where are we going

Retirement planning/camper decor...

Pulled this map/sticker out of the closet, it is perfect for our next chapter. Where have we been and where are we going? 

We have been to more states than these marked, but we decided to just put the states where we have actually camped. 

So now our future is mapped out, literally. The Pacific Northwest and the Atlantic Northeast are definitely on the list, and we want to revisit some of our favorite places also. 

The countdown is on, 12/31/2019!!!

JOHO

The joys of home ownership (JOHO) means that there will always be work to be done on the house. If you own a house, you know this very well. Some things are small and are taken care of as time goes on, like the recent replacement of all light bulbs in our house to LED ones. The bigger things require planning for time and money and have to be worked into a schedule. In the retirement planning process we met with an advisor and one of the tasks was to come up with a retirement budget, which prompted the spinoff of a list of home maintenance projects/renovations which we wanted to accomplish, along with an estimate for the budget.

List:

replace cedar siding on the back wall of the house (the Southern exposure has taken its toll, all the other sides are fine)

replace 3 wooden windows on back wall of house

remove old paneling from master bedroom, replace with ?sheetrock

replace all carpet on upper level of house

new metal roof for shop

move AC outside unit to other side of house (away from screen porch for noise purposes)

These projects were slated to start after retirement (12/2019). But Buddy can't wait until retirement. The fact that we are working closer to home and can come home every weekend makes it harder to wait. First on the list is replacing the cedar siding. We bought new windows a few weeks ago to replace the old wooden ones, the new vinyl ones are sitting in the shop.

This weekend, the weather was nice, "I'll just start pulling off the cedar siding, a little at a time, it won't hurt anything, as the old 1976 siding is underneath."

I am working on a baby quilt with my sewing machine under the window, and the next thing I know, here come Buddy - "Uh you are going to have to move your sewing machine, I am taking going to replace this window… right now!"  It seems the old siding did not extend all the way around the windows and by pulling off the cedar planks there was no protection from weather. So the schedule was suddenly escalated.

By Saturday evening, we had 2 new windows on the main level, the cedar is removed from half the back wall, just one more window to go. A very productive weekend. I wonder if all of the projects on the list will be done before retirement?

thanks NPS

National Park Service Senior Pass cost increases on August 27, 2017 from $10 to $80.

Folks are scrambling around trying to find them everywhere (kind of like the eclipse glasses), us included.

We left Mississippi for a 2 week vacation and tried to find the passes along the way. We tried the office in Blairsville, GA, stopped at the visitor center in the Smokies near Cherokee, NC where the ranger told us he heard the only ones left in the entire Southeast region were at a military park north of Atlanta. We stopped at the Townsend, TN welcome center with no luck. We called Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in GA, on the recorded message they stated they had No Senior Passes! Our last chance was back in Mississippi at the BLM office in Jackson, MS, where we finally lucked out!  We knew we could go online to get them, but according to the website, it would take months and cost twice as much. 

So why do we need a Senior Pass? The National Parks here in the East do not charge admission, but the ones out West do, so we are just planning ahead, for retirement travel.

But wait - we just checked nearby Mammoth Cave NP and with the Senior Pass we can get discounts on cave tours and camping! And also at our favorite campground in the Smokies - Elkmont, half price campsites discounted from $23 down to $11.50. 

Thanks NPS! I know you need the money hence the price increase, but thanks for announcing the change ahead of time so all of us old folks could take advantage of the lower price.

What's in your wallet?

retirement planning

retirement fantasy planning

Buddy has his countdown going on - 3 years 4 months - and is actively looking at retirement planning. There are online calculators from banks and AARP in which to plug your numbers (estimated bills, income from social security and/or 401-k accounts).

There is a lot of research to do on Medicare, when to sign up, which plan to pick, whether to get a secondary insurance. A lot of work.

But we have also been watching shows on television like Log Cabin Living and Fixer Upper… saying things like 'that would be nice' and 'we could do that to our house'. 

Our house is 40 this year! There have been a few minor remodels over the years, and some major projects like the new roof, deck, and the kitchen redo a few years ago. The joys of home ownership (JOHO) is ongoing, always something to fix or add or replace. 

So far we have a list of several things that we will/might do to the house at some point. Things that should have been done long ago like replacing the 1970s orange shag carpet upstairs, and replacing the paneling in our bedroom, and something that would just be nice - moving the laundry room out of the basement to the main level.

So we have to work to pay for these remodels. Always something.

Anyone have any retirement planning advice? 

retirement planning

a few things Buddy got this year:

tear-off countdown to retirement calendar

retirement inspiration, local tees

but in the meantime before retirement, he got a subcontractor management kit:

official tee

tissues and pacifiers for the whiners and criers who complain to him daily

job reports for hurt feelings, poor subs :(

lists...

and if all else fails, look out, Buddy is now packin' !!!

this kit was put together by Melissa, inspired by real people and actions, especially the latest stories of superintendents carrying guns on the job supposedly shooting varmints or snakes or prairie dogs...