Cheap Retirement Living will help you to live well and live within your means when retired or semi-retired because many of us are concerned that we won’t have enough income to last out our remaining days once we finish full time employment. This site will demonstrate how easy it can be to live well and well within your means. Whatever those means may be, living within them is the ideal state of your affairs and it is achievable – and this web site will explore how YOU can achieve sustainable, enjoyable, affordable retirement living both at home and in selected overseas locations.

Cheap Retirement Living is all about just that, living cheaply in retirement. Not living like a pauper or subsisting from pension check to pension check on pet food and pitying looks. Living with dignity and with a zest for life on a shoe string budget. Making the most of every resource you have and discovering all those resources you never knew were there for you to use.

Living cheaply does not mean living in fear or living on the wrong side of the tracks. Location is important and we will look at how to live where you want to and, enjoy doing so. Or, having the freedom to live wherever you want, whenever you want to and enjoying the journey inbetween as you move from place to place. Staying safe, secure, fit and healthy as well as happy and in control of your own destiny as much as Life will ever allow any of us to call the shots.

Whether you live where you have always lived or you sell up and relocate overseas, perhaps to the Philippines, Mexico, Costa Rica or Tasmania – maybe you hit the road or go to sea – with your life partner, your new soul mate or all by yourself – Cheap-Retirement-Living will be your companion resource for ideas, inspiration and information.

Then Take Care To Make Sure You Make It!

In February a trainer at Florida’s Sea World was killed by a Killer Whale (Orca) after her show. Apparently she lay down too close to the whale and her pony tail fell into the water. Curious, the whale grabbed the ponytail in its teeth and started to play with it. She was dragged around by the whale and died before other trainers could rescue her. A simple mistake she paid for with her life. The Avenue of Harm? Nature. Yet it is also a case of workplace ‘violence’ and safety.

Not something we usually think of when it comes to workplace safety however the trainer was at work and she did lose her life. Just today there is a report of a zoo keeper in Shanghai killed by a tiger. Apparently he forgot to lock the cage. Simple mistakes like that do get you killed. Again, it happened in his place of work and it was via the Nature Avenue of Harm.

Where do you work? What do you do? How could you die at work today?

Originally published www.perrygamsby.com Copyright P.Gamsby 2010 Used With Permission

South America offers a wide range of retirement destinations and many of them are both safe and affordable. From the tropical north to the temperate south there is a range of climates and countrysides to choose from. South America offers the retiree far more than many at first think. We will explore these options as we build this section of the web site.

Description South America, the planet’s 4th largest continent, includes (12) countries and (3) major territories. It contains the massive Amazon River and surrounding basin – the largest tropical rain forest in the world; the toothy-edged Andes Mountains, that stretch the entire length of the continent, and some of the most diverse and spectacular landforms on the planet.

Continent Size: 17,819,000 sq km 6,879,000 sq miles
Percent of Earth’s Land: 12%
Population: 379,500,000
Highest Point: Cerro Aconcagua Andes Mountains, Argentina – 22,833 ft (6,959m).
Lowest Point: Peninsula Valdes Argentina coastline -151 ft (-40m) below sea level.

Passive Income – Make Money While You Sleep!

Passive Income is money that you make from work you did once, yet you keep making money without any or much further activity on your part. Royalties from books, songs and movies or dividends from investments in stocks and bonds are all examples of this ideal source of retirement funding.

Most of us earn our living by exchanging time for money. Our time for the employer’s money. During the time we give the employer we perform various actions on their behalf. This is a finite method of income earning because we can only work so many hours in each day. Even if we billed for being on call 24/7 at a great hourly rate, there is still a cap on our earning potential dictated by the number of hours times the hourly rate.

If we owned a business where we charged out other people’s time and took a percentage of that income then we can multiply the income by the number of people working for us but we are still limited by the number of available hours and the hourly rate. Then we have to deal with the personnel issues that will arise. The more personnel you have earning you income, the more issues that will arise. And we are supposed to be retired, remember?

