Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[w1651]

Originally Posted by Ram

I think to respond to this worn out threat we must start from the first post -=Lets define cruising= it means traveling on the water, not staying in one place- $500 a month average year in and year out including maintaining the vessel is simply not realistic-even silly to think it can be done- especially if you’re a circumnavigator-traveling thru lots of different countries -as was implied in the first post- Lets be real for the Average or even below average cruiser it cannot be done unless you stop eating- and nothing breaks you stay in one place and dumpster dive - Costs For me in my off season are –( no charters)- I spend $125 a week on food alone and that’s just grocery’s I bring it home and cook from scratch-no alcohol-but quality fresh food-

I’m a frugal person by nature , I do all my own work, don’t stay at pay marinas often( so I will not include but if I did include that cost is about $150 a month), I do sail mostly & motor when necessary- I have a relatively new boat 4+ years old now and things are starting to break, this year I spent about $125 a month on repairs and all Maintenance- I spend about $150 on fuel (off season)I spend about $250 a month on insurance, Customs charges very- but if I’m traveling a lot could be $50+ a month easy-transportation costs on land $50, high speed internet $65
Anyway bottom line for me off season is about $ 1265 at a minimum – and I think that’s about as cheap as you’re going to get – as my vessel gets older the cost is going to increase quite a bit-

125.00 a week on food. What are you eating and how many are you feeding?

[nonam]

Ok I have figured it out.If $500 a month is all you have and no other lifestyle appeals to you then you definitely can do it.If you can afford more than $500 a month plus you have other attractive lifestyles available then you cannot do it.

[nonam]

Some more thoughts.Remember a boat will never take too much money.Just whatever you have will do.
For those into voyageing,I think Sterling Hayden wrote that you cannot have a proper voyage without financial uncertainty (or something similar).
If you are successfull at the $500 lifestyle you should have reduced need for medical care.The cruisers sitting sipping booze and nibbling tidbits are the ones who are going to need doctors.
When Slocum returned from his circumnavigation the press wrote "Slocum is young again".And he did it on 50cents a month.(maybe a slight exageration?)

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by w1651

125.00 a week on food. What are you eating and how many are you feeding?

I suspect that is per person as that is about half of what food costs me and I have two people and a cat. Foods other than local foods, especially in the islands is expensive primarily as it is almost all imported. Unless you want to only eat bananas and sugar cane and creole chicken (fractured bone-in) everything else has to come in on freighters. It brings a whole new meaning to waiting for "your ship to come in." We shop the day or two after the weekly food ship arrives and unloads, then wait the rest of the week for the next boat.
- - Tourism and other jobs are much better paying and a lot less sweat than being a farmer, so few, if any, locals are farmers. The main local foods are bananas, sugar cane, oranges, guava, mango and avocados. Local chicken legs, backs and wings along with cow feet, hog snouts, and bull testicles round out the local meat selections along with barracuda and bait fish (3-5 inch skinny mullet type fish). Basically all the foods North Americans eat are first sent to local tourist hotels/resorts and the local eats what is left over or imported foods.

[w1651]

Has anyone ever heard of a trot line? Beans,Rice, Noodles, Tomato Paste etc...? coconuts grow all over the southern pacific as well as mangos and other fruit. Sounds like a salad to me.
I lived in a one bedroom apartment and spent 60 USD for 2 weeks of food here in Florida.
But I didn't eat caviar or steak just the basics and staples.
500.00 a month should be doable but what is your comfort level? I can see myself eating and sleeping on my boat but riding a bicycle and walking with the locals and snorkeling during the days doesn't cost anything. Isn't that what we want to do? Get out and see the world. You won't do that sitting in a marina. If your sailing and sight seeing on foot your not spending money is all I am saying. And yes you will need to maintain your boat but being ready for that ahead of time will not set you back if you have planned for the costs as well as put the spare parts on board before you left.

[callmecrazy]

Reminds of the quote at the beginning of "The Beach"

The only downer is, everyones got the same idea. We all travel thousands of miles just to watch TV and check in to somewhere with all the comforts of home, and you gotta ask yourself, what is the point of that? - Richard

[EllanVannin]

Originally Posted by tgzzzz

a tube of polident,

ROFLMA that's gotta be the quote of the day!!!!!

Keeping it real, all comes back to the old bod in the end eh

[Brent Swain]

Most of my meals cost me under a dollar. And I eat well. Rarely use a can opener.

[Doodles]

At our place in Thailand, I could eat out every meal at a nice local restaurant and it wouldn't cost me more than $100 for the month. Buy from local vendors and cook some at home and you can cut that in half.

[Blue Crab]

Hey Doodles, that all sounds great and visually it looks spectacular but we need to know what the cold beer prices are and whether the gals are savvy or otherwise. My uncle provided me with an all-expense paid trip to the region back in '65 and while the prices were low, most of the gals were way smarter than me and my pals.

[Minggat]

To those that are committed to cruising on $500/month, please understand that that when you get in trouble, you need to be sensitive to everyone else’s budget.

When friend of mine was passing along to his other friends that I was getting ready to drop the docklines, one of them asked, “Does he have any money? Too many needy cruisers out here already. Always bringing only a fork to the potluck. Always looking for the free hand me down whatever”

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by Minggat

To those that are committed to cruising on $500/month, please understand that that when you get in trouble, you need to be sensitive to everyone else’s budget.

When friend of mine was passing along to his other friends that I was getting ready to drop the docklines, one of them asked, “Does he have any money? Too many needy cruisers out here already. Always bringing only a fork to the potluck. Always looking for the free hand me down whatever”

And to what potluck are you referring? I don't see anybody lining up to share their prosperity with me. Am I missing something?

I wonder how many cruisers out there spent way too much money on worthless gear, and too large of a boat, and then without any usable skills, ran out of luck, and had to so rudely ask for his so-called friends for help?

maybe if more people could understand the concept of "self insurance", and maybe if more people could openly talk about sailing and boat maintenance without automatically being told to go buy something... it probably wouldn't happen so often. maybe...

How about, instead of telling people to simply 'have more money' and telling them how 'real cruisers' do it, maybe people on small budgets should be advised on how to take proper precautions, how to choose their boat wisely, and how to manage their meager finances differently than all the 'real' cruisers.

Or maybe this isn't the place for that?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

And to what potluck are you referring? I don't see anybody lining up to share their prosperity with me. Am I missing something?

I wonder how many cruisers out there spent way too much money on worthless gear, and too large of a boat, and then without any usable skills, ran out of luck, and had to so rudely ask for his so-called friends for help?

maybe if more people could understand the concept of "self insurance", and maybe if more people could openly talk about sailing and boat maintenance without automatically being told to go buy something... it probably wouldn't happen so often. maybe...

How about, instead of telling people to simply 'have more money' and telling them how 'real cruisers' do it, maybe people on small budgets should be advised on how to take proper precautions, how to choose their boat wisely, and how to manage their meager finances differently than all the 'real' cruisers.

Or maybe this isn't the place for that?

Why not.... everyone else is having their say... why not you.. go on let rip...
Within CF standards of course.... else its like running outa credit on the mobile when the 'Mod's' pull the thread... you never get to finish the disscussion..

[callmecrazy]

Yes of course, I forgot...

I'm new here don't I get some slack?

[nonam]

Heh heh heh........$500 cruisers shouldnt go to pot lucks.Fine by me.I never went anyway.Now if you are saying $500 cruisers shouldnt cruise because they cant afford pot lucks...............