Happier than Billionaires in Costa Rica | EX-PATS™ Ep. 12 Full | Reserve Channel

this place felt more like home than where I was living in the state meet Rob and Nadine worn down chiropractors who escape the rat race and ran off to Costa Rica we said if we're going to do this let's just put it all out on the tables when we came here the people are really friendly there was no going back at that point so the only way to make this work was going to be on a budget they found ways to live well and very little money this little baby is six dollars a month in gas and their adopted beach town they discovered what was really important it's not only just the activity in the exercise that we enjoy but everywhere around us it's just beautiful whoa and along with their change of lifestyle came new passions as my journey unfolded that's when all of this creative energy came and so did the book and a true appreciation of life and each other we were tossed into a whole new life it was like being children again and we kind of just rediscovered ourselves and rediscovered each other [Music] it's early in the morning here in walkest Costa Rica and I'm on my way to meet Rob and Nadine former chiropractors from the Northeast who moved down here five years ago to enjoy the good life they figured out how to be happier than a billionaire while surviving on only $1,200 a month in paradise so let's go meet them and learn more about how they managed to this Lemuria yet affordable lifestyle [Music] bienvenido Eureka my name is Rob we live in walkest Costa Rica - would you like a cup of coffee or anything I'm okay this is beautiful poor Evita yeah this is how you guys start your morning's out here and yeah pretty much and every morning on I'm from Linden New Jersey my husband from Bensonhurst Brooklyn we went to the same school in New York Chiropractic College and I always found my wife to be beautiful and so I asked her out about 150 times and I said no 150 times and then on 180 once time she decided I said yes yes and we've been in love ever since how did you guys get down here how did you end up in this beautiful jungle paradise we just were working really hard and working all the time we both opened up practice 10-hour days 11 hour days from the outside we were living the American dream we had two cars a nice house two successful businesses this became very heavy on us stressful you think it was a lifestyle of this tegus yeah definitely our goals we were more driven by economic success and you know wanting things you're not enjoying your life so then you say well I'll buy this 250 gallons I'll order aquarium that's gonna make me happy and you're like well that didn't really make me happy so okay let's make it a reef aquarium and you're miserable and even worse I was reading this book about Buddhism and he's upside down as I'm reading this in he's upside perhaps upside down in the fish tanks great seems like algae or rock whatever okay we have another takes her on eight hours to do this I open the book I said oh you know it says in here possessions cause suffering and you know so he got out of a fish tank it was like a light bulb went off in my head I was like oh that's so true the more junk I have the more miserable I am so one day I came home with this crazy idea that we were gonna quit our jobs to move to Costa Rica yeah I thought it was crazy she really came around to the idea when I got sick I worked 12 hours a day she worked 12 hours a day we barely seen each other we couldn't eat well we couldn't take care of ourselves I was overweight I was feeling sick I went to the doctor I end up in the hospital for a week no one can figure out what was wrong I remember sitting next to him on at the hospital bed and I just said I promise you we won't live like this anymore then you realize you actually have to change your life and that's the part that we started thinking okay we need a little bit of a plan in a little faith in each other and we'll figure it out as we go and at that point figuring it out was better than staying where I was and how did you choose Costa Rica we said if we're going to do this grand adventure let's just put it all out on the table and let's just put you know even all essential America out on the table what we liked about Costa Rica is when we came here the people are really friendly and I said Wow I want to live like this it was her first trip here that I knew this place felt more like home than where I was living in the States remember when we finally said okay we're gonna do this and we had said either it's gonna go really good or it's gonna go really bad be home in six Edie there's Edie to make sure it goes really good we'll sell everything yeah weren't one of those people kept one foot in the states in one foot here it had to work there was no you know no going back at that point the house was done business was going all in and now we live here my fish tank is the ocean we got rid of all the possessions they had no it had no place in our life well it still looks like you guys lead a pretty nice life I've been in a nice house yeah would you like us to show you around and see how we do this this crazy thing I remember what she told me she was moving down to Costa Rica I'm like okay do you have enough money that you have put away and I hope that they had money I don't get in their business but I hope that they had some put away and assumed that it would last so come on in so savanna this is her house it's lovely honey I don't