Retire on 3k per month thoughts...

[Sue J]

To get an accurate picture of your costs, you need to include your portion of your health insurance cost plus your husband's employer's portion of health insurance costs. Just because hubby's employer doesn't funnel those dollars through you, they're still spent to your benefit and count as dollars you are living on.

Yes, I understand this. I just don't have the information, so I have to go on the info that I have.

At retirement DH will have a public employees pension that will include an allowance for health care insurance for both of us. There will be an option for a Basic, Intermediate or Enhanced plan. If the allowance does not cover the cost of the plan, we will have to pay the difference. If the allowance is more than the plan cost the difference goes into a Retiree Medical Account.

The specifics are unknown for now. I expect we will have a monthly cost and expenses for this, we won't know how much until we get there.

 

[lynxville]

With the economy in the tank and cost of things going down..the 3K per month is very realistic now...

The only thing I noticed going down in price is the value of my home. Other than that prices on many things are going up, ie food, health insurance, and property tax increases.

 

[rjk514]

If your not selling your home tomorrow it just doesn't matter and you might not be shopping in the right places,
Time to get a bit frugal and you will find that the cost of
living is just not that expensive...3K is fine..as long as you have no debt to pay

 

[Bestwifeever]

The only thing I noticed going down in price is the value of my home. Other than that prices on many things are going up, ie food, health insurance, and property tax increases.

Perhaps you need to shop around a little more (I've noticed lower grocery prices lately):

Wholesale prices dropped sharply in July, and over the past 12 months they have fallen by the largest amount on record.

The Labor Department said wholesale prices dropped 0.9 percent last month, driven by big decreases in both energy and food costs. Over the past 12 months, the prices of goods before they reach store shelves fell 6.8 percent.

Wholesale prices tumble -- chicagotribune.com

 

[Walt34]

We could do it on $3k/month, but we'd feel strapped. Probably sell the pickup truck, or at least pickle it and put it up on jack stands and change the insurance to "storage only" on it. The motorcycle has made a huge difference in what I spend on gasoline - 45-50 mpg on the bike vs. 17 with the truck. I haven't done the math on whether the bike is really cheaper transportation than a small car. Probably not. But it's certainly more fun.

I'd also have to have a talk with DW about her paper towel habit, and kick around the idea of a smaller house. Although housing is cheap here compared to the Washington, DC area it is certainly not the cheapest in the state.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I could subsist on $3,000 a month(one person) but it would be "good-bye" travel, subscriptions to the symphony, theater, and speakers series, buying whatever I want at the grocery/wine store/bookstore, new duds, health club, gifts, donations to charity, hairdresser at Elizabeth Arden, cable TV, gardener, etc. I would also likely have to sell one of my two paid-for houses and one of my two cars to reduce my tax, upkeep and insurance burden. But I could do it if I had to, and I would survive I am quite certain.

 

[mews]

I spent under 24K last year, but my health insurance is covered by my j*b.

That's the wild card for everyone.

ta,
mew

 

[haha]

I spent under 24K last year, but my health insurance is covered by my j*b.

That's the wild card for everyone.

ta,
mew

My lawyer is about 50 as is his wife. He has one child who is still his dependent. No health issues. He gets coverage through his firm, for $12,000/year. They recently got a 20% increase, which they will handle by going to a less inclusive policy.

I am 68 and single, and pay roughly $5000/yr for Medicare and Medigap. The Medigap increases every year, though just for cost increases, as it is not age rated.

So I would agree, health insurance is huge. My main budget categories, other than income tax which is quite variable, are rent, health insurance, groceries and car if I do full accounting for replacement cost. Even once you get to Medicare, it is far from an unimportant cost.

Ha

 

[bbbamI]

I'd also have to have a talk with DW about her paper towel habit.

....paper towels and toilet paper...DH rolls his eyes when I bring them in. He swears we need to buy a bigger house to store them...

My budget for this year is $40k. The total for our expenses so far for the year is $23.5k. No mortgage and retiree medical insurance keeps our costs down.

 

[REWahoo]

....paper towels and toilet paper...DH rolls his eyes when I bring them in.

Yep. I keep telling DW her spending on that stuff is gonna wipe us out...

 

[schmidtjas]

Yep. I keep telling DW her spending on that stuff is gonna wipe us out...

If I brought that up with my wife I'd end up having a crappy day

 

[W2R]

I could subsist on $3,000 a month(one person) but it would be "good-bye" travel, subscriptions to the symphony, theater, and speakers series, buying whatever I want at the grocery/wine store/bookstore, new duds, health club, gifts, donations to charity, hairdresser at Elizabeth Arden, cable TV, gardener, etc. I would also likely have to sell one of my two paid-for houses and one of my two cars to reduce my tax, upkeep and insurance burden. But I could do it if I had to, and I would survive I am quite certain.

