Finding Your Happy Home – Getting Creative with Alternative Lifestyles

If where you currently live isn’t serving your soul, what is holding you back from moving to that seaside village, or adopting a country casual lifestyle or inner-city vibe? Is there a reason why you must live where you are currently residing? What is it that’s keeping you stationary? Is it family, friends, financial obligation, being the grandchildren’s babysitter, guilt of leaving family behind or fear of new beginnings? Is it possible you are making excuses so you don’t have to do anything?

“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” – Paulo Coelho

Have you researched other countries’ cost of living, healthcare and amenities? If you start surfing the internet, you’ll find many examples of women who’ve pulled up stakes, made that leap of faith and are living brand new lives for far less. Read their stories and get inspired!

Excellent healthcare can be cheaper in places such as Spain, Portugal, France and Mexico, to name a few. If you’re unsure, store your stuff with family or in a storage unit – just in case. Commit yourself to a few months or a year and see what happens. You just might be starting the next exciting chapter of the Book of You.

Downsizing

Many folks resist downsizing – it can be hard to decide what stays and what goes. You raised your children in your home, and happy memories are contained within those four walls. But sometimes, finances or physical health makes this option impossible. When I had to make this decision, I reminded myself that much of our “stuff” hadn’t been used in years, and folks just starting out might appreciate my well-cared-for items. Memories are transportable but hanging on to size 5 suits after retirement is just ludicrous.

Try looking at the positives. Downsizing means less stuff to dust. Brenda, a Facebook acquaintance, and her husband had a beautiful, large family home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They would have lived there forever if they could, but it became too expensive. So, this active, outdoorsy couple with a passion for travel and entertaining decided to move to sunny and hot Osoyoos, British Columbia, and downsized to an apartment condo.

The destination was perfect and the view spectacular, but the apartment was tiny. Going from a huge four-bedroom home to a one-bedroom was devastating for Brenda. She didn’t complain, but you could sense she was struggling in her Facebook posts.

Knowing how much she loved hiking and boating, I suggested that the square footage of her home may have decreased, but the size of her wilderness backyard was enormous and stunning! Her kids would love visiting with all that outdoor space and activities to enjoy. In the spring, when we were still getting hit with Calgary, Alberta snowstorms, I was envious of her Facebook photos of sailboats on the lake and flowers blooming everywhere.

It’s all in the way you look at it; appreciate what you have, not what you don’t. I know few people who would complain about beautiful Osoyoos. By the way, a few years later, Brenda and her husband upgraded to an even larger condo in the same building, bought a boat and fell in love with their new lifestyle. Nothing stays the same forever. Keep moving forward, and you’ll get what you want.

Living Abroad

Thailand

Gather your courage and become a digital nomad. Canadian Deborah Tobin created her company, Mobile Dispatches, as she navigated living a lifestyle that was out of the ordinary. Now in her late 60s, Deborah started her journey teaching overseas after the age of 50.

You can tune in to her YouTube channel, Mobile Dispatches, where she shares practical advice, narratives and true stories on how to work, travel and retire abroad cheaply. The last time I checked in to her channel, she had bought and renovated a condo in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for her retirement.

Mexico

I recently read several stories about American women who moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Although their stories were unrelated, their reasons were primarily the same: the cost of living in Mexico allowed them to have far better lifestyles than if they’d remained in the United States.

They soon discovered a plethora of other benefits for making the move to this stunning UNESCO World Heritage site – temperate climate, large expat community, genuinely friendly locals and a thriving arts community. The women discovered inexpensive, quality healthcare options, housing and more. One woman even commented that Mexicans treat senior women with reverence, and she was just fine with that.

Panama

What about Panama? You could start by reading Jackie Lange’s article, Single Women Moving to Panama. This should get you thinking outside the box, reducing your stress, and relocating to paradise.

Spain

I’ve discovered some fantastic articles and videos on living and working in Southern Spain. You can rent or own, receive excellent healthcare, enjoy a temperate climate and surround yourselves with friendly neighbours – locals and expats alike.

Don’t give up when you discover there are applications to be completed to work or volunteer. Remember – if it were easy, Spain would be overrun with expats, and we don’t want that. If this appeals to you, start doing your homework! For my purposes, I found two great Facebook groups: Canadians in Spain with 4.2K members and Canadians Living in Spain with 17.5K members.

With all the expense and current turmoil of living in Canada. the United States and Britain, my mind keeps wandering to the tranquil beaches of Southern Spain. Although a slower lifestyle might be in order, a sedentary one is not. Fortunately, Barcelona and Lisbon are only a train ride away – so no excuses. You might also want to consider Southern France, Portugal or Italy.

I’m not telling you to move to San Miguel, Mexico – although that would be pretty sweet – or any other country. But don’t discount these destinations. Many countries have large expat communities that are there to give you the inside track and make you feel welcome.

So, there you have just two options for flipping the page and writing your next chapter. The world is your oyster! Open your mind, do some homework and be brave enough to at least consider a change of venue. You’ll discover that all those possessions you have stuffed in your home are insignificant. Your next adventure awaits in another land!

Send me an email at hello@wendyrichards.ca to receive the full chapter on alternative lifestyles from my debut book A Life Postponed – so you too can discover joy and purpose in mid-life and beyond!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Where do you live? Does your current location correspond to your expectations and needs? Have you moved in the past 5 years?