Facebook

05 October 2015

Cost Of Living Aboard Our Boat | August & September 2015



We've been tracking how much it costs to live aboard our boat, S/V Tickety Boo, at Indiantown Marina in southern Florida. We've been here since June and are waiting out hurricane season, after which we're planning on heading down to the Bahamas and Caribbean. You can find a link to our liveaboard costs for June and July, as well as links to our other cost updates from ourselves and others, on this page. If you want to know how much we spent over the past two months, have a look below.

Cost of Living Aboard | August & September 2015

Overall, we spent $3,486 during August and September which is down $998 from the previous two months.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of what we spent, here are a few things to note:

  • All costs are in US dollars. 
  • Not all expenses are included - here's what we've left out:
1 - We don't report how much we spend on alcohol. I remember reading some horrible, judgy comments in a blog post a few years back about how much someone spent on booze, so I left it out when we first started tracking our cruising costs back in New Zealand. For consistency's sake, I've continued to leave it out when tracking our cruising and RV costs. However, if you're curious, I spent $33 on booze during the past couple of months. Some of that was on wine on sale, which I've tucked away for when we head back out cruising. Some of it was on my new favorite beer - Goose Island IPA ($5.19 for a 4 pack of 16 oz cans at the local IGA).
2 - We haven't included costs related to storing our Scamp travel trailer ($21 per month) because we track the cost of our RV and cruising adventures separately.
3 - We've also left out our costs for medical insurance. We didn't think it made sense to include insurance costs as they can vary so widely depending upon your nationality, where you cruise, what level of coverage you want and can afford etc. In case you are curious, while we're back in the States, we do have insurance through the health insurance marketplace (aka Obamacare), primarily to protect our assets and cover us in case of a catastrophic medical condition. It costs us $502 per month.
  • Scott has been in Scotland for the past couple of months taking care of some work projects and tending to some other matters, so grocery and entertainment costs are less than they would be normally.
  • I've included any shipping and taxes we've paid in what we report. Florida has a 6% sales tax. Boo.

GROCERIES | Total = $408.34

This category includes everything we put in our bodies in terms of food and drink (excluding booze) that we prepare ourselves. It doesn't include things like paper towels and ziploc bags, which I know some people would classify as groceries. Sure, you could probably eat them, but they wouldn't taste very good.

While most of the groceries I bought were for my immediate consumption, I have been buying a few things on sale and starting to squirrel them away to eat when we're back out cruising (e.g., canned chicken). You'll be seeing more of this over the next couple of months as I start to provision and build up our food storage.

PERSONAL & HOUSEHOLD | Total = $98.24

This is the category where we include household things (like paper towels and ziploc bags) and personal hygiene items (like soap and shampoo). We also capture items for the "home" here - like plastic storage boxes ($6.10).

ENTERTAINMENT | Total = $95.42

One of the great things about spending hurricane season in Indiantown is that there really isn't all that much to spend your entertainment dollars on. It's a pretty small town and things are really quiet at the marina during the summer, so there's not a lot of temptation.

In terms of drinks and eating out, this includes everything we don't prepare ourselves, even if we get something to go and eat it back on the boat. We also track how much we spend on books, magazines, movies etc. in this category.

COMMUNICATIONS | Total = $151.27

Our cell phone is actually one of our biggest non-boat related expenses. I have a $60 monthly GoPhone plan with AT&T which includes 4GB of data and unlimited calls and texts. Normally, 4GB of data isn't enough for us, but we have a WiFi adapter/antenna gizmo which helps us get the marina Wi-Fi at our boat and minimizes the use of our cellular data. While Scott is away, I've also added on a $10 monthly international call plan so that we can check in. I goofed up in August and forgot to renew the international minutes and one of my calls to Scott ended up costing $11.27. Yikes.

BOAT FUEL | Total = Nil

Because our boat hasn't left the slip, we haven't needed to spend anything on diesel or gas.

LPG | Total = Nil

We use LPG for cooking, but there hasn't been a lot of that going on lately as our propane system is out of commission. It's a long story but it involves a leaky regulator and the surprise discovery that our propane locker isn't completely sealed, all of which spells DANGER. Fixing the propane system is on my list of boat projects. One of these days, I'll get around to it. Thankfully, while we're plugged into shore power, we have a microwave.

MARINA COSTS | Total = $1,160.70

Keeping Tickety Boo in a slip is one of our biggest expenses. The monthly cost of a slip with electricity at Indiantown Marnia for a 34.5' boat is $572. The guys at the marina will also come pump out our holding tank on demand - $5.30 for each visit.

