How can we afford to do this? It’s not easy but we’re giving it a go. One of our problems has always been spending just a bit more money than we have. We’ve never had lots of it but I think that even if we had we would still be in the same situation.
What we have to do is control our spending and we have been using a software package called “You Need a Budget”. The main premise is that you allocate all of your money to various jobs, car insurance, site fees, clothing etc, etc until all of it has somewhere to go. You normally know how much is coming in, you know what bills are unavoidable and you can guess at the rest.
There is a smart phone app so you can dial in your shopping bill there and then as you are shopping and it gets uploaded to the cloud via dropbox next time you’re in internet range.
Over time your guesses will get better, you are setting aside some money for yearly bills such as insurance and servicing so the chances of any big bills catching you out are reduced. Register on the YNAB website and they will send you motivational emails to keep you on track.
We were lucky in being able to have a trial run and see what day to day living expenses can be. It was very quickly obvious that we couldn’t afford to eat lunch out or have a coffee or beer sitting in a cafe everyday. We need to allow for laundry, fresh water and waste disposal costs. Visitor fees soon start to mount up but it is still possible to budget for entrance fees.
We’re not very good with money but this software really seems to be helping us control the financial side of things. It could help you and since they have a 30 day free trial why not?
Hi Mark & Lucy
Alan & Shirley here who met you at 3rd Feb at Puerto Luprice aire with our 2 springer spaniels. At that point we were 6 days into our first ever trip in a motor home, some 10 weeks later and we are now feeling like old hands having gleaned all the important bits of info from people like yourselves we have met along the way. Travelled from Almerimar down through Spain and we have been the last 4 weeks on the Algarve (Everywhere) and free camped most of the time with only minor attention from the police. Anyway heading home again for the beginning of May for son’s wedding then off again to France and Northern Spain from June onwards. Now heading up the west coast of Portugal.
Hope things have improved on the home front with mum and will keep and eye on your blogs when your travelling again and hopefully we will meet up somewhere to discuss Upminster and environs.
Hi Alan & Shirley
Only just got round to reading your post – still can’t believe that we met in the middle of Spain, both of us just looking for water, and it turns out that we were in the same year, in the same Junior school many many years ago.
Told you it was easy and we’re both glad that you enjoyed yourselves.
News on the home front isn’t good, we’re having to park on an expensive 5 van site near to the nursing home and bus in regularly. We are going to the National Motorhome Show in Peterborough on Thursday and returning on Monday. We had hoped to travel onto Scotland after Peterborough but we really need to be closer to home. All plans are on hold for the foreseeable future.
Hope to see you again one day and we can share some beers.