Frugal retirement does not have to be mean denial or doing without. It is not necessary to eat dog food or dumpster dive. Does living on a sailboat sound good to you?
The recent economic mess we are experiencing is causing some shuffling...or worse canceling...of retirement plans. If you are retired or thinking about retiring you know what I am saying. Our retirement accounts have taken hits. You are not alone. Don't give up retiring just yet.
Have you thought of retirement lifestyles that are not only cheap but fun as well? We lived aboard a sailboat, in the Caribbean, for eight years...I know, someone had to do it. It was the highlight experience of our 35 year married life. We had a ball and did not spend much while we had fun.
How is sailboat life frugal or cheap? We lived on our boat, a 35 foot Island Packet, in the Caribbean. From the British Virgin Islands to the north, to Venezuela and Trinidad in the south. We spent around $1,000 a month while we were on the boat. We lived quite well and spent next to nothing. How are you going to spend a lot of money when you are anchored? The closest thing to spending money is a fisherman coming up with a lobster, conch or fish. Sometimes you can barter, fishermen need cold beer just like you and I.
You will have fun living on a sailboat...no surprise there. We enjoyed each island we came to...usually in the company of fellow boaters. We hiked and explored all of the island. We met locals that were very happy to share their island. We avoided the tourist places and experienced the real Caribbean, all without spending a lot of money.
How much did we know about sailing?...Not much. Please don't believe you have to be an old salt to live this lifestyle. Once you get to the islands (Windward's and Leeward's) your longest journey between islands is 90 miles or 16 to 18 hours. The islands are , save Anguilla and Anegada, very mountainous so you can see where you are going. Your GPS takes care of the tough stuff. What a great invention.
Living aboard a sailboat can be a fun and frugal way to retire. We enjoyed this this great way of living for eight years...so can you. - 31901
The recent economic mess we are experiencing is causing some shuffling...or worse canceling...of retirement plans. If you are retired or thinking about retiring you know what I am saying. Our retirement accounts have taken hits. You are not alone. Don't give up retiring just yet.
Have you thought of retirement lifestyles that are not only cheap but fun as well? We lived aboard a sailboat, in the Caribbean, for eight years...I know, someone had to do it. It was the highlight experience of our 35 year married life. We had a ball and did not spend much while we had fun.
How is sailboat life frugal or cheap? We lived on our boat, a 35 foot Island Packet, in the Caribbean. From the British Virgin Islands to the north, to Venezuela and Trinidad in the south. We spent around $1,000 a month while we were on the boat. We lived quite well and spent next to nothing. How are you going to spend a lot of money when you are anchored? The closest thing to spending money is a fisherman coming up with a lobster, conch or fish. Sometimes you can barter, fishermen need cold beer just like you and I.
You will have fun living on a sailboat...no surprise there. We enjoyed each island we came to...usually in the company of fellow boaters. We hiked and explored all of the island. We met locals that were very happy to share their island. We avoided the tourist places and experienced the real Caribbean, all without spending a lot of money.
How much did we know about sailing?...Not much. Please don't believe you have to be an old salt to live this lifestyle. Once you get to the islands (Windward's and Leeward's) your longest journey between islands is 90 miles or 16 to 18 hours. The islands are , save Anguilla and Anegada, very mountainous so you can see where you are going. Your GPS takes care of the tough stuff. What a great invention.
Living aboard a sailboat can be a fun and frugal way to retire. We enjoyed this this great way of living for eight years...so can you. - 31901
About the Author:
To get information on living on a sailboat. Gary P Pierce is the webmaster of frugal retirement living , he has experience in sailboat life and alternative fun, frugal ways to retire.
