Broke Beginner

I'm starting to wonder if I could cut a few dollars off my expenses by bringing a tent and sleeping bags and hunkering down wherever

No

is it relatively easy to get a job in a youth hostel to maybe make a few bucks or get a free meal and a roof

No

I may try to work on the road so I can support myself and my backpacking lifestyle longer

No you won't

In short, stay at home until you've saved enough money. You think you're "broke"? Tell that to the millions of people living in abject poverty in the developing countries you're thinking of holidaying in. Share you tales of woe with them about how difficult it is for you to finance a 4 month holiday. I'm sure they will sympathise with you...

Camping as your primary source of shelter? no way
Its OK for a few days on a beautiful remote beach but after a that it would drive you nuts! Hot,,humid, insects, not good for long term accomodation!

1st in Thailand you can get really cheap places to stay.You can get acceptable lodging for 5 $ a night.Food wise per person per day can be done easily under 10$ even 5$ without starving,but you would have to cut down on beers!
As for finding work I have no clue,never tried.

I agree with everyone who posted so far. I was not aware of any campsites when I was in SE Asia, and you can get a bed in a dorm room or even a private room in a guest house for about $5-$15.

It would depend where you are going of course, any of the touristy islands would be more expensive. However, if you stay on the mainland in places like Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam etc, you'll find it very affordable.

You probably could find work in a hostel very easily but many places would only give you free accomodation, not an actual wage.

You probably could find work in a hostel very easily but many places would only give you free accomodation, not an actual wage

First of all there are very few hostels in Thailand. Secondly, no guesthouse or hotel will hire you, even if it's just for free accommodation.

I've already started saving.

That means you won't have enough.

However, with times being tough and money being tighter than ever, I'm slightly worried we won't have the capital to finance an extended stay overseas (two to four months).

In that case, either don't go until you've enough money to last or cut down the two to four months - stay a month to six weeks.
What sort of a holiday is it if you have to "hunker down wherever"? Hostels in Asia are no cheaper than guesthouses, in fact, sometimes they cost more. You cannot work anywhere in Thailand without a work permit.

It would be nice to skip the expense of paying campground costs and just hunker down wherever is most convenient.

You definitely can't afford to go to Thailand.

Maybe get hold of a copy of South East Asia on a Shoestring guide book or something similar, read it, work out a good budget and where you want to go, then save up! Wont be any fun unless your budget is flexible enough to do those spur of the moment things that make travel worthwhile...

How much money do you have?

To be honest you can travel in Thailand for almost nothing and stay in guest houses for almost nothing, if your worried you cant afford to stay in Thailand you shouldn't leave your house.

And like everyone else said, you cant camp. I have spent a couple of nights sleeping at a Bangkok sky train station, but that's hardly a long term solution.

Wow, everyone is really letting him have it.. ;) Before I join the chorus, exactly how much money will you two have saved at the start of your trip, after paying for your flight? It may not be so dire because Thailand can be seriously cheap if you need it to be.

I have some ideas too, but first let's have your budget.