MARGIE AND TIM • PLAN. SAVE. TRAVEL.
Big Lap Budget
Cheat Sheet
Work out your real daily number — not someone else’s — so you can plan, save, and actually hit the road
Every number you find online is someone else’s number. This cheat sheet gives you Margie’s framework for building yours — from the three daily levers that drive most of your spend, to the sneaky costs nobody budgets for, to your emergency fund strategy.
⭐ YOUR STARRED CARDS
HOW TO USE THIS:
Search any topic above to filter cards. Click ☆ to star your most useful cards. Tap the tabs to switch between fuel, accommodation and food. Click the dark tip cards to expand Margie’s tips. Copy formulas with one click. Expand glossary terms for full definitions. Test yourself with the Quick Check quizzes.
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01
THE THREE LEVERS
Your Daily Budget Drivers
The Golden Rule of Big Lap Budgeting
There is no universal daily number for travelling Australia. The number online is not your number. Your number comes from your travel style, your setup, and your habits — and only you can build it.
The Three Daily Levers
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Fuel
Fuel is your most controllable lever. If the bill looks scary, reduce your kilometres — not your trip. Slow travel and longer stays in one spot cut fuel costs dramatically. Calculate your cost per 100km using your tow vehicle’s consumption, then multiply by planned distance.
Margie’s Real Numbers: 11 Months on the Road
$700
Per Week Average
Family of four, mix of free camps and caravan parks
$100
Per Day Average
Some weeks hit $2,000. Some weeks cost under $200.
20–30%
Typical Underestimate
Most families spend more than their original plan
QUICK CHECK
Which of the three daily levers gives you the most control over your total spend?
Click to reveal answer
ANSWER: Fuel — because it scales directly with distance. If your budget is tight, slow down your travel and stay longer in fewer places. Less distance driven means dramatically less fuel spend.
02
ACCOMMODATION
Caravan Parks vs Free Camping
Choosing Your Accommodation Style
FREE CAMPING WINS
You want to stay longer in one spot
You have solar, water tanks, and grey water sorted
You prefer privacy and quiet over amenities
You’re on a lifestyle budget, not a holiday spend
CARAVAN PARK WINS
You need a proper shower and full kitchen access
Travelling with kids who need a pool or playground
You want powered site for air con or medical equipment
You’ve been off-grid a week and need a reset
Margie’s Mix: The Weekly Accommodation Rhythm
015–7 nights free camping or community-run low-cost site
02Check into caravan park mid-week (cheaper than weekends)
032–3 nights in park: wash, dry, cook properly, refill water
04Look for buy-2-get-1-free deals before booking
05Back off-grid — repeat
The Mid-Week Trick That Saves Real Money
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Click to reveal this tip
Caravan park prices drop significantly mid-week (Tuesday to Thursday check-ins) compared to weekend arrivals. If you have flexibility in your schedule — and most big lappers do — plan your park stays to arrive mid-week. Over 11 months this adds up to hundreds of dollars saved.
QUICK CHECK
What is the most common accommodation mistake families make when planning their big lap budget?
Click to reveal answer
ANSWER: Assuming they’ll free camp the whole way. Once on the road, most families shift toward a mix — because they want showers, laundry, and a powered site more often than expected. Budget for a realistic mix from the start, not the optimistic version.
03
SNEAKY COSTS
The Spends That Blow the Budget
What the Small Stuff Actually Costs Per Year
$2,000+
One Coffee Per Day
$5 coffee + cake × 2 adults × 365 days
$15–20
Per Dryer Cycle
Caravan park dryers are expensive and often useless
$4
Per Wash Cycle
Washing machines at caravan parks are never free
The Sneaky Cost Checklist
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Coffees and Bakeries
One stop per day for a family adds up to $2,000+ per year. Budget for it honestly or cut it deliberately.
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Laundry
Caravan park washing machines cost ~$4 per wash. Dryers cost $15–20 per cycle and often leave clothes damp.
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Eating Out on the Road
Caravan park pizza nights, town restaurants, and pub meals catch families who planned to cook every meal.
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Ice Cream and Treat Stops
Inevitable. Fun. Real. Budget a small daily ‘adventure fund’ so they don’t blow your weekly number.
Track Every Dollar for the First Two Weeks
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Click to reveal this tip
The small daily spends are invisible until you track them. In the first two weeks on the road, write down every dollar spent — coffees, ice creams, bakery stops, laundry. At the end of week two, add it up. Most families are shocked. That number becomes your real baseline for the rest of the trip.
