Cruising on $500 per Month . . .

[nknowland]

even if you don't eat meat, $150 on food outside of the USA won't get you much in the way of fresh fruit and vegies and dairy.

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by nknowland

even if you don't eat meat, $150 on food outside of the USA won't get you much in the way of fresh fruit and vegies and dairy.

depends on where you're at.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by nknowland

even if you don't eat meat, $150 on food outside of the USA won't get you much in the way of fresh fruit and vegies and dairy.

I know its more than $150... but we have loads more taxes...
150 euro will do you just fine over here on fruit/veg/hen and turkey breast... milk and butter as well.. plus sugar and coffee, bread etc.../person.

100gms coffee 2.75 x 4 = 11.00 euro
Butter 1.05 x 4 = 4.20 euro
Milk/litre 0.55 x 16 = 8.40 euro
Bread 0.75 x 16 = 11.60 euro
Sugar/kilo. 0.85 x 8 = 6.80 euro
Total on staples. 42.00 euro.

That leaves 108 euro for fruit, veg, meat and seasonings....
Example's
Potato's @ 1.90/3kg bag
Turkey @ 2.75 for 3 large breast fillets
Apples/Pears @ 1.70/kg
Banana's @ 1.00/kg
Beef gets pricey @ 5-7.00/kg but makes a great occasional treat
Mind... I'm not a big eater.... my main course is considered by many as a starter...
They love their food in Portugal.... if it don't move.. they'll eat it...

[SunDevil]

$150/month is $5 a day. You can buy fruits and veggies for $5. Add some rice, oatmeal, and potatoes with different spices/flavoring...it is possible.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by nknowland

even if you don't eat meat, $150 on food outside of the USA won't get you much in the way of fresh fruit and vegies and dairy.

Up here in cold country (Alberta, Canada) where everything needs to be trucked in, I never spend over $150 on groceries a month. I eat lots of veggies, lots of grains, and my meat is supplemented by the odd deer I get every 2 years.

Cut out the processed and packaged foods, and it's easy. Been doing it for years.

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

$150/month is $5 a day. You can buy fruits and veggies for $5. Add some rice, oatmeal, and potatoes with different spices/flavoring...it is possible.

Living in the US, eating well (and meat) my monthly food costs are <$200/month and I don't try and pinch.

[osirissail]

I would agree that the prices of food inside the USA are very high compared to many other countries especially in the Caribbean and Central & South America.
- - Our food budget more than doubled when we left the Caribbean and settled back in Florida. And the costs are even worse if you consider that you need to drive a car miles to find a supermarket.
- - One of the problems or contributors to the high cost is the enormous amount of variety of food available in the big supermarkets. There is a great temptation to purchase those fresh fruit and melons shipped in from Mexico and Argentina. In the islands and small countries the variety is just not there. Stuff from local dirt farmers are dirt cheap and the "imported" stuff selection is very narrow. Also some of the foodstuffs are subsidized by the government so that the local don't revolt.
- - It is very easy to eat for $150/month/person in the small island countries, but rather difficult here in the mega-market economy of North America.

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by osirissail

- - It is very easy to eat for $150/month/person in the small island countries, but rather difficult here in the mega-market economy of North America.

It's really not that difficult. I too spend around $200 a month currently in the mega-market north american economy. I could Easily shave this down to $150 if I needed to. I don't go without anything. I eat steaks on occasion, I stock up on staples, and I still manage to gain a few pounds whenever I get lazy.... I eat healthy by most standards, fruits, veggies, grains, and occasional meats... nothing boxed, but canned stuff is OK since I have no refrigeration.

I try to by local when possible, and it's actually more expensive...

[zeehag]

in mexico i found --as well as puerto rico and st thomas, that going to local mercados and family veggie stands is a whale of a lot less pricey than anything. FRESH veggies for dirt cheep. 9 pesos per kilo for tomatoes as opposed to 2.00/pound in usa!!!(1 dollar us is equal to 14 pesos now.)
avocados were 12 pesos per kilo last week and bananas were 8. cantaloupe (melon) was a whopping 4 pesos per kilogram 2 weeks ago. this is the local santa fe market. only problem is that it isnt as fresh as family veggie stand---and tomatoes only last a day or two. (kilogram=2.2 pounds)

in carib, publix has a separate pricing list for tourists and for natives. the GOOD cheap bread in st thomas is on the lower shelves, where most tourists dont look. by looking down, i found unmarked fresh bread for 1.45 per loaf while marked usa brands were 3.98 per loaf.

unless you ask for usa brands in mexico you are eating at less than 1/4 what is pricing in usa when you buy veggies and fruits. usa brands are way too high to consider purchasing.