I am planning to work up to spending $3,000/month in ER though I spend nowhere near that much right now. I buy whatever I want at the grocery store, belong to a gym, have cable TV and I have someone to mow. But you're right - - the rest of that I don't have. It's one car and one house, for me. If I want the things you have listed, I am not yet aware of that. Maybe once I start spending more, I will wonder how I could have lived on less!

 

[Westernskies]

Yep. I keep telling DW her spending on that stuff is gonna wipe us out...

on a roll, aren't you?

 

[Khan]

I find myself having more $1000 months. Crap, I'm not spending enough to trigger credit card rewards.

 

[REWahoo]

I find myself having more $1000 months. Crap, I'm not spending enough to trigger credit card rewards.

You can pay my A/C repair bill. No reason to send me a 'Thanks", happy to help you out...

 

[W2R]

You can pay my A/C repair bill. No reason to send me a 'Thanks", happy to help you out...

You do know that is going to cost you a $$$$FORTUNE$$$$, right? But it sounds like you have no choice. You can't very well live in your RV until the weather cools down.

If you think it's hot at 106 in your back yard, imagine how hot it is in your attic where your A/C repairman is working. It must be at least 120 up there. I can't imagine going to work in that kind of temperature, day after day.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I blame a lot of my tastes and expenses on my LH. He left me with champagne tastes and a beer pocketbook. O.K. Make it a micro-brew pocketbook. Just kidding, he was a great guy. Hard to give some things up. Especially the Pittsburgh symphony and the Broadway series with really good seats. I kept the same two seats but I invite a guest. Took us years to get them in that exact location. And I can't cut off appeals from the animal shelter and the library and my church. I could scream sometimes about the house in FL but it will be sold in due course. It's a good thing the kid is self-sufficient...

 

[Moemg]

I blame a lot of my tastes and expenses on my LH. He left me with champagne tastes and a beer pocketbook. O.K. Make it a micro-brew pocketbook. Just kidding, he was a great guy. ..

If you enjoy the life style and can afford it , go for it . We have both seen that you need to live life when you have a chance . Besides we are saving our adult children from difficult decisions . Should they buy the jaguar or the Lamborghini ?

 

[Notmuchlonger]

If you enjoy the life style and can afford it , go for it . We have both seen that you need to live life when you have a chance . Besides we are saving our adult children from difficult decisions . Should they buy the jaguar or the Lamborghini ?

In all reality we could pull the plug now. However, we prefer a higher standard of living. Another year or two should be enough. Nope this isn't the one more year syndrome. Still on track for an early retirement. Long as DW still loves her job. Though I can tell she isn't thinking much about work anymore on vacations

 

[WhoDaresWins]

If you enjoy the life style and can afford it , go for it . We have both seen that you need to live life when you have a chance . Besides we are saving our adult children from difficult decisions . Should they buy the jaguar or the Lamborghini ?

Thanks. My son is totally unlike his Dad(or me I guess). Very geeky and parsimonious(read: cheap). He only spends money on books and computer junk. I guess you have a good idea of what surgeons are like, Moe. A bit of the showboat in all of them. I would be sitting around with six cars if I hadn't downsized a bit.

 

[Walt34]

....paper towels and toilet paper...DH rolls his eyes when I bring them in. He swears we need to buy a bigger house to store them...

That was the biggest surprise when we got married. The TP kept running out. When single, I'd buy a four-pack and that would last a couple of weeks. That much was gone in a couple of days when she moved in. I've never asked what happens to it. Some things I think it's just better not to know.

 

[happy2bretired]

That was the biggest surprise when we got married. The TP kept running out. When single, I'd buy a four-pack and that would last a couple of weeks. That much was gone in a couple of days when she moved in. I've never asked what happens to it. Some things I think it's just better not to know.

Not easy to just shake it ya know.

 

[SarahW]

I am 68 and single, and pay roughly $5000/yr for Medicare and Medigap. The Medigap increases every year, though just for cost increases, as it is not age rated.

Wow. I had no idea that Medicare was so costly. Is that typical?

 

[SecondCor521]

I spend right around $6K per month, but about 2/3 of that is direct kid expenses and mortgage interest, so with a paid off house and the kids grown, I think I can live comfortably on $2K per month.

2Cor521

Hmm. I wonder what drug I was on when I wrote that.

Current numbers are about $3700 per month, with about 80% spent on kids, taxes, and mortgage interest. So I actually am living on about $700 per month aside from those 3 things.

2Cor521

 

[free4now]

Current numbers are about $3700 per month, with about 80% spent on kids, taxes, and mortgage interest. So I actually am living on about $700 per month aside from those 3 things.

Living on $700/month? You're on drugs