QUICK CHECK
A family spends $5 on coffee once a day. How much does this cost over an 11-month trip?
Click to reveal answer
ANSWER: Over $1,600. Add a cake or snack each time and it’s over $2,000. Multiplied by two adults it’s $4,000+. The coffees aren’t the problem — not budgeting for them is.
04
BACK-HOME COSTS
Bills That Don’t Stop While You Travel
Fixed Costs to Keep in Your Budget
Health and Ambulance Cover▶
Ambulance cover is often state-specific. Check your policy before you leave — if it only covers your home state, upgrade to national coverage. You do not want to find this out in remote WA.
Mortgage, Rates and Insurance▶
If you’re keeping your home, your mortgage, council rates, and home insurance keep running. If you rent it out, add landlord’s insurance and property management fees on top.
Starlink▶
The best connectivity option for remote travel but expensive and the price keeps rising. Factor it in as a fixed monthly cost if you need it for work or homeschooling.
Storage Fees▶
If you can’t lock belongings in one room of your house, off-site storage costs add up fast. Margie’s tip: leave furniture in one locked room, rent the rest — you earn less rent but avoid storage fees entirely.
Phone Plans▶
Two different carriers (e.g. Telstra and Optus) gives you better combined coverage in remote areas. Keep both plans and treat it as a travel necessity, not a luxury.
Subscriptions and Apps▶
Streaming, software, memberships — they all travel with you and keep charging. Audit before you leave and cancel anything you won’t use on the road.
Van Loan▶
If your van has finance attached, the repayments travel with you. Add the monthly amount to your fixed cost column before calculating your daily number.
Back-Home Budget Reality Check
INCLUDE THESE
Monthly mortgage or rent on your home
Health insurance and ambulance cover
Starlink or mobile data plan
Van loan repayments
PEOPLE FORGET THESE
Council rates (still charged quarterly)
Home or landlord insurance
Storage fees if applicable
Subscriptions still billing to your card
QUICK CHECK
What is the single most overlooked back-home cost for families travelling Australia?
Click to reveal answer
ANSWER: Ambulance cover — specifically the fact that most policies only cover your home state. Families discover this only when they need it. Check and upgrade before you leave, not after.
05
YOUR NUMBER
Building Your Savings Goal
How to Calculate Your Daily Number
01List all fixed back-home costs and divide by 30 (daily fixed cost)
02Estimate daily fuel (cost per 100km × avg km per day ÷ 100)
03Add average daily accommodation (blend of free camp and park nights)
04Add honest daily food spend based on current home habits
05Add sneaky costs: coffees, laundry, eating out, activities
06Add 10% buffer on top of the total
07Multiply daily number × 7 = weekly, × 30 = monthly, × 365 = annual
Build Your Emergency Fund Separately
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Click to reveal this tip
Your emergency fund is not part of your daily budget — it sits completely separate from it. Think: van breakdown, unexpected flights home, a medical event in a remote area. Decide on an amount that makes you feel safe (many families set aside $5,000–$15,000). An offset account you can draw on is ideal. Never count it as part of your travel money.
Budget Style: Pick Your Approach Before You Leave
LIFESTYLE BUDGET
Designed to be sustainable for 6–12+ months
Mix of free camping and caravan parks
Cook most meals, treat stops planned in
Both adults agree on the approach
HOLIDAY BUDGET
Spend freely, deal with the bill later
Caravan parks most nights for full amenities
Eat out regularly, coffee every stop
One partner budgeting, one not
Your Budget Formula at a Glance
+10%
Buffer Always
Add 10% on top of every estimate — most people underestimate by 20–30%
×7
Daily to Weekly
Multiply your honest daily number by 7 to get your weekly savings target
Separate
Emergency Fund
Keep emergency money completely separate from your travel budget
QUICK CHECK
What is the most important thing to do before finalising your big lap savings goal?
Click to reveal answer
ANSWER: Make sure both adults are on the same page about the budget style — lifestyle or holiday. A mismatch in spending expectations is one of the most common sources of stress on the road. Have this conversation before you leave, not after.
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Ready to Build Your Number?
Join the Plan. Save. Travel. community for trip planning resources and a community of families doing exactly what you’re planning to do. Or grab Margie’s Budget Planner to calculate your exact number right now.