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Retired couple in their 50s lives on cruise ships, and it costs about as much as living on land

"You don't have to be a millionaire or billionaire to do what we're doing."

via Anthony Ketland/Unsplash

A large cruise ship crosses the ocean.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to give up all life's stresses and live on a cruise ship? Every few days, you experience a new, exotic destination, and you don’t have to worry about traffic or cooking your meals. There’s no light bill, no water bill, and no need to pay someone to mow the lawn. It’s great to fantasize about, but that lifestyle is only for the super wealthy, right? Think again, a retired couple from Ontario, Canada, sold their home and lives on cruise ships, and it's surprisingly affordable.

Tori Carter and Kirk Rickman, 50 and 54, have been living on cruise ships since December 2022. The couple decided to live the best life possible after Tori went through a period of hardship. In 2019, she lost a friend to a stroke and her dog, which she loved like a son. She also had a back injury that affected her mobility for months.

“We started asking ourselves, Why wait until we’re old and sick to go on big trips if we can do it while we’re healthy? We were still pretty young—both in our 40s—but since we’d each worked two jobs, we’d already managed to save a good amount of money for retirement,” Kirk told Toronto Life.


So, the couple sold their home, pocketed the cash, and used that, along with some rental property income, as a nest egg to help pay for their new lifestyle. The couple also takes advantage of extensive programs through cruise lines and credit cards to save on transportation and booking fees. Since taking to the high seas in December 2022, the couple has been on 29 voyages across 12 cruise lines, averaging about a month each. Their longest cruise lasted 68 days. "We feel like each ship is a destination in itself," Tori told Business Insider. "Because we live on ships, it's not like we want to party every single night."

“It’s crucial for us to avoid really expensive ships,” Tori told Toronto Life. “You could easily spend a million per year on luxury cruises, but you can ride consistently on smaller boats for not much more than $30,000 each per year. We also save money because we no longer have to pay for things like a mortgage, lawn maintenance, car payments, groceries, and everyday house or yard items.”

The couple shares all of their cruise tips and tricks on their YouTube page.


In addition to finding good deals on cruises, the couple saves a lot of money through reward programs. They use their Visa and Mastercards on as many purchases as possible, including booking their cruises, to maximize their points and perks. They use those points for hotel stays between cruises and flying to ports to hop on their next cruise. They also have Expedia Gold status to get "heavily discounted" travel. Their Mastercard is with WestJet, which gives them a free companion voucher every year and credits to pay down travel costs.

The couple also make liberal use of Carnival Cruises' stock perks. By owning shares in the company and booking through travel websites, they’ve earned $4,340 in money they can spend on the cruises. When you add it all up, they spends about $7,337.49 per month to live on a cruise ship, which is about $118 per person, per day. That includes food, cabin, and onboard amenities.

cruise ships, cruises, sunset cruise, sunset, ocean, beautiful sunsetA cruisehip at sunset.via Alsonso Reyes/Unsplash

Even though the couple has lived at sea for most of the past two and a half years, they show no signs of wanting to stop their nomadic lifestyle. "The most exciting part is that there’s still lots to explore. Health willing, we don’t anticipate an end date for our adventures—we want to do this for the rest of our lives,” Kirk said. “Or until we run out of money! But we think that if we can continue being smart about how we book trips, we have at least several years of cruising ahead,” Tori added.

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Entire neighborhood bids fond farewell to their mailman after 31 years of service

The beauty of community captured in a single video.

@blissfullbuda_/TikTok

Need something heartwarming? We got you.

With constant coverage of how we are losing a sense of interconnectedness as a society, stories of communities coming together like this one feel particularly impactful.

On Sept 21, Bill Buda had his final route as a USPS mail carrier, after 31 years of service. A video posted by his daughter, Alexa Buda, shows the entire neighborhood coming out to celebrate the milestone.

In the now-viral clip, Bill is greeted with balloons, hugs, fond farewells, kids’ drawings, tail-wagging dogs, sidewalk art, congratulatory signs, even what looks like a DIY christening with water bottles…pretty much the best sendoff ever.

"People will NEVER forget how you made them feel," Alexa Buda writes in the caption.

Down in the comments, people seconded Alexa’s statement. So many people wrote in to commend Bill for pouring his heart into his job and creating genuine relationships with those he interacted with for decades.

