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 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.
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.
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.
Do you need to be a life long sailor to enjoy this lifestyle? Far from it. Thanks to the GPS…a wonderful invention, navigation between islands is easy. In the Windwards and Leewards, your longest sail between islands is 90 miles…or about 16 hours. Except for Anegada and Anguilla, all the islands are mountainous and easy to see. You pick up most of the sailing skills you need as you go.
Frugal retirement living…have you considered living on a sailboat. We did for eight years and had the time of our lives. Enjoy.
For more information on living on a sailboat. Gary P Pierce is the webmaster of frugal retirement living , he has enjoyed sailing and other enjoyable, frugal ways to retire. You are welcome to reprint this article – but get your own unique content version here.
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