Frugal Retirement…Living Aboard a Sailboat
When you mention frugal living some immediately think of sacrificing and denial...frugal living does not have to be like that at all. Think of life living on a sailboat...that's fun not sacrifice.
The current economic mess is causing all of us to rethink our plans for the future, especially those of retired or thinking about retirement. We have seen big changes to our investment accounts...some are saying "I can't afford to retire now"...really, don't give up now.
Take a look at some retirement lifestyles that are not about sacrifice, they are just cheap ways to retire. We lived on a sailboat for eight years...in the Caribbean...it was fun... it was frugal. In our 35 year of married life it was the most rewarding experience we ever had.
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.
Living aboard a sailboat is lots of fun. What is not to like? We had experiences that were different on every island. Boat folks stick together and we would hike with other boaters all over the place. We interacted with locals and did things the tourists never experienced.
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.
If you want a fun and frugal way to enjoy retirement, take a look at living on a sailboat. It was the best eight years of our lives. You can do it too.
For more information on living on a sailboat. Gary P Pierce is the editor of frugal retirement living , he has enjoyed sailboat life and alternative enjoyable, frugal ways to retire.