Well the figures are done for the trip just completed
and it really is no surpise to me , having done it before, but thought some of the newer members who are contemplating this avenue of life style would find of value
I Drive an old 1990 Nissan Diesel patrol, well worked and tireless, no turbo, and the van is an 16ft old Golf, tought as old boots and I have made it independant of parks, so some of the newer vehicles and lighter vans should do better, also with the help of a good cook, Judy we were pretty frugal in our food, even having the occasional brekkie at Maccas
In total the ks were 14598, the total fuel was, litres 2437.7, and the cost was, $3731.44, accomadation (we used a lot of freebies), $1260.50, and the tucker was $1689.79, we were on the road for 123 days, and incidentals were, $699.88,(such as park entrance fees) those bloody frig magnets) hairdresser etc,,
 Anything I have missed , ask and you shall receive, if possible
Interesting point from memory, it seemed that everything is a lot cheaper  travelling today than it was when I did the block in 2003, maybe the fuel is the same cost, ??? or the tucker is more imported stuff, but I didnt have Judy then  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Note , an email recieved,   Margarine is one molecule removed from plastic,
thats why is wont go off, and flys stay away, etc

M&J

enjoy your sunrises

well done this is the sort of info us new baby greys are interested in. we have only spent 55 days away in our 12 months of caravanning and have spent $100 per day on average. BUT have not stayed in any freebies AND made the big mistake of thinking that we needed heaps of stuff that we have used only once, My advice to those just starting out is to take the basics and only buy what you really need when you are out there. Hope to bring our average down to about $80 this year. John and Anne

well Mike, you did very well indeed, by my calcumalations you spent a total of $6,682 for a total of 123 days giving an average of $55 per day very well done, we normally average between $80 - $100 per day but I think we must have more pub meals or something, do you think you could keep that low expenditure up for the rest of your days, Judys drinking would be problem I guess LOL!!! yes I heard her "oohh!!! he's a bugger!!" one molecule off plastic, arent we one gene off monkeys, I have met some people who havent got that gene!!

dave06 wrote:

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one molecule off plastic, arent we one gene off monkeys, I have met some people who havent got that gene!!

---

So you have met the "Anglican Primate" then Dave.....

had one on the roundabout this morning, gave way to a dog who wasnt anywhere near the road!!

Dave i got $7381.61 divided by 123 = $60.01 per day

yep I stand corrected, $60 per day, (tired) still $40 under what we spend,  it's pretty damn obvious that I must curb the dragons drinking habits, we are spending far too much on her alcohol,  mine is still O.K. though I am happy to note

actually in all honesty I think it's a mind set thing, when we go out it's a huge break, we both work horrible hours ( wife is an in home care provider, I work in a supply company on computers) and pay a carer for our son, when we get home (late) we still have our son to take care of, so we dont get the "ahhhhhh!!!! days over" type of thing this continues seven days a week, 

I often bring work home with me as well and the dragon has out of hours work so the break is not there 

we take 6 weeks a year just to ourselves where we place our son in care spread over four blocks ( one quarter, 1 week, next quarter, 2 weeks and so on) when we get that "time" (paid for by us of course) we travel vast distances in a short ammount of time, military precision planning as Basil puts it, I think it is "running as far away as possible in the time allowed" we tend to "let ourselves go a bit" so we dine out, we see and do things of extravagance such as the gordon river cruise @ $230 for a little boat ride and the heritage steam rail journey @ $390 for a days choo choo ride 

we will not do this when, in under 2 years time, we will be full time on the road, we will have to tighten our belts and try to keep the figures in a managable size, wont be able to afford it, as it is if we live beyond 70 we will have to shoot ourselves, no more money after that, I guess there is always the pension

if you are staying in parks and your daily running total is still under the $100 you have done extremely well, some of the fee's for c/parks sprouted here are astronomical, we free camp 5 days out of seven and only come in when we need the washing done or need water and supplies, if we take squeeky that "coming in" is down to zero we dont use caravan parks at all for up to 3 weeks, then the living is very cheap

