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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biscuitmom
How do you do that while traveling 9 months a year, much of it international?
I'm on an expense account when living / working international. But... I never bill for food and never have... I would eat if at home, so why would the company need to pay?. I am living in Thailand, Singapore, China and Malaysia, for a $14 / night lodging, I get free breakfast, (Singapore is SOO much more, so I limit my stays there) so only need one other meal and EZ to get for $3 in any of the above (If you eat with the locals) They have the best stuff anyway . As you know... If I take a personal holiday... I stay in $10 - $20 / night hospitality homes been doing that WW for 25+ yrs.
Do you carry your chainsaw and poach other folks' trees and when you travel? How do you calculate and control utility, water, and internet expenses when you're away from home?
Poach Why would I do that? I live in a mild climate (In USA) so no need to heat the home when I'm gone. Besides.. My Renter's / boarders use their own chainsaw on my forest. (Plenty of down wood today... winds clocked at 88mph). I give away more wood, food and money that I use per yr. Ever hear of 'neighbors?' . They feed my dog once / week when I'm gone, I fuel their woodstoves and freezer and pantry. They bring me fish and beef. We care for each other. I just gave one neighbor couple free tickets to Alaska so they could go to a funeral. This is nothing new or strange for any of us. (maybe to some, but not to country folks).
Internet when traveling?... Its called Data SIM in other countries, a few bucks / month to 'top-off-the-card'. FREE internet at the job sites and hotels Temp job pays for internet when traveling, thus I don't need any at home while I'm gone (I',m on dialup anyway... comes with a LAND LINE). WATER? for domestic water... I have a well, pumps take very little power.
Really, there is nothing unusual about virtually free utilities in the countryside. NO Garbage trucks, no natural gas lines, no water or sewer... just a little power (I have a WVO powered Genset if I want FREE power).
But... I have 'servant's quarters' in a houses I RENT out. (They are on wells too, EXCEPT for one... It is gonna get a rainwater harvesting / grey water recycle system as soon as I have time to build it).... THEN the only water you BUY, is for Kitchen Sink... Showers, toilets, wash machine, irrigation are all provided by harvest / recycle water.
WoW, so many uninformed micro managers... You really need to get out more. Grandpa taught me to cut wood and plumb the well and septic. I do miss the '7-party-line' telephone we had in the 1960's. lots of this type of person... "Oh, no you can't do that!!"
You really need to get out more. Grandpa taught me to cut wood and plumb the well and septic. I do miss the '7-party-line' telephone we had in the 1960's. lots of this type of person... "Oh, no you can't do that!!"
Like many other seniors here on CD, back in the day I lived with 8-party lines (not 7-party, there was no such thing ever), wells, cast iron wood stoves, outhouses, squirrel and venison, etc. Septic has nothing to do with wells and outhouses, what are you talking about? No Costco chickens or bulk oatmeal back then, either.
Nothing in your post addresses how ca 2013-4, you're achieving the super low food and utility costs you claim while traveling 9 months a year.
Those are very interesting details about your friend, Ani. One of the things which struck me upon reading them was the enormous time investment he puts into his creation of food from his own property. From a financial point of view, one could get a part-time job, buy one's food, and come out ahead time-wise. Of course I understand that he ENJOYS what he does and derives pleasure from his pursuits. It must be satisfying to create so much of one's own sustenance, although that sort of thing would not interest me personally. Perhaps I was turned off by being forced to work a lot in our family vegetable garden as a child! LOL. But for folks who enjoy gardening per se, it's a win-win; grow some veggies in addition to and/or in place of flowers.
Yes, he takes great joy in fishing, hunting, gardening, and doing such things as preserving his food, etc. He is a master carpenter and so takes jobs as they come (also, a wonderful painter). He created a lifestyle around what he enjoyed doing the most -- carpentry and hunting/gathering.
He scoffed when I told him I couldn't grow any veggies b/c of 1. lack of sunlight and 2. deer/other wildlife who eat my plants. He has devised a way of doing container gardening on my deck, where there is enough sun and protection from animals.
As children, he and I used to go into the woods with a group (supervised by adults) and gather herbs and mushrooms. I quit doing that. He didn't. Of course, one has to have the property where that hunting and gathering can be done . . .
When working during the week, his hunting and gathering takes place on the weekends, and during the summer, he can put in 8 hours of work and still get home in time to harvest his garden.
