6 years of cost data

[chuckr]

Here is 6 years of cost data from full time liveaboard/cruisers. ALL expenses are included. This past year we sailed the Med so our marina costs went up a bit but our insurance went down as our insurance company lowered it as we were not doing the 2 handed crossing we did in 2013. We do a bit of inland travel as we see little reason to be here unless you experience what is available. This year included short trips around Sardina, a week in Rome, short trips in other parts of Italy, trips through Albania over to Macedona, then to Kosovo and back through Albania. We also put the boat in for a trip to Belgrade Serbia. We had to go in to Dubrovnik for a new mainsail and to get a contaminatd fuel tank cleaned. We also had to spend a bit more time in Brindisi to wait on a new alternator being shipped in. In 2014 we sailed over 3,000nm and made 31 ports of call in 6 months.
We both are in our very late 60s and live on social security. I did have to take a bit from the 401k to pay for the main sail but i will have to start withdrawing next year anyway. We do keep the boat in first class condition and do not mind spending the money on her and keeping her comfortable.
We do include the cost of flights back to the USA so see family as we view that as part of the cost of being out here. I the 2014 cost however there are not tickets as they were purchased in very late 2013 for 2014 travel and therefore in the 2013 cost. No we do not due accural accounting but cash accounting period.
Hope this helps.
and thanks to ex-calif for changing our old excel spreadsheet to something you can see but not sure if the graph he made came through.

[Big Joe Bob]

Hi,
Great post, we do something very similar, with monthly breakdowns, totalling in a yearly column, like you have.

[chemist]

Very informative thank you for the information.

A question: do you try to keep within a certain maximum budget (eg. 3500 pm), do you compensate for bick one time costs with cuts somewhere else in the financial year, or do you take it as it comes?

Thanks again, Bas.

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by chemist

Very informative thank you for the information.

A question: do you try to keep within a certain maximum budget (eg. 3500 pm), do you compensate for bick one time costs with cuts somewhere else in the financial year, or do you take it as it comes?

Thanks again, Bas.

We do not really budget except watch our income and try not to exceed it. As for the big one time cost, in the past we tried to slow down our spending along the way to compensate for that but last year we could not, when we blew out our mainsail and we could either skip all inland travel and sit and not visit or as we did take some funds out of our 401k to cover the cost. I have to start withdrawing from the 401k anyway next year so decided to start early.

But we do watch closely live within our income and sometimes that means we will forgo a few things here and there. But that does not include the boat. In spending the boat comes first and everything else is secondary.

[chemist]

Thank you so much for so much openness.

[mjgriffin007]

Excellent data, thanks!! $36K per year average is far less than I would have thought.

[arctic58]

Excellent information to be sharing. Thank you.

[Sailingmartin]

Thanks very much for the data. I am working out sums for the next year when we set sail and was budgeting for around $3,500 a month, so it's nice to see someone doing well on a similar sort of sum to includes trips home and a bit of sightseeing. Hope you have a good year.

[txh2oskier]

Thanks so much for sharing this information. On average, how often would you say you eat meals onshore rather than cooking on the boat?

[kjdavie01]

Thanks for sharing your info - fascinating to me in that your monthly totals exceed what we spend on land by a considerable margin - and we expect to spend less still once we're aboard! Hmm...

[rockDAWG]

Awesome data collection.

Almost 20% of total was dockage in Med!!! Was this at the marina or mooring ball? What is the percentage of anchoring in 2014?

[Tayana42]

Chuckr, thanks for sharing the data.


S/V B'Shert

[SV THIRD DAY]

Fabulous info Chuck!
This is the type of info that blasts a hole in the Myth that you have to be rich, wealthy, or an evil 1%-er to cruise Paradise!

Your monthly expenses would almost be near poverty to many dirt dwellers busting their asses to earn enough for their $100 cable TV Bill, $400 Gas/electric bill, and $400/mo cell/internet family bill!

Thanks again for sharing....

[sailorboy1]

Well a long long long time ago in 2006 when I started looking at this whole buy a boat and go cruising thing I thought it could be done for $1500/mo. Then after some more reading realized that $2000/mo was more realisic. Then I got a boat and found what a money pit it could be so the budget became $2500/mo. Then my wife got involved in the planning and I got to my current plan of $3000/mo (for which half the people here say is way ridilous high money). Now I know it will take $3500/mo.

So I opened up my spreadsheet and changed the budget to $3500/mo. The good news is that it still works out. But it really cuts into the length of the journey!

Now can only make it to 81 now instead of 90. I might have to now work longer

BTW - Thanks for the numbers! The huge area breakdown also helps answer the question of "what do cruisers do with their time"

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Now I know it will take $3500/mo.

So when the next cruiser posts their budget at $4000/mo will you up your numbers again and panic yourself out of ever going? I sure hope not....

All you know now is what it costs THEM not what it will cost YOU. I bet we could do the same cruise they did for $1000 less a month or $1000 more per month!