The personal finance blog for Life Balance

The IRS has released the income tax brackets for 2026 so I’ve begun planning our money management strategies for next year. I’m planning to aggressively execute Roth conversions in 2026 and that process will be new for me. The main learning that I took away from the recent free financial course that I attended was the risk that I’m taking by having most of my retirement savings in a tax deferred account.

Making big money moves always feels scary to me, but after rolling over my entire 401k, nothing should scare me. It’ll be tough to see the total portfolio decrease as I continue to withdraw living expenses and at the same time pay taxes on the amounts converting to the Roth but the truth is that I should see my IRA as smaller than it is since it’s untaxed.

I’ve got the plan in place and most of the conversions will be at the beginning of the year. I’m eager to get it going.

Next up: strategizing our health coverage for 2026.

Laundry before:

Laundry after:

It's a tough room to photograph because it's so narrow.

So this one is not a seminar but a free training course. It’s called ‘The Changing World of Retirement Planning’ and it’s taught on a local college campus. The course is two sessions, each one 3 hours (!). I received the invitation in the mail and I assume that I was targeted because of my age. The course is provided by two organizations: The National Society of Financial Educators and The Society for Financial Awareness. Is anyone familiar with these? The course is described at nsfe.org.

I’m hoping to get information that is useful to me and to evaluate my personal money management plans for the next few decades, tweaking them if it would be advantageous. The course includes a workbook.

These are the topics that the course outline includes:

1-Retiring in the 21st Century

2-Tax Rate Risk

3-Retirement Distribution Planning

4-Estate Planning

5-Maximizing Social Security

6-Mitigating Market Loss

7-Retirement Distribution Pitfalls

8-Long-term Care Planning

I am most interested in 3, 5, & 7.

I’m curious to see if anyone here has feedback or has taken this course. If not, I’ll share with you how it goes after I’ve done it!

As you may recall, I opened an IRA account with Fidelity and rolled my 401k into it a few months ago. I have to say, I’ve been impressed with Fidelity in the short time I’ve had the account. The website has been intuitive for investing and for making withdrawals.

This month I received an invitation from them to attend a free tax strategies webinar. It was informative and they didn’t push their advisory services hard, which was my only fear going in. [I’ve gotten so skeptical given my past experience with other financial institutions.] I took notes about information that could apply to me. It was eye-opening to see how many tax strategies did not apply to me. Things like establishing trusts to avoid estate taxes for estates above $15 million for example. What a nice problem to have!

In case it’s useful information for someone else, here are some notes I took down (US-based):

37% is still the top bracket

There is no change on taxes on SS (despite the proposal)

$2k deduction for charitable giving, itemization will not be required to take it

No tax on tips to $25k. No tax on car interest to $10k. SALT increased to $40k. None of these impacts me.

Exemption for gift tax is now set to $19k. $15m is the lifetime limit on gifts.

Standard deduction will be over $30k. (married filing jointly)

Consider impact of Roth conversions on IRMAA if age 63+

After age 70 ½ QCD to charities (must be public) count as part of RMD. This could reduce the AGI.

Reference to establishing primary residence for state taxes if more than one home during the year: days spent there, driver’s license, memberships. Show evidence of putting down roots.

A couple of days after that seminar, I helped DS5 set up a Roth IRA with Vanguard. It was a disaster. Because he’d had a brokerage account there as a child, they required that we call in to do it because he had to use his same profile. He couldn’t remember his login info. The number to call routed us to what I assume was a call center in India. The girl was difficult to understand and just read scripted statements. She put us on hold several times and during one of those times we were disconnected. In the end she told us that a form would be sent snail-mail for DS5 to complete and mail in. We each lost 1 ½ hours of our lives. It was maddening. After the call, we opened a Fidelity Roth for him online. It took 5 minutes.

That experience changed my plans for future retirement income. I have a small Vanguard Roth and I’d planned to do conversions from the Fidelity IRA to that account over the next 10 years. I liked (and still do) the idea of having more than one financial institution just in case of some future instability. Also, one rule for withdrawing earnings from a Roth is that the account must have been opened for at least 5 years. The Vanguard account was opened long ago. But I imagined myself with a significant amount of money in the Roth, having an account issue, and being forced to deal with an inexperienced call center in India. I know I would be livid. I’ve begun the process of creating a Roth IRA account (alongside the traditional IRA) at Fidelity. Perhaps conversions would be easier too?

Just when I think I have my finances closer to auto-pilot, I move the goal post! Ah well.

Kitchen done, laundry room to complete next week.

