Risks you’d take to live your dream
In a recent discussion following the post, Have you Ever Felt Poor?, Patricia, a long-time reader of this blog and a citizen of the UK who now resides in Portugal, made a rather incredible revelation in the comment section:
Strangely enough I felt poorer when I was in a good job, earning a relatively good wage, than I do now when I earn practically nothing. At the time both myself and partner worked long hours, earning high wages, but also had that ‘hamster on a wheel’ syndrome, we also had a mortgage, insurances, utility bills, car & fuel bills… it just went on and on, it seemed the more we had , the more we felt we ‘needed…
So we got off the wheel… and here we are 4 years on… living on about 4,000 euros per year… and happier than I’ve been in years.
As I’m always interested in seeing how people live on shoestring budgets (4,000 euros a year is pretty good, if you ask me!) the comment lead to an email back and forth between the two of us, which Patricia agreed to let me turn into a post. I’d like to take a moment to share Patricia’s way of life with you–the nuts and bolts, the risks and the benefits.
The nuts and bolts of Patricia’s shoestring budget:
Re-purposed boots: in the spirit of frugality.
Re-purposed boots: in the spirit of frugality.
Patricia and her partner live just outside the village of Figueira in a home they bought cash and fixed up. As part of their renovations, they created a cottage that they can rent out for income, her partner also gets the occasional odd job to bring in money. A great deal of what allows them to live on such an unstable income is their fine-tuned frugality and the ability to do things themselves:
- Most of the fruits and vegetables they eat are home grown
- Patricia has worked out a barter system with a few locals to get “eggs, honey, books and other odds and ends”
- They turn the fridge of 10 months of the year, relying on their stone built house to keep things cool.
- A log burner stove allows them to do the cooking, heating and drying clothing in winter using wood they collect from the forest.
- They make their own bread, conserves etc.
- Their water comes from a well in their garden
- Their mode of transportation is a scooter, used on occasion.
- Patricia invests one third of everything they earn through renting their cottage in food staples like flour, pasta sugar and vinegar. . .for weeks, months without income.
- They have no computer, TV or radio, instead enjoying the local peace and tranquility, a good game of cards, or visits from their many friends in the area.
Risks and insecurities of living abroad on a tiny income:
I especially appreciated Patricia’s willingness to detail a few of the struggles she and her partner faced in the pursuit of their dream:
It’s hard to describe how we live really, most people recoil in horror when I tell them. The insecurity of our lifestyle is incomprehensible to most.
We sold up all we had , gave up good paying and secure jobs to come here, live in a semi ruin with, at that time, no water, electricity, sewage, plumbing … anything at all really except the bare shell of the house and the land… It cost us more than we could really afford, and took the rest of our capital to make it partly habitable…
As Patricia went on to explain, living on minimal wages from odd work here and there can be precarious even when you’ve fine-tuned your budget to the extent she has.
When I say we often have no money, I dont mean we are just a little broke or that we don’t have any to spare… I mean we REALLY HAVE NONE.
I was also surprised to learn that Patricia and her husband have had serious difficulty qualifying for Portuguese health care. I thought that people within Europe would have an easier time, but apparently, Patricia and her partner have been caught in some red tape (oh, I’ve been there in France too). They could receive emergency care, but would have a hard time covering costs of tests, x-rays etc.
The benefits of knowing how to live on almost nothing?
As much as the above mentioned concerns may seem a little out of the comfort zone, I bet we can all imagine some of the benefits of living the way Patricia and her partner do. After hearing about all the trials and tribulations they’d faced, I asked if Patricia thought it was all worth it.
Our peace and tranquility and quality of life is wonderful, we gave up an ugly, dirty crime ridden stressful life to come here.(plus good job and mortgage).. and I’d starve rather than go back to that rat trap…
Here I can take joy in different things… today I heard a cuckoo for the first time this year… we hear woodpeckers a lot too… I have time to bake, cook and grow… I can take joy in the special time I have with my partner now too. . . just sitting by the kitchen range with a book…
I could go on forever…
So what do you think?
Do you find yourself ‘recoiling in horror’ as Patricia puts it? Do you have our own dream that you’d go to great lengths to achieve? Or have you done it already?
Sorry–my first line needs to read:
I could do that, but my wife claims she couldn’t
First off, 400 euros wow!
I agree with all Pat says, I’ve never felt richer than I do now, now that I’ve quit the corporate world.