The solution is to earn passive income and when we consider we are exploring ‘cheap’ retirement living then we don’t need a great deal of income, passive or otherwise. A part time job might do the trick but again we are swapping time for money. Wouldn’t it be better if we could invest some time and effort now, and then enjoy the continued income that time and effort generates for weeks, months even years to come?

That is Passive Income. Click on the links below to get some ideas and direction on various passive income

Nature’s Threats – All Creatures Great And Small

Nature’s Threats are some of the most varied and violent you will ever have the misfortune to encounter. From microscopic germs and viruses to giant, warm blooded mammals intent on eating you alive. Snakes, spiders, sharks, dogs, poisonous plants and insects that can kill you as sure as any assassin’s bullet.

Most of us live in cities and within those cities in homes that are, at least on the surface, free of pests and dangerous animal life. Yet even in the cleanest of homes, germs can survive long enough to cause harm. Some of the deadliest diseases known to modern science lurk in the cleanest of hospital wards, Golden Staph and many more we haven’t even learnt of their existence yet.

I have a saying, “If you don’t want to risk being bitten by a shark, simply stay out of the water!” This category covers all the creepy crawlies, bities, carnivores and things that can eat you. There is no creature on this planet that includes humans on their menu except if and when the opportunity arises. Imagine how different life would be if there were a species out there that actively hunted us for food, much as we hunt or farm many animals, birds and fish.

If you are visiting or living in an island nation then there will most likely be times when you either travel across the water or spend some time in it. Trust me, there are worse things in there than sharks!

Most shark attacks occur at dawn or dusk or night when sharks feed, in murky water and near the mouths of rivers. That’s where the fish usually are. On average 12 people every year are killed by sharks compared to millions of sharks being killed by humans. Mostly for the Chinese shark fin trade and one reason I never dine in any Chinese restaurant that serves shark fin soup.

I have dived with several types of shark and I hold the belief that you won’t get bitten by the shark you can see! If you can see it then you can confront it and most sharks won’t risk a confrontation just to find out if you are edible. Not worth the risk/reward equation for them.

What is far more dangerous are the unseen stingers that inhabit the waters. Box jellyfish and the almost invisible Irukandji marine stinger do inhabit some local waters. They can be lethal. Less dangerous but extremely painful are Hydroids. I was hit with a Hydroid sting on the leg (aka Hydrozoa) and five years later still have the scarring. It is a nasty, jellyfish like organism that stings and causes a lot of pain for a long time! They can have a medusa stage like a jellyfish and also a polyp stage and look like coral. Best advice is to wear a wet suit or stinger suit and never touch anything underwater!

There are stonefish, razor clams, cone shells and other assorted marine creatures that can do you harm but you have to be unlucky to fall afoul of one unless you try to play wildlife expert and catch something. Although highly venomous, the dozen or so species of sea snakes you may encounter are mostly timid and rarely bite unless roughly handled. So don’t handle them!

Should you retire overseas, say in the Philippines, on land there are ten species of venomous snakes including four types of cobra and three species of pit viper. There are also three species of Sea Krait that inhabit both land and sea! There are also constrictor snakes such as the Reticulated Python (up to 30ft long, with 20ft quite common) and they have been known to kill goats and dogs and even small people. In 1998 in Lucena a 2 month old baby was eaten by a python as he lay sleeping in his cot.

North America has several species of Rattlesnake as well as Cottonmouths,Copperheads, Coral snakes and more. Australia has more of the world’s most venomous species than anywhere else; Taipans, Death Adders,Browns, Blacks, Tigers and a range of sea snakes. Central America and the Caribbean also hold many slithering surprises with the Fer de Lance, various vipers and a collection of coral snake varieties. Costa Rica alone has 135 varieties of snake with 17 of them venomous!

The good news is that snakes prefer not to bite you as they can’t eat you and would muh rather be left alone. If you are bitten and you can safely kill and collect the snake (for identification purposes) then do so; however most people are bitten when they try to catch the snake for a closer look in the first place! If you want a close look, subscribe to Animal Planet on cable TV and sit next to the screen!

