Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Doodles

At your current consumption level of $10/day that might be hard for you!


I wouldn't judge too quickly until you've tried it. The internet and cruising guides don't tell the whole story.

Are you living on your vessel in Thailand? If so, can you tell us what you spend a month?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by w1651

Okay I did this on another post on another thread but I will do it again.

1. Boose biggest expense up to last month @ 300 a month. My dad left me with an unquenchable thirst. Dam my English/Irish heritage.

3. food 25 to 30 a week (including hygene products and paper towels)

.

I want to hear more about what you drink and eat! Boose is $300/mo and food is ony $120/mo.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Are you living on your vessel in Thailand? If so, can you tell us what you spend a month?

No, the boat still back in the US on the Chesapeake Bay where we live aboard half the year. In Thailand we have a house but a boat is coming.

But, it would be very cheap to live aboard here assuming you are not in an expensive marina. Easy to eat out for about $1.50/person per meal and local entertainment is very cheap. Labor is cheap and fuel about the same as the US.

The best part though is there is no hurricane/cyclone/typhoon season, so you very have to leave due to the weather.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

I want to hear more about what you drink and eat! Boose is $300/mo and food is ony $120/mo.

To that food costs I think you need to add the "Lunch and coffee at meetings 14 a week." But even then it works out to less that $2/meal and that must be hard in St. Pete.

[osirissail]

Drinking up $10/day is not difficult but staying fed on $4/day is rather difficult especially in Florida. It would be interesting to know what is eaten that only costs $4/day.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by [B

Doodles;[/B]903225]...I wouldn't judge [Mexico] too quickly until you've tried it. The internet and cruising guides don't tell the whole story.

I'd like to hear your take Cap.

Also, is the Wharram project why you're in Thailand?

What local entertainment is cheap?

CelestialS- you were talking a $200/mo food budget as a vegetarian. What can you get for $200?


w1651: "Down south of Mexico is a lot cheaper and some would argue better to cruise in."

A lot cheaper? Why better?

Chetumal Bay looks real good to me.

Bing Maps - Driving Directions, Traffic and Road Conditions

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Doodles

The thread is two years old, so that would mean a 27% inflation rate! Here in the US it has been running about 3%, so the $500 should still be good.

yeah I was stretching it a bit and the budget.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by tgzzzz

I'd like to hear your take Cap.

Also, is the Wharram project why you're in Thailand?

What local entertainment is cheap?

My personal experiences with Mexico and based on what cruising friends tell me it has a good balance of cheapness and services. Yes, you can eat and live very cheaply if you say fairly local and at the same time basic services are not that far away or hard to obtain; whereas further south things get more dicey. Food and living costs are not that much cheaper and the services nonexistent in a lot of cases.

We picked Thailand as a retirement home. The Wharram project is just a hobby.

Local entertainment ... well what's your pleasure?

[sailorchic34]

My monthly food budget is $150-$200. I don't drink (never have) so only teas and lemonaids, (No coffee either, strange girl I am), Mostly fresh foods and vegies plus some hamburger and maybe a fish or two now and then. Maybe some caned chicken and ham. Some curries, pasta, yes rice and beans, bake my own cookies, etc. I aim for $35 a week with another $40 for eating out a few times a month (3-4 times depending on price).

Not much prepackaged foods used. The cat eats better then me...
The cat runs $40-$50 a month. Through in cell phone, fuel and propane. Though propane is only filled 3-4 times a year at about $14 ish per fill. My fuel budget is $40-$50 a month (more sometimes but I get 2-1/2 hours a gallon), Boat maintenance runs me an average of $68 a month (including bottom painting every 2-3 years). Internet is wifi or teathered cell phone when wifi is not available.

YES I do all my own work on my boat too including the bottom painting which I so love... NOT!... The $68 monthly average also includes things like a new mainsail. Well ok it was used, but still mostly good and it was cheep. Some months the boat maintenance is higher but on average the last 2-1/2 years cost me $68 a month.

So for me its a little less the $500 a month, not counting a slip. From a full time cruising standpoint it is doable for me.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by tgzzzz

I'd like to hear your take Cap.

Also, is the Wharram project why you're in Thailand?

What local entertainment is cheap?

CelestialS- you were talking a $200/mo food budget as a vegetarian. What can you get for $200?


w1651: "Down south of Mexico is a lot cheaper and some would argue better to cruise in."

A lot cheaper? Why better?


Chetumal Bay looks real good to me.

Bing Maps - Driving Directions, Traffic and Road Conditions

I shop at Costco...eat spinach/cheese raviolis, 9 grain bread, peanut-butter, fruit, yams, soups, almond cereal, spaghetti, veggie burgers, Jasmine rice, curries. Easily $200.

[bigpuff]

very good thread;thank god for duty free rum and backy other wise my budjet would have blowen out.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Thanks for posting that, I suspect (hope?!) your experiance will be similar to mine - with one of the keys to a low budget being somewhere you know your way around backwards. and also being able to earn.

