Can I afford landscaping?

[corn18]

Last day of work was 4 days ago and I am already struggling with spending in retirement. My plan was always pretty simple: 100% Probability of Success (Ps) with $25k / year of discretionary spending. We far exceeded that and we now have $400k more than we need for 100% Ps. Ok, great. Let's just keep that as an insurance policy for unknown unknowns. Let's get through year 1 hunkered down and prepared for battle.

Well, DW is getting estimates for putting in landscaping, including a kick butt fire pit area. Estimates are coming in @ $35k. We'll see what the final tally is because she is getting all the bells and whistles in the estimates.

My difficulty comes in deciding whether we can afford it. And I cannot for the life of me come up with an answer. We have exceeded our goal of 100% Ps. Current VPW calculation puts us @ $50k year for discretionary spending. We are ok with sticking to $25k / year, but BAM!, here we are on day 4 looking at spending $35k on landscaping.

Please help!

 

[REWahoo]

^ And you had no way to see this coming and bake it into your spending plan prior to retiring? Scary.

 

[corn18]

^ And you had no way to see this coming and bake it into your spending plan prior to retiring? Scary.

What's your point?

 

[Ronstar]

Now that you have a bunch of spare time, you can do most of the landscape work yourself. At least until you get too old to do it. It's fun in moderation.

 

[kjpliny]

Do it. Life is short. Might as well enjoy what you worked for.

Don't feel bad...when our refrigerator started leaking, the oven stopped working, and we discovered a slab leak under our kitchen, we blew $140k on a 3 room remodel including the kitchen. That was 4 years ago and was the best thing we ever did. Don't miss the money at all.

 

[REWahoo]

What's your point?

No point, just an observation.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Last day of work was 4 days ago and I am already struggling with spending in retirement. My plan was always pretty simple: 100% Probability of Success (Ps) with $25k / year of discretionary spending. We far exceeded that and we now have $400k more than we need for 100% Ps. Ok, great. Let's just keep that as an insurance policy for unknown unknowns. Let's get through year 1 hunkered down and prepared for battle.

Well, DW is getting estimates for putting in landscaping, including a kick butt fire pit area. Estimates are coming in @ $35k. We'll see what the final tally is because she is getting all the bells and whistles in the estimates.

My difficulty comes in deciding whether we can afford it. And I cannot for the life of me come up with an answer. We have exceeded our goal of 100% Ps. Current VPW calculation puts us @ $50k year for discretionary spending. We are ok with sticking to $25k / year, but BAM!, here we are on day 4 looking at spending $35k on landscaping.

Please help!

Not sure what you need help with, since you can easily afford this. Sounds more like you're just observing/complaining that this one expense is coming so soon after retirement.

Over 2 years you have $50k of discretionary money. That still leaves you with $15k after this expense, and that's all your discretionary money for the next 2 years. DW and you just have to be onboard with that reality. Or you and DW have to sharpen your pencils and find ways to trim back the $35k expense. Do some of the work yourself, scale back plans, do it in phases over several years, etc.

 

[skyking1]

This should not even be a thing. You're talking about landscaping that's going to last you 15 years or more. if it helps you to sleep at night just do that and amortize it out in your head now you're talking 2300.

 

[f35phixer]

just say DW no more clothes for YOU !!!! ;-)

 

[Aerides]

Considering how many detailed questions and threads you've made in the past few weeks leading up to retirement, it is odd that this one big expense is a surprise and wasn't on your radar.

That said, if you have the discretionary budget and are on board with the actual project, it should fit right in. And if you reran Firecalc starting with -35k it should come in no different if you've planned well.

 

[street]

Well, sure you can and you should go ahead and do the project. Like Ronstar said, take on a new challenge and do all that you can on the project yourself.

If concerned about if you can you will or might need to cut back somewhere else to feel comfortable to do the project.

 

[aja8888]

Hopefully, you won't get hit with a $40 K dental bill like I did when all the old work in my mouth started falling apart.

I did all my landscaping myself and saved bunches. The dental work I couldn't do myself! LOL

 

[corn18]

^ And you had no way to see this coming and bake it into your spending plan prior to retiring? Scary.

Not sure what you need help with, since you can easily afford this. Sounds more like you're just observing/complaining that this one expense is coming so soon after retirement.

Over 2 years you have $50k of discretionary money. That still leaves you with $15k after this expense, and that's all your discretionary money for the next 2 years. DW and you just have to be onboard with that reality. Or you and DW have to sharpen your pencils and find ways to trim back the $35k expense. Do some of the work yourself, scale back plans, do it in phases over several years, etc.

I knew she wanted to do some landscaping, but not $35k of it. I guess I am just trying to adjust to spending rather than saving. My severance was a lot larger than I planned and covers this expense easily (as pointed out by DW). There will be more unplanned spending, I'm sure.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

That unemployment money that you're not going to file for would pay a good portion of this expense.... Just saying

 

[OldShooter]

I'm with the "do it" crowd, but will observe that we humans tend to spend easily obtained money more easily than the money that was accumulated with more effort. Your unexpected bonus amount was easily obtained but every dollar has the same value as the money you have painstakingly saved.

So I suggest forgetting about the bonus money as a special category, then getting the details of the landscaping quotations and evaluating each one for is-it-worth-the-money? and for unimportant bells and whistles. That is just good financial management. (She is getting two competing quotes, right?)

 

[W2R]

^ And you had no way to see this coming and bake it into your spending plan prior to retiring? Scary.

