It always comes down to the money…

I think the first thing that comes to mind in contemplating any of our moves is money. It is financially viable?!

The difference with this move as opposed to our last few, is that neither of us have a job to go to, and do not anticipate getting a paid one for at least a year!

When I was young, I wandered around the world arriving in countries often with neither a job, nor a place to stay, I winged it, some would call it reckless, but it always worked out! Maybe it is old age,(I am 48), or that I now have a family, but these days, I want a plan that means we are not losing all our savings and compromising Luca’s future, yet still leading the life we want! Rich has always liked plans 🙂 . Also for him, although extensively traveled, often for extended periods of time, he has never actually moved to another country, and not been without a job since he first started work, so this is a biggie!

We needed to makes sure we can do it!

The point of this post, is for those like us, wanting something different in life, but not sure how to go about it. Here is how we did it.

Over the last 12 years we have moved 3 different Provinces within Canada, renovated and sold 3 homes, each property has been special to us and we loved living there while we reinvented these unloved, neglected homes, into special places. When we sold La Casita we pooled our money and paid off all debt and were left with $58 000 which we used to buy Koru Acres outright, (yes it was in that poor a state), but we then set to work with no initial debt, that, was what set us on our way.

Here are our homes in all their pre and post glory! 🙂

La Casita (before)

La Casita (after)

Kora Acres (before)

Koru Acres (after)

River Cottage (before)’

River Cottage (after, we got help with this one, Don and Debbie are our heroes!)

While renovating we worked, Rich full time and me part time, while raising Luca in a way we wanted, we had put a lot of thought and discussion into conceiving and raising him, and wanted to keep true to that, so that meant choosing very carefully what and where we did it.

We put our heart and soul into the properties and loved them all, each holds many special memories, for Rich and I it really cemented our relationship. When you are doing these sort of renovations and living in them, you really need to like each other a lot and be able to work well together! Together we can see the potential, Rich is a truly amazing builder, (he is not a builder by trade, but has learned as we went along!) and can make my vision reality. Although stressful at times, it is truly rewarding making something beautiful and we have enjoyed doing it as a team.

The first home La Casita was less than 500 square feet, so it helps if you don’t have personal space issues either :)!!!!!!

Luca was born in Koru Acres and had an amazing first 4 years of his life there, running around on 16 acres with numerous animals around him.

River Cottage was where he started school and he has great memories of he and his friends playing in the river and bush that surrounded us there.

Renovating and selling these properties has allowed us to get a little nest egg together, and on top of this Rich has retired as of 4 weeks ago, (he is 58), so has a small but very helpful pension.

After extensive research we have calculated we can survive realistically on $US2000 a month in Costa Rica for a year, after that we will need some more income coming in. I am working on it 🙂

We are not wealthy by western standards, but do recognize how privileged we are to have the means to put a plan like this into place. It is difficult nowadays for most working families to put a roof over their heads, heat it and eat! It never ceases to amaze us how much the cost of living has gone up even in the last 10 years. I still think it is possible to get off the treadmill, but compromises have to be made, it is what you are willing to compromise on and everyone is different. I am in no way suggesting you follow the same path as us, as everyone has their own individual skill set and renovating may not be it. However look at your strengths and abilities and make a plan, budget strictly and stick to it. You can do it!

In another post I will do a break down of our budget for Costa Rica, to give those wanting to do something similar an idea of what to expect for a budget of $US2000 a month ,(excluding school fees), for a family of 3 and a dog. I will let you know how we get on…