The Joys of Living a Simple Life

There are many reasons and ways to live a simple, more relaxed life.

When you have a house, a spouse, 2.7 kids, a job, and a dog, you may not be able to live a simple life.

But after you retire, you have a lot of options. You may decide that to be happy, you don't need the big house, the new car, and all the gadgets and things that are costing you money every month.

I sold everything (and I mean everything) and moved to Costa Rica a year ago. I brought two 27-gallon tote bins I checked as luggage. And that is twice as much stuff as I should have brought. Half of the stuff I put in each bin is still in the bin.

I'm not doing any video work, but I thought I might someday, so I brought a lot of video and lighting equipment that filled up half of one bin.

One option is to live in an RV

You don't have to move to Costa Rica or some tropical island to live the simple life, but getting away from the things that are costing you money and consuming your time makes it easier to spend your time doing the things that are important to you.

How about living in two different places?

My parents did that for the last 20 years of their lives. They sold their big house, bought an apartment in Tennessee, and a small place in Florida. They lived six months of the year in each place.

For the last 13 years, I lived three to six months a year in Costa Rica, and the other time in my motorhome in the mountains of North Carolina, in Florida, or on the beach in Galveston, TX. Now I live full-time in Costa Rica, but I'm free to move somewhere else at the drop of a hat.

Don't overlook the idea of living in more than one place. Downsizing and living in more than one place can be less expensive, more interesting, and more enjoyable than how you're living now.

Bottom line: The key to living the simple life is to think about what lifestyle you would enjoy and then make it happen. Don't put it off. Time is not on your side. Start making plans and taking steps now to live a simple, stress-free life.