CHOOSING TO EXPATRIATE TO MEXICO: Save Money in Retirement AND Live Well!

CHOOSING TO EXPATRIATE TO MEXICO

Terry L. Turrell, Author, Living in Mexico

     I recently received a request for an interview with www.Expat.com (For Mexico) about our decision to expatriate to Mexico, i.e. to change our place of primary residency from the United States to Mexico. When I first thought about these interview questions, I realized that each answer could encompass an entire blog article or a complete chapter in one of my books. Some of these topics have been covered with the detailed answer in my book "Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico" available from Amazon.com. Others will be addressed extensively in my book "Retirement Before the Age of 59 (Healthy Living in Mexico #2)". But, for now, let me give an abridged answer to questions I am often asked about choosing to move to Mexico and deciding to become an expat.

Retirement Before the Age of 59 

Healthy Living in Mexico Book #2

Who are you, where do you come from, what were you doing before and what are you doing nowadays?

     Before moving to Mexico, I lived in Ashland, Oregon with my husband, Jon, and our long-hair miniature dachshund, Bella. I was a Traveling Pharmacist, covering vacations and days off for other pharmacists during the summer and fall months. When the gray November weather arrived in Ashland, we would load up our motorhome and drive away, headed for six months of sunshine south of the U.S. border. In the past year, we lived... To read more, click on:
Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico: CHOOSING TO EXPATRIATE TO MEXICO

MOVING TO MEXICO...OUR MOTORHOME WAS OVERLOADED! WHAT TO DO?

The Motorhome Was Packed for Our Move to Mexico

Dinette Area Was Packed Very Efficiently!

     Our move to Mexico required more work than we anticipated. As a result, I'm a bit behind on my writing. Here's my first catch-up article about our exciting move to Mexico.
     By October 21, Jon and I were ready to move to Mexico. The motorhome was packed and ready to roll! We had sold all of our worldly belongings except a few of our treasures, tools, and necessities. We felt free!
     We had done some research on the Expat Blog (now www.Expat.com (for Mexico) ) about whether to tow a trailer behind the motorhome to move our belongings to Mexico. The importation of personal property by land is allowed by Mexico, but only up to $300 per person (garage sale value) duty free. The consensus from the folks chatting on this Expat Blog discussion was that a trailer full of stuff might cause more scrutiny by the border guards. So we opted to cram as much as we could into our motorhome, trying not to overload it.
     Our carefully packed boxes, plastic containers, and black trash bags contained just enough for us to start our new life in Mexico. We planned to buy a casita, a small home with minimal furnishings, so we weren't bringing any furniture and very few dishes. The forty small "containers" of stuff we planned to bring didn't look like that much before we loaded it. But as we prepared to move our stuff into the motorhome, we realized the challenges were going to be:
     1. How to balance the load evenly throughout the motorhome, front to back and left to right. 

2. How to make sure we didn't overload the motorhome beyond the Gross Maximum Weight recommended by the manufacturer.      

3. How to keep the "containers" from shifting in transit.    

 Jon built the dinette area into a temporary cargo hold, using a finished sheet of plywood for the front of the cargo box. We carefully loaded it so the heaviest containers were toward the front of the RV since the rear tends to be heavy naturally with the gasoline, water, and sewer tanks. Then we secured the load with a cargo net.      

We decided that we would not use the slide on the dinette/sofa side of the motorhome while it was loaded this way to avoid the chance of damaging it. Jon shifted his heavy tools and air compressor to the storage units on the other side of the motorhome to balance the load. 
     

Shower Stuffed with Black Trash Bags Full of Linens

     The shower looked like another cargo hold to me. I lined the floor of it with anti-slip rug pad to protect the surface, and then filled the shower with our new trash containers packed with household items. I wrapped each container with a Mexican blanket to keep them from banging around. Then I filled the rest of the space in the shower with black trash bags full of blankets, pillows, and linens. I told Jon we could shower at the RV Park restrooms. No problem! We stuck a dowel in the shower track to keep the door closed during the drive, admired our work for a few moments, and proclaimed this a great packing idea. 

