Frugal Cruising Idea Exchange

[daletournier]

A cruiser I know 12 mths ago installed a hardtop, this is on a hunter 49. He built decent gutters on the sides, hasn't used his watermaker in 12 mths. Also now has additional solar panels up there, very rarely dosent meet his electricity needs. Something I'm considering in the future, it's very functional, water, electricity and better weather protection when nice sides are rigged.

[Mike OReilly]

Thanks Ann/Dale, I’m going to try to build something once I get back to the boat in a couple of months. I like the idea of rigging a duct off the panels that can feed into a hose, then through a filter and into the tank. Shouldn’t be too hard to do.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

As someone who has lived and sailed for a long time on a $500 budget, the folks at the lower social-economic segment, streaching the dollar works far better then working more. It's hard to work from the hook, when one moves about.

Examples:
I purchased a good lightly used main sail (it was a mizzen off a big ketch) for $300 rather then buy a new one for $4000. It's still going strong too.

I spent $300 for a new galley stove (RV type) rather then a $1300+ marine stove. Actually works better (cooks faster) then a marine stove.

I spent $4 on an alternate rubber insulation to reduce condensation under the V-berth mattress instead of $140-$300 for a "Marine" system. I used a childrens floor puzzle mat from the dollar store, two for $2 each. That works just as well as the far more expensive types.

I do agree that running and standing rigging and ground tackle MUST be good kit. Mind you I purchased a spool of double braid and made my own eye splices and still saved $$$.

But there are many times where a bit of hunting and creative thinking might save a buck or twenty.

If you have deep pockets then there isn't much incentive to save as there is when all you have in the world is $500.

None of your examples show demonstrate the point.

If you can save $3700 on a sail with a couple hours scouring the internet and making some calls, that's well over $1850/hr. I don't know what you make per hour but in my world, that's pretty good money.

Your examples are mostly in the category of well justified frugality.

But at some point you get the guy who spends an hour washing his ziplock bags to avoid spending $1 on a box of new ones. I do a little better than $1/hr working.

It's not a black and white thing but it's easy to fall into the trap of doing everything possible to avoid spending a dollar and you see people doing silly things.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Thanks Ann/Dale, I’m going to try to build something once I get back to the boat in a couple of months. I like the idea of rigging a duct off the panels that can feed into a hose, then through a filter and into the tank. Shouldn’t be too hard to do.

Hi Mike, I agree making it functional shouldn't be to hard, making it look good and not taking away from the boats appearance is the tricky part. Also keeping it light. Function over form is more important to some folks but a combination of both is what I'm after.

I'll probably go the anodized aluminium route with a corcell top if I can make it work financially.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by grantmc

A friend of mine recently returned from sailing around Fiji. He went with a cruising assn who's fleet was 50+ boats, many of them retired Amercians in large cats. It was all sold on the basis that they’d go to places that foreigners normally aren’t allowed to visit (yeah right), but anyway.

My kiwi mate and his wife, not poor by any means, but in their older mono, obviously nowhere near as affluent as the people sailing $US500K+ MacCats. As they travelled from island to island, and anchored off beaches with little villages, they became sickeningly disenchanted and embarrassed with their situation, and eventually pulled out of the rally.

The villagers would usually use this mana from heaven opportunity to sell everything and everything they had to the rich yanks. And the rich cruisers were seemingly oblivious to the harm they were causing and the obvious comparative poverty of the locals.

Far better that they live their poverty stricken lives as "noble savages" the way God intended them?

I don't get what the point is trying to horde their wealth and keep it away from the locals?

Yeah, if you are in a poor area, you often get a higher price. If it's too high, we will stop going there. We just got back from a trip to a poor country. We paid far more for many things than the locals would pay. It was still a dirt cheap trip for us and the locals loved having us there because even at those dirt cheap prices, it was raising their income.

[smj]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

None of your examples show demonstrate the point.



If you can save $3700 on a sail with a couple hours scouring the internet and making some calls, that's well over $1850/hr. I don't know what you make per hour but in my world, that's pretty good money.



Your examples are mostly in the category of well justified frugality.



But at some point you get the guy who spends an hour washing his ziplock bags to avoid spending $1 on a box of new ones. I do a little better than $1/hr working.



It's not a black and white thing but it's easy to fall into the trap of doing everything possible to avoid spending a dollar and you see people doing silly things.

Maybe some people would rather do silly things such as washing ziplock bags than go back to work?

