022: Jackie Abby and Sarah: Margaritas and Childcare: Why We Decided To Move To México

In today’s episode, we’ll be doing something a little bit different from the usual format. I’m interviewing my two friends, Jackie and Abby, who also live here in Mexico. We’ve received questions about how we ended up here and why, so we wanted to talk about how we met, why we moved here, and what’s different about living in Mexico versus living in the states.

Jackie, Abby, and I met in a single-moms-by-choice travel group online in a thread discussing the idea of moving abroad to save money. In today’s episodes, we talk about what our lives were like before moving to Mexico. Abby describes being frequently stressed and rushed, with little time for a social life. Though she had a strong support system, childcare was very expensive. Jackie also talks about how her long commute ate into her day and how childcare was more expensive than she’d originally counted on, due to her son’s heart condition. She took a pay cut in order to work remotely from home, but still couldn’t find much time to go out due to the expense of childcare.

In Mexico, their lives are very different. Abby describes having around seven and a half hours to herself while her children are in school. She has time to train as a pediatric sleep consultant, with an eye to opening her own remote business, while also taking a Spanish course, volunteering at a midwifery clinic, and working part-time. And she still also finds time to do yoga, exercise, and have coffee or lunch with friends. Jackie says that her job keeps her busy during the week, but she enjoys the beautiful views and delicious foods available in Mexico. She describes how much more affordable life is in Mexico – she can afford to have a standing babysitter, go for a massage or pedicure, and generally enjoy a more balanced life with more social activity than she was able to have in the states.

Abby, Jackie, and I also talk about the differences between healthcare cost and access in Mexico as opposed to what they were accustomed to in the US. Jackie and Abby talk about when they first started thinking about moving abroad and what the process was like for them. We discuss how satisfied we are with our lives in Mexico, as well as some of the harder things about making such a big move and adjusting to life in a new country, and Abby and Jackie share some tips that they’d give to others thinking about moving abroad with kids, as well as discuss when the best time is to make a big move when you have children.

Some highlights of today’s conversation:

• How Jackie, Abby, and Sarah met
• What Jackie’s, Abby’s, and Sarah’s lives were like before moving abroad
• What Jackie’s, Abby’s, and Sarah’s lives are like in Mexico
• How healthcare is different in Mexico than in the US
• When Jackie and Abby first started thinking about moving abroad
• What the process of moving abroad was like
• Advice that Abby and Jackie would give to others thinking of making a similar move
• How satisfied Jackie and Abby feel with their decision to move to Mexico
• The hardest parts of living in Mexico
• The ideal time to move with kids

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Motherhood Reimagined: When Becoming a Mother Doesn’t Go As Planned: A Memoir by Sarah Kowalski

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Quotes:

"Life feels way less stressful now, and more social.” –Abby

“I’m more social during the week without kids also, because people have time for you here. People have time to go to lunch, they’re not rushed.” –Jackie

“You definitely can’t listen to people who aren’t on the ground living there, who’ve never even been to Mexico. What do they know?” –Jackie