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But the investment in a decent sleeping bag is an investment for life!!! Motels are consumption.
I would certainly concur that at elevation one will find subfreezing temps along I-40 and probably I-10, so one needs to be strategic in planning to camp out in lower elevation areas. And by southern route I imply staying way south before looping north where COLD temps in January are the course, not the exception.
Another issue (particularly as you get to the colder areas) with camping is that many campgrounds are not open during the colder seasons. So even if you were to get the right gear, you might have trouble finding a place to use it.
Good point, BillyGr! Also, winter camping is very specialized, as you need to know what you're doing, how to set up your tent in such a way that snow won't dump on you (and bury you). My husband also just brought up the point that not only are 4-season tents and sleeping bags rather pricey, to get decent ones, you might pay for the whole string of motels with the money. True, you'd have the tent and the bag forever, but you have to ask yourself if you are going to ever use them again in the winter months. Our tent and our bags were 4-season, though it was rare to use them in winter. Even 30 years ago, we could have purchased 5 or 6 nights in a mid-range hotel for the price of them.
Donna