Bikes On the Back, Ladders, Fire Pit, Saw Horses, & More on Top

     Jon did a brilliant job of loading and tying down the large items onto the top and back of the motorhome. Each item that rested against the body or roof of the rig had padding to protect the body paint and the roof equipment. When he was finished, he had snuggled down a load that included a 20-foot extension ladder, an 8-foot ladder, two stepladders, a metal and tile fire pit, 2 shovels and a yard hoe, and 2 saw horses. The extended hitch held the spare tire and our two bikes covered with a tarp. It looked great! We decided that in order to minimize the weight we onboard, we would carry only enough fresh water to fill the tank one-fourth full. We would keep the Gray and Black Water Holding Tanks as empty as possible, and only fill the gas tank to about one-third full all the way to Sayulita. Jon added air to the tires until they were at 115 psi, the maximum recommended, so that they could handle the weight we had loaded in to our rig. It drove like a dream....well, like a boat, actually. Just a little sloppy, but otherwise pretty smooth.      

The next stop was a truck weigh station to check how well we had done on our weight and balance. First, we weighed the front half, with the 2 front tires on the scale: 7200 pounds. Then, we weighed the back half, with the 2 back front tires on the scale: 15,550 pounds! Oh no! The right side was fine at 3450 pounds, but the left side weighed in at 7700 pounds! We were not only 2000 pounds (ONE TON!) overweight, we were still running much heavier on one side than the other. We had to come up with a Plan B for transporting our stuff to Mexico!
     

A Stop in Klamath Falls, OR. to Purchase a Trailer

     After visiting out son and his family in Bend for the weekend, Jon decided we had to purchase a small trailer that would carry 2000 pounds of stuff and light the load in the motorhome. I searched for a trailer sales company that was open on Monday, and, surprisingly, there were none in Bend. I called around and found one that had just the right size trailer, but it was a three-hour drive away in Klamath Falls, Oregon. We headed for it, driving slowly and carefully, holding our breath that our motorhome would handle the trip. Four hours later, we arrived at Eddy's Great Outdoors, where the father and son team who owned the company were ready to help us get set up with a new trailer. Jon paid for the trailer and parts we needed to extend the tow hitch. The hitch needed to be long enough to allow for the spare tire and bike rack. They wasted no time hitting the trailer to our motorhome. 

Jon Attached to Hitch Extension

    We drove to a nearby Wal-Mart parking lot and spent a couple of hours moving all forty of our "containers" of personal items out of the dinette area and showering and arranging them in the trailer. We also moved some of Jon's heavy toolboxes into the trailer to lighten the motorhome as much as possible. We tied everything down with cargo nets and ropes. Now we could fill the gas tank, let some air out of the tires, and hit the road! The motorhome drove so much better; we knew we had done the right thing.
     But, on October 29, when we arrived in the Palm Springs area, we noticed the tow hitch was scraping pavement when we drove into a gas station. We checked it and realized that the hitch extension was sagging, causing the hitch to drag. We decided we had to move the bikes and bike rack into the trailer, which would require repacking the trailer. This was using up precious time, and we had a deadline for arriving in Mexico. We were supposed to do the final walk-through on the casita we were buying on November 7 and close the sale by November 10!

The Hitch Extension Started Sagging and Dragging

    Late that afternoon, we parked at a casino where we could boondock for the night and repack the trailer. A nasty sandstorm had started, so when we stepped out of the motorhome, we felt like we were standing in a giant sandblaster. We worked as quickly as we could to shift the boxes, making room for the bikes and bike rack, and then removing the extension on the tow hitch. By the time we were finished, everything was covered with sand, including us!

Repacking the Trailer in a Sand Storm

     On November 1, we arrived at the Mexican border. We knew the border guard would ask to inspect our trailer, and we had come prepared. We had learned from www.Expat.com (for Mexico)  discussions that having a list of items we were importing, written in Spanish, including the dollar values, ​​would expedite the inspection. I had labeled each container (box, tote, garbage can, etc.) with the "Container" number and contents. Jon had prepared an Excel spreadsheet that listed the Container Number, contents, and dollar value of each container with the total value at the bottom, just under $600 total. He had used SpanishDict online to translate the content names into Spanish. When Jon showed the border guard his list and pointed to the labels on some containers, he was satisfied. He only asked Jon to open two containers for inspection. Then he waved us on our way. Questions and answers we had received on www.Expat.com (for Mexico) , our research, and our preparation had paid off. We purchased our Tourist Visa and our Temporary Vehicle Permit for the motorhome, and then we were on our way to our new home in Mexico!

