Shoestring Sailors (Cruising on $500 per month - part II)

[sctpc]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

A lot of the $500.00 dollar a month budget has to do with mind set. For many years I lived in a 12' X 16' one room cabin (Think ala Ted Bundy) in fact I thought it was my house when I saw it on the trailer. Anyway I got a better job, built a slightly bigger house with running water, inside facilities etc... and some money in my bank account. Previously when I got in from a fishing trip I had enough money for my land payment, 1 shot, 1 beer at the local watering hole, and 3 days later, I would go out on another trip. I was sitting in my house and wondering if I was any happier than when in my cabin, and the answer was no. For me possessions or numbers on a bank statement does not determine my level of joy in life.

100% Agree I started my adult hood in a one room unit now I have a massive home, but the spaces I live in are quite small and I would be just if not more happy in a smaller space. Its a lot warmer easyer to get things keeps clutter down if you want to find things, problem is wife and kids dont agree.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

A lot of the $500.00 dollar a month budget has to do with mind set. For many years I lived in a 12' X 16' one room cabin (Think ala Ted Bundy) in fact I thought it was my house when I saw it on the trailer. Anyway I got a better job, built a slightly bigger house with running water, inside facilities etc... and some money in my bank account. Previously when I got in from a fishing trip I had enough money for my land payment, 1 shot, 1 beer at the local watering hole, and 3 days later, I would go out on another trip. I was sitting in my house and wondering if I was any happier than when in my cabin, and the answer was no. For me possessions or numbers on a bank statement does not determine my level of joy in life.

I think it depends on how you count "wealth" - some do it primarily in bits of man made paper, others in shiny things and some in free time. Not to say that any of those is wrong - it's what works for "you", and most are a mix of all three.........but no happiness to found in trying to be primarily one of those things when in your heart you are another.

[captain58sailin]

I am mostly of the have my own time camp. When I work for wages all I can think about is the huge chunks of my life spent in pursuit of green bits of paper. That dynamic keeps me philosophical about work. I do like my boat to work properly so I have to have some unit of exchange for repairs. Hey buddy, do you want to trade some oil for a halibut? Sometimes that does work.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I think it depends on how you count "wealth" - some do it primarily in bits of man made paper, others in shiny things and some in free time. Not to say that any of those is wrong - it's what works for "you", and most are a mix of all three.........but no happiness to found in trying to be primarily one of those things when in your heart you are another.

Actually, there's a lot of good research which shows that once a minimal standard of wealth has been achieved -- enough to provide food, shelter and basic security -- more money does not bring greater happiness or contentment. Those who are poor actually do become happier if the come into more money (say, win the lottery). But beyond that level, more money really does nothing to elevate peoples' sense of happiness.

[boatsail]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Actually, there's a lot of good research which shows that once a minimal standard of wealth has been achieved -- enough to provide food, shelter and basic security -- more money does not bring greater happiness or contentment. Those who are poor actually do become happier if the come into more money (say, win the lottery). But beyond that level, more money really does nothing to elevate peoples' sense of happiness.

So true.

I like this one. Its about the Mexican fishermanhttp://www.lifeprinciples.net/SuccessatLife.html
A Little Story

The businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied only a little while.

The businessman then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. The businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, señor."





The businessman scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise."




The Mexican fisherman asked, "But señor, how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, señor?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions, señor? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"

-Author Unknown

[Azul]

I notice a lot of people seem to think that living on a tight budget means you can't have very much fun. My experience with an essentially unlimited budget was that I spent most of my time working, arranging to have "things" taken care of and generally doing a lot of things I didn't want to do. Holding down a regular job (or owning a business) makes it hard to build new experiences, often weekdays and weekends are spent doing the same things over and over again, with two or three weeks of vacation from the monotony. It takes a little creativity to have fun on a small budget but I feel like ditching my workaholic lifestyle to live on a boat has been like being on a permanent vacation. The best things in life really are free.

Two nights ago, while cooking spanish mackerel for dinner, we caught this sheepshead on a bait (sea urchin) that was dangling in the sand under the boat: priceless! And a good way to save on groceries.

(Sorry about the picture being rotated, I tried to edit it without success. And the short video is much better but I couldn't get that to upload.)

[tom1263]

"Choose life. Choose mortgage payments; choose washing machines; choose cars; choose sitting on a couch watching mind-numbing and spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing ****in junk food intae yir mooth. Choose rotting away, ... Choose life." -Irvine Welsh

from an Austrian couple..

More than we think, have a small budget to realize their dream, but only a few reporting about her life. Why, to continue to live with the fast moving world?

I think it's great when you can realize this..

[Lonestaralaskan]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

I think it depends on how you count "wealth" - some do it primarily in bits of man made paper, others in shiny things and some in free time. Not to say that any of those is wrong - it's what works for "you", and most are a mix of all three.........but no happiness to found in trying to be primarily one of those things when in your heart you are another.

To me, wealth = freedom. I recently heard a quote that fits in with this:

"Everything you buy steals a little bit of your freedom." (or a lot, depending on what it is).

[captain58sailin]

I have been busting my ass for years to have what the Mexican already does, I don't miss the irony of that.

[haiqu]

Glad to see this thread is still running. Since I've been living aboard for 12 months now, here is a summary of my experiences to date.

There is always a trade-off between buying something cheap or saving for a better yacht. The trouble with the latter idea is that the cost of land based living keeps you poor, with the result that the end goal is delayed. In my case there was only one solution, I was already homeless and living in a van. So I bought an old ferro and moved aboard.