When it comes to spiders there are only two or three species to worry about, but never forget the vicious bites from centipedes and millipedes and numerous other insect species as well as the Dengue and Malaria carrying mosquitoes. You may also find yourself far enough in the boondocks to be at risk from crocodiles. In Palawan and Southern Mindanao in particular as well as tropical Australia the estuarine or saltwater crocodile can be found. Florida, one of the retirement capitals of the world has more Alligators than they can manage. As anywhere in the world, it pays to see if any of the locals are swimming before jumping in, no matter how hot the day may be!

Far more likely though would be an encounter with a dog. Although most Third World dogs are small and easily scared away, rabies is present in the country and you may be bitten by a rabies infected animal. I make it a rule never to pet stray animals and once you have seen the wretched condition of the average dog or cat roaming the streets I doubt you would want to get too close to one.

Monkeys can also carry rabies and other diseases and they have been known to bite the hand that feeds them. Unless you are on a primate studying expedition I would keep well away from them. Bats and rats can also pass on infections so keep covered up when you sleep in the boonies! Even domestic animals such as chickens, goats and pigs as well as the much larger cows, horses, donkeys and carabao (aka water buffalo) can pose a risk. Why bother? I leave the animal husbandry to the locals and have never had a problem. Of course when my inlaws and I were breeding pigs it got rather hands on at times but that to my mind is different to someone just visiting for a few weeks vacation.

If nothing else, be aware that ‘Nature” is unpredictable. My girls are forever asking me if this or that animal bites. I am forever reminding them that if it has teeth, then it can bite. Don’t feed it your fingers!

Natural Threats – Managing A Mean Mother Nature!

The reality is none of us can control Mother Nature and her moods, especially when she is in a mean one! There are parts of the world where she is meaner more often than other places… these are places to avoid at all costs but unfortunately some of us have little choice. We either have to live where we do or we are there at the wrong time, whether we like it or not.

Floods, fires, earthquakes, storms, blizzards, tsunami, landslides, avalanche, typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones, lightening strikes, any ‘natura disaster’ or, as insurance companies are fond of claiming in order to deny liability; ‘acts of God’.

We often forget that we don’t control our world as much as we think we do. While we can predict and forecast bad weather far more accurately there is little if anything we can do to change what will happen. Knowing we are about to be hit by a severe typhoon/hurricane/cyclone is one thing but what can you do to stop it? Nothing!

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts, forest fires, mud slides, tsunami’s and blizzards are all potentially life threatening. If not directly then as a result of conditions caused by the event. A storm might knock out the power for a day and during that time gangs roam the darkness looking for easy targets. You might be evacuated in the face of an approaching flood only to return and find the house high and dry yet cleaned out by looters. What if you catch a couple of them in the act? The threat category then changes to Man-Made Direct but more of that later.

More appropriately for this division is what will you do to survive with no power, no fresh water and no food other than what is already in the cupboards? Natural risks are present whenever we find ourselves in the classic survival situation; alone in the wilderness with a knife and little else kind of thing. Lucky you have the knife, right?

You don’t have to be the survivor of a plane crash in the desert or jungle to be confronted with natural threats to your life. You might even be playing a round of golf and a sudden electrical storm finds you the tallest object around for some distance holding up a metal lighting rod called a five iron! Do you take cover under the trees off in the rough? Haven’t you always been warned never to stand under trees in a storm? Do you lie down in the open and get soaked? Do you keep on playing and figure the odds are in your favour?

None of these choices are a problem until you get it wrong and the dice roll the other way for you. Zap! You get hit with a zillion volts and thrown across the green. Your buddies panic and run for help and you lie there in the rain wondering if you are going to survive this unforeseen drama. Surely this is as life threatening and worthy of personal protection planning as getting mugged at the ATM one night?

If you have never been a victim of Mother Nature, take some time now to research the natural hazards you may encounter. Floods, typhoons, mud slides and whatever else. Check out the weather and the seasons, even getting heatstroke is avoidable yet surely it is as potentially dangerous as being mugged?

Mexico!

Mexico is a large and varied country that offers much promise for the retiree but of late has acquired a reputation in some areas of being the ‘Kidnap Capital of the World’. We will build this page with more information and explore that statement in due course.