BEFORE

AFTER

The big change this week: the countertop was installed! The space seems bigger to me with the countertop in, which doesn’t make sense. I think it’s because the room feels so open.

The countertop company spent a couple of hours here for the installation. They had equipment to get the heavy thing(s) off the truck and into the kitchen, then they placed it, and then there was a smelly process to joining the two countertop slabs. The cut line is visible only if you look for it. I was worried that it’d bother me but it doesn’t at all.

Once the countertop was in, tasks that were dependent upon it were completed. The backsplash was finished, the sink was installed along with the garbage disposal though the contractor didn’t have the brushed nickel-colored button for the switch so that remains, and the stovetop was installed.

We are now using the kitchen!

And in the laundry room: The triangle closet in the laundry room behind the stove cabinet was finished. The lower trim was done on the cabinets. The walls were painted.

I made what think was the last design decision for me – the color for the laundry butcherblock counters. They will be stained. I chose a darker stain that I envisioned because it looked nice next to the light teal glass tile for the backsplash.

The contractor needed to leave early for family issues but I felt like plenty of big things were accomplished.

New stovetop described as "sick" by the younger generation

An assortment of tasks was completed this week.

++ The flooring transitions were installed between the kitchen ceramic tile and the dining room, foyer, and basement openings.

++ The laundry closet door – a pocket door – was installed.

++ The cabinet toe-kicks (lower trim) were finished.

++ Beadboard was installed on the two walls in the laundry room. I wish I’d had this when the boys were young – it’s so much easier to keep clean than sheetrock.

++ The dishwasher was installed and we used/tested it! But without a sink the prework still had to be done outside.

++ All cabinet shelves in both rooms were installed.

++ The mudding & sanding in the laundry room in preparation for painting walls was done.

++ The wall cleats in the corner behind stove were installed to support the countertop to come.

++ The washer and dryer connections were lowered so they won’t be visible once the appliances and the counter above them are in.

++ The spice cabinet inserts and the pull-out shelf for a lower cabinet were installed. I am so thankful that the contractor offered to do this for me. The pull-out shelf instructions looked complicated and some of the spice shelves required cutting to fit. I’m proud of the spice cabinet – I wanted one set up so that I can see all the spices at once without rifling through layers of containers.

I received a bit of bad financial news on the project this week. The countertop company mistakenly based their pricing on the stove being a freestanding appliance rather than built-in. Because it is built-in, the countertop needs to go around it. As (bad) luck would have it, this change was enough to require a second slab of the quartz and that has an additional cost of nearly $3000. Ouch. There was no point in getting upset – it’s the reality of the situation. From sewing I’ve done in the past, I understand the concept of arranging the pieces to cut out on the fabric and knowing when more material is required. I know they weren’t trying to snooker me and I surely wasn’t trying to be sneaky with them. Just a miscommunication. The woman at the countertop company thanked me multiple times for taking the news so well and that made me wonder what reaction she’s accustomed to receiving.

This was the week of the floors. All the tiling was done for both the kitchen and laundry room. The tiling continued from the family room that was done last year so now the flooring is the same throughout the three rooms.

When making decisions on tiling, there is more to consider than just the color & pattern of the tile itself. Fortunately, I already made these decisions a year ago so I didn’t need to add them to the list for this remodel.

There’s the size of the tile – I chose 1’x2’, a relatively large tile, so there would be less grout which in my experience is the toughest part to keep clean. Then there’s the pattern for laying the tile. I chose a herringbone pattern but laid at a right angle instead of a diagonal This was to break up the grout lines so there wasn’t a linear focus from one side of the room to the other. Then there’s the grout color. I chose a color similar to the tile color to minimize the contrast since I was going for an all-over stone look. It’s all personal preference depending upon the look you want to achieve and it’s amazing how one variable can affect the overall impact.

Lots of changes this week that are making the kitchen area look finished, at least from the waist up.

The cabinet trim is installed on the upper cabinets.

The hood is installed and it works great.

The contractor was able to modify the cabinet doors above the oven stack but they now need to be painted because one corner got a little banged up. He has them sanded and ready to paint. He has a paint that should be the color of the cabinets but the reality won’t be known until he paints them and holds them next to the existing ones. If you’re thinking like I used to “Hey, it’s white – how hard is that?”, let me tell you that it’s mind-boggling how many shades of white there are! Our mantel is ‘flour’. The kitchen cabinets are ‘linen’.

The laundry cabinets are in.

The garage light switches and door switches are moved so they are located next to the exterior door that was moved earlier. This is a detail I didn’t think about but we’re used to opening the garage door and touching those switches without actually going into the garage.