As for risk, I think there’s more risk in staying on the ‘hamster wheel’ and missing out on living life, than there is to jumping off.
Great post!
If Patricia and her partner love the way their life is now, that’s all that matters. I am wondering though… did she have some sort of bad experience that caused her to say, “…and I’d starve rather than go back to that rat trap…”?
While that’s more extreme than I’d prefer, it’s really interesting to learn more about alternative lifestyle options. I would love to be able to leave the office job, but I’m still too scared to make that leap.
I feel a lot like Patricia. My income now is a little less than half what it used to be. I’m a lot happier now than when I was in cubicle hell.
Getting ready to sell my house and move to a smaller town. Hope to find an older house that needs some work. May be working harder than before, but will be doing what I want to do instead of what I am told to do.
Wow, I am impressed by the purity and single-mindedness Patricia has taken to live her dream.
Makes me feel humbled. I haven’t got her courage, though my partner has had a dream of living more simply and growing food and fuel. We both see hazards coming in future years with oil running out and the like.
Perhaps I have too much, and though I want to escape the rat race and live more truly to my dreams I haven’t got that sort of courage at all. So I am trying to accumulate enough to quit early. I couldn’t cope with having no funds to cover emergencies, though I can see that it would concentrate the mind to find a solution!
Good on her for living the dream and not just dreaming about it!
Recoiling in horrer? Not quite. Impressed? Yes and no. I’m impressed by the drive and focus that has enabled them to reach this point and make it work. I am, however, wary of living as much on the edge as they are. Having absolutely nothing while making everything come together nicely is great in the present, but is a potential recipe for disaster if *anything* goes wrong. It’s too precarious for me, but I wish them well.
Eeep. Horrer?! I really have to start listening to Firefox when it underlines words in red! 
I find the way they live admirable – it takes some gumption to buck convention. I realize that alternative lifestyles are very appealing to me, but recognise I’m actually quite conventional. If I had a sizeable nest egg and no kids, or a huge nest egg with kids, I would consider an alternative lifestyle. Children often lead to more conservative choices – it’s the nature of the beast.
Andrew, $250/year in Lombok – wow! We should all be living there – do they have health care?!
Andrew–I can believe $250 a year, although it is a great deal by most standards. And I’ve stayed in some countries where average yearly wage was under $150–you can get some pretty amazing houses for that price. As for deciding where to retire, if you can rent a place for so little, then you can probably spend a year here, a year there. . .why decide now? I can’t wait to hear about your retirement adventures.
Laura I believe it was 4000 euros a year, although that’s still very impressive. I tend to agree with you in terms of the risks of NOT taking steps you know are best for you in life–and about feeling richer since leaving my career behind.
Jersey Mom Great point–I don’t necessarily think that Patricia’s plan needs to work for everyone else. It just needs to work for her. As for the bad experience, I never thought to ask because I just assumed that life had gotten extremely fast-paced and stressful for her. . .kind of the way it did for me when I was working 60 hours a week and thinking of taking on a mortgage etc. But maybe Patricia will be able to stop by and comment on that one.
Heather I’m really drawn to the stories of people that give alternatives to the standard way of doing things too. But I didn’t mean to imply that we all have to leave our home countries or go for radical change off the bat when going about it. Sometimes change is much more subtle, yet still very meaningful.
David “doing what I want to do instead of what I am told to do.” I love that line. And I agree, I’d rather work hard in my own garden or on maintaining my home than work for someone else and pay someone to grow my food and do repairs. . .
ermine I too feel uncomfortable without an emergency fund–while at the same time admiring Patricia for going for it anyway.
I love that line from David too! I think that’s what appeals to me most about Patricia’s choices.
I don’t recoil in horror from this kind of minimalism, but I do recoil in horror when I see someone driving around in a Hummer. Values, I suppose.
I don’t have the ovaries to live that close to the financial edge. I gotta have a decent savings and a retirement fund, I’ll admit it! But I have great respect for people who carve their own paths and buck conventional wisdom.
Hi. wow, it all sounds really strange when I see it written up by someone else… heheh You pretty much summed us up well.
