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We did it! We spent the whole winter in Florida! It was a blast! We didn't see a speck of snow and avoided the really cold days of Canadian winters by leaving October 31st and returning May 1st (OK, this year May 1st was less than balmy but still, there was no snow). But how much did it cost?
Well, the camping was cheap. We had paid for a zone pass from Thousand Trails for $445 US before leaving. The pass was on sale and they seem to have deals throughout the year. On top of it, when I called to buy the pass the lady on the phone asked me where we would spend most of our time and I told her Florida. So, since there are only three Thousand Trails campgrounds in Florida, she gave us access to six Encore campgrounds in Florida making our stay even more pleasant. So for the time we were away we could stay at any of the assigned campgrounds for our zone for free for 90 days and then pay the ridiculously low price of $3/day and as we later discovered, free at the Encore properties.
The zone pass lets you stay as long as two weeks at a time after which you have to get out of the system for one week. At first we weren't sure how to find free camping for that week so we stayed at a state park and a national forest. But then we discovered all the free campsites available through the Florida Water Management and the Wildlife Management and we didn't pay for camping during the off week again. So our camping fees turned out to be an average of $173.53/month and that includes paying for the Thousand Trail zone pass, camping at the beginning and paying for a campsite in Pennsylvania on our return. Not bad eh?
The gas was cheap compared to our prices here and the big expenses were driving down and back up. The only gas not included in the average is what was spent on October 31st and May 1st as they are part of months spent in Canada. Our average was $331.32/month which is exactly what I had budgeted for ($332).
Propane was also cheaper and the fact that they charge for the amount they put in instead of a set price whether your tank is completely empty or half-full makes a difference. We did find that the TSC stores' propane was the most reasonably priced. How did we do? An average of $25.17/month.
The laundry prices varied from campground to campground being as high as $3 per washer and $3 per dryer to $1.25 per machine. So we averaged $22.59/month. We used to pay $60 for laundry at the apartment! We did use our little manual washing machine from time to time but it can't do the big stuff and it takes a long time as it only does small loads at a time. Still, we used it when the laundry was too expensive for our budget. Our spin dryer works really well, getting the clothes almost dry so it takes only a short time on the line to dry completely.
We tried to avoid restaurants but at times we had lunch out for a treat. We did eat dinner out for my birthday and we ate out when traveling for an average of $80.68/month.
The killer was grocery shopping. Food costs almost as much there as here but we had to add almost 40% to all our purchases due to the money exchange. We ate simply but well and eventually found that the best deals were at Walmart (and Walmarts are everywhere) but still, our average was $728.80/month which is really high for only two people (and no, I didn't count the wine in that amount). The wine by the way, was very cheap (paying $2.86/bottle at Walmart - not the best wine but it satisfied me).
Because it was hard to find the pet foods we were used to feeding our dog and cat we ordered from Chewy.com which delivered right to the campground! The prices were about the same as here plus the exchange so we changed our pet's diet eventually so it would be more affordable (something had to give!). We also bought bigger bags of dry food even though we didn't really have storage room for them (I did find that they fit quite well under the cat tree and neither of our pets tried to chew their way through the bags). I was concerned about moisture and possibly mold getting into the food as the temperature inside a trailer varies a lot more than in a house, but the food stayed fresh and cost a lot less than buying small bags that would fit in the pantry.
Those were our major and recurring expenses. We did however end up going over budget almost every month because of incidentals. We had to buy a solar panel in order to survive seven days without any hook-ups in the free campsites to the tune of $285.51 all together. We also lost the door to our water heater during a particularly bumpy trip and that cost us $63.41 to replace. The big booboo, the really big mistake, was ripping the rubber roof on the trailer trying to access a free site because we both failed to notice a side branch that was in the way. That cost us $150.77 to repair and $145.92 for a ladder since the top part of our attached ladder also got torn off by the branch. We had to find a ladder that would reach the top of the trailer but also could be reduced to a smaller size for travel.
When I backed into a tree trying to find my way into a small site it damaged the bumper where our sewer hoses were stored. Guess what? One of the hose was now stuck in there so we had to go out and buy another one as just one didn't reach most sewer connections.
When I suffered from a urinary track infection that couldn't wait anymore, it cost $210.25 to see a doctor and get the prescribed antibiotics. We also had to replace an exploded tire which cost us $146.54.
There were other unexpected expenses like $678.22 that the trailer dealer forgot to charge us to install the rear ladder (that ladder that got knocked off during our trip and that with shipping and installation cost us close to $1,000!) and installing the WIFI amplifying antenna and repeater that didn't work anywhere in the States as you need to be fairly close to the hotspot or have an uninterrupted view, and we got that email in December (nice Christmas gift). The WIFI antenna is however useful where we are for the summer as it gives us a secure network with the free internet (that sucks by the way - that's why I don't post anything on Facebood since I can't even get a simple post to go through - aarrrrrggghhghh).
We did have to purchase medical insurance which cost us $1200 for the two of us. The phone in the States cost us $300 for the six months and came with 4 G of data per month.
Was it worth it? You betcha! We had such a great time and neither of us had a cold or even the sniffles! I was and felt very healthy and alive as compared to being sick all winter and getting depressed because I can't breathe or can't go outside because I can't breathe. We learned a lot, met many different and interesting people and I got to visit someone I hadn't seen for years who also spends the winter in Florida. I was hoping to visit my cousin who stays in Fort Lauderdale and another dear woman I haven't seen for a long time who spends her winters in Boynton Beach but our travels didn't permit those visits. Next year we will be better prepared. We got to be on the beach and watch the ocean waves, their roar making it difficult to concentrate on reading, we got to breathe that healing salt air and walk barefoot in the warm sand, we visited different tourist sites and learned a lot about US history. The Americans we met everywhere were very friendly and polite. The businesses we dealt with were also very helpful and generous. All and all we definitely want to go back so now we will concentrate on making money this summer to pay for the inevitable expenses and the incidentals we are bound to meet on the way.
If you have any questions please reach me at wabacreek@gmail.com and I'll try my best to find an answer for you.
We did meet couples who spend the whole winter in free campsites but after a while it is nice to go to a proper campground and be able to watch TV and get good phone reception and internet. I don't think I would change a thing. Someone we met before leaving Canada travelled the States with a Passport America membership which gives you 50% off campsites but most places only give the discount for one to three days so she had to keep moving all the time which she found exhausting. It is nice to settle in for two weeks and get to know the neighbours. All the Thousand Trails campground have pools, pickleball courts, most have mini-golf and gyms, some have tennis and volleyball courts and billiard rooms.
