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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by geebabe
...- a well is a well and once it is paid for the water is yours essentially free.
...
Of course, I'm still not buying the food bill of $100/mo. He responded with how he does that but it still seems impossible if a person wants to have a somewhat healthy diet. He referred to 50 cents/lb produce. Really? I haven't seen that in forever. That must be pretty bad produce! Yuck!
Anyway, to each their own, eh?!
Water is free..., minus a few cents / month to run the pump, and a new pump($300 - $1000) every 30 yrs or so. But with 120" of drizzle / yr... how much MORE water does a family need?
No worry about the $100/ month food costs.. It is very ez and healthy for me ( spouse, extra EZ now that the kids are gone, tho we still cook extra meals for neighbors and seniors within the $100). I eat lots of grains and produce. Actually, I paid $0.19/# for pears this week. (They were culls due to being TOO BIG for commercial market.) $0.29 bananas, just today (store had bough too many). Cabbage... $0.19) Apples $0.39 (Jonagolds, my favorite). Carrots, $0.39 in bulk. I've been a commercial produce grower as well as Master Gardener and Ag instructor. I also do research and teach in the regional 'Food Security' network. (as well as form / instruct natural food Co-ops and grower service organizations). I don't have an issue eating 'windfalls'. Being a 'grower'... I know my quality and it is far better than the 'foreign' stuff that ships to the normal food chain.
As I mentioned... you drop $100 in a 'food' envelope on the first of the month... if it runs dry... (very seldom) we have a FREEZER and LARGE pantry, and neighbors. $100 is plenty for us (and it includes our entertainment... usually 1/month night out utilizing Happy Hr menu ($2.99 entrees).
Cheap food costs really is quite possible at all our USA locations (moderate climates with good access to growers and I have scoped out the produce companies that resell discards from big box stores (Plus I know the produce guys at the local chain stores)... Tho I prefer to buy local from growers, and helped form our local 'mobile-farmer's market', goes to a different rural town daily). You too can buy direct from growers, as well as become one yourself. Very EZ to find nice acreages with established gardens and orchards. (old people (farmers / gardeners) are dying everyday)
That Robyn - can be a real softie and she is a real asset to this forum (even if she hates dogs).
Ani - I have no brilliant advice to give you but I wish you and Mr Ani the very best with this. You have your son to talk to - right? Even if you don't get many responses on this forum, I believe most people also care about your circumstances. We just don't always know what to say.
I really feel I have taken the thread off course, when I meant to keep it on the subject of retirement financial planning and decisions and strategies. I ended up putting too much personal info in for explanation. Members of the forum are wonderful and I know if I came with a specific question or issue - folks would line up to give me excellent advice. We have so many truly insightful and knowledgeable members who are generous with sharing and helping.
Our son has been wonderful but this has been emotionally exhausting for him. He is so close to his Dad - just really hard.
I really feel I have taken the thread off course, when I meant to keep it on the subject of retirement financial planning and decisions and strategies. I ended up putting too much personal info in for explanation. Members of the forum are wonderful and I know if I came with a specific question or issue - folks would line up to give me excellent advice. We have so many truly insightful and knowledgeable members who are generous with sharing and helping.
Our son has been wonderful but this has been emotionally exhausting f. Sorryor him. He is so close to his Dad - just really hard.
I think NEG meant this thread to meander - and I don't think she meant it to be 100% about money/budgets - so don't worry. There are more important things in most of our lives than what we pay for utility bills.
And I am kind of a softie - because I've been through some tough stuff myself over the decades where I could have used a shoulder to cry on/lean on - but didn't have one. Family/friends were cold/insensitive/or worse.
Sometimes - virtual friends you can confide in/talk with are better than those in real time. Like the song says:
I think NEG meant this thread to meander - and I don't think she meant it to be 100% about money/budgets - so don't worry. There are more important things in most of our lives than what we pay for utility bills.
And I am kind of a softie - because I've been through some tough stuff myself over the decades where I could have used a shoulder to cry on/lean on - but didn't have one. Family/friends were cold/insensitive/or worse.