Jersey Mom, there was no one bad thing that made me wish to leae the uk. It was just the gradual build up over many years, we worked hard, and it seemed harder and harder, for lest money, enjoyment and much more stress… and quite frankly if you’ve never lived in the uk … well, we didnt live in a ‘bad’ urban area either but the crime, filth, apathy, and total uncaring attitudes that abound there, just wore us down…
Our life here will never be perfect, the sometimes worry about health care and what will happen when we are too old to work as hard at our lifestyle as we do can be tricky, I call it a sometimes worry as I firmly believe that worry about it all the time when I can do very little about it… is defeatist and only causes more harm… positive thinking!! We’ll work it out…
Im in an internet space so must go but will pop back in a few days to read this debate with interest…
I really should spell check before I publish…
as usual, so thought provoking! Thank you for the food for thought.
What my husband and I are aiming for is enough money to be comfortable, yet not controlled by it. We are very poor right now, but I’m surprised at how happy we are and how a $6 ice cream trip can bring so much joy. There’s a total myth that more money means more happiness. The sad thing is, most of us believe it and work for it until we’re trapped in the hamster wheel Patricia referred to.
Her life is a timely example and reminder. . .but I’m not sure I would choose that kind of no-money life for myself and my family.
That is truly amazing! But I understand loving the freedom to listen to the birds, bake bread…
when we go for a visit to family in Nevada… we get to sit, drink coffee, watch the birds, the deer come to eat in the field, the quail and babies pick around, the blue jays eat the peanut shells… its awesome and beautiful in its natural song.
reminds me of the story of the mexican fisherman and investment banker.
I am always amazed at the resilience and resourcefulness of folks like Patricia and her partner. It is both inspiring in the freedom it invokes and terrifying to those like me who find it harder to live in the present than plan for the future.
Patricia’s story, as well as that of Tracy’s here at SIF and Jacob’s at ERE, makes me wonder if living at the edge is easier (or at least easier to contemplate) if you have a spouse or partner. While I have no qualms about living a simple life, indeed I embrace it; I am held back by the prospect of loneliness or isolation, especially in the later stages of life. It is one reason that I remain rooted in outrageously expensive California. There are no (habitable) houses for $250 a year; but my family and friends are nearby. To me, the prospect of real hardship can only be borne with the knowledge that I can draw on the support of friends and family.
What do others think? Is the single versus coupled dichotomy a false one with respect to radical simplicity?
I find Patricia inspiring – she has chosen a path in life that gives huge simple rewards and I think it’s fantastic. I have long enjoyed her blog, too. However, on our own journey of two years that saw us give up our main source of income and pack up in a camper to travel around Europe in search of a better, more simple way of life – we found what Patricia is doing a little too much for us full time, especially with our young daughter.
There were many, many things we had to consider about her upbringing, way of life etc etc and eventually we returned to the UK (and I have to say that we are in a fabulously beautiful place with a truly lovely community) but we now live on a boat. We are embracing the simpler life, enjoying more nature and a slower pace; but we can dip our toes into the ‘other world’ when the fancy takes us.
I believe wholeheartedly that we must take risks in life to achieve true happiness and that it’s good to be a little unsure of the outcome because then we find ourselves truly living (this is of course entirely my own belief!!) and lets face it, we’re a long time dead. In our own experience we have also find that often when you jump into the unknown, you can end up somewhere entirely different to where you thought you might!
Great and inspiring post
How strange I have a blog post in drafts about this very topic!!!
Poverty for me isn’t about money, it’s about spirit and faith! Lovely picture!
I admire Patricia for the life she has chosen. I personally work at a less stressful job for less money and I wouldn’t want the stress I had with my old job, even with the extra money I was paid. I have learned to find ways around needing more money. I can’t remember the last time I bought clothes new. It was probably nine years ago when I lost that better job. I now buy clothes at thrift shops, yard sales, Church rummage sales and sometimes get clothes given to me. I know rich people that get “tired” of an article of clothing and want sometime new so they give their castoffs to me. Brand name, expensive stuff. I also shop in dollar stores and discount stores, cook from scratch, walk and take a bus. I got rid of my cable tv in June 2008 so it will be 2 years this June. I read a lot and borrow wonderful videos and dvds from the library or buy them for 50 cents at their sales. I buy used books at library sales, thrift shops and the University every year when they get rid of older books. I feel I have many wonderful things and don’t feel cheated at all materially. In fact, my apartment is very shabby chic and it is a peaceful, serene place to live. So I can understand Patricia’s lifestyle and give her much credit for going for happiness instead of wealth.
Anything but the rat trap! Anything but the rat trap!
