Many years ago, when Yolanda and I were just getting to know each other, we decided to follow a 5-year plan. If we only had five years together, what would we want to do? Where would we go?
Five years seemed like the right amount of time. It created just the right sense of urgency. It was long enough to justify keeping our jobs but short enough to force us into action. It kept us from taking time for granted. I want to go rock climbing again, I said. I want to see a glacier, she said. I want to learn how to sail. I want to go on a Cruise. I want to eat pizza in Rome. I want to see Iceland. And the list went on.
Each year we renewed our five-year plan. We checked things off the list. We added new things. We planned. We traveled. We discovered new places. We
And then something changed.
Yolanda’s parents retired when her Dad was 51 to follow their dream of living a simple life on a lake house in Northern Michigan. And they got to live that dream. For 8 years. Then cancer came.
Our conversations slowly changed from…
If we only had five years together… to… If we die in twenty years, would we be happy if we never got to live our dream? Are we ok waiting that long and
We wouldn’t. No. We can’t. We want to fulfill a dream of truly seeing and experiencing this amazing world before we die. And not just in 2 week chunks. We want to do it permanently. Slowly. Savoring it. At 5 miles per hour. On a sailboat.
The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for
Eleanor Rooseveltnewer and richer experience.
So we started a new five-year plan. A plan to untie the lines at the end of 2023. For good.
And we hope to resurrect this blog to document the journey for our friends, family, and anyone who may find our story useful, or better yet, inspiring. We’ll discuss how we got here and what we will do for the next five years to get ready for our departure. We will talk about finances, the boat, our fears, and all the minutiae required to start an alternative lifestyle that goes beyond the 9 to 5 grind. And we will start soon with the question that most people ask… how can they possibly afford to retire so “young”?
Thailand 2011 Japan 2011 Martinique 2012 St. Maarten 2012 Vegas 2012 Zion 2012 Death Valley 2012 Capital Reef 2012 Moab 2012 Cayman Islands 2012 Curacao 2013 Family Cruise 2014 St Marteen 2013 Mammoth Cave 2014 Toronto 2014 Virgin Islands 2015 NYC 2015 Barcelona 2015 Toulon 2015 Rome 2015 Mykonos 2015 Grenada 2016 Grenadines 2016 Tobago Cays 2016 Iceland 2016 We bought a boat! 2017 Greenland 2017 Bahamas 2017 Mallorca 2018 New Zealand 2018
I’m glad Yolanda’s dad had those eight years. I think of my dad all the time and wish he was out cruising with us!
Hey Amy, thanks for the kind words! I hope you also have some great memories of your Dad ❤️. Hopefully our paths will someday cross!
Five year planning is a great way to discern and focus on what’s really important to you. All the best for the coming year. 🙂
Thanks Ellen! All the best to you and Scott. Cheers, Nestor.
[…] in January of 2019, we started openly talking about our “5-Year Plan“, like many frugal paycheck workhorses, the plan has been in the works for many years. I […]