I'm 59 and moved to Bali with almost nothing: Here's why you should too

Published: 01:52, 30 April 2026 | Updated: 02:00, 30 April 2026 A woman has shared how a demanding, high-pressure job triggered a change in mindset that led to her moving to Bali at 59 with almost nothing to rebuild her life.  Kellie, now 64, worked in a private pathology company for 17 years and later became a Covid frontline worker before making the move to Sanur about five years ago with just her superannuation savings.  She is now living comfortably with her husband Darius who she met in the popular tourist spot, painting and selling some of her artwork. The mother of one was born in Darwin and had stints living in Canberra, Sydney and Singapore with her father, who was in the navy, before moving to the Central Coast as a young adult.  Kellie told the YouTube channel, Sanur Diaries, she was a single mum for most of her adult life and said that it was a challenging time for her.  'I had my daughter by myself since she was four weeks old, but didn’t have any family around to look after my daughter and I couldn’t find much childcare,' she said. 'I had to go on the single parent pension for a little while.'  It all turned out well though, with her daughter becoming an award-winning writer.  A woman has shared how a demanding, high-pressure job triggered a change in mindset that led her to move to Bali at 59 with almost nothing, before rebuilding her life However, Kellie said she made the decision to move after reaching breaking point during the pandemic despite having only visited Bali once before.      'I was one of those people who would never go to Bali, but I went in 2018 and thought "now I know why people go, it’s a great place",' she said.  'I thought I’d like to live there one day and then during Covid, I just had enough and went, "it’s now or never".  'I sold most of my stuff, and was fortunate to have a friend who had a friend who lived in Bali.' The move to Sanur wasn't easy though, with Kellie revealing she actually quarantined in Jakarta when she first arrived in the country.  'After my quarantine in Jakarta for five days, I went to Seminyak where I quarantined for a further 14 days,' she said.  'I then stayed at a hotel in Legian for a month just to see where I wanted to be before I went to Sanur and thought “oh, this place is great".'  Kellie said she was scared at first, but received plenty of help along the way.  The couple live in a big Indonesian-style house within walking distance of cafes, supermarkets, and a fruit shop 'Like I said, I only knew one person here, but I was fortunate enough to get connections with other Australian girls here who were great for me,' she said.  'They took me places, showed me around, and I’ll be forever grateful for that.' Once settled, she said she had the intention of just living a nice and happy little life when a chance encounter through a mutual friend led to her meeting the love of her life.  'I met Darius through a mutual friend and then I met him again at a venue where we were watching a band,' she said. 'We've been together ever since.'  The couple live in a big Indonesian-style house within walking distance of cafes, supermarkets, and a fruit shop, and Kellie demonstrated it was possible to enjoy life in Bali on a smaller budget.    She said her rent was 45million Rupiah a year, which she paid upfront for five years, securing the property until around 2032.  She also paid about $50 a month for electricity.  While hot water is available, Kellie said she doesn't use it because water is already warm enough and it's a good way to save money  Her home also includes a basic kitchen, a cheapish swimming pool and a western-style toilet.  While hot water is available, Kellie said she doesn't use it because water is already warm enough and it's a good way to save money.  Cheap places like Kellie's may seem hard to come by, but she said they were available in many parts of Bali.  'You've just got to know where to look, do your homework and dig deeper,' Kellie said.  'You can't just sort of lob up here and expect to get everything you want in one go.'  Kellie is just three years away from being entitled to the age pension in Australia, but Services Australia states she must be living in the country when applying and must have been living there for the past two years. However, she said she was willing to forfeit her pension to remain in Sanur, although that wasn't the plan at the start. 'I was just going to live on that frugally until pension time and then go back to Australia,' she said.  'I was fortunate enough to get an inheritance from my mother and while it's not a huge inheritance, I can cope as I have a budget that I stick to. 'My husband works too and looks after himself.'  She also said that she wasn't worried because she was always able to return to Australia when out of money.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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