I’ll be honest and admit that I really hate being surprised, especially where boats are concerned. Maybe it’s that I grew up on horror films where surprises were always sort of horrific. On the other hand, it just might be most of my surprises have been of the negative sort so color me somewhat gun …
So, what’s your bottom line? A long, long time ago I think it was Lin Pardey who coined the $500-a-month-budget as a passing reference of the “Some people do it for as little as…” example. Back in the late 60’s, $500 was a doable, if tight, budget for cruising but today, according to a handy …
Whether it’s building a boat, refitting a fixer-upper, or actually cruising, the bottom line is always going to be what you can or can’t afford. As much as we might prefer otherwise, the bottom line is always going to be with us. Living in a consumerist society is problematic where budgets are concerned. After all, …
One problem most all cruisers at any budget level find is that their first year of cruising costs a lot more than they expect to spend. Sadly, I speak from experience and in our first year of full time cruising; we spent money like the proverbial drunken sailors on steroids. It doesn’t make it any …
I’ll say that again… Everyone is on a budget. That guy in the beat up old Morgan Out Island, that attractive couple on the million-dollar condomaran, and the owner of the 180-foot megayacht coming through the Simpson Bay bridge, all share a common link that they’re all on a budget. Want to know something interesting? …
Budgets are just a tool for organizing and taking control of your spending. A very simple budget that works is the 50/30/20 budget. So simplistic that, you might be inclined to go with something more complicated. That said, give it a try and you’ll find it does the job just fine. It works like this. …
So, here’s the big question… What can you afford? It doesn’t really matter what you think it costs, what other people are spending, or the relative price of tea in China. It’s all about what you can afford in the long run. Let’s take a number out of a hat… $18,310. $18,310. is the current …
Now, a lot of folks will tell you it costs whatever you have, while others will say that it depends. The fact is that both answers really piss me off and it really bothers me to have to admit that they are correct in a kind of way. A lot of folks spend all they …
So, here’s the ongoing question most of us are trying to deal with: what is the most needed attribute for successful, low-budget cruising or building/refitting a boat? Is it your sailing ability? The ability to make a perfect dovetail? Having the right gear? Enough money? Maybe the correct answer is none of the above, and …
I just realized that we’ve been using our DIY composting toilet without any issues or problems since 2009. which, if you do the math, adds up to twelve years. As it only cost around $100 that’s a pretty good return on investment. I mention this because the whole idea of VolksCruier is not about doing …
