Weekly Budget??
Submitted: Monday, May 23, 2011 at 19:24
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Wayne&Gaby
Hello all,
We are planing to travel full time soon and would like ideas on how much money a couple need to live on?? I know the question is wide open, we would not move too often, trying to
free camp as much as possible, you know all the usual stuff. Any ideas or responses will be appreciated.
Thanks
Wayne
Reply By: Mick O - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 19:47
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 19:47
Having spent 11 months on the road over 2006 with a camper trailer, you'll find there's not really much difference in costs of living either on the road or in a house. In fact being on the road is probably a little more costly. I kept a comprehensive spread sheet of our daily costs and found the results surprising. More so now with the 5 years of price creep to add on. You'll find you won't get to
free camp as much as you'd like or expect to especially if you have kids along. Our expenses only had to cover the two of us as
well.
If it costs you a thousand a week to live paying rent etc, it'll be the same on the road, the rent being replaced by fuel/vehicle expenses and caravan park fees.
Good luck with it all.. It's a fantastic experience.
Cheers Mick
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Polaris - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 20:48
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 20:48
Have a friend who just bought a Winebago in Canada. Their plan is to travel Canada, USA and Mexico for 12 months. Plan for about 300K/day.
Vehicle is 30 foot motorhome powered by a 7 litre V8 petrol, does 2 KPL!
So it will be using 150 Litres per day at present cost over there $1.28 litre = $192 per day = $1344 per week - JUST FOR FUEL!
Food, trailer park fees, entry into
places of interest, vehicle service costs and sundries all on top.
Suggest you may need quite a bit!
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Rob! - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 11:36
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 11:36
300 km/ Day for for 12 months? The enough to go from northern Canada to southern Mexico 20 times.
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Follow Up By: Polaris - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 12:04
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 12:04
Definitely don't dissagree with you there Rob.
This couple have travelled the world 2 up on a motorcycle for over 10 years. They own the same brand/model and have a number of them in storage on various continents. Move a single rego plate and papers from bike to bike. All have the same frame numbers but different engine numbers - easy to say they blew an engine and had to replace.
300K a day average is some serious non stop travel with not much time for looking about - but they have based the figures on past motorcycle travel. Mind you - the bike does 18 to 20 KPL and the new MH does 2 KPL !! They will notice a big difference in fuel cost.
We did 21,005 K in 126 days (167 K/day) around Oz in a motorhome with av consumption of 7 KPL in 2008 (height of fuel price crisis) and our total fuel cost was a tad under $6,000 - averages about $1,500/month.
Mind you we met many shower vans towed by average 4x4's who were only achieving 4 KPL !
See page 8 of ourtravel diary for a
breakdown.
Link to travel diary.
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Reply By: snoopyone - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 21:18
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 21:18
A $ a K for every K travelled would be a start
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - John and Val - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:15
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:15
Thats been our experience too, more or less. That covers repairs and maintenance and occasional treats like flights, boat trips etc. We do all our own food preparation ie dont eat out or get takeaways much and freecamp quite a lot, though as Mick says sometimes you can't freecamp as much as you would like.
Cheers,
Val.
| J and V
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein
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Reply By: dazza0503 - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:11
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:11
We are now into our 4th month travelling around Australia having left
Sydney on the 14th Feb. I thought about $1000.00 a week but spending more than that. We went to Tassie for a month which was $700 each way on the Spirit of Tassie then
Kangaroo Island $650.00 return so it all add up. At Hamelin Station South of
Monkey Mia now. Will be back in
Sydney late September. So far our rig which consists of an 09 Triton diesel duel cab with a cavalier soft floor camper is using 15 litres per 100km consistently. So 60 litres for every 400km at between $159.00 per litre to $210.00 on the Nullarbor averages to about $100.00 per 400km
Hope this helps
Dazza
AnswerID:
455300
Follow Up By: dazza0503 - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:15
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:15
Before I get attacked I meant $1.59.00 and $2.10.00 per litre.
