Posted on 11/21/2009 5:00:17 PM PST by BenLurkin
How much money do you actually need to take this job and shove it?
Go on, admit it: You've thought about it. Maybe you've imagined quitting your job and easing into early or semi-retirement -- or starting your own business.
A dollar may go twice as far in Austin, Texas or Portland as in Manhattan. Those wondering where they can live for nearly nothing should take a look at Bankrate.com's cost of living calculator (It's based on the widely-followed Accra Cost of Living Index data). Obviously everyone's numbers are different. Here are some other questions to consider:
What kind of escape are you planning (or dreaming about)?
Are you just going to change jobs or are you planning to change careers? Or are you really wondering if you can check out– take early retirement, or maybe semi-retirement? The money you'll need is going to be completely different for each one.
How far will your savings get you over the long term?
Someone investing their savings conservatively should certainly be able to earn about 3% a year over inflation. If you want to withdraw $10,000 a year and make it last for, say, thirty years, you will probably need to have about $200,000, or twenty times as much, saved up now.
What can you live without?
Most middle-class household budgets can be cut. The most common advice is to look at your current expenditures and see where you can pare back. But if you really want to escape, the more radical idea is zero-based accounting: Start with a blank piece of paper, and see what you would need to spend to be comfortable.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
>> A dollar may go twice as far in Austin, Texas or Portland as in Manhattan.
Go to Portland. We have enough yankees already. :-)
This is the one time in my life that I am happy to be over 60, on social security, and out of the USA.
I live on a beach, in a nice little cottage, with all the conveniences like DSL internet and Air Conditioning, if I like.
My total budget for me and a girlfriend is $500 per month,
including, rent, transportation, food, and plenty of wine and beer.
One must determine to either retire with the current nest egg or continue to work while still able to bring in some bacon. The dollars don’t go very far these days plus the crooks in DC itching to steal more of it too.
Johnny Depp? Is that you?
J/k
What does a house run in the Plillipines?
I get doubly-screwed - live in NH, but work in MA, and get porked for MA state tax...and get nothing for it!
Looking to move to Florida or Texas...warmer and no state tax.
Sure. Move to a rural area in the West. The corporate real estate piranhas lay in wait. So do the extremely bureaucratic local governments. Properties in the middle of nowhere are already regulated against by counties and states as much as suburbs in the east (imagine radical environmentalism by local government employees), and property taxes have been soaring for ten years. The taxes will go much higher, as sparsely populated counties become more desperate for revenues. Foreclosures are happening, but those are only intensifying the feeding frenzy and lawsuits (even attempts to get money through criminal charges) over vacant properties.
The wife and I started the adventure in June. She retired at 53 and I am semi-retired at 60. It’s wonderful and it feels great not to be paying big taxes toward Obama’s utopia. One caveat, this move was the end result of 30 years of planning and saving.
How do you get there? Start immediately to live below your means. Save and invest. Study investing instead of watching TV. The better you get at investing, the sooner you will be independent. It’s best to work for yourself, and better if your money works hard also.
Amen to that - particularly in the metro areas like Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and stay out of the hill country - we don’t take much to them foreigners from the east or west trying to tell us how to run things.
What part of the Philippines? Isn’t there trouble over there with rebel muslims? I may be confused with someplace else.
“What does a house run in the Plillipines?”
I do not know about cost to buy, as foreigners can
not own property in their name.
There is a modern western style house a few doors down from me.
It is 3 BR, two story, furnished, Sat. TV, Air conditioned,
Gated, landscaped, and fenced yard, with a pool.
Rent is $500 per month.
My $100 cottage is plenty for me.
“What part of the Philippines? Isn’t there trouble over there with rebel muslims? I may be confused with someplace else.”
I am on Cebu Island, a few hours south of Cebu city, in a very nice small town.
No Muzies here. They are all to the south in a small part of Mindanao and on Jolo Island.
I have yet to see a Muslim here.
It is all very Catholic.
Costa Rica? Belize?
Which Portland? Maine? Oregon? Texas? Tennessee? Indiana?
Poverty is horrible there isn’t it?
I remember reading about a little girl who hung herself.
So sad.
"Escape The Rat Race...Vote Republican"..
>> Which Portland?
Sorry, my bad, I should have been more clear.
Any Portland except Portland, TX.
It’s also okay for Manhattan yankees to make a beeline for Austin — Austin, MN that is.
“Poverty is horrible there isn’t it?”
Poverty is subjective.
Yes, this is a third world country, and most everyone is poor but happy, and enjoying life.
From my observations, I see people here with NOTHING, much happier then many rich people in the USA.
Also remember, the weather is always warm, so people can live in open bamboo shacks. All they need is a roof.
I have neighbors that come to me just to get some ice, as they do not want to pay the few bucks per month for electricity to run a fridge.
I am sure that in the big cities of Manila and Cebu city,
life could be worse for some.
The girl I referred to was living in a shanty town outside of a city, Davao or something. When you can’t afford the bus to school life can be rough for kids.
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