He has wild turkeys on his property and so when it came time for Thanksgiving - he just shot a turkey and dressed it, lol. Now, I am not saying I want to be responsible for dressing game -- I have been taught how to do it (rabbits, squirrel, turkey, chickens) -- as I sought that out as a child. I have always been fascinated with how pioneers settled the country and fed themselves and so I wanted to know what it was like for my gggrandparents in the 18th C. It is a nasty, difficult job. I can't imagine dressing a deer and honestly, squirrels are rodents akin to rats as far as food (ick). But I wanted to know and so I learned.
I love to fish and I could be doing that . . . although there are strict limits to what one can and can't remove and what must be on a catch-and-release basis. I have a blue ribbon trout stream within a mile of my house in the mountains.
So part of this -- I can adapt and do on my own -- but as you said, it would be because I ENJOY IT. Love to fish. Actually, enjoy wild turkey hunting but my shoulder makes it a doubtful venture these days - anything using a shotgun or rifle is a dubious venture for me at this point, lol!!!!!
For folks who want a lifestyle based on hunting and gathering, it can be done. For people like me -- fascinated with it but only part timers -- there are still ways to incorporate some facets but it takes real dedication and planning.
I grow herbs and do such things as make flavored vinegars. That is not exactly homesteading and won't keep me from starving in the winter, lololol. But I do enjoy it.
We have a good local Butcher (prime rib $3.41/lb) and vegetable market where most fruits and veggies are 40 cents/lb. or less. Utilities are cheap ($50) as we do not need heat/AC. Do not have a car as I can walk to everything in under 15 min. My wife works in a JIC certified private clinic, so no charge for medical care and my 25 y/o twin SIL are both nurses (same clinic) and they bring home any medications our family requires. I have a $300,000+ condo and the taxes are only $50.00/mth, we have a private security force in my town and garbage pickup and mail delivery is 7 days a week and no recycling as they do it curbside for you.
( It is a doorman building so I do pay $180.00/mth for that).
One of my uncles had the philosophy of planning around worst case scenarios, and many senior may as well. I know I do. I have to have not only a plan B but a plan C and D. I have a plan B, but not much for C and nothing for D.
Of course one can easily obsess over backup plans. It can't hurt to know what we'd do in a "what if" situation. I doubt I will end up alone, b/c the old man is in superb health and I'm not, but just in case (who knows?) I'd like to find the ideal housing situation that would allow me to take care of the place solo - very little yard (mowable in an hour or less), very short driveway, small and tight and new roof, new furnace (no wood heat for me if solo), new appliances, three or less steps up to the front door. In a town that already has its new schools and libraries built, lol.
Rather than my whining about what hubby and I are dealing with, I should perhaps share what I have learned thus far.
We were on track to be well-situated in retirement. The net assets sheet looked great. Husband is older than I (7 years) so the idea was for him to work til I became eligible for Medicare, at which time we would be completely debt free and a nice retirement cushion. I will always work (as long as I am physically able) b/c I enjoy what I do.
We had a robust savings account in 2009, but we used a big chunk of it over the last years to pay off medical debt as it occurred and renovate our mountain cottage as well as some spiff-ups to our primary home (with an eye to resale at retirement). Meanwhile, we socked away every penny into employer-matched 401Ks. I put a small % (tiny amount) into a Roth account. We have a few stocks but they don't amount to a lot of money.
Now we have a major health crisis and hubby can no longer work.
So . . . cut expenses and sell the primary residence. We had planned to do that anyway - just not right now. We were going to sell that house, take part of the proceeds and pay cash for an addition onto the mountain cottage (hard for hubby to get around in that tiny space w/ a walker, much less a wheelchair).
Things would be much easier for us if we had kept more LIQUID ASSETS at our disposal.
If I had it to do over, I would have paid off the primary house, worked out payment plans over time on the medical bills (instead of writing out checks immediately), insisted our kids take out student loans for a big chunk of their educational costs, and instead of funneling every penny into TSAs, kept more cash in a money market account. And I would have gotten a HELOC and built on to the mountain cottage so that house was "move-in" ready, rather than planning to do that at hubby's retirement, AFTER our primary residence was sold.
I would suggest keeping a balance of $75-100K in a money market account -- rather than tying it up in CDs, IRAs, TSAs, etc.
In addition to hubby's medical situation, we have spent about $36K in the last few years on such things as hearing aids and dental work. To be frank, these are things we simply had not considered in our master plan. And hubby needs another dental implant ($4K) . . . and his audiologist advises he should consider another set of hearing aids - at a cost of about $7K. So I would suggest keeping money set aside for eventual unexpected dental and audiology expenses.