-- Edited by dave06 at 11:10, 2009-01-23

Dave just wanted for people to know the right amount not often you get anything wrong so wasnt lets get Dave . I could not beleive you could do it for that amount Mike & Judy well done and thanks for sharing with us all at $ 60 a day you have shown us you could do this on the pension ,it is a good starting point like Dave we would spend much more so we all have choices thanks again Mike & Judy

brickies wrote:

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Dave just wanted for people to know the right amount not often you get anything wrong so wasnt lets get Dave . I could not beleive you could do it for that amount Mike & Judy well done and thanks for sharing with us all at $ 60 a day you have shown us you could do this on the pension ,it is a good starting point like Dave we would spend much more so we all have choices thanks again Mike & Judy

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G'day,

We do all our travelling on the pension, when cash runs short we simply hole up somewhere nice until the pension comes in, not had any problems so far.

In 2004 we did Perth-Adelaide-Darwin-Perth staying in caravan parks all the way, we were on the road for just over 4 months and as we were travelling with friends who were not equipped to bush camp it was CP's every night.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling.
John

 

Sit you down my lads and lasses, and do some simple sums, keeping this in round figures, and adapt to your cars costing for every hour on the road with a box on the back its costing you 20 bucks X 3 hours =60 bucks ,stay in a freebie and not counting what you consume your daily expence is 60 bucks, Staying in a park for a week, depending on your taste, anything from 70 in the peak to 12 bucks for 3 nights, (Injune Qld) average out at $21 a night (one night free), the less stars the better, as far as I am concerned, I am there for a longer shower, laundry, and fill the water tank, your daily expence is $21 throw in a couple hot movies, national park entrance fee,with senior discount, bringing it up to around $30add the fuel used for these trips, say a full tank $100 total, your daily expense is around the $45 a day mark for every day in the park your expence is the park fees only, Combine travelling and staying in Big Four parks the worse and most expensive and you are up for a lot of money daily By staying in a park for a week, (2 star will give you the same hot shower) and doing day tours from it for a distance of 100 ks, is cheaper than dragging your van there Sure you cover the ground quicker, but you see less, driving without the box on the back you save one third of the fuel, thats means for every 3 hours drivng time is equivalent to one night in the park, if you stop for a week and do little trips out your cost saving is improved, so ---------------------go slow--------------------------stop and smell the roses-----and show your seniors card you see a hell of a lot more by walking and its good for you M&J enjoy your sunrises

Margaret no offence taken as I know there was none inferred, when I am wrong then I expect to be corrected, I only get grumpy when I am deliberately attacked by fools!!  for no better reason than to bignote themselves

as stated I am tired, finished the books at 11 o'clock then back in to work at seven so not many zzzz's in between 

I also like looking at other peoples expenditure, just for comparison, when we head out full time we will have an annual budget of $19,720 dollars all inclusive, or $410 per week, I have done these sums over and over, 

because we will not be traveling everyday we expect to make huge savings (fingers crossed) this amount includes ALL expenditure, if you wish I can table my daily running totes so as to give all a rough reference

 I had a nose through and found my fiscal sheet that I had figured some quick calculations on, these figures will vary as your needs vary but the end result will be much the same





-- Edited by dave06 at 11:04, 2009-01-24

dave06 wrote:

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Margaret no offence taken as I know there was none inferred, when I am wrong then I expect to be corrected, 

as stated I am tired, finished the books at 11 o'clock then back in to work at seven so not many zzzz's in between 

I also like looking at other peoples expenditure, just for comparison, when we head out full time we will have an annual budget of $19,720 dollars all inclusive or $380 per week, I have done these sums over and over, 

because we will not be traveling everyday we expect to make huge savings (fingers crossed) this amount includes ALL expenditure if interested 

as promised I had a nose through and found my sheet that I had donr some quick calculations on, these figures will vary as your needs vary but the end result will be much the same



-- Edited by dave06 at 19:17, 2009-01-23

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Sorry to do it again Dave, but $410.83 by 52 = $21,363.16.  [Weeks in a year].  So you'll need an extra $1,643.16.
Cheers,
xina.

