This week, our nighttime temperatures will dip into the single digits. In fact, the weekend forecast is showing evening lows below the freezing mark on the centigrade scale. Oh my! It's definitely time to start getting ready for our annual escape. It's our habit, since early retirement, to run somewhere warm and save a little money too.
I fear most people cannot wrap their heads around the idea that we often go away for winters because it's kinder on our wallets.
Many fixed costs can be eliminated or deferred when away. For example, we carry no car insurance when in another country, saving hundreds of bucks. We enjoy travelling on public transit with the locals. Also, we turn off our Internet and TV subscriptions saving substantially more. We receive no electricity bills during the darker, higher-consumption winter months. These costs are always included in our vacation rentals. In addition, entertainment such as going to the movies, should the cinemas re-open, will be about half the price we have to pay in Canada. Lastly, food is most always markedly cheaper elsewhere, but we usually pick from a much larger and fresher variety of items, especially of fruit and vegetables. All these savings, and more, make it relatively cheaper to spend winters away.
It's absolutely fantastic saving money but we most enjoy walking around in shorts and sandals in 30°C temperatures.