A RETIRED couple has revealed how they live by the beach without even spending their full Social Security checks.
There’s nothing frugal about their golden years lifestyle, but it would not have been possible without one major decision.
Cindy and Fred are a retired couple who spend their days by the beach on a monthly budget of no more than $1,500.
That’s considerably less than the average Social Security income for a married couple of $2,800.
In a video for the YouTube channel Living Overseas TV, Fred and Cindy revealed how they do it.
One way they are able to keep their expenses so low is that their rent is just $250 a month.
“We don’t penny pinch – that includes two internets, our housekeeper, taking care of our car,” said Cindy.
But the secret to Cindy and Fred’s affordable lifestyle is that they moved to Huatulco, Mexico.
“We are so happy here,” she said.
“When you get off the airport, we guarantee people within two hours, the weight just leaves.”
Cindy and Fred consider living in Huatulco to be “almost heaven.”
And they are just two of the 62,000 American retirees in Mexico, according to Social Security data.
RETIRING ABROAD?
Americans can still collect any Social Security benefits they are eligible for if they leave the US.
Over half a million Social Security recipients live overseas, often leaving for countries where their money goes further.
Cindy and Fred are not the only ones who have shown how affordable retired life in Mexico can be.
Janet Blaser lives almost entirely off her Social Security payments in a beachside apartment in Mazatlán.
“I think we all wanna be happy,” she. said in a video for CNBC.
“Unfortunately, what they tell you in the US, the money you need to retire on, this many millions or this many $100,000s a year – I am a living example, you don’t need that to be happy.”
If you plan to rely on Social Security in retirement, make sure you know the answer to 13 vital questions.
Or check out The U.S Sun’s list of ways to start saving for retirement at any age.