I am jealous, yet skeptical. Is that the whole of their income, or is there a trust fund involved? What about their families? Apparently it is okay for them to be living on a subsistence in a foreign country, but since they have no money, they have no apparent way of getting home in case of a family emergency.
Sorry, I just hate such glamorizations of a subsistence lifestyle without knowing for sure if there isn’t more to it. Our mutual friend has such a lifestyle, and it looks very picturesque until you know that they are living on borrowed money, planning that 2012 will negate their debts.
Consciously Frugal “I don’t have the ovaries to live that close to the financial edge.” You and me both–without my emergency fund I start to get whiny and stressed out. But I also am well aware of the fact that I pass up on certain opportunities to stay ‘on the safe side’ when really, there are no guarantees in life.
PatriciaI very much appreciate the fact that you were willing to let me do a write up on this. And for showing up to answer questions. As much as I like to have an emergency fund and health coverage, I’ve certainly gone for stretches where I had neither. In addition–there are so many people in the US (and I suspect elsewhere) who are one paycheck away from financial ruin despite the fact that they toil away at jobs they hate. And as Maria pointed out in the post “Have you ever felt poor” if you have friends and family, you will never go hungry.
MargoIt’s interesting to hear you say that you are poor right now, because your blog is so filled with little luxuries from your life: good food, homemade clothing and quilts, great family experiences. I think that I’m simply starting to disassociate money with wealth of experience. Money is useful if you need to pay for health care, as Patricia points out, but there are so many things you can have whether or not you have money. Thanks for your comment.
Money Funk What a beautiful scene you described from Nevada! Sitting out in nature is honestly one of the best experiences I can think of. And I recently stumbled upon that Mexican Fisherman story and really enjoyed it. Thanks for putting a link in here though, because it’s an appropriate time for it.
Maus That’s a great question that probably deserves its own blog post. I went through a very frugal stage in my life when I was in my early twenties the first time I worked in France–and I was single. I washed my clothes by hand, slept on the floor with a sleeping bag. But I scrounged up the money to have a social life though, joining associations, going to cultural activities and ‘going out’ with people I met–so my spending wasn’t as radically low as it could have been. I occasionally felt lonely being a recent transplant and far from friends and family. Some of the people I know personally who have made a radical shift in their lifestyle are in a couple–maybe it is easier to do that because sitting around at home suddenly becomes spending time with the people/person you love. Then again, I’ve actually seen people arguing in comments on other blogs (like ERE) that the frugal lifestyle is hard to maintain if you are in a relationship or are married. I also didn’t mean to imply that people who don’t pick up and move to another country and grow all their own food can’t also live a radically frugal lifestyle. Housing costs are higher in California, but I can completely understand your desire to stay close to a network of friends and family–those don’t build up overnight. I think that there are a lot of people who find a way to simplify without moving and making a radical change as well.
Alice Thanks for your wonderful comment. As you put it, “we are a long time dead.” We might as well live while we are alive. I think you’ve added an interesting point when you talk about choosing a lifestyle similar to Patricia’s when you have children. I think the main stickler for me there would be the uncertainty of being able to provide health care for the child. Otherwise, I think it’s an upbringing that is potentially rich in experience. My father grew up in an environment without a lot of money but with plenty of food and social connections–sometimes his memories are sad, but he often waxes nostalgic.
Notes from the Frugal Trenches Well, I can’t wait to read your post. I’m sure it won’t be the last time I write on the topic either. I think we’ve heard the other song and dance enough times.
Bernadette–It’s interesting the way you describe paring things down over time. I basically did that the last few years I was in the US. 75 hours a week of work to 60 and eventually down to 45! The more breathing space I had, the more clever I became about buying used (nice clothes are definitely available used in the States!) Like you, I didn’t feel deprived at all. What makes me feel deprived is not having time.
Emily Hah! I know just how you feel.
