Site fees v pension

chaser

chaser

Joined
Feb 16, 2013
Posts
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Location
uttoxeter
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24,713
MH
ambulance conversion
Exp
50 years
After reading elsewhere on here about someone paying £27 a night for a pitch, and as I would never think about paying so much except in a certain few times just got thinking . Some on here never do anything else but use sites and look down on flt and others who look for free Aires but if you say an average of £25 for thirty nights comes to £750 a month, my pension is around £620 and on that you are supposed to live all in not just to park up for the night.
Makes me think, don't know about others.
Btw not pleading poverty here as I have other income, but for someone who hasn't, it's an impossible situation.
 
I like free parking when travelling but also like a good site with excellent facilities..This year with Covid we wont travel as normal hence 5 or 6 weeks on one site.BUSBY.
 
People have to make choices based on the income that they have. If all their income is needed to live day to day then maybe taking holidays is not an option that is available to them. If they have a motorhome it doesn't mean that they should be provided with free or subsidised overnight stays just because they can't then afford the site fees.
 
chaser said:
After reading elsewhere on here about someone paying £27 a night for a pitch, and as I would never think about paying so much except in a certain few times just got thinking . Some on here never do anything else but use sites and look down on flt and others who look for free Aires but if you say an average of £25 for thirty nights comes to £750 a month, my pension is around £620 and on that you are supposed to live all in not just to park up for the night.
Makes me think, don't know about others.
Btw not pleading poverty here as I have other income, but for someone who hasn't, it's an impossible situation.
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Whilst I agree with you re site fee costs, your example assumes 30 days fees per month, apart from a few full timers, I suspect very few will be spending everyday of every month on a site, so break that down to 10 nights per month on a site for example, & you have fees of £250 per month, possibly affordable to more people.
 
chaser said:
Yes but if they have managed to save for one you can understand why people look for free parking.
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With the change in Gov't pension rules some people may have drawn down a lump sum from their pension to buy their m/h and consequently have a reduced pension income.
I had a 27' sailing boat for 25 years before buying the motorhome. Neither was bought with the anticipation of having cheap holidays.
 
chaser said:
After reading elsewhere on here about someone paying £27 a night for a pitch, and as I would never think about paying so much except in a certain few times just got thinking . Some on here never do anything else but use sites and look down on flt and others who look for free Aires but if you say an average of £25 for thirty nights comes to £750 a month, my pension is around £620 and on that you are supposed to live all in not just to park up for the night.
Makes me think, don't know about others.
Btw not pleading poverty here as I have other income, but for someone who hasn't, it's an impossible situation.
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Why do you say ' look down on FLT and others', many on this forum may disagree but I do not think that looking down is part of that disagreement.
Personally I neither look down on or look up to anyone.....' Who is higher than I', Rastafarian.
I disagree with many and admire many but as far as I am concerned they are equals.
I don't think anyone likes paying high site fees, or any other high charges, but in the real world we have choices with what we can afford to do with our cash.......'suit according to cloth' perhaps.
 
People use motorhomes for different reasons. Some want them to go on holiday with, so would quite happily pay £30 upwards pn on campsites because they are "on holiday" for a set period of time, and want to explore a particular area. Some see the purpose of a motorhome for travelling, only stopping the night or so before moving on, so don't see the need for campsite facilities. Many on here always question why folk with motorhomes want or need campsites, well I can tell you having worked on campsites for the last 4 years that motorhomes are now outnumbering caravans on site, people come on holiday and want site facilities. And why not? Maybe they don't like towing a caravan, or aren't confident to tow. Maybe a motorhome suits because they don't then need a large car to tow with, or it fits on their driveway better, or they like being able to have lunch in a lay by on their way to the site.
I can't imagine people who rely solely on state pension would use campsites every day of the week, they probably save up for their 2 week holiday or the odd weekend away the same as lots of people do.

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I wasn't aiming to start an argument and agree with all the comments either for or against, but when some say it's only £27 a night to park, but for others it's more than they have to live on every day.
 
If it's a choice between using campsites or B&B / budget hotels while touring, I know which I prefer.

[I've done both, BTW.]

Low income restricts how many MH trips we can afford to take, but the ones we do take are priceless.
 
You would be hard pushed to find a hotel or other accommodation for £27 a night which is what you are comparing it against.

The local Caravan club site has seasonal pitches, 234 nights for £1,400, so around £6 a night.
 
chaser said:
I wasn't aiming to start an argument and agree with all the comments either for or against, but when some say it's only £27 a night to park, but for others it's more than they have to live on every day.
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It's the same with the costs of a Moho though isn't it, those that can afford & justify a £100k rig, for example, buy one & those whose finances restrict them to a cheaper van buy what they can afford.

It the same with site fees, cars, homes, etc, etc.
 
chaser said:
I wasn't aiming to start an argument and agree with all the comments either for or against, but when some say it's only £27 a night to park, but for others it's more than they have to live on every day.
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But those who use sites may not just be using them for parking and may consider the price paid per night (whatever it may be) acceptable for them.
It's a bit like everything someone purchases, eg want a new TV at what price can I afford.

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It's like comparing those who have a £15k motorhome and those who buy a £150,000 one.
You tailor your cloth to what you can afford:

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery."

Also: if you can't afford 30 nights a month - you travel less.

