Campground Expenses: June and July

Susanne is your driver for this post.

One of the most common questions people ask RVers is this: How much does it cost to RV, and how do you afford it? Although I don't feel comfortable putting our entire budget on the Internet, I will say this: The cost depends, and we make it work (so far). We are not a wealthy family. Nowhere close to it. Like many families, we work a lot, we worry about money, and we have debts. We chew on our fingernails before payday. Yet we're still doing this. It just means that while on the road, we try (TRY - we don't always succeed!) to be extremely conscientious about spending.

One of the best things about a nomadic lifestyle is that it's flexible: you can save a lot of money simply by being selective about where you park your rig. Some RVers have the funds to stay at fully-outfitted parks that cost hundreds of dollars a month. Other RVers are at the other end of the spectrum: they look for opportunities to boondock (park their rig without connecting to water, electricity, or sewer) at little or no cost.

We're somewhere in the middle. Because we're currently in the hot and steamy southern U.S., we don't want to boondock at this point. On the other hand, we've found ways to reduce spending at campgrounds and RV parks.

Here's a rundown of our camping expenses for the months of June and July (note: in some cases I have not included discounts; I have also not included the Thousand Trails membership fees in the breakdown):

June 1-5: Thousand Trails Diamond Caverns (Mammoth Cave NP, Kentucky) - Full Hookups - The campground was out of our "network" at that time (before we obtained a TT pass for the entire country), so we paid a fee. Cost: $158.40

June 5-16: Thousand Trails Natchez Trace (Hohenwald, Tennessee) - Full Hookups. Pool. Cost: $0

June 16-19: Tom Sawyer's RV Park (West Memphis, AR) - Full Hookups. No pool, but an amazing view of the Mississippi River. Cost: $75 

June 19-20: Shady Pines RV Park (Texarkana, TX) - Full Hookups. Cost: $29

June 20-23: Escapees Rainbows End Park (Livingston, TX) - Full Hookups. Pool. Cost: $63 (with membership discount)

June 23-29: Thousand Trails Lake Conroe (Lake Conroe, TX) - Full Hookups. Pool. Cost: $0

June 29-July 10: Housesitting and chihuahua-sitting in Austin, TX. Honestly, we are SO appreciative of our friends for allowing us to stay at their house while they were on vacation! The opportunity to hang out with a cool chihuahua and some sassy backyard chickens: priceless. Cost: $0 

July 10-15: McKinney Falls State Park (Austin, TX) - Water and Electric Hookups. Lovely trails and natural pools. Cost: $90

July 15-17: San Antonio KOA (San Antonio, TX) - Full Hookups. Pool. Cost: $150, give or take a few cents (Yup.)

July 17-August 1: Thousand Trails Medina Lake (outside of San Antonio, TX) - Full Hookups. Pool. Cost: $0

TOTAL SITE COSTS FOR JUNE AND JULY: $565 (~$283 per month)

What we've learned so far about selecting campsites with money in mind:

• State parks are a great choice, even if they don't have full hook-ups. McKinney Falls SP has a well maintained dump station, and we had no trouble accessing it when we needed to.

• KOA offers well-equipped campgrounds, but for us, they're generally too expensive. We stayed at the KOA in San Antonio because we wanted to wait a few extra days before signing into Medina Lake. KOA was convenient. Maybe it's worth it in a pinch (especially now that we're part of their membership program), but we won't be doing it often.

• Housesitting in early July saved us a bundle. We may look into housesitting again in the future. 

• Thousand Trails is a great deal. Being able to stay in one place for up to two weeks with full hookups and a pool (the pool makes a big difference in the happiness of our child) without paying anything beyond the membership costs is pretty amazing.

• Sometimes, spending a little more money is worth it. That was the case with Tom Sawyer's RV Park. The sites were flat and level, and we were situated right on the banks of the Mississippi River. The unique nature of the campground made it worthwhile for us.

What are your tips for saving money while RVing?