Pickler No need to apologize for a healthy dose of skepticism. I felt skeptical at first too–4000 euros is not a lot! Here are a couple of reasons why I thought the number seemed ok: 1) that’s their bare bones budget, as Patricia pointed out–that is the bare minimum of what they have to spend 2. Barter and work for cash is a high part of the equation. There is no way for us to calculate the value of trading one item for another. 3) inexistant taxes–for now: In Portugal there are no property taxes for 8 years–we’re jealous. At that rate of income, you wouldn’t pay income taxes either. 4) the house is paid for with their savings–no rent, no mortgage–we can’t exactly say they’re poor, they’ve just invested in having free housing for years to come. Also, they don’t travel back to the UK for family emergencies. Ahem. . .if DH and I decide to pare things down in a similar way, we would expect our friends and family to come and visit us (hint, hint!). As for glamorizing such a lifestyle, I don’t think that was my intention or Patricia’s–she was pretty concerned about people being shocked at the way they live. I was hoping to point out all sides of it. Maybe I glamorized. . .it’s possible. But it doesn’t sound to me like they’re living off borrowed money and she never mentioned the year 2012 
Maybe Patricia will make her way back to the internet cafe to answer your question herself though. I can only give you the reasons it made sense to me.
Pickler–PS, my first few years living in France I made about 700 euros a month. I didn’t pay rent (like Patricia) and I was fairly frugal, but I probably lived on something like 400 euros a month all expenses included–then I blew the rest on travel, museums etc . If I could cover my living expenses on 5000 euros a year in a slightly more expensive country without really making that much of an effort (keep in mind Patricia and her partner are off-grid when it comes to water and heating and grow most of their own food) well, if I could do it, I bet they can too. Maybe give or take a couple 1000 euros a year. . .
Well, I used to very comfortably live on way, way less than 10,000 dollars a year through most of my twenties. Guess I’m bitter because of all my student loans. I also get a bit pissy when people start talking about the “rat race” and how they escaped it, when I am kind of stuck in said rat race and not too crazy about it. But I also think that living in such a minimalist fashion is a bit too much to ask one’s family sometimes and bordering on wildly irresponsible, especially if you can’t even fly home if someone is sick or passes away, but I’m sure you guys will have the good sense to keep an emergency fund. As for me, I will be wildly ecstatic to come visit you as much as you can tolerate. It sounds like a fun adventure, though, and I can totally see you making it work!
Pickler:
To say that someone’s life style is “bordering on wildly irresponsible” because they can’t fly at the drop of a hat is a strange concept to me. Even with money other commitments can keep us from traveling.
There are only a few people I would travel far to see if they were sick, and fewer still who’s final services I would attend. The question of our mutual responsibilities can be weighed against social pressures and expectations. It will play out differently each time for every person.
ET’s post reminds me of a letter we have in our family from the 19th century. A cousin in England is writing to her brother in America that their mother and another sibling have died in the past year. It is heart wrenching to feel the unwritten gap in time and space that the words convey. Then, no amount of money (which he did not have at any rate) would have permitted my American cousin to return home in time to mourn his lost loved ones and comfort his sister because the means of swift travel were not available. But the poignancy of the letter somehow convinces me that it sufficed to connect my cousins. Perhaps the same could be true for those of us in the 21st century? For myself, I wouldn’t resent a family member who did not travel because it undermined his or her resolve to live lightly on the earth. For some, frugality and simple living is an expression of stewardship; and they avoid flying not only because of the expense but also because of the tremendous carbon footprint. I choose to believe that in deciding not to dishonor a principle, my friend or loved one is in fact honoring me.
Pickler–sadly, I know people who work a lot of hours and spend a lot of money who have not been able to take all the emergency flights they would have liked to. Or all the final services flights for that matter. Also. . .I dunno, this is just one post. I’m not really trying to imply that one must go live in a small village and grow all one’s own food in order to end that ‘rat race’ feeling. As for family obligations. . .watch out for those Sometimes you end up spending money and realizing later you REALLY didn’t want to (at least I’ve found that to be the case).
ET and Maus this thread is so thought-provoking. Maus thanks for sharing the family letter. We’ve actually had several scares of this nature, as either DH or myself is always away from family. When faced with the prospect of losing someone you love, I’m not convinced that flying around the world or having constant contact through emails, texts and cell-phones makes you feel any better. Is it worse to find out in an email, or by phone or by a letter after the fact than in person? I think the hard part is the distance with the people you love while they’re actually alive. But this is the life we’ve chosen. And as Maus points out–a lot of people who have immigrated to the US have faced such situations–and still do.
When I was finishing–or more accurately NOT finishing–my dissertation, I learned that you can, indeed, live on almost nothing. I bought books and clothes at thrift stores and traded the books at the used bookstore and sold the clothes at the vintage store. I was actually frightened by the discovery that I could go on like this . . .perhaps, forever. Not because there’s anything wrong with it, but because I was unhappy not being a teacher. It’s good to know that it is possible to live pretty well–or even very well–on almost nothing.