buying meat is not like buying it in usa-- the NORMAL mexican cuts of beef are not those consumed by most usa residents. the beef is a different flavor also as it is range beef and not corn fed. pricey as well, unless purchasing soup and stew and asada.
pork is more popular than beef here, so is chicken.
save money--learn local cooking methods. eat the foods they eat. much of it is quite good huge difference from usa

[Kojiro]

Originally Posted by wolfenzee

Hard to say what mine would be worth in this market, when everything is said and done, all the cabinetry, rigging, new winches, electronic upgrades, etc.....with out any of the extras I have added It would last about a week is I asked $30K. But I am customizing her for my own uses with no intention of selling her, all of the previous owners ave had her for 10-15 years, the builder kept her till he was 80. I will not be able to afford a new boat until I sell her and I live on board so can't sell her until I get another boat....best solution is to just make her a better boat rather than lusting after a "better boat" I will never be able to afford anyway.
My advise to anyone...If you cannot afford your dream boat, than you need to tone down your dreams a bit (and don't spend so much you can't afford to go anywhere). Which is why I am standing on the deck of my own 30' cutter rather than lusting after a 60' schooner.

If you can't be with the one you love (want), love the one you're with (have)???

[kaimusailing]

It looks like the basic theme of this thread has gone off in one direction or another and rarely come back on task. There is a common theme that a simpler, smaller boat will cost less and have lower operating costs. There is a designer of DIY boats that has followed this tack and has become the most popular designer of self built boats in history. His name is James Wharram and he designs catamarans. They are wood/epoxy and very seaworthy. They are not large and expensive or prone to capsize. He does not specify expensive nautical fittings in his plans, but has instructions on alternative DIY fittings that work well. I have one of his larger boats that is fully capable of ocean travel and didn't cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the theme of this thread is how to get cruising as quickly as possible and for a little as possible, logic would arrive at a Wharram catamaran for some people. The smaller Wharrams are maybe the most seaworthy sailcraft of all. A 21' Wharram circumnavigated, a 23' sailed from US East Coast to Bermuda through a hurricane, several 26' have done transatlantic. The original theme of this thread is about cruising on the bleeding edge of cheap, and that would include some extremes of boat and lifestyle.

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by Kojiro

If you can't be with the one you love (want), love the one you're with (have)???

In my case it's both....I lucked into a really sweet old girl with a nice history of owners and some really good energy

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by kaimusailing

It looks like the basic theme of this thread has gone off in one direction or another and rarely come back on task. There is a common theme that a simpler, smaller boat will cost less and have lower operating costs. There is a designer of DIY boats that has followed this tack and has become the most popular designer of self built boats in history. His name is James Wharram and he designs catamarans. They are wood/epoxy and very seaworthy. They are not large and expensive or prone to capsize. He does not specify expensive nautical fittings in his plans, but has instructions on alternative DIY fittings that work well. I have one of his larger boats that is fully capable of ocean travel and didn't cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the theme of this thread is how to get cruising as quickly as possible and for a little as possible, logic would arrive at a Wharram catamaran for some people. The smaller Wharrams are maybe the most seaworthy sailcraft of all. A 21' Wharram circumnavigated, a 23' sailed from US East Coast to Bermuda through a hurricane, several 26' have done transatlantic. The original theme of this thread is about cruising on the bleeding edge of cheap, and that would include some extremes of boat and lifestyle.

Nice one, good to hear from... a realist...

[wolfenzee]

William & John Atkin produced alot of designs (total of over 80 years between them) alot of these were sold to "self-built". Atkin's building plans are still available from Pat Atkin at a reasonable cost. Atkin & Co. - Boat Plans ranging in size from a 6' pram to a about 50'. I plan on building my sailing tender from these plans.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by kaimusailing

It looks like the basic theme of this thread has gone off in one direction or another and rarely come back on task. There is a common theme that a simpler, smaller boat will cost less and have lower operating costs. There is a designer of DIY boats that has followed this tack and has become the most popular designer of self built boats in history. His name is James Wharram and he designs catamarans. They are wood/epoxy and very seaworthy. They are not large and expensive or prone to capsize. He does not specify expensive nautical fittings in his plans, but has instructions on alternative DIY fittings that work well. I have one of his larger boats that is fully capable of ocean travel and didn't cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the theme of this thread is how to get cruising as quickly as possible and for a little as possible, logic would arrive at a Wharram catamaran for some people. The smaller Wharrams are maybe the most seaworthy sailcraft of all. A 21' Wharram circumnavigated, a 23' sailed from US East Coast to Bermuda through a hurricane, several 26' have done transatlantic. The original theme of this thread is about cruising on the bleeding edge of cheap, and that would include some extremes of boat and lifestyle.

Several of us have mentioned Wharrams as a good option for budget cruising so its good to have another advocate. Where are you on the Chesapeake? We are right off the Potomac at the mouth of the Bay.