“This is my parents' neighborhood! Your dad was always so kind & i’ll never forget him congratulating me when he delivered my diploma from Kent State.”

“Bill, thank you for your many years of service to Oak Rd, we were out of town Saturday and we missed being able to say goodbye. You were always so friendly and kind, we really appreciated all you did. Enjoy this new chapter!”

“Your dad was always so kind to me and my husband when either of us were out running near HFS! I remember he was a mailman from when we were in grade school and I’m sure he didn’t know who I was but he was always so friendly when I’d see him.”

“Bill is the best. Loved talking with him. I ride an old motorcycle and he saw it in my garage and we talked about rides we've taken.”

“This was so amazing. We just moved to the neighborhood and liked him instantly. Happy retirement!”

Even those who didn’t know Bill were moved by seeing such fanfare.

“I’m CRYING this is so pure, congratulations to your dad. No one better than the friendly neighborhood mailman,” said one person.

Bill told Good Morning America that after being asked multiple times about his retirement, he decided to make things simple by taping a "save the date" card to his customers' doors.

But never did he expect a full blown blowout. Alexa told People that her dad’s normal route lasted an extra two hours because of all the people they would end up talking to.

“I really must have done something right to have this…it was fantastic," Bill also shared with Good Morning America.

With his near perfect attendance, checking in on those along his route (especially on elderly folks), and generally having a perpetually upbeat attitude, it’s safe to say that Bill did, in fact, do something very, very right. And got the recognition he dearly deserved.

And as Alexa shared with People, this heartwarming moment feels especially refreshing in a modern time.

“As this generation becomes more digital, genuine interactions with people are becoming rare.”

Rare, perhaps. But still happening. And still incredibly impactful.

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Modern Families

A couple in their 50s live permanently on a cruise ship because it's cheaper than a mortgage

They hope to spend around $36,000 a year.

via Pexels

The Emperor of the Seas.

Imagine retiring early and spending the rest of your life on a cruise ship visiting exotic locations, meeting interesting people and eating delectable food. It sounds fantastic, but surely it’s a billionaire’s fantasy, right?

Not according to Angelyn Burk, 53, and her husband Richard. They’re living their best life hopping from ship to ship for around $100 a night, depending on the cruise. "Cruise costs vary quite a bit, our goal is to average about $100 per night, for the couple, or less across and entire calendar year," Richard told Upworthy.

The Burks have called cruise ships their home since May 2021 and have no plans to go back to their lives as landlubbers. Angelyn took her first cruise in 1992 and it changed her goals in life forever.

“Our original plan was to stay in different countries for a month at a time and eventually retire to cruise ships as we got older,” Angelyn told 7 News. But a few years back, Angelyn crunched the numbers and realized they could start much sooner than expected.

“We love to travel and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense,” she said. They looked into deals they could find through loyalty memberships and then factored in the potential sale price of their home and realized their dream was totally affordable.

The rough math makes sense. If the couple hits their goal of spending $100 per night to live on a cruise ship, that’s $36,500 a year. Currently, the average price of a home in Tukwila, Washington—where the couple has a house—is about $607,000. Let's say you moved there today, put down 20% and financed the rest, the mortgage would cost you around $44,000 a year.

Plus, on a cruise ship, the couple doesn’t have to pay for groceries.

The Burks are able to live their dream because they’ve spent a lifetime being responsible. “We have been frugal all our lives to save and invest in order to achieve our goal,” she says. “We are not into materialistic things but experiences.”

Angelyn says that cruising takes the stress out of travel. “It is leisurely travel without the complications of booking hotels, restaurants, and transportation while staying within our budget,” she told 7 News.

The couple travels lightly with just two suitcases between them and if they need anything, they just buy it on the ship or in the next port.

The one thing to consider before embarking on a never-ending cruise is COVID-19. The coronavirus is easily spread in close quarters and a cruise ship that recently docked in Seattle had 100 people on board who tested positive for the virus. The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated before going on a cruise and that immunocompromised people should consult with their physicians before traveling.

Richard told Upworthy that he believes COVID-19 safety is still very important and has had both his shots and a booster. "I would suggest wearing a mask at all times when out in public no matter whether on a ship, in a movie theater, at a restaurant or even meeting with friends inside or outside," he said.

