Giving it all up and retiring to live on a cruise ship at 32 seems like a lifestyle choice only available to the ultra-wealthy. However, two financially savvy retired school teachers from Tennessee have managed to do just that, spending under $10,000 for the first eight months at sea.Monica Brzoska, 32, and Jorrell Conley, 36, met in 2015 while teaching in Memphis, Tennessee. The following year, they booked a week-long cruise to Mexico, Belize, and Grand Cayman. After that, they were hooked on cruising together.Eight years later, in March 2023, they booked a week-long Caribbean cruise. When it was over, instead of returning home to Memphis, they had a wild idea: Why not continue to book consecutive cruises? So, they did just that.Monica was inspired to start living the life she always wanted after her father fell ill and her mother told her: "Don't wait for retirement. Follow your dreams." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Monica Brzoska (@life_by_any_means)The couple crunched the numbers and found that if they chose the cheapest cabins and used the deals they’ve received from Carnival Cruises, they could book the first 8 months for just under $10,000. “It sounds mad, but the numbers made sense. Accommodation, food and entertainment would be included – we’d only need spending money,” Brzoska told The Sun. “And because we’d been on so many Carnival cruises, we’d earned access to some amazing offers.”Hopping from ship to ship isn’t difficult for the couple because many disembark from the same ports. But they sometimes have to fly when they can’t walk to the next ocean liner. The couple then quit their jobs, sold their possessions, and started a new life on the high seas. They rent out their 3-bedroom home in Memphis to maintain steady cash flow. The average 3-bedroom home in the area rents somewhere between $1200 to $1900 a month. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Monica Brzoska (@life_by_any_means)Over the first year of their new life, the couple completed 36 consecutive cruises. They have already visited countless destinations across the globe, but they can’t choose a favorite. "For a cultural experience, we loved Japan," Brzoska told a Carnival Cruise director on Instagram. The couple also loved Greece for its “history” and Iceland because it was the "closest to being on Mars."One of the most incredible benefits of loving on a cruise ship is that so many things are taken care of for you. The couple never has to cook any meals, do any laundry or drive. Every night, there is something to do, whether it’s checking out a comedy show or enjoying drinks and dancing in the nightclub. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Monica Brzoska (@life_by_any_means)Plus, on cruises, just about all the costs are covered, so you rarely have to open your wallet. It’s a stress-free, all-inclusive lifestyle. Brzoska says that when you remove the everyday stresses from life, it’s great for your marriage. “Without the daily stresses of life, we rarely argued, but always told each other if we needed space or more time together,” she said.The couple also makes sure to have one date night a week, during which they dress up and have a nice meal together.Most people may be unable to give it all up and live their lives hopping from ocean liner to ocean liner. But there’s a great lesson in the story of Brzoska and Conley: You never know how much time you have left, so don’t wait for retirement to live the life of your dreams. Upworthy has reached out to Brzoska for comment and is still awaiting a response. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Monica Brzoska (@life_by_any_means)This article originally appeared in August.

We've all seen people posting videos of them dancing in a very public place, in the middle of a busy sidewalk or train station. Usually people watch the free show and go on about their day but one dancer got a surprise when he set his camera up in a subway station–a bystander jumped in.J. Dash uploaded a video on Instagram of him dancing to "Wop," a popular song that has fairly specific choreography, though Dash was adding his own spin. When the stranger jumped into the video it was so seamless that people in the comments are arguing over if it was staged or not. People are asking how the stranger knew the dance moves and the answer is pretty simple, TikTok."Wop" made its rounds as a viral TikTok sound that came with the choreography that was seemingly on an endless loop with every swipe. So it's quite likely someone out in the wild also knows the dance."Yeah right, and he knew exactly the choreography and where to stand to be seen on the background," one person disputes."Honestly this is dope. I believed it for a second! And their acting/performance skills are on point. Can’t knock them for that! Let people have some joy," another person says seemingly questioning if it was planned but enjoying it nonetheless. The video, whether it's staged or not is still one that will put a smile on your face and of course not everyone thought the smooth choreography was a set up. One person says, "Random dude timed it perfectly...even missed the train.""Freaking love this. Ultimate connection through music and dance - there’s nothing like it a shared musical experience is everything," another gushes. You can watch the surprise dance duo below: See on Instagram This article originally appeared in January.