Sorry
Dazza
FollowupID:
728228
Reply By: shanegu6 - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:42
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:42
Been travelling for 9 months with wife and 2 kids, 6 and 2yo. Average $1000 per week. Including $2200 return trip to Tasmania with car and van.
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Reply By: Motherhen - Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:47
Monday, May 23, 2011 at 22:47
Hi Wayne
Your budget will be what you have available to spend. You food and general costs will be similar to
home, but add a bit because you will most likely be purchasing in some out of the way
places with higher costs, and you won't be able to buy in bulk and store like most of us can do with a big freezer and pantry at
home.
Will you still have a
home with normal household bills such as rates, electricity and insurance etc? You will also have licensing and insurance costs for your rig.
If you have little available for fuel, you will stay until you can buy the next fuel and move on, and fuel will be dearer the further away from major centres that you get. You will know what your fuel consumption to work out costs, then double that to allow for maintenance (which includes tyres, servicing and minor breakdowns). Have a sum set aside in reserve should you have a major
breakdown eg an engine replacement, or even gearbox replacement can be expensive.
If you have plenty of travelling money, flights and cruises at key
places will be an option - otherwise perhaps only a few lower cost short ones, if any, will be considered. Entrance fees to
places along the way can vary, from higher fees for larger
well known don't miss type
places, to a few dollars for a small town museum, and it is worth looking at a few of these local ones from time to time for a different experience and to gain an insight into the locality.
For tips on reducing costs on the road see:
Keeping costs down
Motherhen
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Don & Kathie M (TAS) - Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 08:18
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 08:18
We have spent about 2 months travelling in the outback each winter for each of the last 7 years. For the first three of these we drove a Landrover Td5, subsequently a Prado diesel. We do not tow, we either
free camp or stay in cabins, rarely eat out or buy takeaway meals, and always have the vehicle serviced halfway through the trip. Our total costs have gradually increased from 70c/km to $1.20/km. Last year the fare to cross Bass Strait increased significantly, and if you exclude the boat fare the cost would have dropped from $1.20 to $1.10/km. The fuel costs have generally increased from 15c/km to 20c/km, although when refuelling in very remote locations such as on the Anne Beadell these have been in the region of 40c/km.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Don & Kathie M (TAS) - Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 08:19
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 08:19
We have spent about 2 months travelling in the outback each winter for each of the last 7 years. For the first three of these we drove a Landrover Td5, subsequently a Prado diesel. We do not tow, we either
free camp or stay in cabins, rarely eat out or buy takeaway meals, and always have the vehicle serviced halfway through the trip. Our total costs have gradually increased from 70c/km to $1.20/km. Last year the fare to cross Bass Strait increased significantly, and if you exclude the boat fare the cost would have dropped from $1.20 to $1.10/km. The fuel costs have generally increased from 15c/km to 20c/km, although when refuelling in very remote locations such as on the Anne Beadell these have been in the region of 40c/km.
AnswerID:
455329
Reply By: DoubleJ - Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 13:01
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 13:01
Over the years, I have worked out our daily travelling expenses- I just like playing with numbers. In 09, our daily average was $47, last year it went up to $68 per day. Those costs include everything, big and small expenses. The regions travelled were roughly the same here in W.A: as far up as the
Pilbara, east to Goldfields, back
home to south coast.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Alloy c/t - Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 12:13
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 12:13
The question is as you say wide open , on our travels in 08 we allowed for $1000.00 per week or roughly $1 per klm , 26 weeks and 23,000klm and we had gone thru $30,000 , but by the same token we met overseas travellers doing the same circuit as us on as little as $1000.00 per MONTH , admittedly they 'lived' on 2 minute noodles for dinner and Nutella on bread for breakfast each and every day , ,,, since 08 everything has increased in cost so now would be budgeting at a minimum of $1.50 per klm.
AnswerID:
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