The advantage of doing this was that worries about rent ceased immediately. The leaking deck was another matter, and much of my time last year was spent fixing that at the expense of other repairs in need of attention. Eventually I had a comfortable and livable yacht but as winter approached the idea of staying there became less pleasant and she still wasn't ready to sail, not in the least due to a missing tiller and dead engine. At this point a bargain appeared in the shape of another ferro moored in Brisbane. So I became the owner of a second yacht in a much better location for the winter season.

The Brisbane yacht was indeed cheap, but presented a problem until the 4,500 litres of water she had taken on were pumped out and internal repairs were made with hydraulic cement. Having done that, she's quite a good home too.

Both now have a reasonable complement of instruments and radios, and due to judicious buying I also managed to find a pair of brand new Chinese 40hp engines for $820.00 on ebay. Since much of the expenditure this year has been of a capital nature and will be amortized over several years, my monthly costs have been much higher than the target of $500pm. On the other hand I didn't pay $20,000 for a yacht in the first place, and have been living rent free all year.

Current fixed costs are $500pm but they include:

- registration for two yachts
- mooring fees for one yacht
- registration for a van and trailer
- storage of my collected worldly goods in a Melbourne warehouse
- annual rates of $2000 for a house recently purchased in NZ
- HF and ham radio licences
- car and forklift licences
- mandatory annual mooring inspection for one yacht

In terms of actual living costs - food, fuel for the van, internet, etc - I'm getting away with less than $400pm currently. Both yachts will need antifouling soon so this bumps it up to $600pm over all, unless I can somehow find a way to careen one of them for painting.

Am I better off financially? Looking at my spreadsheets of expenses so far, I find that the two have cost me $23,000 over all (including initial purchase cost) and with the secondhand value of yachts I'd be unlikely to get more than half of that back if they were sold. On the other hand I've saved $10,000 in rent in the past year so the equation balances out fairly well.

But here's the point: all major expenditure is over. The only costs from here on out are for maintenance. I have engines, sails, radios, batteries (200AH each), solar panels (240W each), cutlery, crockery, spares, paint, tools, new wiring, bedding, gas stoves and even food aboard both of them.

Can I live for $500pcm? Probably not without reducing fixed expenses further. I could move the Sydney yacht to Brisbane where there are no mooring fees and no mandatory maintenance requirements, and will probably do that as soon as the engine is fitted. I could clear out the Melbourne storeroom to keep only the valuable stuff, and take all that aboard. I could renovate the NZ house and rent it out to cover fixed expenses.

But that's next year's plan.

More to the point, I haven't regretted a day of it. And I surely can't say that about my life before buying that first yacht. I've achieved the goal I set myself - to retire from the "normal" world and live on a meagre investment income.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by haiqu

Glad to see this thread is still running. Since I've been living aboard for 12 months now, here is a summary of my experiences to date.

Cheers for that .

I guess it goes to show that $500 a month (or whatever) starts out only as a goal, but requires cash ,time, effort and wit to get there.........of course if it was easy then everyone would be doing it! and where would the enjoyment come from without the challenge beforehand?

[Group9]

It's a lot easier to get on the "must have more" gerbil wheel than it is to get off.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by boatsail

So true.

I like this one. Its about the Mexican fishermanhttp://www.lifeprinciples.net/SuccessatLife.html
A Little Story
...
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But señor, how long will this all take?" To which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "But what then, señor?" The businessman laughed and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions." "Millions, señor? Then what?" The businessman said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "Isn't that what I'm doing right now?"

-Author Unknown

Thanks boatsail. It's a good illustrative story. The older I get, the more convinced I become that our society is sick. Or perhaps more accurately, it is rigged to benefit the few over the many. The path laid out before most of us in the Western world is well defined and hard to step off.

I look forward to putting some of the lessons outlined here in this thread to the test when we move on board full time next Spring.

[captain58sailin]

About 37 years ago (My God how time flies!) on my first pass through the south pacific, I had the good fortune of getting to know an elder in one of the villages and he told me a story. " Once there was an island where all the people were fishers and everyone ate and were happy. One day they said "We need a Chief to settle our disputes" so they elected a Chief, and the Chief said," I have all these matters to attend to, I do not have time to fish." So the village got together and brought the Chief fish, it was no big deal, 99 fishing, 1 settle matters of the village. After a time the Chief told the villagers "I need a sub Chief to help me settle matters" So the villagers decided, not too much trouble for 98 to fish for the other two. As time progressed there came to be more and more people attending to the villagers matters until there were two fishing for the other 98. One day the two looked at each other and got into their canoe and sailed away to another island. The other 98 starved to death because they had forgotten how to fish."
I thought that was a cute story then, and a true story now.

[sailorchic34]

Sometimes being a $500 a month sailor, means life gets interesting. Case in point my just completed engine rebuild. A major expense like an engine rebuild is not really in the budget of the shoestring sailor.

But if you do all the work, well all the work you can, the cost can be pretty low. My labor costs for the engine rebuilt was zero. I did the engine removal, tear down, rebuild and install by myself, on the boat. With a little help with hoisting the engine up and down by a few friends.

Did I know how to do the engine rebuild. Not really. I did have some engine experience learned from my dad, but not on diesels. Plus I had a very basic set of tools in a canvas tool bag. Plus a torque wrench.

But the only way the engine was going to run again was if I did all the work myself. I did have the service manuals and the internet for research.

If I had to pay someone else to do the engine repair it would have cost $8000-$10,000 or more. The Yanmar mechanic I talked to could not remember the last time he pulled a crankshaft out. He did say that it would be very expensive for him to do the rebuild.

Plus I learned how the Yanmar GM diesels go together, so it was educational. Very educational. If it happens again, I'll be less stressed about it.

I find the low stress lifestyle of being a shoestring sailing to fit my needs nicely. Money is not happiness. Freedom is happiness. Its not always easy, but its not boring either.