I really don't think the stark figures as you portray them, tell a complete story.

The Price Of Everything, The Value Of Nothing.
 
Gellyneck said:
But those who use sites may not just be using them for parking and may consider the price paid per night (whatever it may be) acceptable for them.
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Indeed, there are many reasons.
It seems that very many m/h (and caravan) owners have dogs (I like dogs) when it can be problematic to find accommodation.
My DIL has had spine reconstruction and needs a special mattress and other minor adaptations so my son bought a caravan and we modified it appropriately so that they could travel at will.
 
A holiday is a luxury as is owning a MH so those who already have a MH and only receiving state pension are unlikely to go away that often so will no doubt save their money for when they can, just as anyone working would also do. If someone ONLY has a state pension as income they will also get other stuff paid for them such as council tax so its not quite so cut and dried as only having a £630 state pension to live on.

I wouldn't stay on expensive sites anyway unless in an emergency or for an exceptional reason, and certainly not for that duration of time and I suspect many others wouldn't, not in the UK at least.
 
Langtoftlad said:
"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery."
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and therein lies the problem when folk nowadays find themselves in financial difficulties. Living outwith means.
 
I'm sorry I started this now, all I was trying to convey was the difference in the way people look at it, I know all about saving and no they wouldn't do 30 days at once, but to some £27 a night is chickenfeed and they say why do folks try to find free places but if you are used to living on twenty pounds a day , £27 is pie in the sky.

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In the past when trying to holiday and cash-strapped with two kids we caravanned for two weeks per year using a CL or Club THSs. The biggest financial hit was always fuel rather than site fees.

More broadly and unrelated directly to this thread: in general our society has always under-valued manual workers which for many makes it impossible to save for a decent pension.
 
Gellyneck said:
and therein lies the problem when folk nowadays find themselves in financial difficulties. Living outwith means.
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Exactly.

Covid has brought the chickens home to roost for not only for many individuals but huge companies too, many seem to be saddled with debt & live an almost daily hand to mouth existence with nowt in reserve '' for a rainy day ''.

So called millionaires & billionaires on paper are found to be almost pauperish in practice with few if any liquid assets.

The financial rainy day arrived in March & is sadly here for a while.
 
We haven't used ours this year, but UK camping has never appealed to us!

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chaser said:
I'm sorry I started this now, all I was trying to convey was the difference in the way people look at it, I know all about saving and no they wouldn't do 30 days at once, but to some £27 a night is chickenfeed and they say why do folks try to find free places but if you are used to living on twenty pounds a day , £27 is pie in the sky.
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It's your basic premise that's causing comment.
Someone to whom £27.00 a day is an absolute fortune will not have a MH tucked away ready for their holidays so the premise is, at best, spurious.

Someone who has £27.00 a day to spend on a site has little in comparison with the above and it's their choice as to how they spend it.

In basic economic terms it's down to the 'consumer indifference curve' which, put simply says that the more you have the less resistant (indifferent) you are to spending your money.

You then get into personality, preference and nature/background and as Yorkshireman I don't like spending money I don't have to but,fortunately, because I have enough, I don't mind spending money when I want to.
 
chaser said:
I'm sorry I started this now, all I was trying to convey was the difference in the way people look at it, I know all about saving and no they wouldn't do 30 days at once, but to some £27 a night is chickenfeed and they say why do folks try to find free places but if you are used to living on twenty pounds a day , £27 is pie in the sky.
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I get what you're saying, if you've got no money £27 a night is a fortune. But, I don't think anyone (except the very wealthy) would say £27 is chicken feed, it's more to do with value for the money, so if £27 buys you a pitch on a nice site with EHU facilities etc in a location you want to be in, then you might see it as a good price. Remember, campsites are not just "parking on a bit of grass" any more than paying for a hotel room is just "sleeping in a bed"

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Twogirls said:
I get what you're saying, if you've got no money £27 a night is a fortune. But, I don't think anyone (except the very wealthy) would say £27 is chicken feed, it's more to do with value for the money, so if £27 buys you a pitch on a nice site with EHU facilities etc in a location you want to be in, then you might see it as a good price. Remember, campsites are not just "parking on a bit of grass" any more than paying for a hotel room is just "sleeping in a bed"
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Depends what sort of sites you go to, I try not to go to Any but if I do that's exactly what I want. (y) :Smile:
 
On the road again said:
It's your basic premise that's causing comment.
Someone to whom £27.00 a day is an absolute fortune will not have a MH tucked away ready for their holidays so the premise is, at best, spurious.

Someone who has £27.00 a day to spend on a site has little in comparison with the above and it's their choice as to how they spend it.

In basic economic terms it's down to the 'consumer indifference curve' which, put simply says that the more you have the less resistant (indifferent) you are to spending your money.

You then get into personality, preference and nature/background and as Yorkshireman I don't like spending money I don't have to but,fortunately, because I have enough, I don't mind spending money when I want to.
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Great post, nicely put. 👍

Ian
 
I confess I am addicted to the Rich Kids Skint Holidays reality TV series. Such contrasting lifestyles and experiences brought together.

Last night's episode featured a family of 7 who had scraped up just enough for a budget holiday renting an old coachbuilt MH on a campsite in north Wales. The rich girl stayed in a small tent. Didn't she get on well with the family! She learned a lot from them about having fun for free. Excellent viewing.

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