After losing her job as a journalist, Janet Blaser left Santa Cruz for Mazatlán, where she started her own magazine. Here are the pros and cons of her life...
Once a food and restaurant writer in Santa Cruz, Calif., the now-63-year-old struggled to find work roughly a decade ago as journalism increasingly went online. She lost one beloved job, got her hours cut at another, and ended up working odd jobs, including one in human resources at an amusement park.
A trip to Mazatlán, Mexico — a colorful resort town on the Pacific coast — changed the course of her life. “I fell in love, I felt this heart connection somehow — there were beautiful old buildings, cobblestone streets, plazas with wrought iron and the beautiful glittering Pacific Ocean, warm and swimmable,” she tells MarketWatch. “It just felt deeply healing, friendly and welcoming.
Fast-forward more than a decade — during which time Janet also started a local organic farmers market — and though Janet misses her kids and now three grandkids, who all live in the U.S., she notes that “I can’t imagine living in the U.S. again” — in part because, she says, “I couldn’t afford to live in the States again” and that “the more easygoing Mexican lifestyle agrees” with her.
Costs: Janet says she lives on about $1,000 a month, with her biggest regular expenses being rent , gas for her car and food . While produce is cheap, specialty items like fancy cheese or high-end pasta are a bit more than they might be in the U.S., she says. She likes going out to breakfast sometimes and pays about $6, including tip, for that; a fancy dinner might cost $18 or so, she says.
Read: These retirees ditched their pricey life in Santa Cruz, Calif. — and now live on a lake in Mexico on $1,750 a month
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