think it's spacious enough hahaha we left at 37 so we didn't have enough money to last us forever so the only way to make this work was was going to be on a budget it's $150 a month get out what we did is we found this house and we made a deal with the owner he needed someone to be a caretaker for the house to do some gardening take care of things break if something happens to the plumbing somebody new to be living in the house so this is the garden well the garden is a work in progress but eventually this will all be thick with flowers life really just thrives here and I first got here I was in such terrible shape if I walked across the beach I was out of breath I felt like I had to sit down my husband loves to work out so instead of joining a gym I called the jailhouse workout the no job no kids workout people think well you just sit around all day you don't have any goals in life we still have goals oh the gym this is my gym one of my biggest goals was to get myself healthy yeah start in this position and you come on down she's now I would suggest a helmet but yes do you do this meeting I do the push-ups and butt on the chair lower lower on the chair you can start your own personal training business so while you're down here - hey I try not to work as hard as I can are you trying to didn't either it's extremely rewarding for me to feel like I did again when I was 20 years old how much weight have you lost and to move down here 40 to 60 pounds honestly I'd never dreamed that I would get in this shape again I felt I would be overweight unhealthy of--the Hritik for the rest of my life it turns out it was just the lifestyle in a diet and the lack of exercise I really do feel as good as I did ever in my life and they Dean's moving down to Costa Rica little on the crazy side for her as far as she goes and as far as you know what I know about her I've seen Rob's oh I want to see Nadine zone I definitely had my doubts it at first you know you don't speak Spanish yeah how the hell you gonna get around come on inside but I knew she'd be okay if that's if she got down there and hopefully decided that's what she wants to do or at least give it a go I figured she'd be fine so this is where I write what was great about living here is the more I was able to decompress the more creative I became and all these funny adventures that I was having but you know it would be great to document that and write them down and write them down and in a funny silly way I always love to write and if you just have a really good sense of humor things are just hilarious especially when you don't know the language so I just started writing the funny stories down and I would share them on my blog or its email them out and people start sharing them an interoffice email and it just grew and it just became bigger than I thought it could ever be so as my journey unfolded so did the book and it's been doing great what's the book haul happier in the billionaire mmm-hmm putting my job moving to Costa Rica and living the zero hour work we have we just go back and forth like are you happy you have what happy a millionaire no no we're happy in the billionaire and people love this and people love it the number one book for Costa Rica and Central America and and you had no idea when you move down here I'm gonna write a book I'm gonna talk about my experience that was all something that just came in the process just unfolded this place really has a way of unlocking your creativity whether whether you're a photographer musician a writer it really has a way of bringing it out and enhancing it and bringing it to the surface and until for me till I unload it at all that's when all this creative energy came and it came fast and I'm lucky that I found a passion I like to use every day you have a best-selling book yeah crazy that's amazing when we landed in Costa Rica there was a lot of things we needed to do we didn't know the language we had to find a place to live we had to get a coaster in the driver's license so there were a lot of things on her list that at the beginning felt like obstacles you know there was a lot to figure out when we moved here and the car was the number one thing gas can be as much as $6 a gallon so we needed to come up with a plan that would help offset the cost of gas you want to hit the road and see how we do it yes road trips no chips all right our big SUV that's around $80 and gas this little baby is six dollars a month in yams so we take this we stick this on we say a prayer and we go food shopping even the grocery store is an adventure you really need to learn from the local people how they do it people will deliver roofing material on a motorcycle so I figured if they can do that I can get my groceries home on a motorcycle right okay let's start meeting staples like mill okay we want to go so the only way to make this work was was going to be on a budget we decided to focus on what we felt was important well that was $1,200 every month and we have to stick to that okay so not bad a baguette pastas a dollar that had to go towards rent food hair and we knew that we would have to make make do with in certain ways we were doing this at 70 there's peanut butter okay here's a great this is six seven dollars and fifty cents all the imported foods are double the price so we have to be really careful because it is tempting to go down an aisle and want to pick the things that you're used to eating as alluring as the cute little bunny is it's not worth seven dollars [Music] this is a produce section okay cabbage quanto per kilo okay $1 kilo moles per kilo Tainos are good one throw for the Papas we have to try to find products that are made here mostly eat things that are fruits and vegetables why don't we get this as dessert for this week and this is great because this is a little snack and we won't snack on cookies or chips is there too expensive here so we'll just buy the local fruit and that'll be your dessert and the money you save here you like it if you save enough then you get to spend it on activities kayaking jet ski hey I want to go do some ice out exact let's do it we can like [Music] so this is one of the things that my husband I love to do and I would rather do something like this then spend seven dollars on a jar peanut butter because we moved to Costa Rica to do things like this half lawn and have an adventure and be active great well let's hit this trail I'm ready all right you know when I when I lived in the States I never wanted to get out of bed I would hit the snooze button I would think of all the things I had to do that day and I want to go back to sleep now I'd like to be able to get up in the morning look at her say we don't have no plans what do you want to do I don't know let's go let's go snorkeling there's so much that's great about this it's not only just the activity and the exercise that we enjoy but everywhere around us it's just beautiful well I know I would invite the peanut butter now [Music] money is so that you can provide yourself and your family with the things that you want to enjoy in life it doesn't take billions of dollars to enjoy the best things in life the best things in life are a beautiful sunset a great meal time with a loved one and those things cost relatively little it's a cocktail time yeah I think it's time for cocktails for sure I think everyone deserves a cocktail yeah oh this is the perfect spot yes I had such an amazing day but it's also nice to see you guys relax we've been on the go on the go it's nice to just take in all this beauty yeah we do a lot of fun things but we also find time to just go to these really amazing beaches and just wind down and just enjoy the things that brought us here well your snap happy to hora Vita salute what a Vita salute and how was your relationship before you came to Costa Rica before you decided to make the move down here what was it like it's difficult to work 12-hour days and come home be pleasant to each other and kind to each other and we were like ships passing in the night when people found out we were going I most of them thought we could never start over they they would think it's normal to be unhappy that's just true yeah everybody's miserable everybody remember everyone said that everybody's been yeah he said what are you complaining about everybody's overweight everybody nina's Revolt anybody get nobody's healthy nobody's happy everyone argues with their wife so what are you what's different about you why should you be happy we're all miserable you should all be miserable with us for the rest of your life and we just that wasn't good enough for me how did the relationship change once you got down here I think instantly like that we were back we were back where we were all those years ago we were tossed into a whole new life it was like being children again every everything was a new experience the language was a new experience the food was a new experience and we kind of just rediscovered ourselves and rediscovered each other in the process I never lived in the moment I lived in the past or in the future so I think that's what Costa Rica taught us is that it's just now just live in the present live in the moment and you'll find happiness I can definitely cheers to that you guys [Music] yeah yeah all those things that could say I didn't say all those games feet moving I don't think I've always been into music as a young man I learned how to play guitar I feel like since I'm here you know I have a lot more time for it and I've gotten more creative and I feel like I've gotten better at it as time went on I became good at drums guitar and I'm really more of a songwriter you know it's a big part of my life and I really enjoy it [Music] so Savannah we're at Jamie peligros it is the oldest bookstore in Tamarindo he's all out of my book and we need to stock the shelves Jim how are you you are a needy god I brought you some inventory excellent this is a van hi how are you pleasure to meet nice to meet you Jim we need them I'm sold out and I need to pay you a little bit for the last installment that's great so we're books popular like none other I've ever sold locally Wow incredible the book sells itself oh thanks Jim it's definitely something a lot of locals identify with because she shows both sides she shows the beautiful part and the prickly part about it and having to live in a different culture you just can't share the good they have to be fair you have to share the scooter and the groceries and trying to adapt to an environment that you've never lived in before so I wanted to keep the story true and I think that's a little bit of what connecting everybody to it is I didn't sugarcoat anything right how is your life changed before and after this book now that the book is out and it's got such a positive response so many people come up to me and they share their dreams with me so now I realize that my journey now has become listening to other people and listening to their stories