Who doesn’t love it when they find a pleasure that’s absolutely free? Not only do I know I’ve treated myself to something wonderful, I feel very clever about it, which makes me feel, well, rich. And that is the whole point of my philosophy of living like a millionaire on a retirement budget. Read More

This is the scenario no one wants to imagine. I went on an Alaskan cruise, healthy and fit, and ended up leaving the ship in an ambulance for the emergency room of the local Ketchikan hospital. Read More

Why had it taken so long for me to go on a cruise?

The first thing that comes to mind is that for years I was working and raising a family. Saving for college and retirement. Cruises are not inexpensive, so I wasn’t able to take my family on a cruise, nor was I going to go off alone. So for me, timing was largely the issue. And now, the time had come. Read More

I am now officially retired. Yes, I know, the word retirement is antiquated and ridiculous. I didn’t retire from life. Rather, I stopped working 9-5, five days a week and getting a paycheck. Now I work 10 hours a day writing, researching, reading and blogging – and get no paycheck. Read More

I recently read an article in Forbes titled, “Quit your job and live abroad in places so cheap you might not need to work.” I was so fascinated by this that I decided to add up the numbers of my cost of living to see how I fared in the scheme of things. Read More

My hip hurt for years; I started limping. But I lived with the pain because I didn’t want to pay attention to it when there were so many more interesting things to do! When friends suggested hip replacement, I recoiled. Hip replacement was a dirty word in my life…

What hotel does Oprah stay in? Or Richard Branson? Or Bill Gates? Or Mark Zuckerberg?

They don’t. Well, occasionally they might. But more often, the super-rich stay with their super-rich friends. Why stay in a hotel when you can stay on a private island, in an extravagant ski chalet, at beach and lake houses or city flats?
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We do it three times a day, so it might as well be fabulous, fantastic, delicious, delightful. Even if we’re watching our weight. Especially if we’re watching our weight. Read More

Whoever first said that life is like high school all the time sure hit the nail on the head.

An aside – Yes, I know that’s a cliché, but I love it. Because I know exactly how hard it is to hit the nail on the head when I’m trying to drive a nail into something!
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Recently, a reader of my Millionaire series commented that perhaps thinking like a millionaire isn’t something to be aspired to because “What’s so good about being acquisitive, status oriented and power hungry?” Read More