because I couldn't stand up in the vehicle and I really had nowhere to be but inside it holed up if the weather was bad. This is a financial question, I think; I dealt with my claustrophobia with a day in a cheap motel every couple of weeks, but I don't think your budget would cover that.
ETA: Why not try living on $600 a month right where you are and see what that's like? (Or do you do that already?) Don't include expenses in your budget that you won't have, like rent, but try to be super mindful for a couple of days. Example: what am I doing right this second? I'm reading a book. Did this cost me anything? No, I got it at the library. Can I do that on the road? Yes / No, I'll have to buy a used book now and then / I'll just do something else instead of reading a book. (Ok, what will I do and how much will that cost). What am I doing right this second? Putting my clothes in the wash ... etc. etc.
karenishere said:
Personal hygiene is always my concern too. I do have a small popup shower tent and hand pump up insect type sprayer setup. I used this a lot on my Natchez Trace road trip. It worked very well. But, I had access to unlimited water supply in the free campgrounds. But finding water to provide those showers, which I can take a complete shower including my hair on about a gallon of water, could be difficult or a hassle to be going for all the time. I have no problem camping and making that sort of thing work. I have most all the things you mention. Propane 2 burner stove to heat my water. Works very well for me.
And yes, I am concerned about being holed up in the vehicle during times of inclement weather and such. That could drive me a little crazy. I guess If it were gong to be for an extended time I would have to drive somewhere so I could get out of the vehicle and into a public place such as a library, mall, or other indoor place to move around to get my space needs.
I don't think that I would be able to stay in the Escape for a real long long time before maybe trying to get something bigger. Or even come across a small travel trailer.
thanks for your bringing those things to my attention.
karenishere
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Sorry, for some reason I didn't realize you're an old member here with plenty of road experience. Glad if my suggestions helped you, though. I'm not sure I ever really got comfortable with being "homeless", I've lived in a stationary home I owned nearly every day of my adult life, very secure and lots of warm bright light and hot showers whenever I want. I know our site host defines homelessness as not wanting to live in your vehicle, if you want to then it IS your home, but I never quite felt that way about mine. Just got a new rig of my own, so I'm going to get some more practice in going outside my comfort zone! Good luck to you.
karenishere said:
No problem. Any suggestions will help. Thanks. I have never felt homeless when doing extended trips because I was going to be returning to a home. But now that will be a little different in that I will not be able to do that. I have pretty many survival skills but I agree the "being homeless feeling" will probably kick in and I will have to find ways to just change that thinking into "being into a different type of home setting". I know that is stretching it but I will need all the help I can get psychologically as possible.
Good luck to you also.
akrvbob said:
I never thought about the assistance for the $104 part B help.
I agree with you on doing the rocking chair life, I get very depressed when I envision that about myself. And to be honest with you I have been checking that out through HUD, and low income housing. But to my surprise there was either no funding available for vouchers or I made too little or too much to qualify. I think you probably know what that is about. Anyway, it's probably for the best in that I would not have been happy in a little room in my rocker. And, I would not have been able to do any type of traveling because I would not have had any funds because I was paying for the low income rent.
How do you think doing dispersed camping out there would work in my situation with doing it with a small SUV like my Escape? I know it is really up to me as to how resourceful I can be and what I can tolerate mentally in such a small vehicle to live in and with limited funds. But can you give me a few quick top of the list tips to be mindful of? I am trying to eliminate as many surprises as possible. And I think that having a heads up on some things will help me prepare a little on what to have with me and some things to expect. I am sifting through past blogs and forums also.
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I've camped with Suanne in her Prius for a couple months and she does really well in it and I think your Escape will have more room. One thing she does is carry a tent, not to sleep in but to move her stuff into as a garage. That way she has more room to move around inside the Prius. Also, the weather is a big part of it. If you can set up a little camp and cook and lounge outside then you don't feel cramped at all, the Escape is just the bedroom.
If it were me I'd get a roof rack for stuff and probably a back hitch haul.
I can't comment about how you will do because we never know until we're actually doing it, but it's entirely possible to do it and really like it.
Bob
If it were me I'd get a roof rack for stuff and probably a back hitch haul.
I can't comment about how you will do because we never know until we're actually doing it, but it's entirely possible to do it and really like it.
Bob
ACagedTraveller
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The fact that bindi&us receives free medical services for the condition remains a postive. The VA system, however, appears to engage in reprehensible practices at time. :s (No further comment on this because of political limitations)bindi&us said:
