2 years FULL TIME RV with kids! RV beginner mistakes (there's A LOT)

It's been over a year since we quit RV life after two full years on the road alongside our two kids and our dog. And after having some time to have reflected on our two years of RV life we've realized all the newbie RV mistakes we made. This is our bumper. And all the things we wish we knew if we got to do it all over again. So we're in the beginning stages of planning our relaunch back into RV life which has allowed us to reflect back on our time on the road and all the things that we wish we did differently. Follow me for more RV stuff. So in today's video we're going to be talking about all the things that we wish we knew before launching into RV life, RV newbie mistakes that we made, and tips on how you can avoid making the same mistakes that we did. Trying to warn you people. Don't do what we did. Okay so RV newbie mistake number one is not finding the rig that's right for you. Now this is probably our biggest mistake to date. So this one can be really tough because whereas we believe there's really no way of 100% knowing which rig is going to be right for you without having lived in it for a while. But there's definitely a better way of doing it than how we did the first time which is essentially leaping before looking. Yeah we definitely leapt before we looked. Within a very short amount of time we bought and built a camper van, sold that, bought a class c, lived in it for a month, and then we traded that in for a fifth wheel and truck. And through all that we lost a ton of money in resales and all the trade-in values. So we definitely don't recommend going this route. What we do recommend is to take your time. Like as much time as possible. Do extensive research on different types of rigs, sizes, capabilities, and weigh your findings against the things that you prioritize in your life. Like what are considered to be absolute deal breakers for you and what are you willing to sacrifice. And something that we wish we had done in the beginning. Rent out all these different options just to literally see how we fit. Rent out a class a, a class b, a class c, travel trailers, fifth wheels. Don't discount any possibility or any option because you truly never know. Because our mindset going into this was a van is going to be perfect for us. No no no. A class c is definitely what we want. Nope. A fifth wheel is definitely what we want. Actually there's a whole different type of fifth wheel that we want. This is what we're talking about is don't leap before you look. Another tip which is actually on the flip side of this is to not over prepare. And what we mean by that is beside the rig itself don't overly focus on all the accessories and gidgets and gazmos that you can get for your RV. Gidgets and gazmos guys. I've got plenty. It can be really overwhelming and of course there's going to be something for everything. But again our tip is to not over prepare here. We actually compiled and put together a guide of the only RV accessories you actually need. We're gonna go ahead and put the link to that in our description below. If you've ever heard of analysis paralysis that's a real thing. If you try to rack your brain about being so prepared for every little scenario before you get on the road you're never gonna get on the road. That's exactly what we're talking about. Our tip is to avoid analysis paralysis. At some point you definitely are going to have to leave. So that leads us into RV newbie mistake number two which is not realizing all the new expenses you're going to have. We feel like most people anticipate certain costs like fuel and maintenance costs. But there are a lot of other unexpected expenses that we did not consider when we first started. As we mentioned fuel cost is typically an anticipated expense. But pro tip make sure to utilize fuel savings cost programs. There's a ton out there like Mudflap, Safeway, Kroger, basically any gas station or grocery store that's offering up some kind of fuel savings program. Sign up for it. Sign up for them all. Most of them are free and they will save you money down the road. Another anticipated expense is maintenance costs. Now this could be a tricky expense because you can't always plan for these things. You never know when a tire is going to blow or you're going to need new brakes on whatever vehicle you're driving. And you usually can never tell how much these are going to cost you. So this just emphasizes the importance of keeping up on your routine maintenance. Some other not so anticipated costs and things we wish we knew about can be propane for example. Yeah propane no matter which kind of RV you're in is going to be a big part of your life now. And we didn't really anticipate that especially in the colder months. Propane is heating your entire place and you're cooking your food with it. It's sort of like having a bunch of little gas tanks that you got to fill up. So for us that was an unexpected added expense. Mail forwarding services. These are also an added unexpected expense. The one we have utilized cost us about $170 a year and between $20 to $50 every time we need mail delivered to us. Since we use South Dakota Residency, for us we utilize America's Mailbox. And the fun expenses. This is another maybe not so anticipated cost. Your fun fund needs to increase. Just think being out on the road, more opportunities typically just means more money to be able to spend on them. Just be keeping in mind when you're out driving on the road and you see a restaurant that catches your eye, you'll need the money to be able to enjoy a meal at said restaurant. Making sure you have a decent fun fund is important as well. Because what's the point of traveling if you don't plan on ever having some fun? Right? And lastly campground expenses. Now this may be an anticipated expense but what I don't think many realize is how expensive some of these campgrounds can be. Especially if you don't know how to use the campgrounds to your advantage. And there are a few tips we have to go about saving money here. Number one is having chosen a rig that's boondock ready. Meaning your rig can be parked anywhere and you still have access to all your main resources like electricity, water, and sewer. And this goes back to finding the rig that's right for you. If you don't want to be in campgrounds all the time, you need to find a rig that can be self-sufficient off-grid. This is a problem that we had in our fifth wheel where we couldn't just take it wherever we wanted for a multitude of reasons. But yeah, it's something we wish we had. We didn't realize that was such a deal breaker for us. Another tip to save money on campground costs is by having campground memberships. This was a total RV newbie mistake for us. We went way too long without utilizing a campground membership and spent a pretty penny on campgrounds when we could have been saving money the whole time. Some good campground memberships of note are definitely Thousand Trails, which is probably the biggest bang for your buck, Harvest Hosts, Good Sam, and Passport America. Basically, if you're a full-time RVer, you're going to want to utilize campground memberships as soon as possible. And if you're wanting more of a deep dive on these campground memberships and how to choose the best one that's right for you, we put together a guide with all this information. So we'll also add that link in the description below. Basically, what we're saying is that don't expect RV life to save you a ton of money. What you're really doing is you're just allocating expenses into different experiences. Exactly. The best part about RV life is that you get to mold this into your lifestyle. Instead of trying to fit into a box that you don't belong in, make sure to hit the subscribe button and follow along and hit that notification bell so you don't miss the next adventure. And remember, adventure is out there, so follow your adventurous spirit. Because maybe the best piece of advice we can give you is to be friends with us. Ask us questions. We can tell you all day all the things that you shouldn't do. Something like that. Sure.