When you mention frugal living some immediately think of sacrificing and denial…frugal living does not have to be like that at all. Think of life living on a sailboat…that’s fun not sacrifice.

The current economic mess is causing all of us to rethink our plans for the future, especially those of retired or thinking about retirement. We have seen big changes to our investment accounts…some are saying “I can’t afford to retire now”…really, don’t give up now.

Have you thought of retirement lifestyles that are not only cheap but fun as well? We lived aboard a sailboat, in the Caribbean, for eight years…I know, someone had to do it. It was the highlight experience of our 35 year married life. We had a ball and did not spend much while we had fun.

How is sailboat life frugal or cheap? We lived on our boat, a 35 foot Island Packet, in the Caribbean. From the British Virgin Islands to the north, to Venezuela and Trinidad in the south. We spent around $1,000 a month while we were on the boat. We lived quite well and spent next to nothing. How are you going to spend a lot of money when you are anchored? The closest thing to spending money is a fisherman coming up with a lobster, conch or fish. Sometimes you can barter, fishermen need cold beer just like you and I.

How is living on a sailboat enjoyable?…you do not have enough time to hear it all…you don’t have enough time to read it all. We did enjoyable things with fellow boaters at every island we came to. We hiked all over the islands, met great local folks that the tourists never see, all accomplished very cheaply.

Do you need to be a life long sailor to enjoy this lifestyle? Far from it. Thanks to the GPS…a wonderful invention, navigation between islands is easy. In the Windwards and Leewards, your longest sail between islands is 90 miles…or about 16 hours. Except for Anegada and Anguilla, all the islands are mountainous and easy to see. You pick up most of the sailing skills you need as you go.

Living aboard a sailboat can be a fun and frugal way to retire. We enjoyed this this great way of living for eight years…so can you.

To get information on living on a sailboat. Gary P Pierce is the editor of frugal retirement living , he has experience in sailing and other enjoyable, frugal methods to retire.