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Congrats Yeledaf, it is an adjustment but you'll enjoy being retired.
Regarding where to live, my advice would be to stay put in the eastern Washington area until at least two years go by. See how the relationship with the kids and grandkids are going after that time and see how you feel about moving south. Frankly, I'd just go to Arizona for a few weeks in the heart of winter and stay where you are, but at least you would have time to evaluate your alternatives.
Congrats Yeledaf, it is an adjustment but you'll enjoy being retired.
Regarding where to live, my advice would be to stay put in the eastern Washington area until at least two years go by. See how the relationship with the kids and grandkids are going after that time and see how you feel about moving south. Frankly, I'd just go to Arizona for a few weeks in the heart of winter and stay where you are, but at least you would have time to evaluate your alternatives.
Congrats to you! I put a countdown on the bulletin board in the break room. Drove my coworkers crazy, 30, 29, then 3, 2 and the big OUTTA HERE! I've been retired three years and love it. I am so relaxed now and have never slept better. Plus I get to do what I want when I want. Have fun and enjoy!
Congrats! That last countdown is very exciting. I had it on giant numbers with flashing lights in my office. Not having to ever again attend a stupid meeting with pinhead bosses is great. As far as stuff to do, there is plenty. You could have your own blog to bash Spokane full time or come over to the redneck side of the border and build yourself a zombie apocalypse bunker. Maybe you can buy brown rifles, paint them black and sell them for three times the cost. Lots of choices in spokadelphia. I keed, I keed. I know quite a few Spokanites that go down to AZ for a few months in winter. I am still a newbie so I very much enjoy the snow. Most of the people I know that are tired of it have been here a long long time.
Congrats! That last countdown is very exciting. I had it on giant numbers with flashing lights in my office. Not having to ever again attend a stupid meeting with pinhead bosses is great. As far as stuff to do, there is plenty. You could have your own blog to bash Spokane full time or come over to the redneck side of the border and build yourself a zombie apocalypse bunker. Maybe you can buy brown rifles, paint them black and sell them for three times the cost. Lots of choices in spokadelphia. I keed, I keed. I know quite a few Spokanites that go down to AZ for a few months in winter. I am still a newbie so I very much enjoy the snow. Most of the people I know that are tired of it have been here a long long time.
Well, you know the first time your car freezes up and your pipes burst and the busses stop running and the ice snaps the power lines and you have to heat your house with a fireplace and find out the cord you bought last year is still green and the icicles start falling around your house like gigantic stilettos so that you're afraid to go outside and it snows so much that you have to get up on the roof to shovel the damn thing off so that it doesn't collapse and you lug your trash barrel out front but have to shovel it out in the afternoon after the city snowplows have piled up the snow six feet deep at the end of your driveway, and you have to try to walk to the store on sheer glare ice because everyone in the city is too lazy to shovel their sidewalks (in the few neighborhoods that actually HAVE sidewalks; most of the time you'll share the berm-narrowed streets with cars driven at unsafe speeds by recent transplants from California who haven't learned that AWD vehicles only GO in snow, and don't STOP any better than 2WD)...well, you'll get tired of it, too. But hey. It beats Japan. I am so tired of meaningless endless meetings with everyone dressed for a funeral that never happens and parks filled with people screaming like maniacs while they practice TENNIS. Not to mention goo for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and expats who brag about who ate the most disgusting thing for dinner last night. If you think Rathdrum is full of zombies, you ought to try my 'hood here in Hyogo. There are just as many creeps. The only difference is that instead of roaring around in pickups, they walk around looking at you like you're covered with flies as they elbow you off the sidewalks. The whole country is bipolar. And that's the stone truth, Jim.
In retirement, I plan to pick whom I associate with. Hint: a lot of them are going to be related to me.
I hope you enjoy retirement as much as I have. It's pure heaven and it's been over 5 years since I retired. I never dreamed it would be as wonderful as it really is. You are going to feel so much younger and stress free.
Ironically, on Jan 4th when I had a couple days to move a load w. trailer from PNW to a new to me home in Hill Country, TX we have one of our PNW ICE storms so... after winching out and putting drag chains on the trailer to get down into lower elevations, the rest of the trip was pretty EZ (tho Grapevine was also snowed in, but managed to circumvent that.)
What happened to the PNW property w/$13k property taxes?
Did you sell it? You were living so frugally up there with food supplies and all. Besides you're traveling all over the world all the time as a consultant.
When do you have time to reconnoiter new living places?
Or does your wife do this?
Or do you have three alter egos all off on different tangents?
And, why Texas, of all places? Low property taxes, but an entirely different climate.
Last edited by Ariadne22; 01-27-2013 at 07:00 PM..