and it's been such a blessing that just a silly book about writing scooters and going up out and this is turned into a connection I have with all these people and it's just it's just been wonderful Savannah we even be able to put a few bucks aside from you from year to year one day we might build a house on a lot that we have and I think it's both of our dreams yeah to have own ownership here because we are so happy here we're making roots you know I could see us growing old together yeah this is beautiful so this is our future home we plan to build here nothing tremendous we learned our lesson with that we had a gigantic house never went in half of it just sit up here and watch the boats go by for the right I feel like I'm on the top of the world up here yep so this is your home now Costa Rica is where you see your future yeah I think for yeah I can't see us going anyplace else since we've done it already for five years we know we can do it we know how to live with less so I can't ever imagine going back and living the way I did I am happier here than I've been anywhere else this is a beautiful piece of property what's kept you from moving up here already what's keeping you from building the dream house we're living a good life we have cheap rent we're happy so with that being said I don't think we're in a rush like we would have been in our mindset when we live back home there's no rushing we're happy today we're gonna cap it tomorrow so this will be our future but we'll take our time with it [Music] wow this place is really beautiful guys one of the perks of living here is you meet a lot of people from all around the world and tonight one of our friends is having a party Rob is going to play in his van and we're gonna have some cocktails all right I'm ready [Music] they definitely are living the dream they adjusted their life they're having fun living on a budget that suits not having to spend their whole life working to hopefully get there it is their dream and I truly believe they have they have found our goals are making people laugh with her book and enhancing people's lives sharing my songs with my friends and family that's what we were born to do that's what we were meant to be and we were stuck in a life that that didn't allow us to explore that [Music] if there's someone out there who's unhappy I think you need to really look at what it is that's making you unhappy and change it there's an adventure out there for everyone just jump right into it treat life like an adventurer get that spirit back you had when you're a kid just go out and enjoy yourself every day with your friends I think that's what we want to do I think that's what Costa Rica gave us I'm actually happy for her to think that she has that I strive for at some point is just to have that freedom every step that we took led us here it was like the puzzle just fit and Costa Rica was that last piece that you put right in the middle on the happiest I've ever been I can never imagine living anywhere else [Music] would you like to quit your job and live the life you've always dreamed of you're really living the dream I would imagine the expat dream I feel more free here than I do in the states this is it man this is full life join me Savannah Jane Buffett is I follow two buddies from college who quit their grueling office jobs and move down to st. John to be bartenders in Paradise now they're not just serving drinks they've created the number-one microbrew in the Caribbean I looked out was about 30 cubicles and at that moment I said I can't I knew I wanted to roll the dice and that I want to take a break from what I was doing nice place to live don't you think not bad it was a very surreal feeling because this is all new to me this is gonna be my new home at that point we knew we're all in there's a lucky guy and they make me here for living on an island it's just two guys hanging out in the Caribbean and brewing some great beer and you know living the dream I guess Pharrell Williams here hi I'm joy Bryant I'm Eric Philippe I'm talk--i likio I'm dr. Frank Lippmann they're all stopped on the table the hosts of across the board host of artists all host of hooked up host of the show be well week be well weekend on the reserved Channel it's only on reserve did you know that you can follow my show on social media sites like Facebook Follow us on Twitter if you're a fan of my show hit the like button all of the above share me with your friends treat yourself yo check out a new episode of my show hooked up and if you want to leave comments feedback ideas whatever love to hear from you leave a comment and if you don't want to miss the show be sure to subscribe the one is like down here where is it here that somewhere down here thanks for watching the reserve channel only on YouTube throw caution to the wind and ask yourself what rules you

Channel: Reserve Channel

Views: 1,135,064

Rating: 4.8104672 out of 5

Keywords: Reserve, Channel, Reserve Channel, Uncommon, Content, UCP, extraordinary people, culture, celebrities, doctors, chefs, non-fiction, non fiction, original, ex-pats, savannah jane buffett, costa rica, huacas, happier than a billionaire, tamarindo, pura vida, exp012, writing, central america, rob, nadine, pisani, health, wealth, local produce

Id: 0rd0JeMPC7Q

Length: 24min 33sec (1473 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 09 2013

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It took me all of 15 minutes to open a bank account here.