Hay Dave, throw the pen and paper away, and go the same as JRH suggests, when you run out of the ready, sit tight and the pension will catch you up M&J enjoy your sunrises

ah!! no pen and paper for Dave I use the office database as I dont trust my figures either, but I am happy to be challenged, (no animosity from Dave) we wont be able to sit and wait for the pension because for ten years we will not have it

 xina, I used microsoft money adder upper data base thingy and it comes out with these figures, 

there is actually not 52 weeks in a year the same as there is not 365 days in a calender year, 

if you use this system then this is what it comes up with
 
4 weeks times 12 months is actually only 48 weeks in any given year, I think this is the system that microsoft uses,
 
it also takes into account the "financial" calender year because of interest rate inputs
 
if you work your pay weekly to weekly (as we will be doing) then the 48 weeks comes into effect, (48 x $410.83 = $19719.84) 

this is lifted straight off the microsoft database and I looked at it strangely as well but it is correct!! 

if you want a really good compatible office package for free then you can download it !00% safe from here http://www.openoffice.org/
 
if my calculations for any given year is only $1,000 - $2,000 off and we are able to survive easily on this then I am very happy, given long term investment interest rates of 8.0% and above, if one looks hard enough, we will be able to live beyond 75 

Dave walks away back to work with a little whistle and a smile, secure in the knowledge that senility has been held at bay for another day!! 

the gods of madness have passed me by for another day!!  

-- Edited by dave06 at 10:01, 2009-01-24

I have a travel cost  analysis tool that was sent to me, it looks quite good but needs the data inputting to be accurate.
If anyone wants a copy PM your email adresss and i will send.

tonyd wrote:

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Very interesting figures indeed.
Especially to someone who has not had the courage to look at his super balance for about five months.
Really good to know that it can be done without having squillions in the bank. Will be interesting to see what comes out of the review of pensions that is now under way.
Cheers, Tony

---

Geeeeeeez Tony I am like you I am scared to look at my super, I can't figure how you can have $500K there one day and a day later it's down to $300K and falling, I asked how this could happen as this money was in my "account" and I was assured that it was "safe". Had I been smart I'd have drawn the lot out in small denomination notes and put it under my bed. And what gets right up my nose is the fact that it has been frozen, I can't get to it but it can still be taken away and used presumably to pay off some CEO somewhere who has caused the loss in the first place. The whole situation stinks (he says slipping into his Peter Lalor mode), makes me fume, I've put all the curses in chrisendom on these rectums (you casn't say arhseholes)

The best figures around I think are 36-24-36, or 42 which is the answer to man life the universe....

if every nation on earth is broke and in debt, according to the knowledgeble, then where has all the money gone!!!

G'day,

Congrtulations on the new van, I am certain you will have a ball with it.

Set yourself a daily spend limit and stick to it, if you exceed the limit one day then take it a bit easier the next day even if that means holing up somewhere for the day.  A days relaxation now and again will work wonders for you.

Best Regards and Safe Travelling.

John

Hi Bridgee Course you can do it ,anyone can do it, our actual daily figure was @26.46 for fuel, and $29.68 for tucker, incidentals, and accomadation, We put all out reciepts for everything we spent money on into a marked envelope permanently in the car, and at the end of the day it was emptied into the computor using a spreadsheet, and it did all the totals as we did it, so we knew when we were over or under, if we went over the top we stopped until a balance was restored I might add we missed out on very little, and lived very well We might have missed jotting down the odd icecream but I am very confidant that when the bus is finished the figure will be a lot better, 4 litres of petrol for a Genny will be a lot cheaper than a caravan park

