I read an article today called “How rich is rich?” whereby the idea of traveling and not having to work was approached- much as it always is in mainstream culture- as a goal to “work” for, rather than simply a way of being.
It struck me as I was reading it that a year ago I would not have perceived it the same way. Reading it today, it seemed the silliest of propaganda for a consumer-based culture. Take the following quote, for example:
“I’d like to have enough money so my family and I wouldn’t have to work anymore or worry about the necessities, and maybe travel a bit,” said Deborah Veale, a Southern California resident visiting New York City.
Veale said she’d need about $10 million to consider herself set.
One woman from Seattle put it at a “couple thousand dollars a month.” Another from New York City wanted a billion (although she’d still fly coach.)
Experts peg the figure to be somewhere around $2 million to $12 million in savings.
I wonder which sort of experts they’re talking about. Because I’d consider someone an expert if they’d reached this goal. Not a single family-on-the-road has indicated that you need to be a millionaire in order to embark on this adventure. In my book, someone is an expert if they’re living a lifestyle that involves travel more than work. Over and over again, other families on the road encourage readers to JUST DO IT. Why do people not question the belief that one must be wealthy in order to travel more than they work?
In the past we’ve experienced times when we didn’t know how we’d pay the power bill, but it ALWAYS works out. After we lost our family business in 2007, we had 2 cars repossessed. But it worked out. We had our house foreclosed on and, it worked out. We’re in a rental now that’s less than half the cost of our mortgage. We’re both working from home instead of spending 12-16 hours in the restaurant and LIFE IS GOOD.
But we definitely don’t have $2-$12 million in the bank. That would be ridiculous. So we’re supposed to slave our entire life away “saving” millions of dollars before we can assume a CHEAPER lifestyle, of travel?
Articles like this really make it look impossible for the average family. There’s no talk here of getting rid of unnecessary possessions, of selling the house, of committing to a lifestyle that involves DOING rather than shopping. For $2-$12 million dollars, I guess we could pack a suitcase, pay our rent for a few years and fly from one airport to another, paying for hotels, meals out and souvenirs… is THAT their vision of travel?
And I guess if we were taught that working was bound to be detestable, then we’d be glad to never earn a dime again, but I LOVE my work. I’d rather work than watch television.
On the high end of that range, a single person living in an expensive part of the country (say, New York City), wanting to retire at 35 would need at least $300,000 a year to feel rich, according to Steven Kaye, president of Watchung, N.J.-based wealth management firm American Economic Planning Group. He based that number on real-life figures his clients tell him they need.
A yearly income of $300,000 would allow for taxes, a $3,800-a-month apartment (the average price in Manhattan), and a monthly spending allowance of around twelve grand, he said. Not too bad, especially since you could do this all without a pesky job.
Wow. Remind me not to retire to Manhattan, or to hire this guy as my financial planner. Does he realize that the more you make, the more taxes you pay? On the other hand, it’s nice to know what the “average” Manhattan apartment is running. Maybe one day we’ll rent a “below average” apartment for a few months, to better explore NYC. And $12k a month- just to spend on… what? Seriously, I don’t understand uber consumers like this. Shopping is fun, yes, but not to the tune of $12k a month. Think about that, it’s $400 a DAY. I guess- if you’re shopping each day for designer clothing- then maybe $400 wouldn’t go far, but really… when would you WEAR all that clothing? For $40 a day (ten percent of that) My entire family could eat 3 good meals a day (even in NYC) AND have money leftover to contribute to a family-clothing fund and pick up brand-name clothing at a thrift shop every few weeks from the suckers who paid full price and donated it to make more room in their closet.
And this next little bit of “wisdom” struck me as particularly idiodic:
Of course, there are other ways of determining wealth besides just what you’ll need to live well in retirement.
Although decidedly not recommended by financial planners, one is relativity. Basically, you’re rich if you’re making more than your brother-in-law.
I’m sorry, but I’m feeling a different kind of relativity here… It would seem to me that if you’re planning to live like the Queen of England, then you’d need to SAVE enough to afford to live like the Queen of England. However, if you plan to live like a gypsy, then you only need enough cash flow to keep moving, keep exploring and keep loving life, wherever the road leads.
Who the hell cares what their brother-in-law makes? My brother-in-law is a Beverly Hills attorney, I’m sure he makes (and pisses away) more than I’m interested in. And he pays for it, too, in the form of having to leave early every morning and come home late some evenings, tired from his work and spending more time “networking” instead of making true friends, planning vacations way ahead of time and missing his wife and children while he’s amassing those millions. By comparison, WE live more like Royalty than he does, even though our annual income is probably close to what he makes per month. We get to spend each day hanging out with our awesome, ever-changing children. I can’t imagine wasting away each day collecting money while the children grow up in the background. When they’re finally ready to retire, their kids will be grown up and moved out. What kind of life is that? We have plenty of time to spend in the garden, growing organic veggies that nourish every cell in our bodies, instead of purchasing processed foods that rob us of nutrients.
I can appreciate that people have different priorities in life. I’m BEYOND glad to be living up to mine, even if it means we’re not millionaires. No one can convince me that we need millions of dollars in the bank, in order to “retire.” All we need is enough cashflow to keep the RV in motion, food in our bellies and to renew our annual zoo membership.
I like articles like this that force me to appreciate my “alternative” point of view so much. I’m also glad it forces me to see how far we’ve come over the years. In 2005, I’m sure, that I would have believed that a life of travel is out of our league. I’m so grateful to have made online “friends” with so many families who set off into the unknown, to live a life of travel and “retirement” instead of waiting until their life is more than halfway over. LIVE LIFE NOW. Because you never know what tomorrow will bring.
I’m glad to know that if my husband were to die, I wouldn’t feel like I hardly knew him. My kids would have a million and ten awesome memories with him. I’m so glad he’s not the type to spend more time working than with us.
Edited to add this list of jobs you can do while living like a nomad.
OK- so the windows are measured for the valances modeled after the Gypsy Faire Tents. I haven’t settled on a fabric yet, but I’m going with purples and reds definitely. I think I can avoid adding additional lighting if I paint the walls a nice, clean white to cover up the wood that’s already there.
We went for a drive around the block and Ohmygoodnessitwassofrickingamazing. I can SO picture us tearing up the highways with that little piece of heaven. I want to leave NOW. Seriously, I was looking at my bank account, mapping out how far we could get with the cash we have available, how long would we have to stay there before I get paid again…
I need to chant “I will not spend my vacation money decorating the motor home” or rather “I will not spend whats left of my vacation money decorating the motor home.” Actually, I should say “I will not blog about decorating the motor home when I’m supposed to be working to re-raise vacation money”