‘We feel truly alive’ - Observer article about the newest crop of liveaboards.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

In Ecuador the minimum wage is about $US450 a month or $15 a day.
that's about UKP 13.

Before or after tax.???

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Before or after tax.???

Thinking of moving !

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Before or after tax.???

Zero tax under $US11315 but - I think - 25% for expats.
https://www.icalculator.info/ecuador...ates/2022.html

They seem to be managing - I've seen more beggars in Melbourne Victoria than here - here the figure is zero.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Zero tax under $US11315 but - I think - 25% for expats.

https://www.icalculator.info/ecuador...ates/2022.html



They seem to be managing - I've seen more beggars in Melbourne Victoria than here - here the figure is zero.

Many totalitarian states remove vagrants. It’s not a good measure of society if you see none.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Many totalitarian states remove vagrants. It’s not a good measure of society if you see none.

I don't think Ecuador is a totalitarian state.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I don't think Ecuador is a totalitarian state.

I was trying to say that vagrancy visibility is often controlled by the state. It’s not a good indication of anything.

[Fore and Aft]

Ping that begging thing makes me laugh. We don't normally get beggars in Gympie but this year there was one and he was asleep on the pavement with his hat and sign out. He was definitely on a winner as a novelty as I noticed some big bills in his hat. I was going to drop in my wife's phone number as her work is always after vegetable pickers.
I was in Aldi Supermarket today and noticed you can get cheap baked beans for 65 cents (35p) a can and it made me realise that maybe if you're not fussy about brands then maybe cheaper eating is a thing.
To me maintaining the boat is the big issue, but a lot of that can be overcome by smart internet shopping. Just last week I got a Rocna 10 anchor for $200 it looks like new and still has the stickers on it. Same with paying $200 for 10 litres of antifoul advertised on the marina noticeboard. But still the whole fiver thing would be a challenge.
Cheers

[TPG]

There is quite a difference between just surviving and living well. Have met my share of "adventurers on a budget" and I'd be hard pressed to say that lifestyle is ever as great at its romanticized to be.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by TPG

There is quite a difference between just surviving and living well. Have met my share of "adventurers on a budget" and I'd be hard pressed to say that lifestyle is ever as great at its romanticized to be.

If you've never tried it, don't knock it..
Like singlehanding some thrive, others barely survive.

[smj]

Originally Posted by TPG

There is quite a difference between just surviving and living well. Have met my share of "adventurers on a budget" and I'd be hard pressed to say that lifestyle is ever as great at its romanticized to be.

Yet the people on the Balance 562 may look at you on your Admiral 40 and think the same thing, your surviving compared to their living well?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by TPG

There is quite a difference between just surviving and living well. Have met my share of "adventurers on a budget" and I'd be hard pressed to say that lifestyle is ever as great at its romanticized to be.

Actually, I think those that romanticise the lifestyle are missing the truly good bits.

They seem to focus on the destination, blue waters, usually some kind of bikini clad twit doing yoga on the foredeck. Then exciting trips on land to stare at monkeys or try food prepared with a somewhat cavalier approach to hygiene. Shopping for useless trinkets in crowded markets while being followed by crowds of dodgy kids with runny noses and ninja level pickpocket skills. Death defying journeys on smoky two stroke bikes or buses full of live chickens.

Bugger that for a lark.

The best bit of the lifestyle is the tranquillity at anchor, the lack of crowds and no traffic.

All that comes at no charge around where I've been cruising so far.

[Marathon1150]

Originally Posted by GILow

Actually, I think those that romanticise the lifestyle are missing the truly good bits.


The best bit of the lifestyle is the tranquillity at anchor, the lack of crowds and no traffic.

All that comes at no charge around where I've been cruising so far.

Absolutely agree! The other "adventures" that you describe do not require a boat for access. The beauty of cruising is your notion of anchorage. We often quote some dock neighbour friends and mention that "we are not cruisers, we are anchorers". And we have found some quite nice places to anchor over the years.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by GILow

.

The best bit of the lifestyle is the tranquillity at anchor, the lack of crowds and no traffic.

All that comes at no charge around where I've been cruising so far.

Yep.

Been anchored up in a massive expanse of protected water for well over a week now
Zero boats, zero people, zero tv or phone reception.
Well stocked food and bar and the fishing is easy.

[MicHughV]

Back in the day....my day, that is....

There was a book a called "see Europe on $5/day"

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Boo...iABEgLDNfD_BwE

This presumes many things....not sure if this is still available today, but you get could a eurorail pass that would take you anywhere in Europe by rail, as the rail system is very good there.
Then there is the vast collection of "youth hostels" where you can get a bed and a shower for very little.

The book also listed many affordable places to eat and so on.

So yes, I gave it go, managing to see most of Europe on very little.

On the start of my sailboat adventure, my budget was about $200/month...early 80's.

If you have youth on your side, you can manage to get by on very little. I never had a/c on board, solar panels, refrigeration, health or boat insurance, etc. and fished or went diving for food most every day, so the $200 covered most of my needs. Anchored out 99.9% of the time, pulling up to a dock only to fill up and clear customs, etc.

Fast forward to today....hells bells....a monthly cell phone and internet service charge can eat that right up....

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

On the start of my sailboat adventure, my budget was about $200/month...early 80's.

If you have youth on your side, you can manage to get by on very little. I never had a/c on board, solar panels, refrigeration, health or boat insurance, etc. and fished or went diving for food most every day, so the $200 covered most of my needs. Anchored out 99.9% of the time, pulling up to a dock only to fill up and clear customs, etc.

Fast forward to today....hells bells....a monthly cell phone and internet service charge can eat that right up....

Your $200 amount is an interesting amount MicHughV. When I run it through my handy inflation calculator, I see that $200 in 1980 amounts to just shy of $700 today. This is not far off what me and my spouse currently spend, per person.

These days we live on an income of about $20,000 USD ($27,000 CND). So we spend about $1700/month, or about $800/person/month.

We are no longer "young ," although I certainly don't feel old yet. But we live a rich and varied life on this amount. So I say anyone can do it. It just requires making some choices, and accepting that you can't have everything (although you can pretty much have anything).