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Typed a really long update and it disappeared! UUGH. Anyway, the gist of it is that I have been working hard on cutting expenses and increasing savings. IRA/401(k) now at $120K and taxable brokerage account at $31K. $111K owed on a mortgage, but selling the inherited house (that is paid off)...

Even in Hawaii I think I could live by myself on 55K a year if my home were paid off, but my needs are simple as far as entertainment. Honolulu housing is probably more expensive than where we went on the big island. Gasoline was not any more expensive than California and the distances on an...

SW is my go to airline for leisure travel. I have never bothered paying for earlybird, I just check in at 23 - 24 hours before and usually get an upper B group position. Traveling alone - I just grab the first seat that I can put my behind into that has a place to throw my larger bag in the...

Yep, that is me too..... Actually I put $3000 though I doubt I would spend that every month. My basic expenses are around $1200/month and I would like to do some traveling in retirement.

Another thing to consider is if this is a place you will want to keep going back to yourself. Will you get bored with the place after a few years? Also, is it in a popular enough place that you could do a home exchange with someone who would want to come there if you wanted to vacation...

My parents both were in nursing care before passing. Fortunately they had enough assets to cover the cost. (My Mom paid monthly for my Dad's care for 1.5 years before he passed.) When my Mom went in to nursing care she was terminally ill and was gone in 3 months. The first month was covered by...

I rent out a vacation home thru a property manager. I picked this option instead of VRBO because it is no work for me - they just cut the check to me every month and take care of everything else. I might make more money if I did it myself, but I just don't feel that it is worth my time right...

Keystone & Dillion/Silverthorne area is still semi-affordable. I picked up my unit there 1.5 years ago for a bargain of $150K. I saw that one unit in my building with slightly more sq. ft. went for around $219K just a couple of months ago. There are a lot of units listed in the $300K range in...

+1 I would pay off the remaining $115K that I owe on my house that I am living in, which is all that is really stopping me from quitting now! The rest would be invested 1/2 in equities and 1/2 in rental real estate. I could live off the dividends and rentals quite well since I live a pretty...

Spent <$10 on candy for my adult son that is still living at home and bought one $10 gift for the charity Angel Tree at work, so pretty close to 0%. I tend to be pretty generous to the boys year round so I don't think they really need anything from me at the Holidays. The spouse and I would...

I have a 2008 Kia optima that that proven to be a pretty nice little car... Someone I worked with called Kia "throwaway cars" once, but mine has been reliable and held up pretty well. I think I will replace it in about 2-3 years though and pass it on to my young adult son who is currently...

I have rented a lot with VRBO and not had any problems. I do look for the owner operated ones but have booked one with property manager at the local ski area with no problem. (I actually use the same property manager now for my vacation rental that I own!) I have no personal experience with...

I use rewards cards a lot too. Southwest is my go to airline and I have had that card for a while. (I fly short hops on Frontier a lot too but figure their credit card bonus offer is not worth it as I get fares from $29 -$49 out of Denver anyway a lot.) I got a Hawaiian air card specifically for...

Back from my trip to Hawaii (Big Island). Stayed on budget and had a great time! Most food was expensive at the regular grocery store, but we scored a lot of cheap produce at the farmers markets. Costco and Walmart were the lifesavers on grocery shopping.... Most of the fun things we did were...

The long awaited trip to the Big Island - Hawaii starts tomorrow. Since we are overnighting in Seattle, I am looking forward to a fun dinner out there and a chance to see a glance of the city.... Forecast is rain, rain, and more rain but I have a good jacket and plan to get outdoors as much as...

DH and I work in law enforcement - definitely not a high paying megacorp job - but a good career none the less. At least there is a small pension available as young as age 56, but definitely not big enough to live on alone. We own paid off rental property that contributes to income, this is...

Along with a physical move, it sounds like a move in attitude is needed! Stop thinking of yourself in such negative terms (ie old and unemployable). Think about whether you are sending a negative attitude out at those job interviews - then work to change that.... If you truely can not find...

+1 Seems to me that an RV that is already designed for compact living is more practical....

Most places you can hire professional property management, but it will cost you. I do this for my vacation rental property and it is great as they take care of everything. A lot of real estate agents are willing to set this up for you if don't know of one directly. The hire a teenager or...

I hear you about the "too many plans" on a trip. Be sure to take time to just kick back and relax. Perhaps this won't be your only trip to/thru Colorado and you can get to enjoy our state a little more at another time....:dance:

+1 I just use my credit cards for pretty much everything I buy. When I do collect a few coins I put them in a little pouch in my travel bag to use for vending machines, toll roads, coin laundry, etc. If the pouch gets too full then I use the self checkout at the grocery for a small item or...

Sounds like you want to go into the south of Yellowstone so I would stay around Jackson if I could find something affordable! Cody is closet to the east entrance, but probably a little less expensive.... We stayed in West Yellowstone once and it is a nice town and very affordable, but a bit...

Alaska is on my bucket list as well, but it would have to be a time when I can stay for a few months at least. A friend of mine actually directed me to a place that has summer hospitality jobs available in Alaska and that might be a thought for the summer after I am done with my "real job" as a...

I've driven thru Wendover a few times. We didn't really ever stop for anything except a pizza for dinner one night on the way into our Salt Lake hotel! It would be a long but doable day trip to Great Basin. I told DH when we are retired and go to Tahoe that instead of rushing it as a 2 day...

Been to Guadalaupe Mts on a drive from New Mexico to TX. We just stopped for a picnic and a short walk, but it did look like a nice place to hike! Drove right past the Great Basin area on Hiway 50 but didn't have time to stop. It is on my list of places to go sometime, but it is pretty much in...