The Planning

There are thousands of websites touting the benefits of being a expat.  However, buying a property in a foreign country to us sounds like getting back on that hamster wheel we're trying to escape.  Staying in one place for a while, until something else beacons is much more appealing...and a lot less expensive.

Planning has always been part of our relationship.  It's our hallmark for success. For us everything starts with a dream, an idea, and then becomes a reality as we carefully take it apart into bite size components.  One step at a time we have created our current life...slowly moving from one phase and into another, and always forward and upward.  This time we are doing something huge and it will take some time.

Once we decided on a nomadic lifestyle, the rest has come pretty easy.  Our first setup was to itemize our current monthly living costs.  The list got pretty large pretty fast.  That in itself was an eyeopener.  Here's the short list of our current monthly expenses.  There's plenty more but these are the ones that we consistently make a payment each month:

Mortgage
RE Taxes
RE Insurance
Utilities - Gas, Electric, Water, Waste
Upkeep and Repairs
Snow removal
Gardening and Yard Maintenance
Health Insurance and Co-pays
Insurance on 3 Vehicles, a boat, a camper, two motorcycles and two snowmobiles
Vehicle Maintenance
Vehicle Fuel
Telephone
Cable TV
Internet
Newspaper Delivery
Food.  We eat well and entertain a lot!
Entertainment
Travel
Income Tax
Charitable Contributions

The total was eye-opening.  Although we are virtually debt free, it still costs a lot to maintain a basic lifestyle.  This is a good exercise for anyone wanting to get a hold on their spending.  For us it made the next step even easier-establishing a nomad budget.  All this and we will be spending a lot less each month-no material ties.  If we are careful, we can live comfortably on simply our retirement income.  We shouldn't have to draw on our retirement funds or cash assets until it's time to return the USA and setup housekeeping again...a long time down the road we hope!

Storage Unit - someplace in the lower 48 where we can store the few things we will keep when we are completely downsized.
Email and Website - we've decided to maintain a website with private email instead of using Gmail or Yahoo, etc.  We'll have complete control of the content and it'll be a great way to keep our friends and family close.
US Mailbox - someplace in the lower 46, that can be checked once a month or so by a trusted friend or family member.  While we hope to completely avoid snail mail once we set sail, there will be that odd piece that comes in that needs attention.
Travel Cost - we've got to get from point A to point B every three months or so.
Health Insurance - our military coverage doesn't work overseas so we do need to purchase an international package.  They are amazing less expensive than we thought.
Cell Phones - local ones where we are living, primarily to keep in touch with each other.  We'll use a Vonage internet number with voice mail for our family and friends.
Rent - this is the fun one.  We get to pick a different house or apartment when we get bored and wand to move on.  Setting a $1500 per month rental limit gives us some pretty awesome choices, even in places like Paris, London, Beijing, New Delhi, and even New York City.
Food - we'll be shopping and eating local.  We're so looking forward to making our meal preparation a daily event, shopping in local markets and preparing a grand meal each night.  And the wine!
Daily Transportation - buses, trains, subways, motor scooters.
Entertainment and Touring

With a workable budget planned out the next steps are a bit daunting.  We've got to sell the house, the cars, all of the toys, and downsize everything left into a manageable amount.  We're using a 10' X 12" storage unit as our goal.  Art, a few favorite antiques, furniture we know we can't replace, memorabilia, and some housekeeping basics like my Kitchen Aide mixer.  Anything that is worn out and no longer has value, intrinsic or otherwise, will be destined for that huge estate sale next year.

With that out of the way, what's left is to settle our affairs and get ready for the adventure.  It all starts when we get back from our next travel club adventure to New Zealand and Australia.