Frugal Retirement Living

By Gary Pierce

The recent economy has forced many to rethink or even postpone retirement. It is a shame that some do not consider retirement lifestyles that are cheaper than what they envisioned.

It is simply a matter of choosing between continuing to work and spend at the same rate or retire and look for ways to spend less. Among the lifestyles that are cheaper than living in a traditional home are:

1) Full time RVing ... many have discovered that the life with a steering wheel in the living room is not only cheap but a lot of fun as well. What is wrong with seeing all the National Parks as a retirement goal? It is a lot easier in an RV.

2) Park model living... there is a hot market for this lifestyle in the Phoenix area...where we have retired. How cheap?... a used 400 square foot, furnished home may cost as little as $15,000 in a gated community with activities galore. A new model over 1000 square feet will cost less than $80,000 in a more upscale gated community. Think of being on a land based cruise ship as you choose what to do each day. It is like a summer camp for the 55 and up set.

3) Live on a sailboat. We did so for 8 years in the Caribbean...from Trinidad to the US Virgin Islands. Once in the islands we spent around $1000 a month. Talk about a ball that is what we had. Swim trunks and a T-shirt, swimsuit and cover-up for the ladies, and we were dressed for fun.

All of these lifestyles involved downsizing in space. We went from an 1800 square foot house to a 35-foot sailboat, which had about 50 square feet of space. You do not have to do anything this drastic. However if you have the opportunity to retire from a big house to an apartment... well Nike has it right... just do it. You know it can be done.

The saddest scenario of all is for some to be fearful of running out of money and continuing to work. They are getting closer to their funeral and thus less time, if any, to enjoy retirement. These are the folks that should be retiring on less...it is far better than working to spend more.

Enjoy.

About the author: Gary Pierce is the webmaster of Frugal retirement living He retired early at 49, and is still retired at 64. He obviously has a wealth of experience in lifestyles that are both fulfilling and frugal.. It is 2009 and many are wondering if they can ever retire. Don't give up until you check out his website.

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