BOAT STUFF | Total = $1,201.31

This is where the big numbers come in - all the stuff we've been buying for the boat. We've got a long list of stuff we need to get for Tickety Boo - some upgrades, some maintenance related items, equipment etc. I'm trying to spread the costs out over the next few months because I simply find it too painful to spend so much money all at once

One of the big expenses in August was putting together our ditch bag, which contains the essential stuff you might need if you have to abandon ship. I bought an EPIRB (a magical gizmo that helps search and rescue locate you in an emergency) for $434.49 from Defender and got an ACR ditch bag thrown in for free. I've also been buying other supplies for our ditch bag like emergency rations, safety equipment etc. over the past couple of months.

I've also spent a good chunk of change on sewing related items like a monster wheel for our Sailrite sewing machine (which will allow us to sew without electricity), as well as fabric, notions and supplies for my various sewing projects, all for the frightening sum of $579.

In case you're wondering why there aren't any charges for boat insurance, we paid these up front for the year in April (you can see the details here).

TRANSPORT | Total = $71.85

This category is for costs related to our vehicle, mostly for gas to keep it going and drive into the nearby "big city" of Stuart for errands. I also got the oil changed during August. If you're wondering, we paid our car insurance up front for the year in April, which is why you don't see it here ($909 for liability).

MEDICAL EXPENSES | Total = $245.65

This category includes medical expenses outside of our monthly insurance premium (which aren't included here - see section on exclusions above), like over the counter medications, prescriptions and things for our medical kit. It also includes the costs of doctors visits and medical tests which aren't covered by our insurance. This was a biggie during the past two months. I have to take levothyroxine  daily for my hypothyroidism and needed a new prescription as the tablets I had gotten in New Zealand had run out. So far, this has involved two doctors visits and one blood draw totaling $227.25, none of which insurance covers due to our huge deductible. I also spent $18.40 on over-the-counter meds like allergy pills and ibuprofen.

OTHER | Total = $54.12

In this category, we break out how much we spend on clothes ($29.98) and travel expenses. My wonderful mother was very sweet and bought me a ticket to come back to visit her in Portland at the end of September, so I saved on those travel expenses. We also include a catch-all miscellaneous group for stuff that doesn't fit neatly anywhere else - things like laundry ($3.25 for a wash and dry at Indiantown Marina), postage and gifts.



So there you go - $3,486 will buy you two months in Indiantown Marina, medical care and a lot of bright, shiny new things for your boat! Did we spend more or less than you would have expected?

Thanks for stopping by our blog - we love it when people come visit! We're also on Facebook - we'd love for you to pop by and say hi!

24 comments:

  1. That's pretty good living expenses for living on a boat. Boats can be very expensive and especially when things go wrong. I love your budget.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boats can be soooo expensive! Fingers crossed nothing goes wrong anytime soon :-)

      Delete
    2. The Cynical Sailor And His Salty Sidekick: Cost Of Living Aboard Our Boat >>>>> Download Now

      >>>>> Download Full

      The Cynical Sailor And His Salty Sidekick: Cost Of Living Aboard Our Boat >>>>> Download LINK

      >>>>> Download Now

      The Cynical Sailor And His Salty Sidekick: Cost Of Living Aboard Our Boat >>>>> Download Full

      >>>>> Download LINK C5

      Delete
    3. Dating for everyone is here: ❤❤❤ Link 1 ❤❤❤


      Direct sexchat: ❤❤❤ Link 2 ❤❤❤

      Te ..

      Delete
  2. what about earning money....how do you balance your cheque book?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Shea - thanks for popping by the blog. Basically, we saved up enough money to take a few years off. We'll see how it goes in terms of full-time cruising and see how long we can go before we have to find a way to top up the cruising kitty again.

      Delete
  3. do you offer to repair sails to other yachties? How do you hustle for dollars?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've just started sewing again, but definitely not at the level where anyone would pay me to do sail repairs for them :-)

      Delete
  4. what about earning money....how do you balance your cheque book?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm just thinking what it cost to live in a house. If the house is paid for you still have insurance and taxes which most the time will cost around 400 a month or more you have your heating, lighting, water, garbage. and then everything else eating, Entertainment, car. Things go wrong with House's also and are very costly at times. houses need constant maintenance. So do you want to live on land or do you want to live on the water.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a good point - houses and boats both have their own issues and costs, but where would you rather be?

      Delete
  6. Thanks for sharing! We've just been talking about how we need to get better at budgeting and accounting for where our money goes :) This will give me a good starting point for how to organize the categories!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for popping by Sara! Figuring out what categories to use was and interesting process. Everyone slices and dices their data different ways. I checked out a lot of different blogs to see how they categorize their costs. If you guys do decide to publish your costs, let me know. Would love to see how you categorize everything.

      Delete
  7. Can I ask why the marina and not anchoring out?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our insurance required us to be laid up in Indiantown during hurricane season (until the end of Nov). Scott is now overseas working, so unfortunately, we'll be at the dock for a while yet. Looking forward to getting back out there cruising as soon as he can get back.

