“How much does it cost to go cruising?” Anyone who has flirted with the idea of cruising has wondered (or obsessed) over this simple question. Us included. The most honest answer, though least helpful, was “as much as you have”. It is true, just like living on land it can be done within a widely wide range of budgets. Perhaps the better question to ask is “How much will it cost for us to cruise in a manner we will enjoy?”. Here the variables of type of boat, cruising ground, dining preferences, amenities (marinas), and land touring begin to get sorted out. Is “dinner out” sitting on a deck at a table draped in white linen, or is it an overflowing styrofoam container of local food that you eat on the curb in the parking lot? Does touring include rental cars, guides, and hotels or hitchhiking and maybe splurging on a scooter?
In our planning days I found the most valuable information from reading blogs by couples already out cruising and who graciously shared their costs. Here was were we were able to compare the differences between a $1000.00 per month budget to a $4000.00 per month budget and get an idea of which lifestyle most closely matched what we were envisioning for ourselves. Whew…we didn’t need $4000.00 a month!
So here is our little “Pay it forward” to all those blogs whose budgets I devoured and studied. We don’t have a monthly budget per se, as our costs can vary dramatically depending on where we are and what we are doing. Instead we try to find the balance between fun and comfort and stretching out our savings. The faster we spend, the shorter the cruise-at the same time the whole point is to be enjoying this experience to the maximum. I’ve included all of our costs, not just those related to cruising but did round to the closest dollar. So, here is how we did that this month:
FEBRUARY BUDGET
February was a pretty average month, no surprises. Our food and beverage bill was higher than it has been yet partially due to the fact we are starting to exhaust our onboard provisions and partially because we spent the month in non-fishing grounds that also happen to have been quite a few decent “take-away” shacks and markets. Still, nothing crazy.
FOOD AND BEVERAGES $580.00
GROCERIES-$257.00
DINING OUT-167.00
BEVERAGES-156.00
UTILITIES $154.00
WATER/TRASH/PROPANE-$3.00
LAUNDRY-$0.00
MAIL-$111.00
PHONE/WIFI-$40.00
BOAT-$517.00
GAS/DIESEL/OIL-$295.00
MAINTENANCE/REPAIRS/UPGRADES-$0.00
INSURANCE-$222.00
PERSONAL AND MISCELLANEOUS-$0.00
MISC.-$0.00
Previous Budgets:
Wright Away Sails Away 