A Welcome Rest at Mar Rosa RV Park in Mazatlan

     We arrived at Mar Rosa RV Park in Mazatlan on November 3. We were grateful for a three-day stay at one of our favorite RV parks. We relaxed and enjoyed the city's weather, food, and beach. We now knew we would arrive at our Realtor's office in time to inspect the casita, wire our final payment, and sign the documents on the purchase of our new home.  It had been a trying trip, but worth it!

Read more in my book Retirement Before the Age of 59: Healthy Living in Mexico #2. What an adventure our move to Mexico was!

Thank you for reading my blog posts and books. I hope you'll leave a review of my books on Amazon!

Terry L Turrell, Author

Amazon Author Page

OUR LAST MOVING SALE!: We're Moving to Mexico!

Downsizing, Simplifying, and Moving to Mexico!

Our Sign May Not be Fancy, But it Worked!

     We have decided to become expats! I used to wonder what that really means. Now I have it figured out and we are ready to do it. We have decided to move to Mexico! Our primary home would no longer be the United States of America.
     But we still had two storage units full of stuff. A year ago, we packed all of our stuff into two storage units and moved into our 32 foot Southwind motorhome. We traveled and lived for six months in Mexico (See www.HealthyLivingandTravelinginMexico.blogspot.com ), traveled for a few months in the U.S., then decided to return to Mexico and explore the idea of purchasing a home in Sayulita. We found our dream casita (tiny home) and made an offer. After weeks of negotiations, we had a contract to buy our home. We were so excited to begin our move. Now we had to return to Oregon to deal with all of our stuff in storage.
     A 10 X 30 foot unit was crammed with furniture and boxes of household goods. Another 10 X 10 foot unit was packed with Jon's tools and workshop "furniture". Very little of that was going to fit in our motorhome, so we had to sort everything and decide what we would haul with us and what we had to sell or give away. This was the last moving sale we were ever going to have. But we were finally ready to let go of our beautiful Stickley furniture and antiques. The dilemma was where to arrange the items for showing so we could sell them.
   Thank goodness, our daughter, Michelle, and her husband, Chris, allowed us to move into their rental home for six weeks to stage our furniture to sell and unpack boxes of treasures. Jon started handyman repairs on the house to earn our "free rent". I started posting Craig's List Ads, answering email and phone inquiries about our items for sale, and selling our stuff. 

SOLD! Our Stickley Chairs Went to a New Home

     With limited time before we had to be back in Sayulita for the closing of our sale, we reduced prices weekly to "move the merchandise". September and October weather was sunny and warm, perfect for our weekend garage sales. As I unpacked a box of stuff, I sorted out what would go with us in the motorhome to Mexico, what we would give to family members, and the rest went out on our garage sale tables. What a relief it was to let go of all of this excess stuff! 

Moving Sale Eliminated Excess Stuff (NOT the RV!)

     I was so busy unpacking boxes, sorting stuff, loading the motorhome, and selling furniture that I didn't have time to babysit the sale of things I displayed on the driveway. I made price tags like the one below, with price points from 25 cents to $50 and stickered the merchandise as I put it out on the driveway. It was fun to see how much money showed up under our door mat. It showed that the majority of people are honest and would pay for whatever they took. The best part was I didn't have to haggle over prices!

 Our Unattended Moving Sale Price Tags

     It was so great to be living near two of our children and their families during this six week downsizing marathon. We were able to spend lots of time with them and get to know our two youngest granddaughters better.

Precious Time with Daughter, Michelle & Granddaughter, Juliet

Halloween Costume Shopping with Granddaughter, Brooklyn

      We knew it was going to be hard work to clearance our excess stuff, but we weren't prepared for how exhausting it would be, both physically and emotionally. Yet, it was all worth it. Every time a large piece of furniture was sold, we knew we were one step closer to simplifying our life. Soon we would be trading our expensive and chaotic life in the U.S. for a relatively inexpensive and tranquil life in Mexico.

