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Old 26-02-2020, 11:12   #1
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Low Cost Cruising Details

I have posted 41 months of MY cost of cruising and living on the boat details.

Over the years there have been lots of threads and posts of people saying they cruise on $500/mo, $1000/mo etc. But there are never posting of any long details and it always the details are vague and full of “not counting”.

If you are a successful low cost cruiser please post your costs and breakdown of items for at least the last 2 years. Show me the error my ways with facts, not stories. I definitely would think people on lower $/mo budgets would know where their money is going.
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Old 28-02-2020, 11:03   #2
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

Our goal is to live below our means at an average of $1,000/month. We are mainly cruising Central America. If we were stateside, finances would be tight. My captain has a few years of cruising stateside under his belt, and at that time (13-14 years ago) his average monthly expenses for two adults living comfortably was $1,500. I would love to see the expenses or budgets of others as well.
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Old 28-02-2020, 11:21   #3
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

Getting worried now that the markets are tanking?

In any case, we've gone over this many times. My answer is still the same.

My total annual expenditures -- for everything -- was about $23,000 CND last year, which roughly translates to $17,250 US (based on normal exchange rate). So that works out to about $1400/month for two adults. That's what two of us live on. There ain't no more.

Normally we're 1/2 the year on our boat, and 1/2 on land. Generally speaking, our time on the boat is less expensive.


ADD: I have no need, or desire, to show you where you are wrong. I can only tell you what we do.
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Old 28-02-2020, 12:54   #4
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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Originally Posted by sailorboy1 View Post

If you are a successful low cost cruiser please post your costs and breakdown of items for at least the last 2 years
the meat of the question as I have yet to find such a breakdown for the "low cost" people who post all the time that they do it
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Old 28-02-2020, 14:38   #5
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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Originally Posted by sailorboy1 View Post
the meat of the question as I have yet to find such a breakdown for the "low cost" people who post all the time that they do it
SB, not everyone is as obsessed with this issue as you seem to be, and few have the patience or even yhe skills needed to do a good job of absolute cost tracing. So I think that data like Mike's is about as good as you are likely to get, and really, isn't the bottom line figure that he gave the critical one?

Perhaps some low budget cruiser will accommodate your request, but I'd not expect a huge response to your kinda picky rules of engagement.

Jim
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Old 28-02-2020, 16:10   #6
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

Maybe someone will post it, but one thing i am sure of is that it wouldn't happen without asking. And it isn't just me as others communicate with me on the subject. But i would think those that spent so much time saying how little they spend cruising would have some details.

Btw - my “picky” way is just asking for a full answer that would help cruisers. Isn't that one of the functions of CF?
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Old 28-02-2020, 16:21   #7
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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Originally Posted by sailorboy1 View Post
I have posted 41 months of MY cost of cruising and living on the boat details.

Over the years there have been lots of threads and posts of people saying they cruise on $500/mo, $1000/mo etc. But there are never posting of any long details and it always the details are vague and full of “not counting”.

If you are a successful low cost cruiser please post your costs and breakdown of items for at least the last 2 years. Show me the error my ways with facts, not stories. I definitely would think people on lower $/mo budgets would know where their money is going.
Have you tried optimizing your own spending? When I looked at your data some time back it looked like you were spending like a drunken sailor. ;-)

I went through this exercise some years back and reduced my spending by 30% without really sacrificing anything I care about. Just being more mindful of where I spend my money, what I spend it on, and always looking for ways I can optimize my spending by looking for cheaper alternatives.

One book I heartily recommend is "Living Rich by Spending Smart" by Gregory Karp.
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Old 28-02-2020, 16:47   #8
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

Great. It isn't a competition. So provide somebhelp and post your long term category breakdown
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Old 28-02-2020, 16:53   #9
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

"How to sail oceans" did a detailed breakdown of his expenditure recently, it came to $19k istr. Could have been 16 but for some bills he shouldn't have had I think. He lives what most people including him call very frugally, but he was on the east coast of the US at the time.
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Old 28-02-2020, 16:59   #10
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

From 1972 until 2002 we lived aboard while employed with seasonal cruising. In 1972 we made about $1,000/month; slip rental was $50/month; overnight slip rental was 10 to 15 cents/ft/day.

In 2002 we made about $9,000/month; slip rental was about $450/month; and overnight slip rental was about $1.50/ft/day

During 2017, our last year of 15 years of full time cruising, we were making about $10,000/ month; slip rental was available at about $600/month; and overnight slip rental was often about $2.50/ft/day. While full time cruising we often anchored out, but sometimes took something like a $65/day mooring at Nantucket.

During this year, living ashore due to my wife's loss of mobility and our boat sold, we live in a 1,300 sq. ft apartment for $1,282/month; however, no maintenance cost, still no property tax and a utility bill of about $100/month.

During all these phases of our lives we have lived on between one-half or two thirds of our income. Our greatest amount of saving was during our fifteen years as full time cruisers.

I know this is not the detailed account that the OP was asking for, but it is a valid summery. We also recognize that we did almost all self maintenance on our vessels and have inexpensive tastes.
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Old 28-02-2020, 17:16   #11
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

I dont feel this shows very low cost boat cruising once adjusted for the years. I believe once a few years ago i PM asked you what you were spending and was “shocked” by how much it was. Of course that was before my dreams and reality cRashed into each other.
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Old 28-02-2020, 17:48   #12
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

Sorry, just not as fixated with monitoring every penny. Very few are, at any budget. But perhaps that explains why I'm poor . I do know how much it costs for me to live this way, and I don't have to stress about it.

As I recall, from looking at a few of your monthly postings, our expenditures are not radically dissimilar at the core. Where we seem to differ is your added mooring/dockage costs (I simply cruise in a cheaper area). But the main area is eating-out/entertainment. I simply don't eat out. I can count the number of times I've been to a restaurant on one hand in the last year. And I don't pay for entertainment.

I know this is of no real interest to use you. But I want to share this for others who may be reading this thread. There is an trite, but true answer to the question: How much does it cost to cruise? The best answer remains: It costs what you have.
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Old 28-02-2020, 18:04   #13
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

No one needs another “it costs what you can afford” answer. It isn't about what I can and do spend for me to cruise, but my high cost items AREN’T mooring/dockage and restaurants.
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Old 28-02-2020, 18:12   #14
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

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No one needs another “it costs what you can afford” answer. It isn't about what I can and do spend for me to cruise, but my high cost items AREN’T mooring/dockage and restaurants.
As I say, I'm not responding to you. You have your own issues to deal with.

I'm responding so others who might be reading this, and actually thinking it's about low cost cruising, can receive some useful information.
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Old 28-02-2020, 18:15   #15
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Re: Low Cost Cruising Details

You know what? I am not going to engage in any more non answer posts. I know back when i was lower income I could tell you where my money did and had to go, because living depended on being able to do so. I am feeling sad that a cruiser cant say with at least a 75% accuracy where their money goes.

Btw my only “issue” are useless answers from people somehow acting like they are being forced to do so and spin it that it is others fault.
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