Even though I have vowed not to read comments anymore, I read all of these, and they are just as interesting as the post. Thanks to all!
Maus–I recently married, and I feel like my life has been made so much easier as a result. My husband is naturally frugal, although not as “green” (ug) as moi, so we do occasionally clash.
I certainly don’t want to dismiss the single life or venturing out into the world without the comfort of family and friends, because those paths have great value as well (I should know! That’s how I ended up in expensive CA), but I am sometimes overwhelmed at what a difference it makes to simply have help with daily tasks and the joy of easy companionship.
But I’m not so sure that email can substitute for in-person contact. I live far away from my family and I *feel* it. I don’t really know how to express this sentiment, which is frustrating. But being in the physical presence of those I love creates a tangible experience. I suppose the closest thing I can think of it to watch a nature program on television vs. actually spending time in nature. Those real-time connections are more impactful. Well, for me anyhoo!
(I love the comments on this fabulous blog, by the way!)
It is definitely up to the individual to decide what we are comfortable with as far as family obligations are concerned. I personally feel obligated to take care of my parents in their older age, and both of my parents are physically (but luckily not financially) in need of care, and so I feel like I need to stay nearby. If I were to decide to adopt a frugal, green, subsistence lifestyle, up and move to a far away place, and not have any disposable income to be able to help out my parents when they needed it, they would not appreciate the aesthetic value of my lifestyle choice, as Maus suggested. It would hurt their feelings and they would think I’m being selfish. Of course, if you, on the other hand, couldn’t make it to my wedding (if the date should ever come) due to your frugal green lifestyle choices, I would totally and completely understand, because I understand and support what you are trying to achieve.
I love your point on not needing to drop out of society to escape the rat race. That is completely true, and Julio and I do find many enjoyable ways to unwind outside of work. But if we were to want to completely sidestep the rat race, we would never be able to and simultaneously maintain our obligations to our families.
Anyway, the post was interesting; just thought I’d share my reactions, but I guess my tone came off more negatively than I intended. Ultimately your blog is about making conscious choices toward being more frugal and more green, which is something we can all do, no matter what our situation is.
Sorry one more point…most people whose frugality and greenness comes naturally, i.e. people in developing countries and even many recent immigrant families here in SoCal, who do not choose their lifestyle but have to get by with what they can, DO NOT have to choose between their lifestyle choices and their family. This is because they usually live in extended family groups, often with multiple generations living in one household. I love the idea of living in such a way, but with my family I would probably go crazy!
Frugal Scholar–it’s great to know that you too were able to live on next to nothing. And thanks for taking the time to be part of the discussion.
PicklerNo need to apologize for saying what you think. The discussion has been great. And you’re right–the important thing is to do what’s right for your situation–if we all moved to Portugal or France I don’t think the people of those countries would be very happy, and I’m hardly suggesting it solves all the problems of the world. Many people do very interesting things in the States, maybe right in California. And very interesting on the point of not having to chose between being frugal and family obligations. That sounds like something to strive for.
I really would love to live a life as simple as that. My husband has long wished to just live in a tent somewhere, be rent free, and live with nature. I’m a little more skeptical about that, because we will always need some money, and we have to pay taxes no matter what our income or where we’re living. I am also a little too addicted to the computer to completely give up on the internet, but wow. Patricia sounds inspiring!
Penniless Parenting–Thanks for your comment. It’s interesting, those desires to live in a ‘tent in nature.’ I’m always reminded to of the contradiction between all the work we do to build up homes and surround ourselves with things and the desire to ‘get away from it all’ on backpacking type vacations. The tent dream sounds a little like that to me–could be wrong though.
I must admit that DH and I sometimes dream of moving up to a spot of agricultural land his parents own that just has a camping trailer on it. We’ve thought of seeing how rustic a setting we could stand . . . BUT within that discussion, we also considered hooking up a solar powered computer battery charger and bringing our wireless USB device–hah! We are equally computer addicted.
Thanks for stopping by.
hi,
i’m from Portugal and I would just like to say that the minumum wage here is 475euros… so not a big difference!! I just don’t understand how people do it here.
well… what a great response, such intersting comments… first I’d like to thank you all for your interest and input..
