Before buying our boat, we set a monthly spending goal of less than $3,000 a month / $100 a day. We’re sharing our Monthly Cruising Budget report every month to give some insight into what it costs to live, work and cruise aboard a sailboat.

April | Month 10 – $5,496.55 ($2,496.55 Over Budget)

While we made good progress south in the month of March, April took a bit of a strange turn when we realized that our raw water pump was leaking. It was a costly repair, and since we were still without a reliable dinghy and motor we decided it would make more logistical sense to be in a marina. The only problem was the daily rates were outrageous. With a big boat project looming, we decided to hole up for a month in Fort Myers at a marina. This piled on a second large and unexpected cost, but we made the most of it! We met up with some friends for a combined work trip/anniversary celebration and after making fast friends with our slip neighbors, Kirk tagged along for a day of wakeboarding.

We’ve now been over budget for 6 of the 10 months we’ve been tracking our expenses since buying the boat. But we’re having a blast!

Top 5 Expense Categories – April | Month 10 – Fixing Things in Non-Exotic Places

  1. Repairs – We had two big unexpected repairs. Our raw water pump started leaking and we noticed a crack in the main crankshaft pulley on the engine. Additionally our alternator hadn’t really been working at all since leaving the dock, and we were constantly starved for power. So we bought a new raw water pump, and a new alternator with an upgraded serpentine pulley kit to replace the non-working alternator and cracked pulley.
  2. Marina – We planned to stay in a marina for a couple of days to make repairs on the engine, but after  looking at our work schedule we decided a month was a better option. Unfortunately this was a large unexpected cost.
  3. Grocery – Somehow we still have a massive grocery bill.
  4. Equipment – We bought a bunch of new fishing gear, some bronze fittings for the water pump, some more LED lights and a few other odds & ends.
  5. Meals – We didn’t spend a whole lot less than normal on meals, it was just pushed down the list by other larger unexpected costs.

Included below is a chart that breaks down all expenses into their respective categories.

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Keep in mind…

Every person’s experience will be unique. We’ve decided to make long-term travel a lifestyle instead of a long sabbatical. Therefore, we are continuing to work while we travel, and have certain expenses associated with that work. It forces us to do things we otherwise wouldn’t if we were traveling for pure pleasure, but also gives us flexibility in other ways, too. We’re careful to not spend frivolously, but we’re not trying to travel as cheaply as possible. You won’t catch us trying to prove how frugal we are. (;