This Nice Couple Bought Our Stickley Dining Room Set

Gary Purchased My Beautiful Roll Top Desk

      Michelle and Chris helped us even more by purchasing our Stickley Prairie Bed. Yes, we sold it, rather than give it to them. Each piece of furniture represented dollars we needed to retire in Mexico, and they understood that. (We did give them a nice discount on our bed and threw in several other pieces of furniture as a small "Thank You" for allowing us to live in their rental home free of charge.)

Chris, & Jon Load Our Stickley Bed into the U-Haul Truck

     Finally, the only furniture left in the house was a sheet of plywood across two sawhorses, doubling as our desk and dining room table, and two yard chairs that Michelle and Chris had loaned us. We knew it was time to clean the house, climb in our motorhome, and head for Sayulita, Mexico!

Our Table & Desk--A Sheet of Plywood Across Two Sawhorses

     Jon strapped an extension ladder, a step-ladder, the two sawhorses, and a fire pit that Michelle and Chris given us, to the top of the motorhome. He attached two more ladders and our bikes onto the back of the R.V. and proclaimed it ready to roll. I joked that we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies headed to California in their loaded jalopy truck. On October 24, we were on the road, moving to Mexico, just in time to avoid snow on the passes! 

Motorhome Loaded and Ready to Roll, On The Road to Mexico!

NO JOB, NO PAYCHECK! LIVE OFF OUR SAVINGS?!!

LEARNING TO BE FRUGAL

No More Doggie Spa Days? No Problemo!

More Money Than Time  
    I have to admit that I was pretty spoiled while I was working, earning a relatively good salary as a pharmacist. My philosophy was that while I was working full-time, I had more money than time, so I justified paying others to do the work that I didn't want to do. In my free time I wanted to do the things I enjoyed and I had the money to allow it. I had a cleaning service come every two weeks to clean our home. I had a window washer come every quarter to "do my windows". I pampered myself with a pedicure and a massage every month or two. I took my pharmacist smocks and slacks to be dry-cleaned. I took Bella, our miniature, long-hair dachshund, to the pet groomers to have her nails clipped and her hair bathed. You get the idea...I was spoiled and for many years I liked it that way. I refer to my own pampered life because I don’t like to point fingers at others. But, I believe that in the United States a large percentage of people of all classes pamper themselves, indulging in their own versions of daily indulgences. Ours is a country where if we want something, we buy it and worry about meeting our budget later.

      About a year ago, I started to realize that the paycheck, and my pampered lifestyle, wasn't enough to compensate me for the misery of my job as a pharmacist. (See blog post: #1 REASON FOR EARLY RETIREMENT: I'M BURNED OUT ON MY JOB AS A PHARMACIST ) I desperately wanted to get out of the rat race. I knew that if I retired before the age of 59, I would have no paycheck and no Social Security for another four years. I promised myself that I wouldn't touch my IRA Retirement Account until I absolutely had to, and not before age 59 1/2 when I wouldn't have to pay the I.R.S. the penalty required on early withdrawals. I became determined to change my lifestyle so I could quit my job and retire. Learning to be frugal was the key to simplifying my life and retiring before the age of 59.

Become Debt-Free
     How would I be able to live on my savings? It was not that much after I sold my condo, my car, and most of my superfluous stuff? The first thing was to become debt-free and stay that way. After paying off my home mortgage and the motorhome loan, it was an immediate financial relief to be payment-free and realize how much interest expense was eliminated. Over $1000 per month that had been going to financial institutions for interest alone was now staying in my bank account. I quit my job!

