You Don't Need A Million Dollars To Retire Here's Why

You don't need a million dollars to retire. Whew, I was relieved to read that! Casey Eberhart said: "When your income from residual income streams is equal to or surpasses your bills, then you can retire." My husband and I meet those requirements with our Social Security and my little online store.

Living simply is not about denying yourself. It's about eliminating the stuff (material things and commitments = getting up every morning for a job) things that don't bring you happiness and surrounding yourself with only things you love and use. It's about having the right mix of convenience and simplicity.

 My husband and I enjoy our computer and cell phones that keep us connected to the world. Our 2000 Toyota Camry is essential and paid off. Our home is a condo off Scottsdale Road which is one of the few experiments in the United States where everyone purchases them together. Our homeowners association fee is $402.00 a month. To save us from throwing money out the window Chuck has been experimenting with styrofoam insulation for our arcadia door and windows to cut our electric bill(we live in Arizona 110 degrees this summer). Installing a reverse osmosis water filter is now saving us $30 a month and hauling water bottles. Purchasing a modem and router saves us $25 a month on the rental from Cox Cable. We enjoy movies and went to see "The Hundred Yard Journey", taking advantage of the Senior Discount for $6.50. We don't have cable television so just watch regular antenna t.v. rent Redbox DVD's or I have collected tons of my favorite classics on video tape. If Chuck loved sports we wouldn't deprive him...just find a way of adding it into our budget.

When we eat out we use coupons or freebies like "Chic-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day"... by dressing like a cow you get a free meal and drink! Or Joe's Barbeque has customer appreciation day offering a FREE meal once a year. When the Diamondbacks win Taco Bell gives away 3 Free tacos with the purchase of a drink.

My Grandmother Belle Wise retired on $75.00 a month. My grandfather died in his early 30's leaving her a widow. Since she couldn't read or write she struggled working as a cook to feed 3 young children. I remember watching as she signed her checks with an X. My mother (who raised her own 8 children) bought her a small one bedroom house in Arizona. She had no hot water would just boil water on the stove and fill a metal tub for baths and washing her clothes. Simple budgeting allowed her to pay her electric and water bills.

She had enough left over for food 100% whole wheat bread, pound cake, hamburger, chicken and oatmeal, cream of wheat, & spinach. She would walk a mile to the store & take the bus home with her groceries. Her special treat consisted of one six pack of Coors beer & a pouch of Bull Duram tobacco. My grandmother was always neat and clean, wore an apron, her hair in a perfect bun. Cleaned her little house, cooked chicken and dumplings, watched Divorce Court and Queen For A Day on her black and white t.v., sat in her rocking chair rocking her dog (when us babies were all grown), smoked a corn cob pipe and later chewed her tobacco and spit it neatly in a can. My older brother Bob would take her for a drive and buy her a hamburger and strawberry milkshake which she loved.Was able to save $5.00 a month in her Xmas fund. She enjoyed her simple retirement for many years until the age of 86. It's funny I never thought of her as poor but as loved and happy.

Simplifying is not difficult. It's not about depriving yourself of basics. It's about not confusing spending with living comfortably or having fun. Comfort is mainly about living without constant stress and fun is mainly about what you do rather than what you spend.

What small steps have you taken to live a simpler life?