I’m sure some of you have been around long enough to remember Freddie the Freeloader. If not, he was a lovable hobo who appeared in skits on the old Red Skelton TV show. Freddie went out of his way to avoid working any time he could but he was always first in line to take a hand out.
Unfortunately, we have a lot of Freddie the Freeloaders in the RV lifestyle, and they’re not quite so lovable. People who seem to think the world owes them something, and get mad when they don’t get it. A good example is an email I got from a fulltimer the other day who was all upset because he stopped at a campground and they charged him $5 to dump his RV’s waste tanks. He thought that was absolutely outrageous.
Now, let me clarify, he was not staying at the campground, he just pulled in and wanted to dump his tanks. In fact, he said that after he dumped he went to WalMart to dry camp. He added that he only pays to stay in campgrounds maybe once or twice a month at most. The rest of the time he stays in WalMart parking lots, truck stops, shopping centers, etc. He asked me what I thought about campgrounds charging when all you want to do is dump your holding tanks, not use any of their facilities. Since he asked, I told him he was a freeloader.
That campground owner didn’t get the place for free, he bought it and he is probably still making payments. The dump station fairy didn’t come and deliver that dump station to him one night, he paid to put it in, he pays to maintain it, and he pays to be hooked up to a city sewer system if he is, or to have the septic tank serviced if he isn’t. And when you dump into his system, you do use a facility he paid for. Why do you think it should be free for you to use? Quit being such a damn moocher!
Then again, anybody who spends his life dry camping in commercial parking lots probably doesn’t care what I think about him anyway.
I help moderate John Huggins’ Living the RV Dream Facebook group, which has over 31,000 members, and believe me, sometimes it’s like herding cats. While the great majority of the people in the group are wonderful, like anything in life, there are some real jerks. Myself and the other moderators are kept busy deleting the spam posts, the porn stuff that people sneak in now and then, and just keeping things on track
In a thread a few days ago someone was talking about spending the night at WalMart and it was mentioned that many times local ordinances prevent that and there signs saying No Overnight Parking. I deleted a post from some blowhard who said if he came into a WalMart with a sign like that he’d rip the %(^^*(%)% sign down and park wherever he wanted. He went on to add that this was still America and he would be damned if anybody would tell him where he could or could not park his motorhome! Yeah, you’re a real prince, aren’t you?
I appreciate saving money ss much as the next guy, and many times we have taken advantage of WalMart’s hospitality and parked there overnight when we were on the road. We always pull in late in the day, park on the outer edge of the lot, go inside and ask permission, and take off early the next morning. We don’t treat it like a campground, we don’t overstay our welcome, and we sure don’t think it’s our “right” to park wherever we want to.
Folks, RVing is a wonderful lifestyle, and there are many ways to save money as you travel. But please be a good citizen and a good RVer, not a Freddie the Freeloader.
Thought For The Day – Life is full of nice people. If you can’t find one, be one.
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If Freddy would just pay attention, he would see that since many truckers with big sleepers on their rigs have holding tanks, many highway rest areas have dump stations supported by his -and my- tax money. One of Nick’s and my favorite campgrounds was forced to close down a dump station because some freeloading commercial travelers got too lazy to hook up their hoses and simply pulled closer and dumped and tried to wash their mess down the drain with the hose.
I enjoy getting value for my money as much as the next guy. But some people (freeloaders – I like that term!) seem to get so unhappy every time they need to part with a nickel that they must spend the majority of their lives in misery. Not a good way to live in my book.
Good for you Nick. That freeloader deserved to be called out. Unfortunately, too many have assimilated the entitled, selfish attitudes so prevalent today. It’s popular to point to millennials as examples, but I believe it truly spans all generations. That freeloader is just one sorry manifestation of it.
Entitlement …. it’s the name of the game nowadays, doesn’t matter how young or old you are. I imagine he lives a pretty miserable life, always demanding something for free.
We have spent less than $200 so far this year on camping fees. We do BLM when in AZ. NF, NP and of course WM. That is the most expensive CG as you feel obligated to purchase stuff in the store. City and county parks are also very inexpensive. We use Day’s End to find where to stay. Visitor centers are good too.
I disagree. If think the RV park owner is the cheapskate. I’d go back in the middle of the night and dump. The goodwill he’d get by letting people dump is worth more than $5. I’d spread the word and make sure nobody ever went there again.
Raymond, I suspect the people who would listen to you and not go there are the kind of people most RV parks don’t want as customers anyway.
We live in a sticks and bricks in a rural area, where we have a holding tank. Many campgrounds near lakes also have holding tanks, to keep the sewage from polluting the lake. To have my small residential holding tank pumped out costs almost $200. I can’t imagine what a campground would pay.