More Time Than Money
     Now that I was free from the grind of punching a clock and putting in my ten hours a day, I had more time than money. I was going to have to live a different lifestyle to stretch my limited funds. Mr. Money Mustache, a quirky blogger that I follow, figures that to retire early a family needs to have 25 times their annual spending set aside in investments to retire. His belief is that "you can count on your money making a 4 percent return per year over most of a lifetime. So if you don't spend more than 4 percent per year your money won't run out." By his calculations, "$600,000 in investments, plus a paid-off house.... is enough to generate $24,000 of spending money each year, which goes quite far if you have no rent or mortgage to pay."  To read Mr. Money Mustache's blog article about the 4 percent rule, click:  http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/29/how-much-do-i-need-for-retirement/ 

     We have the motorhome, which is our current full-time home, paid off. We didn't quite manage to put aside his recommended $600,000 in investments, but then we are older than he and his family so our money doesn't have to last quite as many years as his does. We do like to go out to eat a lot more often than Mr. Money Mustache, though, so we'll have to cut costs in other areas. And, we would like to invest around $100,000 in a home without wheels on a piece of dirt all our own someday. So, let's say that after we buy our little "brick 'n' mortar" home in paradise, we still have about $500,000 invested in our mutual and index funds. Using Mr. Money Mustache's 4 percent rule of investment income, Jon and I need to live on $20,000 per year, which is $1666 per month. That's going to be tough to budget since our biggest monthly expense is health insurance, running about $625 per month and that is with Jon receiving Medicare benefits. Luckily, Jon is receiving $1332 in Social Security benefits, so this brings our total estimated monthly income to $3000 per month. After paying our health insurance, that leaves $2375 per month to live on, $375 more than the Mustachian family lives on. But we aren't willing to give up going out for dinner three to four times per week. And we enjoy traveling and going on adventures occasionally. A lifestyle change in other areas is definitely in order if we are going to meet that budget!

Live in Our Motorhome Full-Time

Living in Our 32 Ft. Motorhome at Mar Rosa RV Park Mazatlán

    Our first decision was to save money by living full-time in our Class A Southwind motorhome. We eliminated property taxes, utility bills, home maintenance and landscape maintenance expenses. Some folks think living this way would be too confining. But, with two slides that expand the bedroom and living/dining area, it feels spacious during the short periods of time we spend indoors. Mostly, we follow the warm, pleasant climate and we live outdoors so our motorhome suits our needs fine. There are many article written on saving money while living in an RV. A couple of good ones to start with are:  RVing Full-Time While Living On Less by Stephanie Henkel and Frugal RVing Guide by Amanda Watson . 

Live In Mexico

     Our next conclusion was that we need to live in Mexico for nine to ten months each year to make that budget work. By most estimates I've read, and from our past experience, it costs about 50 percent less to live in Mexico than in the United States, depending on your lifestyle. Dru Pearson, in his book "Retire in Mexico - Live Better for Less Money", claims you can "Live the American Dream in Mexico for half the price." To view a free sample of his book, see "Retire in Mexico - Live Better for Less Money" on Amazon.com . 

     We plan to retire in Mexico, returning to Oregon for about two months each autumn to visit our family and friends. It’s a good thing we love Mexico! We can live the lifestyle we enjoy on half the money in Mexico! Read more about our experiences in Mexico on my blog: www.HealthyLivingandTravelinginMexico.blogspot.com. View a sample of my book on Amazon.com by clicking: "Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico" ebook on Amazon.com .

"Healthy Living and Traveling in Mexico" eBook

Live a Frugal Lifestyle

     After I quit my job and retired, the next step was to learn to live a more frugal lifestyle. How would I be able to live on my meager savings? The income from my investments has not been so good with the way the stock market has been performing this year. I was just going to have to learn to be frugal (and clean my own toilets). Some people will laugh at how silly this sounds; others will shake their heads at how this should be obvious. But really, many of us live lives of luxury in so many ways that we take for granted and it's hard to give up our little indulgences. Lattes from Starbucks, high-end smart phones, a new fancy car, iPods, iPads, the hottest new shoe style, and more, seem like our due for working hard.  As purchasing and spending becomes a habit, we begin to feel those little daily treats and gadgets are necessities. But, are they really?
    We have already cut our cost of living by becoming full-time RVers. We eliminated the high expenses of property taxes, utility bills, upkeep and other costs of owning a home in the United States. Our 32 foot Class A motorhome with two slides has been a very comfortable and inexpensive home that also gives us the luxury of traveling in the United States and Mexico. But, that didn't cut out costs enough. We need to stretch our savings even more!
     I started to scrutinize my expenses to weed out any unnecessary luxuries. I have given up some things that others would scoff at, such as my cell phone and my car. But that is because going out to dinner three or four times a week is more important to me than talking or playing on a phone. Living in a small town where I can get daily exercise by walking and riding my bike is more important to me than owning a car. I realize that we all have different priorities, but these are the ways I have drastically cut my expenses and am able to live with no job and no paycheck.

