Laid off people turned Ex-Pats Living on the CHEAP?

It's truly a a shame that expatriation has to be considered to enjoy our later (or current) years. Not too long ago, we could do all of these things in our own country and not have to worry about not making it. We grew up on the cheap with 10 kids and we never lacked for anything (not that we ever knew). Central and South America may be suitable for some but not all. Too much to see and do in the US but everything has to cost so darn much. .02.

:slurp

if one sits down & starts seeing where the money is going...
i'm betting that the majority of it is rent/mortgage. boondocking eliminates that expense.
everything else is relatively cheap in this country. sure, you can't go out to eat every night when you're on a tight budget, but so what?
even if you eat out, mickey D's has $1 cheeseburgers -- that's pretty cheap!

l'm a Brit ex-Pat who's been over here for 3+yrs due to my 'mericun wife not being able to stand the Brit weather anymore, & missing her folks.
From a European view, you guys are living cheap over here, you have the weather, the travel, the National Park System, etc;
OK, so South Merica is an option, but could you stand their culture for living a few $$$$;s cheaper every week?
Would you like to go to Europe & pay $6 a gallon for gas?($7+ in England)
$3 for a coffee with no re-fills! & exhorbitiant real estate prices?

You guys have got it pretty sweet over here, but l would encourage anyone with time on their hands to go & see the wonderful culture of Europe & see how much you'd need salary-wise to actually live there.

Just as a footnote; you can buy a nice 3bed house with a yard in Las Vegas right now for $150k, you can do a weekly shop for two people for less than $100 a week.(for this you need to know how to cook & not visit the local fatburger outlet twice a day!) & local taxes are prolly $3k a year, with utilities being around $200 a month, but there's 14% unemployment here at the moment, so that's not gonna work for most folks!

Thank you for the links. They're saved.

Wasn't really complaining, just comparing how things were growing up. I love 'merica and all she has to offer. I guess I just long for "the good old days". I know, sounds corny. I appreciate your perpective view. Thanks. WFC

:slurp

Here's a couple of things to consider about Mexico. First, Gasoline costs about what it costs here. Pemex adjusts the price monthly to whatever the world/USA/market price is. So no real savings there.

I don't really know about camping, but you can find very cheap hotels/hostels/inns.

Food is a lot cheaper, especially street food. I personally avoid mayonnaise from street vendors as it spoils very fast, and is the ideal medium for bacteria. Your mileage will vary.

Drinks/bars/entertainment is a LOT cheaper. In fact, you can often hang out in the plazas and be entertained for free.

I'd definitely try to learn some Spanish. I'm pretty fluent, but wasn't always so. I have a small electronic translator, the Franklin BES 1850, which is fantastic. Don't buy a book; it takes forever to find the word you want. My BES-1850 was my best friend in Mexico for many years, to the point that my Mexican friends began to tease me about it. You can also buy cartridges for Italian/English, or French/English. I bought the Italian one, but it's not nearly as good as the Spanish.

In the bigger cities, there is demand for English tutors. I wouldn't try to get a job in a school, as they typically pay a pittance. But you might be able to find some private students. Craiglist now has sites for the larger cities in Mexico, though they do seem to be heavily used by expats. Still, for free it's worth a try.

Good luck!

Kim G

You down here in Lost Wages too?

Love the riding weather and being able to go out at 3am to get a steak & eggs for $4. but the job market does suck right now. but I am fixing that for me.

Would you like to meet up for a beer/coffee sometime?
I am down in the SW near Durango & Blue diamond

How about Lebanon...
http://www.alloexpat.com/lebanon_expat_forum/

Or, am I stupid?

Suz

So where do you put your money when you become an expatriate? Keep in USA? You'd really have to look into the security and tax ramifications.

If the cash is already in a US bank then leave it there. If you are earning enough money in a foreign country like Mexico then you can open an account there. I have friends that do this. One of them uses a Cayman Island account via Mexico...

Lots of information here

You put it in Etrade, buy a sat phone, and a little laptop, and study stock charts and do a little trading until about 10:30 am

Part of the benefit of leaving the US would be to save on taxes. Reduce your taxes by 10-25% equals a a lot of money over time.

Name a place that has low taxes, cost of living, and sunny, warm undeveloped beaches. Panama? Costa Rica?

http://www.internationalliving.com/

If you just want to "drop out" for a few months or years squatting on public lands would be the way to go imho.

I'm working real hard on this Lots of good ideas here

OH! This thread is graced by the presence of Stonewall. Thanks for all you do with the White Mountain Research Ride. It was a blast and hope to do it again some time.

Stonewall, you already living the dream of on the move and free?

I'm really glad I started this thread. It may be a pipe dream, but it's helping me deal with my inevitable lay off in June (unless Arnold turns things around before then).

Wait, what if I find another job just like the one I have right away? :huh

Oh the turmoil.

Suz

february, in my case, & i'm definitely looking forward to it -- woohoo!

you just had to go & spoil it with something like that, didn't ya???

Thanks Super Suz , but their is always room for improvement.

You probably know that the IRS people have really been cracking down on ex-pats not paying income taxes Super-Suz as this has been on tv recently. In this electronic age it is pretty hard to hide unless you use cash for everything. If you NEVER plan on coming home again you might get away with this, but as soon as you set foot back in the USA you are tax delinquent for not filing and they are after you. You have goods with no income? Not possible. You just became a felon for not filing 1040s and paying.

That leaves you with what you can do legally. Legally you can sell your property and go perm RV. This keeps you from paying property taxes to any state legally but you still have to pay income taxes on money from US. This savings is no small thing. For instance I pay a perm $200 fee on an RV plate. In exchange I save $3600/yr in property taxes and gain mobility to go where I want.Add that $$$$ savings up for 5 yrs. and it buys you a nice new bike every 5 yrs!

You could renounce your citizenship but then your declared country expects taxes so that doesn't get you free either. So the game is just to reduce taxes not eliminate them. Taxes and death are certainties.


Oh ....and RiverRat Besides Costa Rica and Panama you described Somalia. It's not all about the weather and riding...

what kind of RV? in what state?
i have '95 fleetwood bounder (38') for which i pay more than that every year! :eek1

my prop taxes aren't that high, but you certainly make a good point.

woohoo!
i like how you think.

The Rv idea seems to be the way to go. Their is a demand for tradesmen who will work for cash. Maximizing free government land for camping is always helpful. Up here from May untile 1 October their are 4 campgfround that you can stay all summer at for $300. If I can help anyone headed this way, let me know, but I do recomend waiting for it to warm up