I’d like to clear up a few misconceptions, Income… it has in the four years we’ve been here, ranged between 4,000 -5,000 euros, (obviously when we came we had money to buy the house and do some basic stuff) but the money we came with only lasted us 18months, it went on the ’set up’ getting sewage and plumbing (very basic) to the house, buying the kitchen range, our van for transport (yes we do have one) and mainly to renovate our cottage that we rent out to bring in some income…
Income fluctuates, last year my husband had next to no work… while the cottage went well… this season so far he’s worked more than he did the whole of last year… but the rental bookings are almost zilch… just one year I’d like them both to come good together heheheh but hey, we manage.
Yes the life we live can get tricky, Ive never tried to pretend it doesnt, we do get visits from family , even my elderly father has been out often, we’ve tried to convince him to stay but he struggles with the summer heat. I would have had the same ‘distance ‘ problem if I hadn’t moved here, he lives in Eire, while I was in the uk. He has my sister and her family close so he’s not alone. He’s actually put aside a couple of hundred euros with an uncle of mine to get me a flight to him if ever he needs me… other than that, we don’t have an emergency fund… I don’t feel it’s a huge problem, as others have said, many many people live from wage packet to wage packet… yes we’d like a little more, but you manage with what you get…
We are lucky, we bought a ruin, and its still a semi ruin, but its all ours.. We don’t have to pay housing tax for another 4 years, our electricity is averaging 37euros bi monthly, water is around 7-9 euros per month…
We don’t have any insurances… apart from the vehicle one, fuel is our main expense..
We live a happy and very fulfilled life, we have good friends and neighbours and a lovely social life… that costs next to nothing… generally based around meals, either at home or in friends homes..
As an example… of our lovely Portuguese friends.. we went to our nearest village the other day for the first time in two weeks, Id been very busy planting, after having to have a glass of wine with two different families, we came home with, a fresh plucked chicken, a dozen eggs, a bag of chillis, a bag of onions, some dried beans, and a handful of homegrown garlic…
Plus slightly merry from the wine…
Laura–thanks for letting us know about the minimum wage in Portugal! Very helpful for getting the big picture.
Patricia–thank you once again, not only for answering all my email questions but also for stopping by to clear up further questions in the discussion. I really enjoyed the dialogue! I’m also very impressed with how you handle things. Your relationship with your neighbors sounds fantastic–that’s something we really miss after moving so much: a sense of community. I also hope you’ll let me pick your brain at a later date when I start growing my own vegetable garden . . .
[...] week, in the discussion following the post, Risks you’d take to live your dream, Maus posed a question that deserved a post in its own right: Patricia’s story, as well as that [...]
by » Festival of Frugality #227 – The “Outside” Edition at Money Obedience – Financial Coach Blog
[...] A couple decides to live a frugal life-style abroad. Risks you’d take to live your dream. [...]
by Linkworthy: Simplicity, Ignorance, and Stay at home Moms | Personal Finance Firewall
[...] up, I thought this post was really inspiring. Simple Life in France shares a story of one of her readers who basically gave up everything to move to Portugal and now [...]
[...] Risks you’d take to live your dream – Simple in France [...]
[...] A couple decides to live a frugal life-style abroad. Risks you’d take to live your dream. [...]
Thanks for sharing Patricia’s story! Why Portugal may I ask? I’ve never been.
Financial Samurai–I’ve never been to Portugal either, and I’m sure Patricia could fill you in as well. But there’s a fair movement of folks from the UK who move to other European countries as a way of ’slowing things down.’ It used to be that people would come to France and that their savings would go pretty far here . . . as real estate gets increasingly expensive (at least in the sunny south), other destinations have become more popular. That’s my take on things–years ago, I can’t remember seeing as many people interested in Portugal–although I may be entirely missing the mark. That said, we’ve got family members who travel there frequently and it is supposed to be a beautiful place–with warm weather!
What a great and inspiring post!
I could do that, but claims she couldn’t. But I think I could work on her. This is the same woman who once trained dolphins on an island in Colombia for room and board and $40 a month. The island was about one acre in size.
I think we need to visit this woman in Portugal!
On another note, in Lombok, Indonesia (35km from Bali) you can rent a 3 bedroom house with flush toilets and hot showers for $250 a year. Yes–a year. That’s not a typo.
My wife and I are going to work one more year in Singapore and then “retire”. We just don’t know where to go yet!
Thanks for the super post.
Andrew