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Troubledour · 16-11-2003, 20:50

Please excuse the delay, more semi-nice weather & I spent the weekend taking advantage of it.

I haven't gotten out there yet myself & can only speak to generalities or share what I’ve read. Like most wannabes I read everything I can find & constantly review my options. My own financial projections weren't totaling up to "comfortable" & I recently shot my wad on income producing real estate. I don't expect that to set me back time wise, I'll be ready to go at about the same point in time that I would have been otherwise, but I do expect to be in far better shape when I do go.

On the question of costs ... as you're seeing from others that's simply too subjective a subject to nail down tight. Look at your own life on the hard & the choices that you make compared to the choices of those around you ... people live differently & spend differently.

Example, I've had a thing for cars all my life. I still have my first car ('69 Firebird convertible) as well as the only new car my dad ever bought ('66 LeMans convertible). I also own a couple of older BMWs, an '82 320iS (delightful shifter-cart of a daily driver with 245,000 miles) & an '88 M5. Most people assume that I've spent a fortune on these cars & to this day my ex screeches about the "expense" but of the 150 odd cars of my own that I’ve bought & sold in the last 27 yrs, I’ve never lost money on any of them.

In fact, I can assure you that each of the new cars that I bought for her cost more than any two of mine & they're no longer around ... they simply didn't hold up like mine do. My investment in my own cars has been far more time & skill than cash & in the case of the classic Pontiacs, decades of care. Many people these days simply wouldn't tolerate 20+ yr old cars for primary transportation but mine have never failed me, not once ... why get rid of what works ? We all make our choices & I choose not to blow hundreds of dollars per month on depreciating "assets" that, after 50 months of a 60 month loan, aren't worth any one of the remaining 10 payments.

I've done the same thing with houses, I tend to buy them under valued, make improvements & end up with actual equity & not crushing debt. The trade off that I make is that I probably sweat a little more than most, any tool that you can think of ... I own 2 of them, my hands are not pretty & I know things about machines & houses that would make most scream & run for safety.

I'm officially rambling here, but I think you get the point. In my own opinion, what you need to do is think hard about what kind of person you are, what you like, what you like to do, what you're willing & unwilling to do, etc. Hauling your boat & painting the bottom yourself will cost less than having a yard collect the boat & then return her to your slip when completed without your ever doing more than cutting a check. Virtually everything that comes up as a cruiser will present choices that will effect costs & you'll need to anticipate what choices you'll make & budget those choices.

I'll close with this ... there's a guy that cruises the Ohio & has for many years ... in a canoe. Every time I see the guy his canoe is wallowing along with maybe 3" of freeboard, his possessions are packed in & lashed down around him, he's occasionally towing a dink along behind & he's always flying the biggest freakin’ Confederate flag I've ever seen from his stern. How he paddles up wind / up current with that load & that flag, I'll never know but he does it & he's been at it for years.

He's a bit reclusive & doesn't like to visit much but he's completely self sufficient, doing exactly as he wishes with each & every day & is probably happier than most of the people I know. Not bad for a guy that's actually "homeless". Most of us wouldn't be happy with camping year round out of a canoe, but he is & he's not stuck on the hard preparing for "someday".

It's all about choices. Read, think, ask questions & know yourself. If you need to do it on the cheap, develop skills that will apply to maintaining your boat, your finances & your lifestyle without costly professional assistance. If you already possess those skills, are willing to utilize them & are able to fatten your kitty a bit, you should be able to live very well on money that simply isn’t adequate for a typically middle class lifestyle on the hard.

Troubledour

16-11-2003, 20:50	#11
Troubledour Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Ohio River, USA Posts: 150	kiamaria30 Please excuse the delay, more semi-nice weather & I spent the weekend taking advantage of it. I haven't gotten out there yet myself & can only speak to generalities or share what I’ve read. Like most wannabes I read everything I can find & constantly review my options. My own financial projections weren't totaling up to "comfortable" & I recently shot my wad on income producing real estate. I don't expect that to set me back time wise, I'll be ready to go at about the same point in time that I would have been otherwise, but I do expect to be in far better shape when I do go. On the question of costs ... as you're seeing from others that's simply too subjective a subject to nail down tight. Look at your own life on the hard & the choices that you make compared to the choices of those around you ... people live differently & spend differently. Example, I've had a thing for cars all my life. I still have my first car ('69 Firebird convertible) as well as the only new car my dad ever bought ('66 LeMans convertible). I also own a couple of older BMWs, an '82 320iS (delightful shifter-cart of a daily driver with 245,000 miles) & an '88 M5. Most people assume that I've spent a fortune on these cars & to this day my ex screeches about the "expense" but of the 150 odd cars of my own that I’ve bought & sold in the last 27 yrs, I’ve never lost money on any of them. In fact, I can assure you that each of the new cars that I bought for her cost more than any two of mine & they're no longer around ... they simply didn't hold up like mine do. My investment in my own cars has been far more time & skill than cash & in the case of the classic Pontiacs, decades of care. Many people these days simply wouldn't tolerate 20+ yr old cars for primary transportation but mine have never failed me, not once ... why get rid of what works ? We all make our choices & I choose not to blow hundreds of dollars per month on depreciating "assets" that, after 50 months of a 60 month loan, aren't worth any one of the remaining 10 payments. I've done the same thing with houses, I tend to buy them under valued, make improvements & end up with actual equity & not crushing debt. The trade off that I make is that I probably sweat a little more than most, any tool that you can think of ... I own 2 of them, my hands are not pretty & I know things about machines & houses that would make most scream & run for safety. I'm officially rambling here, but I think you get the point. In my own opinion, what you need to do is think hard about what kind of person you are, what you like, what you like to do, what you're willing & unwilling to do, etc. Hauling your boat & painting the bottom yourself will cost less than having a yard collect the boat & then return her to your slip when completed without your ever doing more than cutting a check. Virtually everything that comes up as a cruiser will present choices that will effect costs & you'll need to anticipate what choices you'll make & budget those choices. I'll close with this ... there's a guy that cruises the Ohio & has for many years ... in a canoe. Every time I see the guy his canoe is wallowing along with maybe 3" of freeboard, his possessions are packed in & lashed down around him, he's occasionally towing a dink along behind & he's always flying the biggest freakin’ Confederate flag I've ever seen from his stern. How he paddles up wind / up current with that load & that flag, I'll never know but he does it & he's been at it for years. He's a bit reclusive & doesn't like to visit much but he's completely self sufficient, doing exactly as he wishes with each & every day & is probably happier than most of the people I know. Not bad for a guy that's actually "homeless". Most of us wouldn't be happy with camping year round out of a canoe, but he is & he's not stuck on the hard preparing for "someday". It's all about choices. Read, think, ask questions & know yourself. If you need to do it on the cheap, develop skills that will apply to maintaining your boat, your finances & your lifestyle without costly professional assistance. If you already possess those skills, are willing to utilize them & are able to fatten your kitty a bit, you should be able to live very well on money that simply isn’t adequate for a typically middle class lifestyle on the hard. Troubledour