Man Made Indirect Threats – ‘Nothing Personal’ But No Less Dangerous!

MAN-MADE INDIRECT is the category for any time you are at risk of harm from something made by man. Cars, trains, boats, airplanes, motorbikes, trucks, even breaking down by the side of the road or being stuck in an elevator. Fires in buildings are rarely due to ‘natural causes’. The very location of the fire is man-made and often times the cause of the fire is too.

Getting hit by a car or being involved in a road accident such as a bus crash may have happened because a man directly performed an action (or failed to do so) and the incident occurred as a result. What makes this different to the category of Man-Made Direct is the lack of intent. Your bus driver did not intend to drive off the side of the road and plummet down the mountain side. The bus driver was taking a fare and not looking as he pulled out and rammed your motorcycle. It wasn’t intentional even though you are now clinging to life on the side of the road as a pile of people stare at the bleeding retiree.

Your life could be in danger any time you are around anything made by man that has the capacity to harm, so be alert! Food poisoning is an indirect threat caused by something man-made; food. I could never accept that a business selling food would intentionally try to poison you through poor hygiene or food handling and preparation but you will still spend the next three days between your hotel bed and the toilet.

There is no earth wire used in many countries when they wire their electrical appliances and plug. Do not be surprised to see live wires running across floors and over walls in Third World homes and hotels. People tap into the mains of other homes and businesses and steal power. The connections are often life threatening. I have seen naked wires twisted together and waiting for the unwary to brush against. They are also a major cause of fires. Take a look up on any street and see the diaspora of wires and cables running from pole to pole. Keep in mind while there are laws and council ordnances in third world countries, they are often ignored or circumvented by bribes and favours.

The list of ailments that can be passed on from one human to another is quite long. Everything from E.Coli to HIV. These are all ‘man made’ threats yet indirect because there is not the intent to harm you or anyone else.

Man Made Direct Threats – Now… It’s Personal!

MAN-MADE DIRECT: Now, at last! We come to the threat list that most of us associate with when we think self defense or even personal protection. This category is about the times when you are at risk of some kind because of the actions of another human who has the intent to do whatever it is that is putting you at risk.

This includes robbery, rape, theft, embezzlement, fraud, frame-ups and various other situations where another person is involved and has their own agenda which may result in you suffering harm. Click HERE To Learn How Criminals Commit Their Crimes Against YOU!In many ways although these may be the most immediate threat situations they are often the easiest to avoid or manage simply because they involve another person. “Know your enemy and know yourself and you will be undefeated in 100 encounters”, according to Sun Tzu! There is a lot of truth in that ancient observation.

Man-made Direct is the one category you can have the most control over in two ways; you and them. You can avoid being a target by making yourself too hard to hit or handle. As simple as it may sound, don’t take any nonsense from anyone. Be polite and courteous but firm and in control of yourself and all the facts. Insecurity is often caused by doubt and if you know for sure X is X then you can stand your ground when it comes to dealing with X. When it comes to them you might have a chance to talk to them, change their minds. You might decide you can defeat them physically, financially or in some other way.

When standing firm, always keep smiling and keep your voice down and your temper in check. It is easier to be forgiven for smacking someone than calling them names and raising your voice! Many ethnic groups are big on ‘losing face’. Don’t lose yours by making a scene. No matter how right you are you will be the one in the wrong. It is an art and one worth developing as you will have a lot of chances to practise every time you want to be served for something!

Above all else, never try to stare down an armed criminal. He will take it as a challenge to his authority and feel he must take action. This will be emotion driven and often involving weapons and accomplices.

Information is both ammunition and the weapon to fire it with as well as the body armour to protect you from any incoming fire. Not knowing is akin to being naked and unarmed out in the open.

Another weapon in our arsenal as humans is the ability to reason; with each other as much as ourselves. You can’t reason with a cobra, hood spread and ready to strike, or an approaching typhoon.

