Frugality

[Hurleyburly]

I read a letter in the July issue of YM from a couple intending to go cruising on a budget of £10 a week.

Anyone think this is still possible? You'd have to anchor everywhere, probably eat only fresh produce from local markets, run a small boat (theirs was a Hunter 701).

Would it be possible outside (the cheaper parts of) France and Spain ?

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[Evadne]

I think a good set of fishing tackle would help, since a vegetable plot and goats or chickens is probably out of the question.

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[Jacket]

I hope they're not heavy drinkers- thats two pints a week each, and nothing left over for food.

And should they drop a shackle or something similar overboard, they can't eat for a week.

£2 a week for gas to boil all those veg they'll be living off.
£2 a week for fuel, unless they've got lots of solar panels and the like for charging batteries (not much room for solar panels on a 701)
£4 a week for museums and the like (no point in cruising if you don't look round the places you visit)
£2 a week for food!?And what about money for the odd yacht club shower, or a marina to hide in when a F9 is forecast.

I'd have thought you could live on £10 a week for a few weeks, but not much longer.

In the Baltic states, where a three course meal for 2, with numerous drinks, could be had for the equivalent of £3, marina berths were £1 and bus fares about 5p, two of us were still spending about £20 a week. We could have got by on £10 easily enough, but would have missed out on much of the enjoyment.

In the UK or much of europe I think trying to get by on £10 would be such a struggle that all of the joy of cruising would be gone.

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[steve_cronin]

All - in?

NO

Steve Cronin

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[Peppermint]

If it was possible, which I doubt, you'd have to ask WHY?????

Why on earth would you put yourself through it?

If your going to skimp on the rations are you going to skimp on the boat stuff too?

Unless you were a masochist or the subject of an experiment or maybe watched Bridge Over the River Qui to many times.

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[Birdseye]

living on all those vegetables, Jacket, you could probably sell the gas for £2 per week never mind buy it!

In western Europe the answer has to be a resounding "no". You wouldnt be able to buy enough food for 2 people for a week on £10, and life is more than food alone. Plus , boats need to be maintained etc

In the 3rd world - maybe. But the choice of boat is wrong since you wouldnt be able to get bits to repair the Hunter in, say, W Africa. You would need a boat that could be reapaired with native tools and materials.

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[squidge]

Surely that was £100.00 a week!/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif

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[themount2]

My thoughts entirely, had to be a misprint

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[cynthia]

Even then they'd be pushing it!!! Portugal is the cheapest place we've been so far (but then we haven't hit the E. Med yet) and we spent rather more than £100 per week. Maybe someone can give me tips on managing on a budget? Looks like a good subject for a book - rather like a diet book: compulsory to purchase just in order to ignore it.

Hope they have lots of fun. Cribbage is a good game, bridge might be out of the question unless they can afford to share a bag of crisps with the company!

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