Upworthy has covered a few stories about people who decided to live permanently on cruise ships because it's cheaper than living on land or in a nursing home. These stories have connected with millions because they say a lot about the modern cost of living but are also aspirational.Christine Kesteloo has become popular on TikTok with over 680,000 followers because she shares what living on a cruise ship is really like. Kesteloo is the wife of the ship’s Staff Chief Engineer, so she gets to live on the boat for free. She only has to pay for alcohol and soda, which she gets for half off.“I live on a cruise ship for half the year with my husband, and it's often as glamorous as it sounds,” she told Insider. “After all, I don't cook, clean, make my bed, do laundry or pay for food.“Kesteloo’s life seems pretty stress-free. After all, she's basically on a permanent vacation. However, even though she lives on a cruise ship as a “wife on board,” there are a few things she either can’t or shouldn’t do.She shared these four things in a TikTok video with nearly 10 million views. @dutchworld_americangirl I go through four things I can, and cannot do it while living on the cruise ship with my husband #weliveonacruiseship #4things #alaskacruise #cruiseship #cruiseshiplife #cruise #alaska #caribbeancruise #cruiselife #livingstsea #getreadywithme 1. No gambling Kesteloo says she cannot sit at a slot machine and “play my heart out until I win.” She believes it would “look a little weird if I, as the wife of the staff chief engineer, won a big jackpot.” 2. Can’t leave the ship with the guests When the ship arrives at a destination, she can't get off with the guests. She must wait about an hour and exit the vessel with the crew. When returning to the ship, she also has to be on time. “No, they will not wait for us,” she says. And the same goes for her husband, if they “miss the ship, someone else will take over the role.” 3. Sit in a crowded pool Although Kesteloo has access to the pool, gym, and all the ship’s amenities, she’s cautious not to interfere with the guests' good time. She’ll exit the pool if it’s busy because “it’s just the right thing to do.” 4. Must have international traveler insurance She must have insurance in case of a misfortune on the ship. But as a citizen of the Netherlands, they already have coverage and just have to pay a few extra dollars a month. Some of the most popular commenters on the video were from women regretting that they married men who aren’t chief engineers on cruise ships or those who want to know where to find a single one. "OK, can you explain how to marry a cruise ship engineer?" one female commentator wrote. "How. in. the. H E double hockey sticks do I become the wife of a cruise ship engineer???? I don’t have to work AND cruise for free!" Cute_n_catchy added. "Does he have any single friends with same job??? Asking for me." Hannah LaCaze asked. This article originally appeared last year.

Sure, it’s lovely to see pristine, perfectly curated homes that look like they belong in Architectural Digest. A little inspo never hurt anyone. But as we all know, the spotless life is simply not an achievable reality, especially for those with busy lives and limited budgets (read: most of us). But you know what? Maybe even the messy homes deserve some love. The ones with constant junk piles and unfinished projects and dirty dishes and misplaced toys. The homes that will never grace the cover of a magazine but still do a wonderful job of containing all the moments life has to offer—the big, small, extraordinary, mundane and everywhere in between. Cause at the end of the day, isn’t that a home’s true purpose anyway?Stephanie Murphy, a mom and TikTok creator, seems to think so. Murphy recently took viewers on an “average house tour,” and it was the exact opposite of aspirational.Highlighted in Murphy’s tour are the pantry door that’s remained unpainted for three years, blinds held together with binder clips, air conditioners held in place by duct tape, a full dish rack tray that’s “a permanent fixture” on their countertops, and not one but two junk drawers (honestly, that’s a little low by my count). @steph_murphy Lets normalize “average” because there is nothing wrong with it. Everywhere you look on social media you see big gorgeous houses in perfect condition and its hard not to compare yours to them. But its not the norm and half the time its staged. Our house is lived in, and its filled with love and tons of memories and at the end of the day thats all that matters. ♬ vampire - Olivia Rodrigo You’ll also notice a fridge that is covered in her kid’s artwork and school pictures. Not in any cohesive way, but merely thrown on randomly, as nature intended. Meanwhile, in the master bedroom, Murphy and her husband’s bed have two separate blankets because neither of them like to share. A genius idea, and just another example of how we really, really don’t need to continue with marital sleeping norms that don’t actually feel comfortable. Another way is possible!As for why Murphy decided to showcase her “average, middle-class house,” it’s all in the caption of her video:“Let’s normalize ‘average’ because there is nothing wrong with it. Everywhere you look on social media, you see big gorgeous houses in perfect condition and it’s hard not to compare yours to them. But it’s not the norm and half the time it's staged. Our house is lived in, and it’s filled with love and tons of memories and at the end of the day that's all that matters."Judging from the comments sections of this now-viral post, it seems like other people are ready for more average content.“This is awesome!” one person wrote. “I’m constantly feeling inadequate when people have a perfect house that looks like nobody lives there!” “I feel seen,” added another. Hear, hear. No need to feel inadequate about having a home that’s lived in. Imperfection has its own kind of beauty. This article originally appeared last year.

South West News Service reports that when Sharaine, 32, and Wilson Caraballo, 42, moved their family of seven into a new home in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, last year, they weren’t sure how they’d be received. "Our biggest fear moving into a new neighborhood was, 'What if our neighbors don't like us?' What if, because we have a lot of kids, they make a lot of noise and we come from a big family, so what if there's any conflict with the neighbors?" Sharaine told USA Today. "We're the only Black family in our neighborhood."But all that fear quickly dissipated when their new neighbor, Paul Callahan, 82, showed up with a ladder and offered to help the family spruce up their new home.“He was coming over with tools. He’d bring screwdrivers and teach Wilson how to fix up the garage, and Wilson followed all his advice,” Sharaine told South West News Service. The recently-widowed octogenarian soon became a fixture at the Caraballo house. Now, he stops by nearly every day and can always be found at the family’s cookouts.Callahan has become a great friend to the family’s children, whom he entertains with stories from his past. "The kids run up to him like that's their grandfather," Sharaine said. "Paul is definitely a family member. He's no longer considered a neighbor."Callahan believes that it’s all about taking the time to be friendly."You get many chances to talk to people. If you don't take a chance, you may miss a friend," Callahan said. "It doesn't hurt to be nice. That's the other thing, it costs you nothing, but a lot of times, you get a better return."This article originally appeared last year.

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