Share One Meal When We Go Out for Dinner

Sharing One Meal Saves Money (& Calories!)

     Most evenings when we go out for dinner, we share one salad and one main course, saving ourselves a significant amount of money. In addition, this increases our vegetable intake and we cut the amount of carbohydrates and calories we ingest. Our pocketbooks and our bodies are healthier!

Cancel My Cell Phone Service and Use Skype
      When we started living full-time in our motorhome, we both cancelled our cell phone service plans. We use Skype internet phone service on our computers and tablets, Jon's iPad and my Samsung Galaxy. This works well in most places in the United States and wherever we have Wi-Fi in Mexico. For $2.99 US dollars per month, I can make unlimited phone calls within the United States and Mexico. Many people are amazed that we no longer have cell phones. We met a very nice Mexican woman in Mazatlán and began exchanging email addresses so we could connect each other again later. When she asked for our cell phone number and we told her we don't have a cell phone, she said, "You don’t have a phone?! I've never known anyone like you." Jon and I explained to her that our jobs entailed years of constantly listening to phones ringing, answering the phone, and talking on the phone so that now we are both allergic to the phone. These days, just the sound of a ringing phone causes us to have a moment of anxiety. The truth is, we do keep an inexpensive GSM phone that takes sim cards in the U.S. and in Mexico, but only for emergency use.

Do I Really Need a New Bathing Suit?

That Suit from 2012 Can Last Till 2016!

     Before I purchase any new item of clothing, I ask myself, "Do I really need that, or am I just having a moment of wanting it?" To save money, I rarely purchase new clothing items and when I do, it has to be something that will last for years. For instance, when I bought my new bathing suit in 2012, I purchased a good quality one that would last me four year if I took good care of it. Yes, it was $80 U.S. Dollars, but with hand-washing, it will last me well into 2016 or longer. That's only $20 per year of wear. (In addition, there is incentive to avoid gaining weight which would require me to purchase a new one in a larger size!)

No More "Dry Clean Only" Clothing
     Every piece of clothing in my closet that had a "Dry Clean Only" label was donated it to Goodwill after I retired. No need for my pharmacist smocks or slacks any longer, so no need for Dry Cleaning. That saved me $40 to $50 U.S. Dollars per month.  I no longer purchase clothing that requires Dry Cleaning, and who needs that fancy stuff while living in a beach town in Mexico, anyway!

How Many Pairs of Shoes Do I Really Need?

I Splurge on My Zumba Shoes!

     Our shoe expenditures really dropped when we retired, especially when we live in Mexico more than half the year. All we need now is a couple of pairs of flip-flops, a pair of tennis shoes for hiking and playing golf, and of course,  Zumba shoes! I admit that I splurged on two good pairs of Zumba shoes at about $75 US dollars per pair. I justify that expense because proper shoes are a basic for my exercise program of Zumba two to three days a week. Gotta have fun and stay healthy!

No More Brazilian Blow-Outs!
     I've learned to live with my beach-frizzy hair and save about $500 yearly, the amount I spent on the Brazilian hair smoothing treatment. Hair color cost in a salon in Mexico is much less expensive, varying from 200 pesos (about $12.50 US dollars) to 350 pesos (about $22 US dollars), depending on the town we are in, saving me at least $40 US dollars per month from the prices I pay in Oregon. Periodically, I splurge on a haircut while in Mexico for about 200 pesos (about $12.50 US dollars).

Bella's Dog Grooming at Home--No More Doggie Spa!

Bella Enjoys Her Home Grooming Sessions

Quality Health Care in Mexico Saves!
     We had an excellent first experience with dental cleaning in Mazatlán, Mexico this past year. We saved more that 50 percent and received a better cleaning than in the United States. Paty Ascencio D.D.S., trained at the University of Guadalajara, did our cleaning personally, a very thorough job. She spoke English and was very personable, putting us at ease immediately. The cost was 700 pesos (about $43 US dollars) as compared to the $91 US dollars I paid in the United States six months previously. We are ready to find a physician for our family doctor when we return to Mexico next year.