Originally Posted by w1651

Okay I did this on another post on another thread but I will do it again.

1. Boose biggest expense up to last month @ 300 a month. My dad left me with an unquenchable thirst. Dam my English/Irish heritage...nowadays I rarely drink (honest!). My last big vice is the ciggies! - but have now gone back on the rollies, so now down from £200 to around £80 a month (about 25% of the budget!) - may look into getting a pipe .
2. marina 300 a month (electric and water included) - no marina for me (that would be about £300 a month, instead of around £8 a month). No electrickery and water free by hosepipe, but have to move boat to fill up.
3. food 25 to 30 a week (including hygene products and paper towels) - for me that is the big unknown, I have always struggled with the feeding myself end of things. Fortunately, although I do enjoy good food am pretty happy with just about any crap I make for myself. Which is fortunate ......will be interesting to see how I make out in practice (I know what my theory will be).
4. boat maintenance supplies 75.00 a month Another expense that will come down after I get everything handled the last guy didn't. At the moment (until 31 March), apart from restricting myself to what needs doing am also leaving the time intensive but cheap to do stuff for later, including putting a few things in the store for later but by no means everything on my "wishlist", so may have to "save" for some things. In some respects it is cheating - but my rules .
5. propane 10.00 a month. I am guessing here I bought a cylinder two months ago. One pot meals don't use much gas at all. No propane on my boat - but I have a spare gas / propane cooker in the garage somewhere - so I will see how I get on cost wise with Meths (Origo 2 burner).
6. Lunch and coffee at meetings 14 a week. such extravagence .

7. My transport is primarily a Vespa Scooter . £15? a month on insurance. Petrol is around £10 a month, if that....IMO that will more than pay for itself by providing easy access to "cheap".

8. Landline / Internet access at DOJ homebase - £35 a month, until I can fix up something onboard.

I make that around £160 of monthly standing costs (and half of that is ciggies ) - plus food and some boat maintanence / minor works. Last couple of weeks or so have been putting some thought into what I am buying food wise. Pretty sure I can come under £100 a month on food - and that's before I get the fishing rod out .

I'll probably be back ashore within a week ......but at least the boat should be in commission ......but would be a helluva good thing if I enjoyed staying aboard on a budget as would open up my choices both for the other half of the year and workwise (less of!).

Sept 30 is the target date for a long hard think about the previous 6 months and the coming Winter and / or next year. I will be very dissapointed if I don't end the year with more money in the bank than when I started - ideally enough to bugger off for some winter sun for a few months or so (albeit sans boat) and to add a few enhancements to the boat come next spring.

Hey, it's a plan - not had one of those for a few years

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Doodles

The thread is two years old, so that would mean a 27% inflation rate! Here in the US it has been running about 3%, so the $500 should still be good.

Like other information on sailing and cruising you must filter it.

"The Government" changes the "yardstick" so it can pretend it is not lying to you.

If we calculate the inflation rate the exact same way the government did prior to 1990, the inflation rate is averaging around 6.5%, which is basically double the official rate. However, if we measure inflation the same way the government did back prior to 1980, the inflation rate clocks in at a mind-numbing 11%.

Is America Hiding Its True Inflation Rate, and Could the U.S. Be as Insolvent as Greece? @PolicyMic | Michael Suede

Another way to make sure is to go out and buy gas, eggs, milk bread and, of course, beer. Then compare to receipts you have from years past. Don't have them? Bummer. Ask Uncle Sam. He will tell you the truth.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Like other information on sailing and cruising you must filter it.

"The Government" changes the "yardstick" so it can pretend it is not lying to you.

If we calculate the inflation rate the exact same way the government did prior to 1990, the inflation rate is averaging around 6.5%, which is basically double the official rate. However, if we measure inflation the same way the government did back prior to 1980, the inflation rate clocks in at a mind-numbing 11%.

Is America Hiding Its True Inflation Rate, and Could the U.S. Be as Insolvent as Greece? @PolicyMic | Michael Suede

Another way to make sure is to go out and buy gas, eggs, milk bread and, of course, beer. Then compare to receipts you have from years past. Don't have them? Bummer. Ask Uncle Sam. He will tell you the truth.

Well however you chose to measure it it's sure not 27%!

[Blue Crab]

Therapy: "If we calculate the inflation rate the exact same way the government did prior to 1990, the inflation rate is averaging around 6.5%, which is basically double the official rate. However, if we measure inflation the same way the government did back prior to 1980, the inflation rate clocks in at a mind-numbing 11%."

What a depressing development. But it feels like it to me. When did oil get to be $5 a qt? Or milk $4 + a gallon? I wasn't born in 1971 so I remember 1980.

Another question occurs: Why have our representatives allowed this to happen?