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oldjack
Nomad
Posts: 350
Registered: 1-26-2006
Location: Los Barriles
Member Is Offline
Mood: retired
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Those of you who have retired, either on SS or some other minimal plan, do you work part-time in the states to make life a bit more comfortable?? I
am aware of how the income offsets work... but after the qualifying age you have no negative effect... I want to enjoy some good weather and hopefully
good fishing in SOC... Los Barriles is a great little town IF you have enough money... I have seven years left on my lease($3300/yr) but no control on
what happens after that... the increases in the past have been about 10%... if I were to sell out and buy a "fixer" that Shari suggests I might be
ahead and have space to grow some food... it seems that the most affordable small towns/villages are on the remote Pacific side.... maybe have to look
in that direction...
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
Member Is Offline
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SS has a once per year cost of living increase, 6.3% I believe this year.
Iflyfish
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
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5.8%
http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/pr/2009cola-pr.htm
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3512
Registered: 8-27-2003
Member Is Offline
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I have a friend who retired from US Gov service at age 50 after putting in almost 30 years. He is now 60. Every year he gets a small cost of living
raise that is then wiped out by the increase is cost of his health insurance. Some years the increase is health premiums is greater that the COL
raise. Most years, his net increase is in the $25 to $50/month range. While he's glad he retired at 50, it just gets harder and harder for him to
make it.
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comitan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4177
Registered: 3-27-2004
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
Mood: mellow
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Nobody can give you the answer to this question, because everyone's circumstance is different, it all comes down how bad you want to and if your
willing to live within your means.
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
Member Is Offline
Mood: Skeptical
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Old Jack,
It sounds to me like you may be able to pull it off living like the locals in a small village. A couple of Nomads live in the village of San Lucas,
which is not far from Santa Rosalia, between Santa Rosalia and Mulege. The west side of HWY 1 looks clean and modest. It is moments from the SOC where
some of the best fishing takes place around San Marcos Island.
A problem I see for you would be how to unload your Las Barriles home. There is not much of a real estate market anywhere in Baja due to the economic
turndown in the U.S. and also news of all the border violence.
If you were to entertain moving to a small village and live like a local, could you adjust culturally? If San Lucas were it,there is always Mulege to
visit and get a hit of gringo comradere, only about 30 minutes away.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
Member Is Offline
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Comitan right 5.8%, wishful thinking on my part. Sorry if I got hopes up.
Iflyfish
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: | Originally posted by oldjack
Those of you who have retired, either on SS or some other minimal plan, do you work part-time in the states to make life a bit more comfortable?? I
am aware of how the income offsets work... but after the qualifying age you have no negative effect... I want to enjoy some good weather and hopefully
good fishing in SOC... Los Barriles is a great little town IF you have enough money... I have seven years left on my lease($3300/yr) but no control on
what happens after that... the increases in the past have been about 10%... if I were to sell out and buy a "fixer" that Shari suggests I might be
ahead and have space to grow some food... it seems that the most affordable small towns/villages are on the remote Pacific side.... maybe have to look
in that direction... |
Oldjack, are you saying the lease has been going up about 10% per year while you have been there OR that when others around you have renewed after 10
years, THEIR lease went up about 10% over the previous lease amount or ??????
Counting utilities, it sounds like you're "rent" is around 300-350 month, which is not too bad AND you have use of your improvements.
As far as food goes, I've started some crops on the roof of a neighbor's house in pots. Some tomatoes, cilantro and basil to start; other veges later
on. Less bugs UP there. Maybe you can approach a neighbor with a large concrete roof on a garage or something to let you "sharecrop" his, uh,
north forty..........meters, that is. Or maybe you can go UP on your property.
For soil, some good old horse manure and well-draining desert soil can work just fine.
How about getting a couple chickens and constructing a chicken coup? Our landlord's are producing about 2 eggs a day and a large percentage of their
diet is table scraps, as well as some chicken feed.