+1

Immediately after buying my Dream Home I spent a lot on landscaping, regrading, bringing in new dirt, sodding, and redoing the concrete. While I was viewing it for the first time, before I even made an offer on it, I was estimating the cost of re-landscaping and adding that to my offer amount, in my head, so I knew what I was getting into. I just cannot imagine ignoring this cost and thinking, "hey, whatever, it's all good". But then probably you have more money than I do.

My severance was a lot larger than I planned and covers this expense easily

Well, there you go! You can afford landscaping if that is what you want to use that severance compensation on.

 

[corn18]

I'm with the "do it" crowd, but will observe that we humans tend to spend easily obtained money more easily than the money that was accumulated with more effort. Your unexpected bonus amount was easily obtained but every dollar has the same value as the money you have painstakingly saved.

So I suggest forgetting about the bonus money as a special category, then getting the details of the landscaping quotations and evaluating each one for is-it-worth-the-money? and for unimportant bells and whistles. That is just good financial management. (She is getting two competing quotes, right?)

Three quotes. Have the one for $35k so far. Maybe the other two will be less.

 

[Amethyst]

Corn - I don't know how big your place is, but $35K doesn't go very far in landscaping, especially hardscaping, these days. Labor costs are killer. I was quoted $300 an hour just to have people dig up some dead trees that weren't even all that tall. I ended up cutting down the trees myself and just paying to have the stumps ground out.

It's either do it and pay the freight; live without the bells and whistles; or be like the old couple in that dumb ad on TV:
He: We planned carefully for our retirement, but

She: we quickly realized we needed to do something to supplement our income.

Sorry I can't be more help.

Last day of work was 4 days ago and I am already struggling with spending in retirement. My plan was always pretty simple: 100% Probability of Success (Ps) with $25k / year of discretionary spending. We far exceeded that and we now have $400k more than we need for 100% Ps. Ok, great. Let's just keep that as an insurance policy for unknown unknowns. Let's get through year 1 hunkered down and prepared for battle.

Well, DW is getting estimates for putting in landscaping, including a kick butt fire pit area. Estimates are coming in @ $35k. We'll see what the final tally is because she is getting all the bells and whistles in the estimates.

My difficulty comes in deciding whether we can afford it. And I cannot for the life of me come up with an answer. We have exceeded our goal of 100% Ps. Current VPW calculation puts us @ $50k year for discretionary spending. We are ok with sticking to $25k / year, but BAM!, here we are on day 4 looking at spending $35k on landscaping.

Please help!

 

[corn18]

Corn - I don't know how big your place is, but $35K doesn't go very far in landscaping, especially hardscaping, these days. Labor costs are killer. I was quoted $300 an hour just to have people dig up some dead trees that weren't even all that tall. I ended up cutting down the trees myself and just paying to have the stumps ground out.

It's either do it and pay the freight; live without the bells and whistles; or be like the old couple in that dumb ad on TV:
He: We planned carefully for our requirement, but

She: we quickly realized we needed to do something to supplement our income.

Sorry I can't be more help.

They are doing quite a bit including lighting, gas fire pit and hardscaping. I think it's way cool and we would use it a lot.

 

[doneat54]

I knew she wanted to do some landscaping, but not $35k of it. I guess I am just trying to adjust to spending rather than saving. My severance was a lot larger than I planned and covers this expense easily (as pointed out by DW). There will be more unplanned spending, I'm sure.

I would focus on 2 things, 1) are you planning on spending enough time at that house that you will enjoy the new landscaping and 2) (although for some in retirement, including me, this isn't the end all/be-all criteria for anything) will the investment improve the value of your home by that same amount roughly.

And lastly, I'll add, "new landscaping" often mean "new landscaping maintenance"... beware.

Good luck and congrats on the recent "win" of retiring....

 

[Amethyst]

Holy cow, Corn18! I think you're getting a lot for that $35K. Personally, I take joy in a beautiful yard, always have. It's in many ways more interesting than the inside of the house.

They are doing quite a bit including lighting, gas fire pit and hardscaping. I think it's way cool and we would use it a lot.

 

[corn18]

I would focus on 2 things, 1) are you planning on spending enough time at that house that you will enjoy the new landscaping and 2) (although for some in retirement, including me, this isn't the end all/be-all criteria for anything) will the investment improve the value of your home by that same amount roughly.

And lastly, I'll add, "new landscaping" often mean "new landscaping maintenance"... beware.

Good luck and congrats on the recent "win" of retiring....

We moved here last year to retire, so we don't plan to move. But who knows?

This will not increase the value of the home by $35k.

 

[OldShooter]

Three quotes. Have the one for $35k so far. Maybe the other two will be less.

Good job. Once you have the details broken down you can compare costs and ideas; maybe an amalgam of the proposals will be the best course.

 

[NgineER]

Looks nice-now that you are retired you'll get to enjoy it. $35k is a days fluctuation in the market at your invested assets I think.

 

[austin944]

I knew she wanted to do some landscaping, but not $35k of it. I guess I am just trying to adjust to spending rather than saving. My severance was a lot larger than I planned and covers this expense easily (as pointed out by DW). There will be more unplanned spending, I'm sure.

Sounds like you and your wife could benefit from a budget for discretionary expenses, assuming most of the landscaping falls into that category. Spend no more than <X> dollars every <Y> years on big ticket discretionary items, with adjustments for inflation.

This is probably why I don't have a family. I sleep better knowing that I don't have to compromise with somebody else on spending. Good luck in fighting that battle!