Sometimes - virtual friends you can confide in/talk with are better than those in real time. Like the song says:
I think NEG meant this thread to meander - so don't worry.
Indeed I did.
Something that is tangential to ani's situation is the thing of whether or to sell (the current house) or not, either in a potential financial crisis (ani) or in the course of financial planning for future years (me).
Just from the perspective of COL alone, I wonder if it's at all beneficial to relocate only for financial reasons (for lower COL including lower housing costs, and "cashing out" in a great sell area and buying down elsewhere and pocketing the profit.)
To be explicit, I live in a very high COL state. We own our home with no mortgage and bought low, hope to sell high and make a significant profit. HOWEVER, when we sell, if we want to make that profit, we MUST relocate out of Mass. In order to buy elsewhere anything but another fixer-upper, we'd have to pretty much trade this house for another, with a very small profit margin. Is it worth it to move?
From another angle, the property taxes here are quite high compared with many states outside of New England. So we get lower property tax in another state, but then in order to see the grandkids/kids, we'll be making 4 to 6 trips back here per year (compute: lots of gas + probable hotel stays with dogs). Where is the annual "savings in taxes" going to go?? Nowhere but to these trips back home. Is it worth it to move?
So all the financial considerations around relocation in retirement have to be examined carefully and realistically, not just on the surface.
When deciding whether or not to move you also have to factor in things like whether you have a good doctor who knows your medical history and how hard would your medical professionals be to replace.
Moving isn't just about the cost. You are disrupting your entire life. You are having to find new friend... new everything. You are giving up all of your old haunts and all that is familiar.
I agree that relocation doesn't always have to be about finances - it can be "just because" or any number of other reasons. Change - adventure - this is what I'm ready for.
I agree that relocation doesn't always have to be about finances - it can be "just because" or any number of other reasons. Change - adventure - this is what I'm ready for.
I am always torn between ruling with my heart and ruling with my head. The old man says I always start out ruling with my head and then ruin everything by letting my heart take over, lol.
But he**, we are at an age where letting our hearts rule may be just the ticket. Cautions can be overrated.
When income no longer equals outgo, you need to reduce outgo.
I retired about a year ago at age 65. At that point, I felt I had enough saved to purchase some land (bought 33 acres) and the building supplies to construct a small ranch if I built it myself...with a little help from family members. That was done over the past spring and summer, with a bunkhouse for visitors. Our location has taxes under $500 per year, and is very rural. It is also off-grid, as are many nearby properties.
Last summer while building, we raised our first flock of broiler chickens, and I had some topsoil delivered which I planted to alfalfa to get a gardening area started this comimg spring, when we move up there to stay. I estimate that, once we get a little more practice, this garden and some small livestock could provide up to 75% of our food supply.
My wife has a pension, we both have SS, and I cashed in my retirement for the land and building. We are not poor by any means, but have always lived frugally. We have an aversion to credit/debt and make no monthly payments on borrowed money. We both feel that borrowed money is toxic for seniors, and leads to much poverty. How anyone can retire while they still have a mortgage, is a mystery to us.
We are both in good health and have private insurance...have been resisting Medicare for over a year now. Not sure how this ACA will affect us down the line, but we would also resist that.
Our next project is to find a small acreage in the south, likely in Tennessee, and park a camper or older trailer on it (also a rural property), for use during the coldest winter months. By keeping expenses low, we hope to fund another 1-2 properties in addition to that, including one near a beach, and one in the mountains.
We are both in good health and have private insurance...have been resisting Medicare for over a year now. Not sure how this ACA will affect us down the line, but we would also resist that.
Please report back on your private health insurance. Most private plans have Medicare carve-outs and require you participate in Parts A & B after age 65. ACA has had nothing to do with that. It is virtually impossible to find private health insurance without that Medicare carveout for anyone Medicare eligible. Let us know what your insurance company has to say about that.
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Being a 'grower'... I know my quality and it is far better than the 'foreign' stuff that ships to the normal food chain.
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