Cruising on $5,000 / Month

[Red Sky]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

You know I'm not the one making the rules. I did however calculate that if I did get Medical the cost per working person will be something less than 0.0006 cents per tax payer per year But then I'm a cheap date. The F35 program on the other hand costs about $16,000 per taxpayer. I don't think I'm the problem.

You individually are not. Unfortunately, $0.0006 x 20,000,000 = $12,000 per taxpayer. Just saying. What's that old saying? Oh ya, "Death by a thousand paper cuts".

[Reinhardt]

I'd like to chip in some advice from Seneca and his epicurean perspective. Since I used to lecture in philosophy for a while, this may be the only post in these forums I actually can write with some degree of authority!

The epicureans suggest that the road to happiness and a fulfilling life is to decide what the very minimum you need to be happy is. And then shoot for that. So (using their example), if a full tummy and slaked thirst are all you need, then bread and water every day is going to make you very happy indeed, and it will be easy to attain, so most of the time you will have a happy life.

In relation to this thread, if you are happy with solitude, simplicity, a simple diet, and being out on the open water, then you are likely going to be pretty happy cruising on $500 a month, or possibly even much less (with a little put aside for emergences). If you need social interaction, then your costs are going to go up a tad as you will have to pay Marina costs and will want to go to restaurants and have the odd beer and restaurant food, or a coffee. If you want to explore inland when you berth, then there are costs associated with that, if you like good food, then that increases the costs.

At the end of the day, what you need to spend to be happy cruising depends on why you are cruising.

I always think of the benchmark as Being Bernard Moitessier. 18 months alone at sea without landfall (he turned around after circumnavigating the globe once in the Times Golden Globe race, because he couldn't stand the thought of being on land and amongst people again). 50kg of rice, a bag of limes and some fishing gear. That's somewhat less than $500 a month!

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by Red Sky

You individually are not. Unfortunately, $0.0006 x 20,000,000 = $12,000 per taxpayer. Just saying. What's that old saying? Oh ya, "Death by a thousand paper cuts".

Actually my .0006 cents was just a number to show its a small number, Really its less then 0.0001 cent.

Yes social services cost money. More then half the money though is just to fund the workers in the Government supporting the programs. Yet the 800 pound gorilla is the military budget which is HUGH.

Gee the black budget is real close to social services cost alone. The F35 boondoggle which still does not have working combat targeting software, is going to cost 1.5 trillion.

We have 11 air craft carriers. Russia has one, China has one. Each 1/2 the displacement of our old ones and they run on fuel oil. My question is why year after year do we spend so much on a military. Who are we going to attack... Hopefully no one.

Of course the answer to why we have a big military is it keeps taxpayers dollars running to GE, lockheed, electric boat, etc. It keeps corporate america profitable, on the backs of the taxpayers, funding high price crap that is over priced and many times not that great.. Lets not even talk about the unfunded $6T spent in the middle east. Then treat the vet's like dirt when they return.

[Red Sky]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Actually my .0006 cents was just a number to show its a small number, Really its less then 0.0001 cent.

Yes social services cost money. More then half the money though is just to fund the workers in the Government supporting the programs. Yet the 800 pound gorilla is the military budget which is HUGH.

Gee the black budget is real close to social services cost alone. The F35 boondoggle which still does not have working combat targeting software, is going to cost 1.5 trillion.

We have 11 air craft carriers. Russia has one, China has one. Each 1/2 the displacement of our old ones and they run on fuel oil. My question is why year after year do we spend so much on a military. Who are we going to attack... Hopefully no one.

Of course the answer to why we have a big military is it keeps taxpayers dollars running to GE, lockheed, electric boat, etc. It keeps corporate america profitable, on the backs of the taxpayers, funding high price crap that is over priced and many times not that great.. Lets not even talk about the unfunded $6T spent in the middle east. Then treat the vet's like dirt when they return.

Oh, less than $2000/taxpayer, that makes me feel better, not.

While I think a strong national defense is necessary, everything else you said will not get an argument from me.

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by Red Sky

Oh, less than $2000/taxpayer, that makes me feel better, not.

While I think a strong national defense is necessary, everything else you said will not get an argument from me.

A strong defense, yes. One larger then the next 12 countries combined, A bit overkill I'm thinking.

If it helps, I do think the government needs to make cuts across the board and reduce debt and cost to the taxpayer. Just don't see that happening any time soon.

[Red Sky]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

A strong defense, yes. One larger then the next 12 countries combined, A bit overkill I'm thinking.



If it helps, I do think the government needs to make cuts across the board and reduce debt and cost to the taxpayer. Just don't see that happening any time soon.