Vegetables are no bargain in the supers over here in Sonora but there are GREAT deals on local produce at the open air mercados, in town and out of
town. GET AS CLOSE TO THE SOURCE AS YOU CAN, without spending a bundle on gas getting there. Ask the locals where they buy foodstuffs.
For medical, investigate joining the IMSS health plan in Mexico for the small stuff. I know a couple over here who are 65 and 51. They pay 350.00 and
250.00US/year, respectively. For anything catastrophic, many rely on REAL health insurance with a high deductible; like about 2500/per incident.
Do you have skills that you can barter with the locals? Maybe the local fishermen?
Just some ideas................your housing seems manageable. But I am not up on the cost of living on the East Cape except that it seemed expensive
when I was last there 6 years ago.
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oldjack
Nomad
Posts: 350
Registered: 1-26-2006
Location: Los Barriles
Member Is Offline
Mood: retired
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Hook..
the cost of the lease has been going up 10% on the ten year renewal...
If I can sell my place.... I think I will look for a small house like Shari mentioned... may have to settle for fishing in the Pacific .... my spanish
is getting better and maybe some senorita in one of these towns will take an "interest" in me ....
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: | Originally posted by oldjack
Hook..
the cost of the lease has been going up 10% on the ten year renewal...
If I can sell my place.... I think I will look for a small house like Shari mentioned... may have to settle for fishing in the Pacific .... my spanish
is getting better and maybe some senorita in one of these towns will take an "interest" in me .... |
"Settle" for fishing over there??? It will be Hemingway all over, if you choose the right location.
You can count on the senorita action, language barrier or not.
Maybe the third time's, the charm...........but beware of dependents; both the kind you make and the kind you inherit.
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dao45
Junior Nomad
Posts: 93
Registered: 5-21-2007
Member Is Offline
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Not to hijack the topic from Baja but is it any less expensive if at on the mainland side to live?
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LOSARIPES
Nomad
Posts: 283
Registered: 8-14-2008
Member Is Offline
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dao45,
Mainland is less expensive, especially if you stay away from popular and nice "gringo spots" like Chapala, Puerto Vallarta, Santiago (Manzanillo), San
Blas Nayarit, etc. you sort of have to find a spot close to those places to enjoy the benefits/facilities but not necessarily "in" the place so as to
have to pay premium. The rewards on the other hand are that you may get a good chance to live and get involved with Mexicans and their culture.
Aripes
God bless America
and Baja tambien
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stanburn
Nomad
Posts: 145
Registered: 10-4-2007
Location: Santiago, Colima, MX
Member Is Offline
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I certainly wouldn't call Santiago a gringo location. I live in a Mexican neighborhood in a 1600 square foot home 5 blocks from the beach (though
without a view) that I bought last year for $62k. I live on about 1k a month and spend whatever I have left each month travelling of renovating the
house.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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Actually, even the most resorty town in Mexico will have it's barrios where the Mexicans who work the tourist area, shop.
I live in San Carlos, Sonora which would easily be included in a list of touristy towns in Mexico. But Sonora may have the most diverse economy of any
province in Mexico. From seafood, to agriculture to ranching, light and heavy industry, bottling companies, good marine and vehicle repair outlets
(including cheap haulout for boats) , etc. All of this is only 15-75 minutes from here in Guaymas and Hermosillo. More expensive versions of all this
in San Carlos proper.
We're taking a trip down to Guasimas next week. A local told us about an area off the vast estero there, where the camaroneros on pangas sell grande
shrimp for 40 pesos per kilo. We'll see.
My vote for the absolute best food deal in Mexico is the pollo places that do either pollo rostizado or pollo estilo Sinaloese. My wife and I get
about 4 meals each from those for about 50-60 pesos.
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rhintransit
Super Nomad
Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
Member Is Offline
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I'm looking forward to SS! I know I could live on it...as I've been living on savings for several years. without the expenses of maintaining my
house in Phoenix my cost of living here in Baja (FAR more expensive than the mainland in my experience) would be less than my projected SS income.
that includes high deductable USA medical insurance. the key, as many have said, is owning a home or low rent. the rest you can adjust up and down
as needed.
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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