I think $5 was a good deal! Wow, this guy sounds like a real piece of work!
Great article Nick, well said. I could not agree more and it saddens me to see how some freeloaders act in the campgrounds where DW and I go.
Sometimes people’s arrogance and stupidity amaze me! It’s like they stalk you Nick…;). Hopefully you’ll vet a break soon.
Nick, we get these people in the campground almost every day. “Entitled” is a great description. Why people believe that a campground should provide them service at no cost is beyond me. These are likely the same people that feel they can throw trash everywhere, throw their cigarette butts on the ground, and party into the night, disturbing everyone else.
What that freeloader didn’t seem to know, too, is that $5.00 was cheap! We consider $10.00 a fair price to charge to use the dump station at a campground.
“I’d go back in the middle of the night and dump??” Seriously, Raymond!! What a small-minded attitude to bring to the table! And just slightly arrogant – even delusional – to imagine you have so much power and influence that you could actually “spread the word and make sure nobody ever went there again”?! Get your ego in check and start contributing to the world instead of contaminating it.
I’ve missed Bad Nick. Does this mean you are back?
Great post and I agree whole hardley. Also seemed like Bad Nick was trying to peek out a little.
It disturbs me when I hear people talk like Raymond above. Unfortunately he is not alone it his thinking. We live in a Give Me World. Like any other company, RV park owners are entitled to make money. It’s called Capitalism. These people who complain about paying $5.00 to dump believe they are owed something. Just because…..
Mr. Raymond would you please send me your address
I have a friend that has a bus Tour company and he’d be glad to stop by your place and let his 45 people use your facilities for free
But on another note and all seriousness how far do you think that 5 for $10 goes towards trying to recoup the $15-$25,000 investment that campground has spend
Think of a simple act of throwing a piece of paper out the window thinking to logistics of it,, somebody has to be paid to pick it up it doesn’t get picked up by itself whether the Walmart parking lot at truckstop BLM land or a campground
It actually comes out of your pocket every time whether it be Walmart a truckstop The shopping center those companies have to pay somebody to clean their yard
Or if you go to a national Park and you see trash it detracts the beauty of your experience same way with the five or $10 dump fee Or the next time spend the night at the campground and spend 30 or $50 and enjoy a wonderful hospitality experience and you get to dump for free
Or you could spend the night at a truck stop and Kick piss bombs in the parking lot
Or wake up on a bright sunny morning open your rv door and smell the fresh wonderful invigorating aroma of new urine next to your camping spot To start your wonderful day
The cost priceless
Nick — we once met a camper with an atlas showing every Wallmart in the country. He bragged that he rarely, if ever, paid to camp. Freeloader is too kind a description for people like him — we call them “Welfare Campers.”
Elaine,,, i have to take a small issue with you on Wally World
Where can I find a sticker that says welfare camping
OK I’m sorry to re-chime in here for someone that wants to be a full-time RV or travel around the country two of the biggest cost you have are your fuel and lodging
If you’re on a very tight strict budget but you have your RV house paid for why does it not make sense to find a free place to spend the night,, every truckstop has an atlas every Walmart has an atlas as well,, along with BLM
If you’re fortunate enough to be able to pay minimum of $30 a night time for as many nights as you feel comfortable you’re one of the fortunate ones
I’m willing to bet if you only had $600 or 1000$ a month and you want to go cross country there’s a good bet you’re going scope out any free spot you can Walmarts just make it easier
You’re fortunate to have a decent set of wheels underneath you excellent however if not my suggestion is go to a website called cheap RV living.com Bob Wells over there travels the country all over including Alaska on a tighter budget. Then most people spend per month for dining out
An a good photographer to boot
Now I’ll tell you a little secret as a trucker that used to put more miles in one month then most Rvers put on in two years and the last 49 years I wouldn’t give your two cents for any truckstop today
As for Indian casinos Walmart sam’s Club BJ’s or Costco I can feel safer parking my 70 ft rig in there or park next to a major grocery store and I could eat better and I don’t have to hang my red handkerchief on my window either (Green is for the lot lizards or mattress thumpers)
However on the same Note you have full-time RV and stupid truckers that trash Walmart parking lot and when you do you make it difficult for all the rest
That’s one of the reasons why you see ordinances no parking overnight
Trust me I could do a whole chapter on truckstops 101
Sorry I may be rough around the edges but 8,000,000 miles does that over time
So the next time you see and old bearded trucker in Walmart parking lot don’t be afraid to say hello I might surprise you with smile
Enjoy your day in Walmart
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