If you had a car that got really good gas mileage and you slept in your car most of the time, and you ate out of ur car or at fast food resturants, and you didn't stop at any parks or anything, how expensive would a 12 day trip be?
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If you had a car that got really good gas mileage and you slept in your car most of the time, and you ate out of ur car or at fast food resturants, and you didn't stop at any parks or anything, how expensive would a 12 day trip be?
If you parked in your driveway and ate out of your refrigerator, you could do it for practically nothing, but what's the point? We offer lots of tips for saving money on RoadTrips, but the fact it does cost some money to travel. At some point you have to decide what it's worth to you. How far do you want to go? Even the best cars burn some gas and gas, cheap as it is, does add up. So does food - even when you eat well chosen icebox meals. This is not quite at the level of "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." but if you are trying to cut costs as much as you indicate, then you have no margin for error or unexpected expenses and you WILL run into both of those on any trip. And really, if you're not going to stop anywhere or see anything, why go?
AZBuck
I'm all for being frugal and do a pretty good job squeezing a dime. But I do it so I'll have money for the fun stuff. I hope you're budgeting some money for fun.
OK...
*Sleeping in car at truck stops: $0 but I hope you pay for a few showers during that 12 days! I've never done this but most truck stops have shower facilities for a small fee. Maybe $1-2 per shower? I don't know. Could be more.
*Eat 1 meal a day at fastfood: about $5
*Eat out of your cooler: $0-$5 day (depending on how frugal your choices at the grocery store, how much you fill your cooler from your home's pantry/fridge/freezer before leaving, and how long all that you left home with keeps). This is the low-end. I would budget closer to $10/day for this but I know you could do it for $5 if your strict with yourself.
*Entertainment $0. Possible but hardly my idea of fun!
*Fuel. Here's the big variable. 12 days tells us nothing. How many miles do you plan on driving?
So, OK, a few showers, 1 meal out daily, and limited groceries could be had for as little as, let's say, about $150. Add your gas costs.
I don't think it sounds like much fun and I hope you have an emergency stash or credit card with a limit available for those unplanned emergencies that often happen while we're on the road. Hope this helps a bit.