Of the four categories none is more deadly than any of the others. The probability of your dying may be lesser or greater in one situation than another but the fact remains that dead is dead. None of the four categories are to be preferred over any other as you can’t pick and choose what life throws at you once you leave the comfort and safety of your own world of the known and venture into the great unknown. Life is an adventure, a gamble from the beginning. The only sure thing is you will not live forever.

Internet income ideas is a broad heading under which you could list thousands of different ways to ask people for their money. Not necessarily make money, just ask for it. For every idea of how to make money via the internet that works there would be hundreds that are nothing more than ‘GRQs’, or Get Rich Quick schemes. They all tend to lack one thing… value for the customer.

According to the entry in Wikipedia for ‘Passive Income’, “Edward de Bono in his book Handbook for the Positive Revolution states that “at some point value must be created in order to be distributed and enjoyed.” There is a lot of real value on the Internet, and a lot of it is free to any websurfer. There is value in free information, free education, free entertainment, free socialization, and social interaction platforms. Since the beginning of the commercialization of the Web, entrepreneurs have been trying to find viable business models of selling the web content and services. Some of the problems of selling the online content can be attributed to high cost of software, high cost of qualified labour, expensive equipment, office space etc. These can be minimized in one person operations which use free software and have very small business overheads. In such cases, even a relatively modest income, together with frugal lifestyle, might be sufficient enough to form a basis for a viable passive income model.”

That sounds like it is right up our cheap retirement living alley. However… always keep in mind two things. First of all, Caveat Emptor. Let the buyer beware. Secondly, if it seems too good to be true then it is. A lot of ‘passive income’ web sites come across as being run by genuine, transparent regular run of the mill folks who have discovered a secret that will make anyone who applies it very rich. Think this through. If it were that easy then surely the really rich people of the world would surely have this sewn up and monopolized!

Some people do make a good income from the internet but they are in the minority. Most people make NOTHING. It is worse than a hobby for them as it costs them money and doesn’t give back the enjoyment even stamp collecting or scrap booking would because of unmet expectations.

My advice is that you can make a modest income from the net, at least enough to supplement your other income streams, but it does take some knowledge and effort. It is all learnable, even for old dogs so don’t despair. Just be a little more cautious about slapping down your hard earned dollars to learn the latest ’secret’.

Indirect Savings Are The Secret To Saving The Most Cash!

Indirect savings are the monies saved when you either buy something… or don’t buy something! Nobody can save 100% of their income except perhaps the President or a kept woman or ‘toyboy’! We need to spend money every day to live: to buy food, pay rent or mortgage or for utilities such as electricity and water.

While direct savings are the percentage of our income we put aside and don’t spend, this page and linked pages are all about saving money when we do spend it. Buying smarter in other words.

When you are on a fixed income as most retirees are, it is important to wring every cent of value out of each dollar that you can. When that fixed income also has the adjective ‘low’ included then it is even more imperative.

We can save a lot of money each year in many ways. Not buying something. Buying in bulk. Buying at the right time and only when items are on sale. But there is more to it than that. Asking for discounts and making it a habit to do so, every time you part with money and no matter to whom or where.

We need to switch on to how we can save when we spend and a little time and effort applied will reap rewards in the form of money. YOUR money. As the saying goes, it is better in your pocket than his! This is not rocket science but it is important to think before handing over your money.

Do you really need this item? Right now? Think it over for 24 hours and if you really need it tomorrow, then go back and buy it. You will be surprised how few times you actually return! The reality is that for most of us we impulse buy. We buy things we want or like but don’t need. Fine if it is just now and then but sadly we are conditioned to be consumers and we do it habitually.

Let those with the big pay checks keep the wheels of capitalism and industry turning. Cheap retirement living aficionados are not responsible for keeping the global economy afloat. For us it is often a case of plain old economic survival.

People who made it through the Great Depression and the Post-War years know all about tightening belts and getting by on less. They know it can be done and it can be fun doing it, too! We will look at lots of ways of saving money and enjoying the process. It will take some mindshifting but if you approach it as a challenge to meet then you will emerge not only financially better off but I think you will soon prefer living within your means and not beyond it. All the while contributing to the ecology of our planet. Even if you can’t be a part of the solution, don’t be a part of the problem!