The pendant lights are installed over peninsula. The globes are clear and it took three rounds for me to find bulbs that didn’t blind me when looking at them while on but do provide useful light onto the soon-to-be countertop area.

I’m late with this update. This week the walls and stubborn ceiling spots were painted. The baseboards were removed to prepare for the floor tile to come. But the significant eye-candy part was the backsplash. The kitchen backsplash is done. In the area around the stove, the backsplash goes all the way to the top of the wall. It’s the same charcoal grey glass backsplash that we used in the kitchen corner #1 project. I still love it. The tiling took a long time though and the first grout color was too dark. The contractor was annoyed with himself because he had to go to the store and repurchase grout after he’d mixed up the original one and started to apply it.

This week the triple oven stack was installed. Technically they work but we will not be using them until the kitchen is done. The contractor modified the cabinet as discussed in earlier posts. Before he orders shorter doors, which would cost me extra, he’s going to try to modify the 24” tall ones. He’s not done that before but we have nothing to lose. It’d be nice not to have to purchase new cabinet doors. We’ll see.

He made the bottom of the cabinet above the ovens to be removable – it just sets on a ledge within the cabinet. That way if we ever need to have the oven(s) serviced, it’ll be easier to reach them. These are things I wouldn’t think about and it’s nice to work with someone who does.

After he sanded the walls and ceiling in preparation for painting, the plastic wall came down. We can see how open the space will feel from the family room now. He left the plastic between the kitchen and dining for now, I think because we use it as a wall for our makeshift kitchen in the dining room.

The pre-hung interior door was installed.

The new pre-hung exterior door arrived and was installed. The old door was removed and its space walled up. The previous door from the garage was in the middle of the current laundry space. After stepping inside, there was a closet to one side and a door to the small laundry space on the other side. The partition walls for the closet and the old laundry area are gone in the new design and the door opening from the garage is located at the end of the space (where the closet was before) to maximize usable area.

The ceiling in the kitchen was painted though there are stubborn spots to touch up. The basement door (in the kitchen) was painted along with the trim around the new window.

The contractor rehung our basement door! This was not officially part of the project but he noticed that it stuck in one spot since he needed to go to the basement several times. Nice guy! We’re thankful.

I had a week-long unplanned trip out of town so I’ll be doing two updates nearly back-to-back. The fourth week progress occurred while I was gone so it’s possible that there are small things that I didn’t notice.

The most important item: The inspection was completed with no issues. The contractor said that the inspector took only a few minutes to walk through. I think we have one more final inspection when the project is completed.

Several areas that were open for inspection now have been closed up with drywall. The most significant is the wall behind the new stovetop placement. On this new wall, the vent has been installed for the hood including the part that is outside.

The hood over the stovetop is an upgrade for us. We’ve always had the freestanding stove/oven with the microwave vent above. We cook from scratch and so many times when smoke resulted from burning or sauteing, we had to open all the windows on the first floor to clear it because the microwave vent just didn’t cut it. Having a hood that vented directly outside was one of the ‘gotta haves’ for the remodel.

One nice thing about the hood itself is that it is free! I had shown the contractor a picture of the type of hood I wanted (basic stainless steel) and he did a job before mine on a house that wasn’t even 5 years old and they were taking out the hood to replace it with a fancier one. (Many of them in magazines or on Houzz look like cabinets. I think that’s the look for high-end kitchens but it’s not my preference.) Instead of throwing it away, he snagged it for me. We looked at the screens/filters on it and we don’t think it’s ever been used.

The hood itself is not up yet because it’ll go on top of the backsplash which hasn’t yet been done.

Another thing that was done this week is the structural portion of the new pocket door for the triangular laundry closet. This closet was a creative idea from the contractor when we first walked through the project. I wanted the stovetop at a 45-degree angle in a corner (next to the exterior wall for venting) and that resulted in an unused triangular area behind the stove. I realized that but just assumed that we’d wall it up. He offered to open it on the laundry side of the wall and put an 18” pocket door to access the closet. At first, I was reluctant to consider it because I didn’t think I’d use a tall skinny triangular closet in the corner of the laundry room. You can’t even install shelves in the space. Then it occurred to me: the ironing board! I could store the ironing board in a mini-closet instead of hanging it on the wall like I did before. So now the closet is becoming reality.

    free hood with closet area exposed                                     vent for hood installed

We received disappointing news from the countertop company: they are so booked that they won’t be able to measure until mid-August and install 2 weeks later. Wow. Both the contractor & I had assumed that we’d be done with the kitchen by then. Of course we’re rolling with it. He’s even planning to do some things that he’d normally do at the end. For example, he’ll be doing the backsplash but starting a couple of rows up from the countertop level and then doing just those lower rows after it’s installed. He’s also planning to tile the floor before the countertop now. Also, he’ll likely complete the laundry room before the kitchen is completed now since it isn’t impacted by the countertop delay.