Prescription Medication
     Speaking as a pharmacist and as a patient, the biggest cost savings when purchasing prescription medication comes from buying generic medication, whether in the United States or Mexico. Whenever possible, we ask our physician to switch our brand name medication to one that does the same job and has a generic equivalent. The second major cost-saving step, if the medication is relatively inexpensive, is to bypass the insurance and pay cash for a one year supply while we are in the United States. For more expensive medication, we buy the maximum allowed by our insurance (30 or 90 days) while in the U.S. and then pay cash for the balance needed for the year or buy our medication for the rest of the year at pharmacies in Mexico. Each prescription medication requires price checking between pharmacies and comparisons of price versus quantity filled to stretch our dollars (or pesos).

Stay Healthy to Avoid Medical Bills
    We live a healthy lifestyle so we can stay as healthy as possible, minimizing the expense of Health Care services. We have an annual preventative check-up with our physicians in Oregon which is covered by our health insurance. Two expenditures that pay off--vitamins and vaccinations to improve our health. Another expense we budget for is exercise classes such as yoga, Zumba, and Pilates two to three times per week. Regular exercise is an investment that pays off in improved health and few medical bills.

Give Up My Monthly Massage?!!!
     When I quit my stressful job, I found that the knots in my neck and shoulders disappeared and I didn't need that monthly massage. I still enjoy an occasional relaxation massage and may treat myself to one as my birthday gift for the "Big 59". A 50 minute massage in Sayulita, Mexico is only 400 pesos (about $25 US dollars) as compared to the $75 US dollars that it costs me in Oregon. Ahhh, pure pleasure on occasion is still in my budget.

Do It Myself Home Pedicure

Home Pedicures Save Me $80 U.S. Dollars!

     I've learned to do my own pedicures at home, a rather amateurish version that looks perfectly fine when viewed from five or six feet above. This saves me $80 US dollars per month over prices I paid in Oregon and about 300 to 400 pesos in Mexico, depending on the city (about $18 to $25 USD). Pedicures are a relaxing ritual, even when I do them myself. And I save enough money to go out to dinner that evening!

Boondocking at American Indian Casinos and Prime Rib
     When we are traveling in the United States in our motorhome and find ourselves in the mood for dining out on a fine prime rib or salmon dish, we look for an American Indian Casino. They allow free overnight parking which saves us $30 to $50 on RV Park fees. The campsites are quiet, though nothing special, but the restaurants are generally excellent. We save enough by boondocking to treat ourselves to a delicious prime rib dinner at the casino steakhouse. To find an Indian Casino near you, click this link: http://www.indiancasinos.com/ . Another app we use to find free camping spots is Allstays Camp and RV . The campgrounds marked as "OP" on this app are free overnight parking places which are especially useful when we find ourselves traveling late in the evening and just need an overnight safety rest stop.

Boondocking at Casino del Sol in Tucson, AZ

Eliminate International ATM Fees
    Using a bank such as Charles Schwab Bank which reimburses all ATM fees, including those charged at international ATMs. Since we pay for everything with cash now, ATM fees can add up.

I Don't Need All Those Cosmetic Products
     I'm retired with no one to impress. Jon likes me without make-up; that's all I need to know. Cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen are all I need now and the savings are over $200 per year.

My Old Computer Can Last One More Year (Or Two)
      The "B" key on my computer quit working and the estimate for the "B" key repair was over $300--no way am I paying that! Jon figured out how to reprogram my "5" key into a "b" key. It was amazing to me how quickly my brain reprogrammed itself to always type a "b" by pressing the "5" key. The mouse pad hasn't worked for years, but I never used it anyway. This old Toshiba laptop still works fine as long as I don't need speed. Since I've slowed the pace of my life down, I can wait a few seconds longer for uploads and do large downloads during the night. It's all part of my goal to simplify my life.

