Some take the old road
There are some bills that many RVers prefer to pay the old-fashioned way: sending a check through the mail. Hofmeister pays his credit card and insurance bills by snail mail. "I'm an old-fashioned accountant. I like to look at it before I pay it," he says. How do you get mail when you're traveling from place to place and state to state? It's easy. Just sign up for a mail-forwarding service. Some full-timers pick up mail just once a month. Others check mail once a week. The Escapees RV Club, The Family Motorcoach Association and The Good Sam Club all offer mail-forwarding services for RVers. Customers pay postage costs plus any additional fees charged by the mail-forwarding service. Fees vary widely. Signing up for The Escapees RV Club's most basic mail service costs $185. That's $85 for an annual fee, $50 for a postage deposit and $15 for an enrollment fee, plus a $35 cancellation fee. Many RVers coordinate billing due dates with mail pick up dates. It's awfully tough to pay a bill on time if you receive it after it's due. "If it looks like we're late we call and adjust the date," says Stephanie Bernhagen, author of " Take Back Your Life! Travel Full-Time in an RV" and a Web site for RVers, RVHometown.com. "It's just working with the companies. We haven't had any problems with that. They're happy to have customers who want to pay on time." Dialing-up for dollars
And plenty of banks and financial institutions are happy to have customers that never set foot in a branch. Most financial services companies allow customers to check balances and perform transactions by phone or online. Lots of RVers choose to bank by phone while they're out on the road. All you need is a cell phone and the bank's 800 number. Getting online takes a bit more work. However, new technology is the RVers friend. Many truck stops, coffee shops, hotels, motels and restaurants now offer WiFi or wireless Internet. You receive a network signal but you either pay a subscription to a hot-spot provider such as T-Mobile or sign on to a network provided by the store or truck stop. Some RV parks and campgrounds have also gotten on the WiFi bandwagon offering free wireless broadband Internet access to their guests. If you really want to be online from anywhere, anytime, broadband satellite Internet services are an option, but they'll cost you. Typically, satellite involves a fairly hefty installation fee, around $400 - $500, plus a monthly subscription fee. Before signing up for an online banking service, be sure you understand how the account works. Our Checking basics story explains exactly what to expect when using online banking services. Many RVers choose to do all their banking at a single financial institution. It makes it easier to move money in between accounts, plus all your financial data arrives in a single envelope each month. When it comes to keeping tabs on personal cash flow, many full-timers are in for a pleasant surprise. Living on the road cuts expenses by 40 percent to 50 percent. Fifty-nine percent of full-timers have monthly expenses of $2,000 or less, according to a survey by rvhometown.com. "It really is a lot cheaper to live this way," Hofmeister says. "There is no house. The RV is home. We don't pay property taxes. We don't have to worry about a house up north or pipes freezing." Once on the road, you'll have the time and freedom to do things you've always wanted to do. So you may find yourself spending more money on entertainment and fun then you did in your old life. "One of the hazards of being on the road is you're exposed to a lot of good restaurants and interesting places," Hofmeister says. "So we probably spend a little bit more on that." Bankrate editorial assistant Sheyna Steiner contributed to this story. |