The dishwasher, washer & dryer, ovens & laundry faucet arrived and were evaluated with no issues thank goodness.

There’s nothing left to order and only the exterior door left to arrive.

One of my major goals for this year, along with the renovation that’s underway, was to roll over my 401k into a self-directed IRA. I could have (and should have, in retrospect) done this earlier but held off until I was 59 ½. I believed that waiting provided more flexibility if I needed funds earlier and I also was nervous about doing it. It’s basically my life’s savings and having it moved and reinvested virtually seemed a little scary. What if something went wrong? What if a digit was mistyped? What if my personal info was compromised?

It's finally DONE. Though it all worked out and my assets are safe, the process was not straight-forward and it did cause angst. I hope sharing my experience will help someone else.

First, I should thank those who commented on my post about selecting a provider for the rollover IRA account. Based on the feedback, I chose Fidelity and this turned out to be a really good decision.

I had hoped to tackle this task after the kitchen/laundry renovation was complete, just to minimize big things going on in my life at the same time. I thought that once I was 59½ , I could, without penalty, withdraw funds from the 401k. Then once the renovation was complete and life settled, I’d do the rollover.

I had difficulty processing a withdrawal from my 401k account online so I called and spoke with a representative at Empower, the 401k provider. I was informed that partial distributions were not allowed. !!! As I write this now, I have to say that based on my conversations with Empower throughout the process, that it wouldn’t surprise me if this wasn’t really true. Who knows. But it lit a fire under me. I first had to decide whether to delay the start of the renovation project or to withdraw funds from a Roth IRA. I chose to withdraw from the Roth and stay on course. That was the right move though it bothered me because that wasn’t the plan. I did not want to use Roth funds this year. Oh well. After that was done, I got with Fidelity to begin the rollover process. I had already opened the account there (with nothing in it) and they had a simple web page of the process to rollover into the account. On that page they offer to get on the phone with you as you make the request with the 401k provider and I jumped on that offer.

The Fidelity representative assigned to me stayed with me throughout the entire process. That proved to be important because it wasn’t quick and I had someone to ask questions of and vent to. I’d hoped to get a survey so I could rave about her but I didn’t.

We had numerous conversations with Empower representatives that were frustrating. In these they tried to sell me on an Empower IRA (instead of moving to Fidelity), told me that the money I had in cash in a linked brokerage needed to be invested before they could transfer it, told me that funds couldn’t be transferred to Fidelity electronically but would have to be sent to my house by check, etc. We were often transferred to different people in the same call and it wasn’t uncommon for them to contradict one another. It felt like they were deliberately making it complicated. After each conversation I would be given a task to complete which may have actually been unnecessary before we could call back. On one day I started getting texts on my phone with codes from Inspira about someone accessing my account. I am not familiar with Inspira and it worried me that it could be related to the asset transfers for the 401k. I called Fidelity and we got on the phone with Empower. They didn’t know but after being transferred around, we did find out that Empower uses a company called Inspira in some way. I am sooo thankful that I no longer have assets with this company.

This is what I learned from the process that would have been good to understand going in: my 401k had an assortment of funds that Empower allowed us to choose for investments (some appealing, some not), a linked brokerage with Charles Schwab that allowed us to invest in anything, including stocks, and company stock that I earned in bonuses some years back. We were only allowed to have 50% (max) invested in the linked brokerage. The way these assets are transferred is different and like many things, the industry has its own lingo.

Investments in the funds offered by Empower were liquidated and the cash transferred to Fidelity. (electronically too, despite an earlier Empower rep saying that wasn’t possible) There’s no choice on this and it’s scary to think that if the day they sold was a terrible market dip, the long-term impact could be substantial. It worked out fine for me but if I had known this going in, I might have done the prework myself of getting them all in a money market fund.

Investments (and cash despite what the earlier Empower rep had told us) in the linked brokerage were transferred in-kind to Fidelity. That means that each share of my stock in Schwab was just given to Fidelity for me. This transfer takes away the risk of a volatile market locking in losses.

Company stock involved a major bank. Empower was a middleman who worked with the bank to move the stock from the 401k account to the Fidelity account.