Don't Buy More Stuff
     We still window shop occasionally, but we don't buy home decor, sports equipment, electronics, music CDs, DVD movies, or toys. We find ways to use what we already own, borrow movies, and listen to YouTube music for free. If we can't resist purchasing a new item, it has to be to replace one that is broken, or we have to sell an item we already own first. One exception: if a new item allows us to live in a more eco-friendly manner, we may purchase it. A perfect example is the new Euro Cuisine Automatic Yogurt Maker we ordered from Amazon.com. That eliminated one or two 32 ounce plastic containers per week coming into our household. We justified this new toy because it helps minimize the use of plastic, thereby helping our environment.

Cut Out Cable TV, Netflix, and Pandora
     We would rather read than watch television, anyway--much more peaceful!

Thank Goodness Jon can Fix Anything (Almost)!
     Jon saves us an incalculable amount of money by fixing things before they become big problems. I give him a hard time about the spare parts and tools he carries, but I am truly thankful that he is able to keep things working well in our motorhome, saving the cost of repairs at an RV service center. Jon has repaired or replaced cabinet hinges, cabinet and drawer latches, the water pump, latches on the outside storage compartments, screen door latch, screen door screen, sewer shut-off blade-valve, slide awning, window shade stringing, and more. I’m lucky to have such a great handyman.

Breakfast & Coffee at Home
     We regularly have a simple, healthy breakfast at home to save money and calories. There are endless, tasty ways to prepare yogurt, fruit, and nuts, so why pay someone to make me a smoothie or bowl of granola? We did splurge with our Keurig coffee machine, but I have calculated that we actually waste less coffee by making one single-serve cup at a time. We spend about 35 cents per cup when we use the 95 percent Bio-Degradeable OneCups (environmentally friendly) from the Rogers Family Company. We no longer grind the beans for a pot of coffee, drink half, and then throw the other half away when it starts to taste burnt. Eliminating those $2.50 lattes at the coffee shop saves hundreds of dollars each year!

Lunch at Home or At an Inexpensive Taco Stand

Use Refillable 5-Gallon Bottles Water Bottles
     We use two five gallon water bottles that we refill with purified drinking water at the grocery stores in the United States for $1.00 to $2.00 per five gallons. In Mexico a water service company truck comes to our motorhome and replaces our empty bottle with a full bottle of water for 20 pesos (about $1.20 US dollars). This eliminates purchasing single serving plastic water bottles, saving money and the environment.

Limit Alcoholic Beverages
     Our goal is to have only one glass of wine or one margarita per day. Some days that one glass is larger than others...

Cut the Junk Food Out!
     Don't even purchase it! If it's not in the house, we won't eat it on impulse. No potato chips, rarely soda, occasionally cookies or ice cream or we share a dessert when we dine out. We do keep a bag of dark chocolate kisses and dove chocolates and have one or two a day to satisfy the chocolate craving.

Ditch the Car

Riding Bikes to the Grocery Store in Parker, AZ

     When I sold my two-year old Prius Plug-In Hybrid, it physically hurt me to see the new owner drive it away. But that added a large chunk of change to my savings account and eliminated my biggest expense, auto insurance. It also eliminated the costs of gasoline, electricity to charge the battery, and maintenance. Learning to live without a car was easier than I expected. We walk and ride our bikes more, which has the additional health benefit. We ride the bus in most cities and take a taxi when necessary. This was a huge step in our goals of living a frugal lifestyle and minimizing our impact on our environment.

Reduce Accountant's Fees by Simplifying Life
     No job, no paycheck, no W-2s or 1099s..... simple tax return.

Now I Understand the Phrase: "I have a Limited (or Fixed) Income"
     During my days as a pharmacist, I frequently heard the senior citizens exclaiming about the high prices of prescription medication and informing me in a distressed voice, "I have a limited income!" or "I live on a fixed income!" At that time, I often thought, "Yeah, don't we all". But, now I understand that it is scary when you retire and there is no regular paycheck coming in. I often find myself thinking, "What else can I cut out so we can live on our limited income?" Lately, with the stock market plummeting,  I've modified the question to "What can we cut out to live on our diminishing income?" The best answer we've come up with is "Move to Mexico where our dollar is worth much more and life is more relaxing".

Bella Digging, Jon Relaxing at Sunset in Mazatlan