My son is a university student, he receives a grant of £3,000 (,000) a year and somehow finances his life with that. I asked him how he manages on so little. He replied that the only things he spends money on are rent and food. He said he lives on 'Rice and ketchup'. For the time being he's happy enough with his lifestyle, but let me tell you about an alternative to penny-pinching for adults with a low income.
Actually, I'm going to re-phrase that. The problem is not having too low an income, it's the cost of living in countries including the USA, Canada, Ireland and Britain that is too high. But you you know that already if your home is in one of those places.
How To Decorate And Live Well
To fill up a shopping cart at the supermarket costs a hundred pounds or the same in dollars. A cup of coffee in Starbucks is two dollars, a haircut is ten bucks and a short ride on a city bus .45. I guess some people take this in their stride, I don't. Those prices seem outrageous to me. Perhaps it's tolerable if you are on a big wage, but some of us aren't and have little prospect that we ever will be.
It appears that there are just two ways to adapt to this situation. Either you are very careful to spend only a minimum and always look for the cheapest options, from food to clothing and housing costs. Or you focus on pushing up your income by getting a better job or doing longer hours. But what kind of life is that? Depressing and tiring, I'd say. You have little time for yourself and your family and when you are home what you need most is a chance to get some sleep and relax.
For many years I put maximum energy into building up a business to make the income needed to live the consumer lifestyle. But doing so drained me and there came a point when I didn't feel like battling on. Despite earning a lot, I still had a bank overdraft and credit card debts.
Then I took a radical step and moved to a cheaper country. It was a revelation; I discovered that the intense effort required to make a living in the rich, or should I say rip-off, countries is unnecessary. You don't have to work like a dog to live well. In fact you can have a very pleasant life on just a fraction of the money you've required in your homeland.
Why don't more people do this and live where a dollar goes far further? Part of the reason is the assumption that reduced living costs mean a poorer quality of life. In my opinion it's actually the opposite; With lower outgoings you don't need to work so hard or for so long hours. The result is that you can relax and enjoy life very much more. There is nothing to stop you taking some free time to do the things which make life fun. Perhaps you like golf, tennis or sailing. Whatever your favourite leisure activity, having the chance to do it when you choose makes a great improvement to your quality of life.
An issue that may concern you when thinking about moving abroad is whether you can earn money in your new country. The short answer is that in any part of the planet where you can get an internet connection you have the possibility of generating an online income.
Where to move to? There are many possible locations. I chose Mexico and recommend it highly, but there are many other interesting possibilities. Obviously some places are not suitable, but there are more that are.
The list of factors to consider when thinking about living abroad continues with housing, local language, distance from friends and family, healthcare, education for children, crime-risk, pests, climate and more.
I've experienced life in 6 countries and have described the advantages and drawbacks that I found in these places in an article you will probably find interesting.
Here's wishing you a happy ex-pat future.
How to Live Well on ,000 a Month
Why Work, Retire Now [http://www.27ways.ca/why_work_retire_now.htm]
How to pay less for Any Air Ticket [http://fly-business-class-cheap.27ways.ca/]