Our views are not that far apart.

[sailorboy1]

meanwhile there's this sailboat with a couple on it cruising around spending $X/mo

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

A strong defense, yes. One larger then the next 12 countries combined, A bit overkill I'm thinking.

Need to go back to something you know about, your losing credibility fast. Truth is, people wise the military is spread awfully thin.
As far as the aircraft Carriers, while I was not Navy, it's my understanding that they are about the best possible thing that can show up after a large scale disaster.
Walk softly, but carry a big stick has kept us at peace for most of your adult life.
What other Nation has repeatedly built up the most powerful force on Earth and continues to allow it to be run solely by Civilians? I would tell you that history has shown that when we dis-arm, that re-arming cost millions of lives. WWII and Korea are good recent examples.

[a64pilot]

F-35's, Nuke subs, all kinds of boondoggles are not at the request of the military, they are almost always the result of political influences, they do not come from senior military officers requests. See my comment on the military being run by civilians, but when the time comes, the civilians do not bleed.

When military service is over, the majority of military members become a participating part of society, that is they pay their own way.
I believe there are too many parasites, a parasite is someone who believes they are "entitiled" to a way of life and someone else should pay for it.
Please, I'm not calling you a parasite, you I believe have chosen to live within your means, but more and more citizens believe they are entitled to cell phones, automobiles, medical benefits, central air-conditioning, internet service, housing with no care as to how it's paid for.

[nigel1]

This thread is now so far off track it is in danger of becoming completely derailed.
Tax dollars and defense budgets belong to a political forum, not one about sail boats.
Like Don said, there's a couple on a sailboat cruising around and spending $$$

[CatInHand]

Some of you guys have very skewed perceptions on what it costs to live. If you discount my mortgage (which would be the case for a paid-for boat) I'm living on $530 a month which includes car insurance, gas, internet and (at the moment) a lot for heat.

I have everything I want, plus a lot more free time now that I work from home.

If you choose to live on $5000, that's one thing, but if you have to, you may want to reevaluate your choices in life.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

meanwhile there's this sailboat with a couple on it cruising around spending $X/mo

Agree.

But there are also sailboats with singlehanders and not just couples but families as well.

The title of the thread and the first post had to do with cruising with a $US5,000/month windfall as I understood it.

There seem to be at least three singlehanders, sailorchic34, zeehag, and me who cruise, or at least liveaboard with some cruising thrown in, who have monthly expenses much lower than $US5,000. There are also lots of other folks who as couples spend $US3,000 or more each month.

First question is how much additional expense is involved with sailing as a couple as opposed to single handed.

Next question is I know this guy who claims I could sail to the DR and buy a beautiful wife for $US300, any one know how much that would increase my monthly expenses

Would $US5,000 a month cover it.

[osirissail]

I suspect this thread will be closed soon - as it has degenerated into politics rather than discussing the subject at hand. Maybe a little self-restraint might be in order if there is a wish for the thread to continue.

It is so tempting to blame this, that, or anything on the government/politicians/etc. when what I feel we need is to discuss and learn how to make do while cruising with the budget/money we have available rather than what we have to pay to our various governments.

Other than living under a bridge or in a cardboard box on a city heating grate, cruising on a sailboat is about as economical a lifestyle as can be found. As we have read in the "Under $500" and this "$5000" thread there are ways to make what you do have go further than any comparable lifestyle on land. Especially in the quality of life category - generally or mostly free of the various layers of taxes and fees most everybody has to pay one way or the other.

Just reducing your State and Local tax/fee burden by choosing to domicile in certain States or Island countries or principalities can shift significant amounts of money away from the politicians and into your "cruising kitty" category.

BoatUS has some good compilations of State regs and taxes. Here are some links:
State Boating Information Home - Government Affairs - BoatUS
BoatUS - Governement Affairs - State Boating Decal Requirements

For personal and sales taxes by State:
Taxes by State

[Teknav]

Hiya Tom! A second cruising person cost about 60%. (If one cruising person can live on a $100/day, two can live on about $160/day.)

Mauritz

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by tomfl

. . . Next question is I know this guy who claims I could sail to the DR and buy a beautiful wife for $US300, any one know how much that would increase my monthly expenses

Would $US5,000 a month cover it.

From personal first hand experience in the D.R. the "wife" is actually free. But the maintenance costs can be quite high. It is customary that along with the D.R. wife you also "adopt" the rest of her family and relatives, all of which are firmly convinced your income is equal to a "Rockefeller."
However, US$5K/month in the D.R. would just about keep a whole village fat and happy - the cost of living is quite low there if you live in the country-side.