Why New Brunswick???

For the last three years my husband and I have discussed the options on how to buy a home, where to live, what do we want, what are we willing to sacrifice and how can we make it happen? During this time Len, my husband, has watched acquaintances move across the country. When he questions why they are leaving beautiful BC to head to live 6 - 8,000 km away on the other side of this great country ... they tell him... we can afford it.

What does that mean? Why are they leaving BC to head for Quebec, New Brunswick or Nova Scotia? Don't most people move to Vancouver Island, BC the "Hawaii" of Canada to retire? I guess a lot do. The people who have made good financial decisions, who have invested wisely, who have a secure pension plan, who didn't move around a lot, kept their job with benefits, who stayed married to the same person... Most of "those" people have the finances to retire wisely or with some financial security.

However, what does that mean for us drifters? Those who have moved from job to job? Who have lived hand to mouth, working when they feel like it? Those who have spent as much as they earned? Who have traveled and not saved? Those who have lived an artistic or gypsy life? Who have been divorced or lost their homes? Those who have just moseyed along? Well, it was fun while it lasted, we had some freedom those "tied to their jobs" didn't have... but what now? How to retire or at least survive until we die?

Well! It seems there is still hope for those who want a roof over their heads. The people who don't need to have the "consumerism" life style, those who want to make that modest CPP and OAS work for them! Instead of the mantra "Go west young man" it seems we have the new mantra "Go east old man".

So, here we are... we have purchased an amazingly beautiful piece of paradise... 25 acres of treed/cleared land in the beautiful lake country of New Brunswick. A home the size and condition that we could never hope to own in BC and especially on Vancouver Island. A tranquil retreat that creates a lifestyle we want to try.

So we will be 45 minutes from town... ever been to the far end of Sproat Lake? As I recall it was an easy 30-40 minutes to town on windy country roads that were not in the best condition. People now pay over a million dollars for a summer home to experience the natural beauty the lake has to offer. Anyone recall how "far" Lantzville used to be? Now it is one of the prime areas of real estate in the Nanaimo Regional District.

We look forward to the peace, quiet, natural surroundings. The winters will be longer, we will have more snow. The summers will be busier, more people move to the "hood". We can swim and fish and hunt? (Well not sure about hunting yet). We will grow our own food (as much as possible), raise our own meat and eggs and go back to where the world used to be.

(Don't worry we are not so "Granola" that we can't drive to town or head to a movie or a mall! Stay tuned, for more to come... I would love to sit and write all day but need to head to work... on the countdown... to retirement and natural living...

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