Dropping out and living the dream

Great thread. We lived the dream giving up decent stable jobs with pensions etc when we were younger (both about 25) as all we could see ahead back then was marriage, kids then death We made it work and even ended up with a house in Thailand that was mortgage free at one point but then came back to bring kids up in the relative safety of the UK and make use of the amazing NHS, see friends and family etc. It's now 10 years later and we have a UK mortgage, 3 kids and a late bay with each of them costing us a fortune but are both starting to get itchy feet again with that Kevin McCloud's Escape to the Wild not helping!

Apart from getting away in the bay as many weekend as possible here in the UK we are also tentatively looking to go away around Europe next year for at least 4 weeks in the bay but I could easily be tempted to up sticks and live somewhere warmer that had decent internet where I could still have the safety net of being able to earn some cash with my web site stuff.

You only get one chance at life so if you can head off with some sort of security net in place if it all does go wrong I would do it.

 

My mates laugh at me cos I'm always travelling or working (part time) abroad but I'm probably better off financially too as they've been ball deep in mortgages, cars, kids and all the other 'luxuries' people waste their money on.

I sold my house put and put a deposit down on a flat & lived in it when I came home.

2002 13 month trip round the world
Canada, America, Hawaii, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand.

2004 6 month trip to New Zealand to work at Whakapapa Ski Field in the North Island. Fiji & Borneo trip on the way home to see the orangutans.

2008 12 month trip to work in Christchurch, New Zealand travelling through China, Hong Kong, Sydney, Fiji & West Coast America.

Since being home my partner & I make sure we get 3 - 5 week Travelling trip every year to Asia or beyond. Even if it means taking unpaid leave from work. Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand......


How we do it financially? We saved every penny I could. We didn't waste my money on things I don't need. When I'm thinking about buying things I ask myself do I need it? Or do I just want it?

When we lived in New Zealand we worked three days a week, rented a two bed house bought a 4x4 and I bought all our camping gear, bikes & beach gear on gumtree in the winter so it was cheaper. I worked out how far we could travel to the mile working out how much fuel we had. We didn't have a credit card or an overdraft and were happy as and appreciated every single thing we did of had. It doesn't cot anything to go for a bike ride, goto the beach, coastal walk etc.
We didn't eat steak when we went camping it was a luxury just getting away so we ate cheaply.
THE BEST TIME OF OUR LIVES.

Would I do the same thing with a child
YES.

Ps still got the flat plus a house, a golf & a Bay. I'm not rich and never will be. The only thing I'd keep and take with me is the Bay. I'd sell the rest tomoro and move abroad.

GO FOR IT!!!

 

@tommygoldy , you've made the hardest decision by deciding to get rid of "stuff". TBH, that was the ureka moment for us what will be over 10 years ago now.
Stuff binds you, ties you down and prevents you changing your lifestyle. We had oceans of "stuff" that went the way of the car boot or tip back then.
We've still got stuff now but less of it. Mrs Monkey drives her beetle daily & I have the syncro for getting backwards & forwards to jobs that pay for the boat moorings & travelling. Chip is cosy in his barn storage waiting for me to sort the front caliper out & fit some gas struts to the pop top. That's our stuff now...

However, living the dream does take some effort & commitment...
The beer & wine are brewing nicely, we shop almost exclusively at Aldi and I am regularly found hovering around the reduced section down at the local Co-op.
It's easier to justify 20mpg when the shopping bill is low
For us now, work is available so long as we're not greedy and needy &, touch wood, we're healthy.

This evening we've sat in the bow with a beer & G&T whilst the beautiful evening plays out. The swan family came round for supper & Mrs Monkey & I discussed when we can steal a few days to get the boat out next month.

My motto now is that so long as you're moving, you'll bump into something. It's a lot easier to sit & complain about woulda, shoulda, coulda, & watch others living a life... than it is to make the first steps towards living one yourself. Sell the lot..............

 

Snap. Once I'd decided to do that I was on the path to freedom. Not that I'm quite there yet.

I'm down to almost nothing but the house and although I'm still stuck in it and paying for everything is a pain I still feel a whole lot better than being trapped by "stuff".

 

This mornings dog walk gave me this view.

 

Have you cut your ear off?

 

Pardon? Can you come around my good side please.

 

Iz you bill or ben ?

 

flobberdobberdobberdobber

 

Thanks all! Loving the feedback and encouragement I'm getting on here.

Thanks for your support! Having made the decision, getting rid is easy. Shifted a load of gear on eBay over the last couple of weeks - a lot of it is stuff I said I'd "never sell". Feels great and bank balance is looking rosy, too. I've also "found" a few bits in the clearout which I've been enjoying very much - my Ibanez Blazer, for example...

In fact, selling stuff is becoming a bit of an obsession... eBay takes up a lot of time and watching the money roll in while gaining space at home is quite addictive. But we're going camping in a bit so I've promised to stop listing stuff and concentrate on sorting a few niggles on the bus and getting the camping gear ready instead. When we come back from our trip I'd like to quit work and do a full time mix of selling my stuff, playing the guitar, and maybe recording that album I never got round to... I reckon it would keep me going (financially speaking) for the best part of a year (depending on whether I keep the bus or not!)

The hard thing is stopping myself from buying more. eBay (and the internet in general) is terrible. It's easy to convince yourself that in rationalising your gear you now "just need one of these"... Having sold all the rubbish I don't use I keep being tempted to buy myself e.g. a lovely pre Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray bass... just like I always wanted... or another motorbike.

Oh, and I just bought a load of bits and bobs for the bus. Less than I've sold, but still... hopefully at least it is stuff that will get used, and part of the freedom toolkit rather than trinkets to tie us down.

 

Anyone see this the other night?

http://www.channel5.com/shows/ben-fogle-new-lives-in-the-wild

The locals picked up a house and moved it...

Got me thinking, I could round up at least 50 people if I wanted , a mix of ex pats and locals ,in England I would have troubles getting half a dozen people...

we had a party a couple of years ago and there was loads turned up ,again only 60 ish people came to my wedding in England...

The guy featured on the show was on his lonesome, but managed pretty well...

 

some house you could build ,the boulder and cliff one are my favourite..

http://www.domain.com.au/news/into-...built-away-from-civilisation-20150716-gicqnd/