By Russ and Tiña De Maris Last week we published a story aimed at RVers looking toward a frugal lifestyle. The piece “Eat in or out – and still save some bucks” was barely on the internet when feedback came in from a reader, evidently frustrated with our topic. He writes: “Come on guys do you really think that a…
Read MoreCategory: Frugal RV living
Eat in or out – and still save some bucks
By Russ and Tiña De Maris With fuel prices shooting up like an oil field gusher, saving money where you can on the RV budget can make your trip last longer, or leave a few bucks for other attractions. Saving bones at the dining table can help. Nah! We don’t mean boiling up the chicken carcass for soup (but hey,…
Read MoreFact Check: Open your tailgate for better fuel economy?
By Russ and Tiña De Maris We recently got a “news item” from a Wyoming Dodge pickup dealer marked with the headline: “Removing a truck’s tailgate can boost fuel efficiency.” The balance of this news story was a set of instructions on how to remove the tailgate, and advice on not leaving the tailgate loose inside the pickup bed. Is…
Read MoreGet a “bumper crop” from your RV garden!
By Russ and Tiña De Maris Back in the “early days” of RVing, folks who had “house cars” really did a lot of roughing it. There was no such thing as running water. Furniture was rough. You didn’t just pop something in the microwave when it was time for a meal. Ah, but primitive man marched forward. Now practically every…
Read MoreEngine monitors: Drive with safety – and frugality
By Greg Illes In 1996, the U.S. auto manufacturers began adhering to (another) new standard. This time it was the On-Board Diagnostic port, or OBD interface to the engine electronics. This port (since evolved to OBD-II) allowed access to a host of engine parameters, from water temperature to fuel flow and other critical operating numbers. The OBD also reads the…
Read MoreCut your RV lifestyle expenses!
By Bob Difley It seems the theme of every election is something like cutting the deficit, eliminating waste and becoming more efficient, that soon become the focus of every new government as it takes control. New ideas will be proposed, changes made, and the economy will continue, one way or another, good or bad, depending on your viewpoint.  So for…
Read MoreNine easy steps to holding down fuel costs
By Bob Difley In an article in the Financial Edge newsletter from Investopedia.com, Jean Folger points out these nine effective ways to increase your gas mileage by driving more efficiently. This can be even more timely and important as projections for fuel prices appear to be on the rise. And as events from 2017 remind us, unexpected “outside” events and forces…
Read MoreIs reverse osmosis water safe for your RV batteries?
By Russ and Tiña De Maris Not long ago we got a message from a reader who was traveling across the United States. Before he left home, he’d hit the local shopping centers looking for distilled water for use in his RV batteries and, much to his dismay, couldn’t find any. Could he use RO (reverse osmosis) water to keep…
Read MoreSnowbirds – Can you feast on fresh fruits and veggies?
By Bob Difley About 10 percent of all the energy consumed in the U.S. – about 100 billion gallons of oil each year – is used just growing the food we eat. Processing and transporting all those tomatoes, pork chops and strawberries to our table raises the figure to about 17 percent. The Chicago Produce Terminal reports that food in…
Read MorePropane exchange could be an expensive pain
By Russ and Tiña De Maris Look outside nearly any hardware store, supermarket or Walmart, and there’s the enticing offer: Bring in your empty propane cylinder and “trade it in” for a refurbished full one. With the number of live “filling stations” said to be decreasing, and the “convenience” of nearly 24-hour access to propane, it may seem a real…
Read MoreTrim your RV weight and increase storage space, too
By Adrienne Kristine There is a direct connection between reducing the weight inside your RV and increasing the mileage for every gallon of expensive gas you purchase. Storage space is limited, but you can make the best use of the space you have by thinking outside the box or can. When you shop for groceries and sundries for your home,…
Read MorePaying an RV park for power? Read your meter!
By Russ and Tiña De Maris Spend any amount of time in a commercial RV park and you’re apt to get a power bill. Since power is expensive anywhere, it’s a bitter pill for RVers when they are often presented with a bill for rates higher than the locals pay. We’ve all heard the “Cost of reading the meter,” “Administrative…
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