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1) More 65+ are leaving Colorado and Oregon than moving to these two states? I thought these were two of the most popular states these days. My cousin lives in a senior community north of Denver and many of her neighbors moved there from out of state to be closer to their children and grandchildren who had moved there previously. Maybe those moving out are cashing in on greatly appreciated home prices and moving to lower COL states?
2) New Mexico is #11 in retirement income? Who would have thought? We are usually ranked near the bottom on good things and near the top on the bad. Maybe the wealthy retirees in Santa Fe and Taos are pushing up the figure and the median is much less than the average.
As an Oregon refugee, no. 1 does not surprise me in the least. In fact, Forbes, or one of those bossy magazines always telling us where to retire listed OR as one of the worst because of taxes and high COL.
For me, COL was top priority in my relocation decision. Weather was the last. But everyone's needs are different.
As an Oregon refugee, no. 1 does not surprise me in the least. In fact, Forbes, or one of those bossy magazines always telling us where to retire listed OR as one of the worst because of taxes and high COL.
For me, COL was top priority in my relocation decision. Weather was the last. But everyone's needs are different.
Just a question if you don't mind. How does someone pay for heating a place, home, apartment, where it gets extremely cold for several months of the year and still have a low cost of living? I can only imagine what I think it must cost to heat a home in Maine, ND, or Minnesota. Please help me understand how it's done if you are on a budget.
My family had no trouble doing so on their mountaintop. Five acres of woods and a wood stove. Hatches and saws are cheap at Walmart or Tru Value.
We had a log pile and a kindling pile. Each day all family members were delegated to gather, pull logs to the house, split logs, saw logs and chop. Even the dog conscientiously carried sticks to the house and dropped them by the pile.
My family had no trouble doing so on their mountaintop. Five acres of woods and a wood stove.
That doesn't quite work as well in the middle of a city. Besides a cord of wood isn't exactly inexpensive anymore either and won't last all that long if it's your primary source of heat where it's very cold.
Just a question if you don't mind. How does someone pay for heating a place, home, apartment, where it gets extremely cold for several months of the year and still have a low cost of living? I can only imagine what I think it must cost to heat a home in Maine, ND, or Minnesota. Please help me understand how it's done if you are on a budget.
Heating cost are not all that bad if the home or apartment is well insulated and has good windows. AC cost in the deep south might cost more. Then again in the far north where winters are long and summers are short this might not be true.
Last edited by jasperhobbs; 11-17-2018 at 08:14 PM..
Just a question if you don't mind. How does someone pay for heating a place, home, apartment, where it gets extremely cold for several months of the year and still have a low cost of living? I can only imagine what I think it must cost to heat a home in Maine, ND, or Minnesota. Please help me understand how it's done if you are on a budget.
I have a large house [2400 sq ft interior, 4800 sq ft footprint], we have been heating with firewood. We buy our firewood delivered. Our annual firewood costs run around $800/year.
I am in the process of installing an active Solar thermal heating system, which should reduce our heating expenses by half.
My pension gives me around $1800/month, about half of that is used for our living expenses, the other half we spend on investments.
My Grandparents had a wonderful life... and this is their words...
I'm just glad I was able to spend two summers as a child on the farm to see the old ways...
They had a very comfortable home they built... heated and cooked with wood... had a big boiler in the basement that was wood fired... they had some coal stashed for emergencies but never used it.
I will always remember my Grandmother in front of her Wedgewood Stove... half wood and half electric... she baked everything from scratch... didn't even have a can opener... one year the blight got her peaches so she had none to put up and I arrive with a case of store bought DelMonte peaches... only to learn they did not own a can opener... they also had no trash... paper and wood was kindling... table scraps to the animals...
My Grandfather spent the long winter in his warm basement workshop... he made all the furniture in the house with simple hand tools and wood from the farm... not even a table saw...
Never owned a TV... the radio and farm report was very important.... they read alot and were church going... never owned a car... just a tractor... pure spring water... no pump needed...
Sometimes I think what a perfect retirement... Grandfather was 90 and had never been to a Doctor... ever... he was getting dizzy spells so off to the Doctor... Doc said he needed a pace maker... Grandfather flatly refused... lived another 5 years on his terms and one day passed away in his sleep...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 11-17-2018 at 10:16 PM..
My family had no trouble doing so on their mountaintop. Five acres of woods and a wood stove. Hatches and saws are cheap at Walmart or Tru Value.
We had a log pile and a kindling pile. Each day all family members were delegated to gather, pull logs to the house, split logs, saw logs and chop. Even the dog conscientiously carried sticks to the house and dropped them by the pile.
That all works great until age catches up with you around age 80 and you cannot cut down the wood or transport it or stack it. Then you have to rely on your family to do that for you which is likely not plausible. That is about the time when people install baseboard heat.
That all works great until age catches up with you around age 80 and you cannot cut down the wood or transport it or stack it. Then you have to rely on your family to do that for you which is likely not plausible. That is about the time when people install baseboard heat.
Or you could go with pellets that are self feeding as one 90 year old I know... fully automatic in snow country... she trades timber for pellets.
Just a question if you don't mind. How does someone pay for heating a place, home, apartment, where it gets extremely cold for several months of the year and still have a low cost of living? I can only imagine what I think it must cost to heat a home in Maine, ND, or Minnesota. Please help me understand how it's done if you are on a budget.
My heating bill for a 5 bedroom house in the same neighborhood that Minerva lives (Cleveland area) was approximately $80 per month from October - March. How did we do it?
1) Closed up all the rooms that we did not use.
2) Insulated any room that was not insulated.
3) Installed a fuel-efficient furnace after purchase (the old one was leaking natural gas and CO)
4) Bought a White-Rodgers programmable thermostat and kept the house around 60F all winter long.
In Chicago, we moved to a condo and kept the bills pretty much the same despite the colder weather
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