And never, ever have a financial plan that takes things right down to the wire with an assumed retirement date AFTER 65. Too many things can go wrong.
When you plan for retirement . . . you plan assuming that you will be enjoying those years with your companion. It all becomes rather meaningless when you realize the chances are very high that you will be alone for the majority of those future years.
And I want to know how he only has $70 a month utility bills. Please explain.
It depends on how mild the weather is and how big your place is. My total utility bills for electric/gas/water is about $80/month most of the year, getting up to $110/month a couple of months in the summer, for 1,500 square feet single level. I am living frugally now and enjoy the peace of mind from living frugally and saving.
It depends on how mild the weather is and how big your place is. My total utility bills for electric/gas/water is about $80/month most of the year, getting up to $110/month a couple of months in the summer, for 1,500 square feet single level. I am living frugally now and enjoy the peace of mind from living frugally and saving.
How about we give our location if we are giving our utility costs? That would make the comparisons more meaningful. Of course there are other variables, such as thermostat settings. In Los Angeles, heating to 62 degrees F and cooling to 82 degrees F, my combined gas and electricity bills run between $30 and $50 per month.
Not retired but for those families that can manage it I would think living with 3-4 generations under one roof would offer the best advantage for all. Imagine the benefit to families with young children, not necessarily childcare but for multigenerational influence. Additonally, offers a greater way for household to each economic stability and support one another in more ways than just economical.
Few "families" can manage it today, because most women would rather go out and work, putting their kids in daycare, than to put up with a MIL or GMIL in the same house day in and day out.
This may sound sexist, but I do believe that men get along better with their MILs than women do with theirs.
Few "families" can manage it today, because most women would rather go out and work, putting their kids in daycare, than to put up with a MIL or GMIL in the same house day in and day out.
This may sound sexist, but I do believe that men get along better with their MILs than women do with theirs.
I think it differs among the socioeconomic classes and, of course, ethnic groups. I don't know anyone who would prefer to put his or her child in day care, but I realize there are parents who would choose to do so.
However, based on my professional experience, it seems that it is the husband's mother who tends to cause conflict. I don't know why, but for some reason, mothers of sons seem to have more difficulty (to put it nicely) letting go. (I try to be extra careful not to give "motherly advice" to my sons and/or sons' significant others, but sometimes it just happens and I have to quickly backtrack.)
Modern day multigenerational housing is designed to allow for privacy among the different generations. I think it's a wonderful idea.
However, based on my professional experience, it seems that it is the husband's mother who tends to cause conflict. I don't know why, but for some reason, mothers of sons seem to have more difficulty (to put it nicely) letting go. (I try to be extra careful not to give "motherly advice" to my sons and/or sons' significant others, but sometimes it just happens and I have to quickly backtrack.)
Now wait just a minute here....
Both the bride's mother and the groom's mother have lived long lives and naturally want to share their life experience and give advice, esp around grandkids.
However....the bride and her mom have a natural bond, so if the bride's mother gives unsolicited advice it is either taken, ignored, or rolled off the younger woman's back.
IF the poor MIL (groom's mother) dares pipe up with the slightest bit of advice or "wisdom," her DIL takes this as "meddling" and it can ruin a relationship between them and between the groom and his mom (young married men do not want to be caught in the middle btwn their moms and their wives, so naturally, their moms must be the loser in any tension situation).
The bride's mother doesn't "cause" the conflict. She IS the conflict from day one before she even opens her mouth. All kinds of articles and books have been written about the delicate situation between MILs and DILs.
The MIL is always advised to always keep her mouth shut under all circumstances, even if she's not a busy- body. Totally unfair. (You can guess which role I'm in )
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How do you do that while traveling 9 months a year, much of it international?
. As you know... If I take a personal holiday... I stay in $10 - $20 / night hospitality homes been doing that WW for 25+ yrs.
Why would I do that? I live in a mild climate (In USA) so no need to heat the home when I'm gone. Besides.. My Renter's / boarders
use their own chainsaw on my forest. (Plenty of down wood today... winds clocked at 88mph). I give away more wood, food and money that I use per yr. Ever hear of 'neighbors?' 
. They feed my dog once / week when I'm gone, I fuel their woodstoves and freezer and pantry. They bring me fish and beef. We care for each other. I just gave one neighbor couple free tickets to Alaska so they could go to a funeral. This is nothing new or strange for any of us. (maybe to some, but not to country folks).
