|
Zen & the Art of Virtual Retirement
|
|
|
|
So, if I'm not proposing any kind of get-rich-quick scheme or advocating anything immoral or illegal (& I'm willing to bet it's less fattening, too), then just what AM I proposing?
Why aren't more people living their dreams? I honestly don't know. I R only a high school grad-u-ate, so I can't be talking rocket science here, either.
Life is what happens while we're waiting on something else. Ever said to yourself, "If only I had the time to do this or the $$ to do that, or next year, we're going there on vacation!"? How do we spend our time vs. how do we want to spend it? How do we balance the relationship between physical needs, emotional wants and social expectations? How much time are we spending supporting others' expectations as opposed to our own? I used to reward myself for a long, hard week at work with a nice dinner, dancing or the movies with friends, trips to the river to go tubing & occasional long weekend trips to the coast. I was living to work (and support all those social expectations and political agendas) instead of working to live and support my own. And I do have my own agendas, thank you very much!
So, get ready to open your mind & explore a slightly different frame of reference. That's all it boils down to. Really!
|
|
|
|
|
As The 'Hood Turns
|
Just about everyone's largest expense every month is housing. Conventional wisdom says approximately 1/4th of income. People spend many hundreds of $$ every month for a place to live. Does someone who earns $80K/yr really need more personal space than someone earning $5.50/hr; or is it merely a bigger & nicer place to store more & nicer accumulated stuff? My monthly outlay for rent/water/sewer/garbage/electricty usually runs me about $175. That's it, about $175/mo. Electricity included.
The key is to own your own home. "HA!" you say derisively. You knew there had to be a catch. And there is: Home is where you find it.
Every day in the classifieds, you'll find homes for sale, ranging from several hundred $$ to a few hundred thousand $$ (& more). Forget the 'Homes For Rent/Sale' section & go find the RV (recreational vehicle) section (or the Mobile Homes For Sale if you have several children). In this section, I've found travel trailers starting as low as $500 & motor homes as low as $2500. My first home after The Break-Up was a smallish travel trailer I bought for $750, which was about what apartment deposits would've run. I lived in it almost a year in a mobile home park which had a sizeable "snowbird" population. Comfortably, safely & for less $$ than it would have cost to move into an apartment complex with comparable amenties - low crime area, swimming pool, laundry room, walking distance to shopping, etc. Yes, it was small, but I learned I really didn't need to live in a house or an apartment - I no longer had much stuff to put in one. I saved a lot of money during that time, both in rent and impulse shopping. I no longer had much space to put stuff in and so I gradually replaced my recreational shopping habits with other hobbies. I still visited with my friends & they visited me & I still did all those other things which I enjoyed. I paid $150/mo for the lot instead of $500 or $600 (or more) for a house/apartment. What I used to work one week for every month now required 1.5 days. Paid off all my bills, sold the trailer for about what I paid for it & bought a school bus. I paid $800 for that bus (which I still have, by the way, tho I'm thinking of replacing it with something newer) & I've spent about $2200 on it - from new tires & brake system to the AC in the window & the appliances in the kitchen. But I spread all that outlay over a period of 2 yrs, instead of coughing it up all at once. (Originally, I had saved up enuff for a nice 4 or 6 week camping vacation - I had worked hard and I deserved some R&R, right? Well, I'm still on vacation.) My home is arranged the way I need & want it instead of someone else's idea. For example, I need a workshop for my stained glass & other projects, so my 'living room' is outside the bus.
And that's the catch. Your largest single expense pared from several hundred $$ to less than $200. With the added advantage of mobility! If you find you don't like your neighbor's habits or you don't like the weather &/or you're ready for a change of scenery - MOVE! My bus gets about 8.5 mpg which ain't great, but I'm moving my entire home & my Datsun pick-up truck. A large vehicle towing a travel trailer doesn't get much better mileage. My large truck got about 12, and even when not towing, it sucked up the gas, so I eventually traded it. And I never have to worry about finding a rest room on the road, either. Nor do I have to find a Mickey D's & pay for my meals if I don't want to.
|
|
|
|
|
Another Great Cheap Eats Recipe:
|
Oat Meal Pancakes
2 C milk
1 1/2 C Quik oats, uncooked
1 C sifted all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 C veg oil
Pour milk over oats; let stand. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt & sugar. Stir eggs into oats-milk mix. Add sifted dry ingredients. Stir in oil. Bake on hot, lightly greased griddle or skillet til golden brown, turning only once. Serve hot with syrup, jam, jelly or preserves, etc.
Variation: Sprinkle 1 of the following on pancakes before turning: chopped apples; finely chopped luncheon meat; cooked corn; crumbled cooked sausage; chopped cooked ham.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
