Cruising on $500 / Month

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by rgscpat

... And in the anchorage, I'm not sure you can always tell who is really wealthy ...

In (my) most preferred anchorages, the locals can tell who’s comparatively wealthy. To them, all of us cruisers are wealthy.

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by Brent Swain

The rich go to great lengths to convince us of the myth that only the newest, most expensive boats and gear installed by the most expensive, hired help will do for offshore boats, and anything less is sheer folly.

I know what you mean. It would take some updating and it's anything but new, but I can see that this boat has some real potential to be a comfortable cruiser.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Brent Swain

The rich go to great lengths to convince us of the myth that only the newest, most expensive boats and gear installed by the most expensive, hired help will do for offshore boats, and anything less is sheer folly. This they do, in a futile attempt to keep the cruising life their exclusive domain.

Whatever reason they do it for it keeps a lot of people employed. Thats a lot of families fed, housed and educated - given lives.

If you prefer the alternative go to Russia. they had one go at comunism and now that fell apart they have a dictatorship and crime regime where only criminals get rich and everyone else is scum.

I prefer the lives given by quality work and its rewards

[easterly38]

I've looked at this thread several times and I got me wondering if we could do it on $500 a month. So, I started adding up our crew's typical expenses. Vodka, mixers and limes came in at over $1,000 per month so I just stopped there!

[daddle]

Simple solution, remain within a few week's sailing time of Labuan or some other equally cheap duty-free port. The prices there are unbelievably low what with no tax or duty of any kind. Limes are cheap too!

[muskoka]

People 'cruise' on small budgets all the time. The preferred vessel of choice is usually a VW combi with a surfboard or skiis on the roof. I don't see why you couldn't do the same in a small sailboat.

[Brent Swain]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Whatever reason they do it for it keeps a lot of people employed. Thats a lot of families fed, housed and educated - given lives.

If you prefer the alternative go to Russia. they had one go at comunism and now that fell apart they have a dictatorship and crime regime where only criminals get rich and everyone else is scum.

I prefer the lives given by quality work and its rewards

Who's to say your own work is not "Quality work". There are too many horror stories about screwups by so called "Experts" ,to assume that paying someone to do what you can do yourself, automatically guarantees "Quality work" given the stakes are far higher for you. Ask Ralph Nader, and consumer groups.
Boats built and maintained by a careful, conscientious home builder are usually far better boats, from a practical use standpoint, than most manufactures boats, as their lives, and the lives of their families, not just their pocket books, are at stake.
While we are on the subject of Communism, I've been told that "The individual must serve the system " is a direct quote form the communist manifesto. It also applies to corporate communism, and consumerism.

Your personal environmental foot print is directly porportionate to how much money you spend.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Brent Swain

Who's to say your own work is not "Quality work". There are too many horror stories about screwups by so called "Experts" ,to assume that paying someone to do what you can do yourself, automatically guarantees "Quality work" given the stakes are far higher for you. Ask Ralph Nader, and consumer groups.
Boats built and maintained by a careful, conscientious home builder are usually far better boats, from a practical use standpoint, than most manufactures boats, as their lives, and the lives of their families, not just their pocket books, are at stake.
While we are on the subject of Communism, I've been told that "The individual must serve the system " is a direct quote form the communist manifesto. It also applies to corporate communism, and consumerism.

Your personal environmental foot print is directly porportionate to how much money you spend.

first of all, screening of workers is must-- have to know what they do and how they do it.

i hire independents to do my work.

how do you figure this 'Your personal environmental foot print is directly porportionate to how much money you spend."

SPLAIN,LUCY.

[Brent Swain]

How much money you spend is a reflection of the resources you use and the waste you put out. Thus, what you spend is a measure of your effect on the environment. There are some exceptions, but very few.

[zeehag]

so broke is better..LOL

[Brent Swain]

Originally Posted by zeehag

so broke is better..LOL

Money can always be replaced. Time is finite. Don't squander time for money.

[chadlaroche]

Originally Posted by Brent Swain

Money can always be replaced. Time is finite. Don't squander time for money.

well said

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by Brent Swain

Money can always be replaced. Time is finite. Don't squander time for money.

Brent, I'm gonna appropriate that one.

Thanks.

[yardpro]

Originally Posted by Brent Swain

How much money you spend is a reflection of the resources you use and the waste you put out. Thus, what you spend is a measure of your effect on the environment. There are some exceptions, but very few.

nonsense....
so the guy that spends $60K to put solar panels on his house, and spends an extra 10K for a hybrid, spends 15K for a water recapture system, etc... is making a LARGER footprint....

you have fallen into the the rich are plundering the earth trap....

prime example... my friend is a successful cosmetic surgeon... he just built a nice waterfront home.... he spent an extra $65K on energy saving add ons.... spray in foam insulation, heated floors, foil lined roof system, etc...

his power bill for his new $900K home is $90.00 per month...
my old $350K home runs about $350.00 per month... who is leaving a larger environmental footprint?

who leaves a larger footprint... the guy that buys a new prius, or the guy that buys an old $500.00 van that gets 8 mpg and leaks oil?

simply looking at spending you cannot correlate footprint....


Without spending there is no economy.....
no new houses, no work for carpenters, electricians, etc...no work for the factory workers that make the materials, etc....

the government and public sector jobs DEPEND on spending....the more you spend the more taxes you generate..
If there was less spending and therefore jobs, there would be less income tax generated.....

without taxes government programs that help to minimize environmental impacts would suffer as there would be less money for inspectors, and lawyers to prosecute....

no taxes, no grants for reforestation, animal shelters, etc...

[sailorboy1]

All I can say is WTF, is this related to cruising on $500/mo?

I'm probably going to take flack now.