After leaving their jobs and the mainland behind, the Burks completed a 21-day cruise via the Panama canal. They look forward to a 50-day cruise around the Adriatic Sea, taking in the sights of Europe, as well as a 51-day cruise from Seattle to Sydney, Australia.

The Burks' favorite destinations, no matter how they get there, are Italy, Canada, Iceland and the Bahamas, but their ultimate favorite is Singapore.

Looking to give it all up and go on a permanent vacation just like the Burks? Angelyn has some advice for those wanting to get started.


This article originally appeared on 05.11.22

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Family

Gen X is being labeled 'Silver Squatters' for their retirement plan. Is that a fair assessment?

1 in 5 Gen Xers plan on getting help from their children to retire.

Photo credit: Canva

Gen X are called retirement 'Silver Squatters.' Is that a fair assessment?

Gen X has been labeled a lot of things over the years but lately it seems as if "the forgotten generation" is suddenly on everyone's radar in recent years. Maybe it's because they're moving in to replace the Boomers as the people running the show, or maybe it has to do with younger generations confusing them for their Boomer parents.

Whatever the reason, they've been the focus of many conversations as of late but this one may just be the thing that rouses them into more than just waiving off the naysayers with a scowl. Gen Xers (1965-1980) are approaching retirement age along with the micro-generation right above them, Generation Jones (1955-1964). But it's Gen X who are getting a new label thrust upon them that many may feel carries a negative connotation.

According to Benzinga, in an article shared by Yahoo Finance, Gen X are being called "Silver Squatters" due to their lack of resources required to retire comfortably. But is that a fair assessment when looking at the world in which we all currently live?

Gen X along with many younger Generation Jonesers are part of a "sandwich generation." This means that not only are they responsible for caring for themselves and their children, many of which are still in school, they're also responsible for caring for their aging parents. In many cases this means they're taking care of two households making financial contributions to both. This is all while supposedly planning for a retirement that may never come.

a man with a white beard and mustache wearing a hat Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Running mom to doctors appointments and activities while also running your children to soccer practice and dance rehearsals doesn't leave a lot of room for sitting down with a financial planner. That's if you have money to invest in securing a financial planner. It's not uncommon in today's economy for people to have little to nothing left over from one pay check to the next.

The phrase "Silver Squatters" comes from the reality that many Gen Xers are aware they don't have the financial means to comfortably retire so plan on getting help from their children. For some this may be in the form of financial assistance while for others it may mean moving in, hence the term "squatter." But realistically, Gen X wouldn't be the first generation to need assistance from their children since clearly Gen X is currently doing the same for their own parents or they wouldn't also be labeled as the "sandwich generation."

Family Vacation Friday GIF by Fast CompanyGiphy

There's something to be said about the practicality of living in a multi-generational household though. Especially in the earlier years of a parent's retirement when they're still very active and not needing much physical assistance. A study published in SSM Population Health and published online through Science Direct, shares that living in a multi-generational home can have positive outcomes on your health, "multi-generational living arrangements can, in theory, increase psychological, social, and financial capital—factors associated with improvements in health and longevity."

a man holding a jar with a savings label on it Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

Gen Xers living with their children may also make a lot of financial sense and not just for the retiree, but for their adult children. Commerce Bank reports, "Multigenerational living often enables families to collectively contribute to mortgage payments, rent, property taxes and maintenance costs. By consolidating these expenses, individuals can allocate a smaller portion of their income to housing, freeing up funds for other essential needs and financial goals.

Pooling resources in a multigenerational household provides an opportunity to benefit from economies of scale. Buying in bulk, sharing family plans for services like internet or phone, and jointly negotiating better deals can result in lower costs per person."

woman in black jacket and white pants walking on road during daytime Photo by Wedding Dreamz on Unsplash

This type of living arrangement can also take the burden off of the adult child by sharing childcare responsibilities which could greatly reduce or eliminate exorbitant child care costs. So the "silver squatter" dilemma could actually be a mutually beneficial agreement. Nearly 25% of Gen Xers age 55 are planning to receive help from their children when they retire as the median income saved by this group sits around $50k which isn't nearly enough to comfortably retire according to Benzinga.

Retire Over It GIF by PomsGiphy

Communicating future needs with their children surrounding their ability to retire and given the list of benefits related to multi-generational living, Gen X may very well be just fine in retirement. Ironically enough, their presence in their adult child's house might make it more financially feasible for their children to be able to retire without needing the help of their own children.

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