      Delete
  8. That is very impressive how inexpensive it is to live on a boat. I heard that most of the time it becomes expensive when something goes wrong. I think you need a good cushion if that happens. My wife and i love boats so we are always thinking of living in the harbour on our boat. I love the smell!

    Joshua Duncan @ Focus Insurance Atlanta

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You definitely need to have a sizable chunk of change in your bank account because something will definitely go wrong or need to be replaced. We're inland at our marina so we don't get those nice smelling sea breezes that you probably get at yours.

      Delete
  9. These are some great tools that i definitely use for SEO work. This is a great list to use in the future..
    this is luxury travel

    ReplyDelete
  10. i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346










    i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
    or
    call/whatsapp:+2349057261346

    ReplyDelete
  11. Are you in bad need of love spell to bring back your ex lover or reunite your marriage? contact Dr Sam for fast 48 hours solution. I had a problem with my husband a year and six months ago, which lead us apart. When he broke up with me, I was confuse and did not know what to do to get him back, I felt so empty inside. Until i came across Dr Sam on the internet on how He has helped so many people solve there various problem. I emailed Him and I told Him my problem and i did what he asked me to do for him to help me, to briefly make the long story short, Before I knew it, in less than 48 HOURS, my Husband gave me a call and he came back to me and told me he was sorry about what was going on between the both of us. Finally I am writing this testimony to offer my thanks and deep gratitude to you Dr Sam for keeping to your words and your promises in bringing him back to me in just 48 hours of your powerful spell casting, and for using your gifted and great powers to bring him back. If you need his help, you can email him at ( okokakspellhome@gmail.com ) or add Dr Sam on WhatsApp ( +2349060421250) or call him get all your problems solve No problem is too big for him to solve..Contact him now THANKS TO Dr Sam

    ReplyDelete
  12. I was cured of HPV  with the use of pure natural roots and herbs from a herbal professional maker called dr Moses Buba, a man of trust and always reliable to his word. I actually thank you cause at first I doubt what others do, but you make me believe that good people still live . You can reach via email buba.herbalmiraclemedicine@gmail.com or WhatsApp him  +234906059305 for more information you can reach me also on my cell phone with text or WhatsApp and even drop a call on 0(501)9914802 . am grateful to share his work so I will share more about Dr Moses buba 














    I was cured of HPV  with the use of pure natural roots and herbs from a herbal professional maker called dr Moses Buba, a man of trust and always reliable to his word. I actually thank you cause at first I doubt what others do, but you make me believe that good people still live . You can reach via email buba.herbalmiraclemedicine@gmail.com or WhatsApp him  +234906059305 for more information you can reach me also on my cell phone with text or WhatsApp and even drop a call on 0(501)9914802 . am grateful to share his work so I will share more about Dr Moses buba 

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good news this is to everyone out there with different health challenges, as I know there are still a lot of people suffering from different health issues and are therefore looking for solutions. I bring you Good news. There is a man called Dr Ehimare a herbal practitioner who helped cured me from HSV (2). I have suffered from this disease for the past 5 years and I have spent so much money trying to survive from it. I got my healing by taking the herbal medicine Dr Ehimare sent to me to drink for about 14 days . 3 days after completion of the dosage, I went for a medical checkup and I was tested free from HSV. All thanks to God for leading me to Dr Ehimare who was able to cure me completely from this deadly disease. I’m sharing this so that other people can know of this great healer called Dr Ehimare   because I got to know him through Elizabeth who he cured from HIV. I was made to understand that he can cure several other deadly diseases and infections. Don’t die in ignorance or silence and don’t let that illness take your life. Contact Dr Ehimare   through his email  drehimare3@gmail.com or whatsapp on +1 (267) 691-1087   He cure all forms of disease {1}HIV/AIDS {2}DIABETES {3}EPILEPSY {4} BLOOD CANCER {5} HPV {6} BRAIN TUMOR {7} HEPATITIS {8}COPD{9} SICKLE AND ANAEMIA.etc Be kind enough to share as you received.  

    ReplyDelete
  14. The Cynical Sailor And His Salty Sidekick: Cost Of Living Aboard Our Boat >>>>> Download Now

    >>>>> Download Full

    The Cynical Sailor And His Salty Sidekick: Cost Of Living Aboard Our Boat >>>>> Download LINK

    >>>>> Download Now

    The Cynical Sailor And His Salty Sidekick: Cost Of Living Aboard Our Boat >>>>> Download Full

    >>>>> Download LINK

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dating for everyone is here: ❤❤❤ Link 1 ❤❤❤


    Direct sexchat: ❤❤❤ Link 2 ❤❤❤

    bb..

    ReplyDelete

We LOVE when people leave comments. It's so much more fun hearing what you have to say. If you have a blog, make sure you leave a link and I'll be sure to pop on by.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.