I have checked Ameripass tickets and hostel prices. i just wondered if other people have done this how much money is needed for food and accommodation and how long it should last. i am travelling alone for the first time and although i have no problem staying in the less than glamorous hotels, i really don't want to stay in hostels. The cheap motels I have looked at are about $45, does anyone know if this sounds correct, it still sounds a bit steep to me.
Any advice would be great, thanks.

$45 a night sounds cheap. Hotel prices in the U.S. are much more expensive than in Australia, NZ, and many parts of Europe. Food is also expensive, especially in the larger cities.

Some hostels offer private rooms, so you might want to keep that option open.

There's great variety in hotel/motel prices from city to city around the United States. $45 is pretty standard for roadside motels in remote areas, and even near some cities. Other cities, such as Boston, New York, San Francisco, have notoriously expensive hotels and motels, even miles away from the city center. There, you might want to do hostels.

Me, I'd hate to spend that much time on buses. Bus service in America is patronized primarily by the poorest, and, nothing against the poor, but your chances of encountering unpleasant people and situations does increase. Why not contact Amtrak about some of their regional and national passes? They get you right into the city centers, and travel some amazing scenery otherwise missed. Highway scenery in much of America is an endless stream (of cigarettes and magazines -- no, no, sorry, that's something else) of look-alike interchanges with McDonald's, Shoneys, and Waffle House restaurants at each one. The Interstate highway system is a wonder, but it makes for a pretty bland overland travel experience.

Just my two cents...

i agree with brazildj, i've got a couple of greyhounds, and they're great for getting from A to B while eating a lot of waffles, but as a way of seeing the states, they're pretty poor.

Greyhound is decent for getting from point A to point B if you don't have a lot of money and don't care about how long it takes ... but I would not recommend it for people visiting the country. As other posters have previously stated, the Greyhound buses pretty much stick to Interstate highways which are pretty mind-numbingly generic once you've gone through the phase of wonder at actually being on an American highway. If you're looking for inexpensive travel around the US with interesting people you should definitely check out <a href=http://www.greentortoise.com/>Green Tortise</a> Adventure Travel. Traveling with them is always an adventure since they're an actual tour company springing out of the alternative San Francisco movement rather than a company like Greyhound who's raison d'etre is to move bodies around. I'd recommend them to anyone who doesn't mind a little incense smell and sharing a bus with some rather unique individuals.