My hubby gets to retire in a couple of months but I'm just not ready to do that. If we find our dream house in Maine I might just change my mind
Now, you're talking my language. I could never move anywhere the temperature was not below 70 most of the year. I hate hot weather. About choke to death in Nevada in that dry heat. Totally miserable in heat and humidity which is most of the south. Give me ice, snow and 20 degrees any time. Besides, winters over the past ten years have been pretty darn mild. Actually, too mild. Happy as a clam, right now. Fall and winter my favorite times of the year. Keep my house at 62 in the winter and I'm plenty comfortable. Very uncomfortable in the summer even with A/C at 72.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yeledaf
Thanks for the advice. We've thought about that very idea. Plus we have friends in Europe that we dearly want to spend time with in the future. How much we'll be able to travel depends on the cost of medical insurance and regular medical care for my wife, who is a breast cancer survivor following a mastectomy last October in Japan. Finding private insurance (she's too young for Medicare) and getting past the pre-condition hurdle is going to be complicated (and pricey) in America. ..
ACA takes effect next year. Preexisting conditions won't matter. Everyone is in the same pot. Your wife can get coverage in 2014 without breaking the bank.
Meanwhile, there might be high-risk pools in your state in PNW. OR/WA are fairly liberal states. They must offer something.
Yes, WA does, but of course there's a catch. (Two catches, actually).
The PCIP (Obamacare-style model which is state-administered until 1/14), covers pre-existing conditions right away but stipulates that one not have been insured for six months previous to application. We have been continuously covered in Japan, so that's out.
The state high-risk pool is immediately available (if they like the cut of our jib, and if we don't mind paying about $700 a month to cover my wife), but has a six-month gap for pre-existing conditions. So we can pay and sweat out a reoccurence of her cancer.
I'm just an average joe. I want my wife to have access to everything right away -- follow-ups, check-ups, lymphedema screening, the whole deal. As I read them, neither of the plans available in my state offers this.
Yes, January 2014 does offer us hope. Heck of a deal, though, if we have to roll the dice and my wife goes uninsured for nine months prior.
Typically neat work by the blood-sucking lawyers that write and pass our laws. I've never been able to figure out if they're wantonly cruel or just ignorant of life as it is actually lived.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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IN case you have a hankering to know...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariadne22
What happened to the PNW property w/$13k property taxes?
Still paying them (have a TEMP job (extremely well paying and I have ZIP for expenses... , Not willing to sell at 40% of valuation, too old to recover ANOTHER setback)Did you sell it? You were living so frugally up there with food supplies and all. Besides you're traveling all over the world all the time as a consultant.
When do you have time to reconnoiter new living places? ( have LOTS of time while on airplanes (38 hrs of flying last week) FREE wifi on SWA
Or does your wife do this? (N/A)
Or do you have three alter egos all off on different tangents? (no need for alter egos necessary, just that being a caregiver for 32 of my first 50 yrs (and Dairy Farm Boarding School for 16 of the remaining 18...)I have to keep on the move second half, I was sequestered the first half...
And, why Texas, of all places? Low property taxes, but an entirely different climate.
I like DRY, in the winter rather that 285 days of drizzle, (is that OK with you?). (Wow and I thought my mother was a case...). My TX taxes are $1400/yr (WA is now $14,400) so... I can afford TX. (NON-DISCLOSURE STATE ) + I can fly there (AUS or SAT) VERY inexpensively from West coast in 3 hrs (I usually am in San Diego or Portland on the few days / month I'm not in Asia.). Hill Country has MUCH to enjoy. And I won't be there forever... probably just long enough to declare primary residence and resell the joint I got for 60% of true value. It's a 'vacation' that will net a yrs salary for very little hassle (no fix-up required). During fiscal cliff I will keep 2 primary residences and sell which ever make sense to reap tax free income.
I GREATLY enjoy riding my MC through the TX Hill Country IN the WINTER. Did several rides last week, had a BLAST (BTW: My mom is not impressed either...). I have ridden more in last few weeks than 30+ yrs of winters in WA. Sun is not so bad for health (and attitude) either.
I have a $35 car in TX that gets 50 mpg, so not like it's costing me much.
Many ways to do the COUNTDOWN! I'm not in the ground YET, so will be exploring MANY other options while able.
To have a GREAT / FUN job(?) that pays you to travel internationally when you are 'early retired' (~10+ yrs to SS age) Is a real perk. Spouse comes with, friends and kids come visit and use our houses when we are gone. It's great, tho all good things will come to an end. I consider it a BONUS. + the Airline Mileage will cover MANY future trips.
And NO, I would have never considered this when I retired 8 yrs ago, but things change and I tend to be one that does not let the moss (resentment) grow underfoot. + I never have plans set in concrete, those are VERY hard to change. Tho I'm pretty good with a jack hammer, having done several commercial building remodels. (in my free time, of which I have plenty).
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Low property taxes, but an entirely different climate.
