A very important question, an interesting wood article, and in the “peasantry in a modern state” department…
Pretty much everyday I’m confronted by new examples of the cost of things going up. It’s depressing, breeds despair, and just generally pisses me off.
Luckily, since I’m a non-consumerist by nature, it could be a lot worse. Still, I find reading articles telling you to spend more or spouting the heresy that you get what you pay for makes me want to punch a hole through a bulkhead.
So, you want to go long-term cruising with a modest budget. What are you going to do?
For starters, my advice is just do the math. Sort out what you can afford. Simple as sin but you’d be surprised just how few folk are working within a sustainable budget.
The fact that a lot of folks have problems adapting themselves as opposed to adapting their budgets. Take Belize for instance: I’d really like to go hang out there for a bit it’s too pricey for my budget so I’ll give it a miss. Since I don’t need to go to Belize, I’d choose to go somewhere more in sync with my budget. Lots of folks complain about high costs in one area or another but could have avoided those costs with a bit of research and choosing someplace more affordable.
Simple, right?
Do your own work. Being handy and able to fix your boat you can mostly avoid piratical repair or maintenance situations. Face it, the marine trades seldom have your best interests at heart.
There’s a zillion common sense ways to cruise further on less. None of them are rocket science or a social faux pas. You might even want to give it a try.
More on the subject Saturday…