APPLES & ORANGES

Originally Published in Western Outdoor Publications Jan. 2025

Insofar as we’re just making it to the other side of the holiday season, I was reminded of an incident about 20 years ago here in La Paz.  It was just before Christmas.

One of the charity organizations here in town contacted us about some donations for a Christmas party they were going to throw.  It was for schoolkids in one of the underserved outlying communities on the city’s periphery.

This was an area of plywood houses; tin roofs and dirt streets.  Water and electricity were sporadic and erratic at best.

The organization asked if we would make a donation to the event.  That sounded great.  What would you like us to donate?

They asked for candy.

UH….I don’t think so. That won’t work for us.  We would rather donate something else if we could!

They were pretty adamant.  This was a Christmas party.  You know.   It’s the season for sugar plums and candy canes.

All the other donors were contributing big piles of candy and sweets.   How about us?

We told them we would rather donate something like apples and oranges.

There was a moment of silence.

Fruit?  Are you kidding?  Why fruit?

We explained that these kids out there are known to have terrible dental hygiene.  I mean, they don’t even have water out there.  So bathing, washing and brushing teeth are more than just problematic.

We had done work with some of the other outlying areas and the kids out there had notorious bad teeth.  So, why are we giving them more sugar?

Not to mention that diabetes and nutrition issues are rampant in Mexico.

The charity organization wasn’t real happy with us.  They insisted on candy.  We told them it wasn’t going to happen.  We were sending cartons of fruit or nothing.

They finally acquiesced.

Done deal.  We sent the orders for the fruit.

And we didn’t think about it again.  Feliz Navidad, everyone!

. . .Until we got a phone call from the organizer.

She was literally gushing with excitement.

She told us that when the kids were presented with the fruit, they were ecstatic.  As the fruits were distributed, kids cradled them in their hands like treasure.

Some ran home to show parents. Some gathered in little groups to examine them.

Apparently, many of the children had never had an orange or an apple in their lives.  Some had never even seen an apple or an orange let alone tasted one!

It turns out, the fruit were the most coveted and cherished part of the program.  Simple apples and oranges…who knew?

It’s the little things that we take for granted that make big differences.

That’s my story!

Jonathan

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MAKING THE BIG LEAP

Originally published in Western Outdoor Publications Dec. 2024

“Living the Dream!”

You’re getting to that age.

You’re getting the itch.

You’re kinda fed up with cities, freeways, or maybe just life in the U.S. in general.

The blue water of Mexico becon.  A retirement life with your toes in the sand sure sounds better and better.

Perfectly understandable.

Mexico is the #1 retirement destination for Amerians.  Over 2 million ex-pats have done it.

But can you do it? Should you do it?

Aside from the language, cultural and social differences, the first thing that probably pops is whether you can afford it.

There’s a lot of variables to consider.

Obviously, you know what your income will be after you push yourself away from the 9-5 grind. You have some idea of the expenses you will have into your golden years no matter if you move to Mexico or stay in the U.S.

All that being said, can you afford to live in Mexico?

It’s like anywhere else ultimately.

Where you live in the country…or what Mexican state you live in…or what city you want to live in will play a big part.  Even more minutely, where you live in a particular city plays a big part.

Like living in the U.S., living in New York is a lot different than living living in Boise, Idaho.  Living on the Pacific Coast with an ocean view is much different than having a place in the plains of West Texas.

Living in Beverly Hills in Los Angeles is more than a few economic brackets higher than living in East Los Angeles.

So Mexico is no different. Location.  Location.  Location.

It also depends if you plan to buy or rent.

Then, you need to determine your lifestyle.

Sitting in the park playing BINGO and feeding the pigeons in front of the local Mexican church sounds like paradise.  But, many retirees are much more active these days.

You really just want to bike ride or walk your dog along the waterfront and buy vegetables from the farmer’s market?  Perfect.

But, if you’re accustomed to your usual amenities like dining out; live music; and theater, then you need to make allowances for that.

Likewise, if you’re planning to do things like fishing, diving; sailing; etc.  Figure in more if you plan to have your own boat!

Do you plan to travel for pleasure?  Or do you need to travel for family reasons (checking on the grandkids back in the U.S.?)

What about the all-important medical insurance?  Do you keep your medical insurance back in the U.S. or do you obtain Mexican insurance?  Maybe you should keep both.

Honestly, think about it.

God forbid something critical occurs do you want to be treated in Mexico or the U.S.?  Having a heart issue is a lot different than treating a badly sprained ankle or an infected cut.

Again, much depends on where you plan to live.  Medical services and facilities tend to be much better in cities or high income areas.  Obviously, less so in more rural areas.

And if something critical should happen, you need to think about how far your are from emergency care as well as how long it will take for first responders.

Heart attack? Stroke? Minutes are a life-and-death issue.

So, these are all things that need to be put into your thinking cap.

Statistics have shown that the average American lives on about $3500 per month.   There’s a lot of variation and that doesn’t necessarily mean “comfortably” retired, but this is an “average.”

The average amount of retirement income by retirees varies from about $2700 per month to $4500 per month.  Again, this is an average and varies around the U.S.

Compare this to Mexico where statistics show a couple can relatively and comfortably retire on about $1600-$2500 per month.  Of course depending on many of the variables mentioned earlier.

You could pay more.  You could live on less.

But, it’s still 30-40% less than in the U.S.

Figure most folks spend about 20 years in retirement these days.

Life everything else…do the math and make an informed decision!

That’s my story!

Jonathan

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