[sailorboy1]

this thread is sure a lot meaner that the old $500/mo thread

[Fiveslide]

Originally Posted by smj

Maybe some people would rather do silly things such as washing ziplock bags than go back to work?

I wash my ziplock bags because I try to do everything possible not to throw something away after a single use, for the environment. I do this for almost all things, the only exception I can think of right now is toilet paper, that stuff is single use as far as I can tell.

Perhaps it isn't even about money, for some?

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Fiveslide

I wash my ziplock bags because I try to do everything possible not to throw something away after a single use, for the environment. I do this for almost all things, the only exception I can think of right now is toilet paper, that stuff is single use as far as I can tell.

Perhaps it isn't even about money, for some?

That's different from being frugal.
Also different is if you are in a remote area and can't buy new ones. We've done that before.

But I've met people doing this to save money. You just nod, smile and as soon as possible extricate yourself from the situation.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by smj

Maybe some people would rather do silly things such as washing ziplock bags than go back to work?

Indeed, the little things all mount up to longer before having to go find some work. As much an attitude as accountancy.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Fiveslide

I wash my ziplock bags because I try to do everything possible not to throw something away after a single use, for the environment. I do this for almost all things, the only exception I can think of right now is toilet paper, that stuff is single use as far as I can tell.

Perhaps it isn't even about money, for some?

Absolutely! For some it may be about money, for others it may be about saving the planet and for others it may be something they’re doing because they have nothing else to do. In my viewpoint all good reasons.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by smj

Maybe some people would rather do silly things such as washing ziplock bags than go back to work?

If they do it fully aware of the choice they are making and what is costing them...more power to them.

If you want to collect driftwood, build a temporary kiln and create charcoal as a protest against the modern socio-industrial complex rather than buy a tank of propane 2-3 times per year...again, more power to you but it's false economy to claim you are being frugal...

Of course, the follow up question: Are you against the specific job you held or any kind of gainful employment? When you are talking pennies per hour of effort, there are a lot of ways to make a dollar that are easier and less objectionable.

Don't get me wrong. I am a strong supporter of being frugal but I've seen quite a few people take it to silly extremes and that's where you get into the debate of cheap vs frugal.

[smj]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

That's different from being frugal.

Also different is if you are in a remote area and can't buy new ones. We've done that before.



But I've met people doing this to save money. You just nod, smile and as soon as possible extricate yourself from the situation.

Nothing wrong with washing ziplock bags to save money. Everyone has their comfort level and do what they need to meet that comfort level. If you feel the need to extricate yourself from someone washing ziplock bags then by all means do it!

[stevegerber]

Some of us have part-time jobs or nominal retirement income and have very limited budgets. If we reach our budget limit for a month we can choose to dip into our emergency savings or we can make do by doing more things ourselves instead of buying new goods or services. While it may seem like some DIY jobs do not return a high theoretical wage it still makes sense for some people to do those things if it helps keep them under budget. Not everyone has the luxury of simply choosing to work an extra hour at a good wage (or at any wage) at a moment's notice. In many countries it's also technically illegal to work without proper beauracratic papers.

I am particularly interested in ways of saving money which help reduce or eliminate the hard to avoid recurring costs of living. Some expenses like quantity of alcohol inbibed or eating out at nice restaurants or tourist excursions are optional luxury items that can easily be scaled up or down depending on your personal current budget surplus. If ways can be found to reduce the "fixed" costs of living then your budget surplus will be greater and more money will be available to enjoy nonessential activities that require cash or to redistribute that excess money by hiring local people to do work for you on your boat or by purchasing local products.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by smj

Nothing wrong with washing ziplock bags to save money. Everyone has their comfort level and do what they need to meet that comfort level. If you feel the need to extricate yourself from someone washing ziplock bags then by all means do it!

Never said there was anything "wrong" with doing it

But if the goal is to be frugal (not to save the planet or make due till you get somewhere where you can buy more or some other non-cost related reason), it's a whole lot more frugal to just work an hour (even at minimum wage) and buy a years worth of ziplocks.

People are getting sidetracked on the whole ecofriendly side of things which is not the same as being frugal. Of course, a big pet peeve I have with the whole ecofriendly mindset (in particular the "every little bit helps") is the purveyors often waste huge amounts of effort on items that have negligible impact while ignoring far more effective actions. No one has unlimited time or money, so it only makes sense to prioritize actions if your goal is to actually improve the situation.