Yes, this is an interesting item - especially as we start our 2009 'escape' in 5 weeks time. Thanks to whoever started it.
Looking at the fuel costs it seems to me that there may well be an emerging case for travelling lesser distances but staying longer in each place - even if paying to stay in caravan parks.
Our second trip this year will be taking us north to the Pilbara and return - allowing for side trips some 4000 kms or so but we will be spreading that over around 4 months. Will keep a detailed log and report back later in the year.
Keep the information flowing !
[PS - more on the spelling/ grammar - note the word 'accommodation' - sorry but I just couldnt resist !!! ]

funny you should mention apple, 

after my second breakdown with the computer I seriously thought about giving Microsoft and the P.C. a shunt and going with the apple g5 power mac. thats what my son uses and he has had no problems at all 

but having hand built this monster I am (at the moment) very happy, however if it fails again it will be curtains for the PC. and hello g5 

as for correct output figures, well they are only as good as the input figures, averaging roughly 5 hours sleep is not enough for a growing boy (well outwards at least)

and bridgee following along with my degraded brainpower I neglected to congratulate you on your recent purchases, I assume photos will be following shortly with brief descriptions of any alterations necessary, ah the dream begins well done you, an all the luck and good times in the world!!

and you can do it on a lot less than $100 a day, we did it for years, according to our log we averaged $52 per day, so even with a few price hikes between then and now you will do it easy

-- Edited by dave06 at 20:22, 2009-01-24

My thanks to all all have contributed,, I left school to start work at 14, my grammer aint to crash hot cause I still dont know all them fancy words like verb and stuff, but I do no what the dollar looks like and how not to spend it, We made a plan and set a budget, and followed it, The bank statement told us we succeeded M&J enjoy your sunrises

well after a few whiteboard messages and a couple of emails, I see there are people out there who dont get my fiscal 11 calender month year, I actually expected far more querys than I received well it is quite simple, I dont count december, never have, never will, if you cant find a relative or freinds place to camp for free for a month then it's a sad world indeed if you belong to this fraternity then I guess you had better add another month

dave06 wrote:

---

well after a few whiteboard messages and a couple of emails, I see there are people out there who dont get my fiscal 11 calender month year, I actually expected far more querys than I received

well it is quite simple, I dont count december, never have, never will, if you cant find a relative or freinds place to camp for free for a month then it's a sad world indeed

if you belong to this fraternity then I guess you had better add another month

---

G'day dave,

Will join your fiscal 11 calander month as long as you have the watermelon vodka ready.Lol
John

 

dave06 wrote:

---

and bridgee following along with my degraded brainpower I neglected to congratulate you on your recent purchases, I assume photos will be following shortly with brief descriptions of any alterations necessary, ah the dream begins well done you, an all the luck and good times in the world!!

and you can do it on a lot less than $100 a day, we did it for years, according to our log we averaged $52 per day, so even with a few price hikes between then and now you will do it easy

-- Edited by dave06 at 20:22, 2009-01-24

---

Thanks Davo, well it's not a 'new' van it's actually 9 years old but it does come with a lot of 'exras' like 12 volt 120 litre freezer, satellite tv, inverter, solar panels to name a few, but it has what we are looking for, we think! we do not take delivery until March, just a few minor things to do first like Anderson plug for the tow ball, electric brake controller, a Reece's kit/sway bars, mirrors, extra battery,..........too easy!! not! 


Here are some photos of the van. 


-- Edited by Bridgee at 12:31, 2009-01-26

-- Edited by Bridgee at 12:36, 2009-01-26

mike and Judy wrote:

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I left school to start work at 14, my grammer aint to crash hot cause I still dont know all them fancy words like verb and stuff,



enjoy your sunrises

---

we is not hear to criti size how yous spell stuff, leavin' skool at 14 hey, i know guys who stayed at skool til they was 18 and still can't spell, it's cool man, like, wot ever!!!

Just keep the post rolling in no one is here to judge our spelling!