The company stock was a snafu. The bank transferred too much stock to Fidelity (over half a million bucks worth). I joked with the Fidelity rep that I’d hoped that I won some ‘new customer’ prize. The bank caught its mistake a couple of days later and withdrew the stock. When that happened, I received a generic automated message from Fidelity: “a withdrawal request has been initiated from your account. If you did not make this request, contact us immediately.” Since I wasn’t 100% sure what was going on, I did contact them. Then the bank did it again. It transferred over half a million in stock a second time. Then a couple of days later, it withdrew the stock. I got another Fidelity alert. Then the bank did the same damn thing a THIRD time. A couple of days later, it was withdrawn again. The next day the proper amount of company stock was deposited. And all my retirement assets were back together again.

The process took four weeks.

Progress this week:

++ The replacement cabinet for the broken one was received and installed. They sent doors with it so now we have 2 extra doors. Since we have three sets of identical cabinets on the peninsula, I’ll keep the extra doors in case we have a mishap.

++ The electrical wiring was completed. This now includes the pendant lights above the peninsula, the new 220V circuit for the stovetop, and another recessed light by the beverage station.

++ The hardware was installed on the cabinets that are finalized. This is usually a late task but the contractor was limited by not being able to close up walls since they aren’t yet inspected. He does not waste a minute! If he can’t do one thing, he does another.

++ The new window was installed. This was a biggee and I love it. It’s taller than the old window (and better quality) so it will set off the countertop just 1 backsplash tile height. For a person standing there, it brings the deck into the room visually.

++ Drywall was installed and repaired in several areas in preparation for painting which I don’t expect to occur for a while.

++ I signed the contract with the countertop company. I’m expecting them to reach out early in the week to schedule the measuring.

++ I have evaluated every cabinet & drawer and planned what will be stored there. I ordered a few cabinet organizer items and they are starting to arrive.

++ I chose the grout for the laundry backsplash. I did it online so I’m nervous about the color being accurate.

I have an action to schedule the inspector to come by this week. The dishwasher, washer, & dryer are expected to arrive on Wednesday, the ovens on Saturday, and the exterior door the following Friday. I think the only item I have left to choose and purchase is the faucet for the laundry sink.

new window

DS4 has learned to use the sauté setting on the instant pot. That’ll go down as one of the unintended benefits of the renovation.

As for renovation finances, I think I can accurately predict the 4 top costs though I will confirm this at the end:

1. Cabinets

2. Labor

3. Oven cabinet appliances

4. Countertop

About a year or so ago, I heard about a device for the laundry room that connects to the washing machine and prevents the need for laundry detergent. It adds oxygen (ozonates?) the water and that naturally cleans the clothes. I was skeptical (and am still since I don’t know anyone personally who has one) but I was intrigued too. How awesome if it works!

Given that we’re remodeling the laundry with the kitchen, I thought this would be a good time to try it. If it’s difficult to install, I’ve already got someone installing appliances so it's okay. I’ve made the purchase. It was about $400 so it could pay for itself in few years. We’ll see.

You can see it on Amazon if you search EcoWasher.

Has anyone here used one of these or heard accounts from someone who did?

Big changes this week and though there’s a long way to go, it’s nice to see things taking shape.

The work that was done this week:

++ The dumpster was picked up at the very end so half the driveway is back in business

++ The unpleasant surprise (sewage pipe) discovered last week was resolved. The plumbing is rerouted to be in the adjacent wall and that opened up the area since the remnants of the partition wall are gone now.

++ Most but not all of the electrical wiring was done. In many areas the walls are opened so the inspector can approve the new wiring before it’s covered up. The recessed lights were installed.

++ New plumbing was added (rerouted) for the kitchen sink, which will be on a peninsula now, and the laundry sink. Like the electrical, it’s open and visible for inspection.

++ The kitchen cabinets were installed except the damaged one. The contractor took the doors off of it since they’re fine and the cabinet company is sending a new cabinet. The laundry cabinets are still in the garage. The contractor wants to get the kitchen finished so we can use it and then focus on the laundry room.

++ The laundry sink arrived though it won’t be used for a while.

I didn’t realize that dishwashers don’t have a cabinet. I thought that since refrigerators did that dishwashers would too. The contractor gave me a funny look when I asked!

The challenge of the week was accommodating the oven stack I want with the oven cabinet. The cabinet is made to be somewhat modified to accommodate different oven configurations but after measuring and researching ovens brands & types, I couldn’t get it to accommodate the configuration that I want. The distance from the bottom of the top cabinet to the top of the lower drawer was about 50” and I needed at least 53” for a microwave-oven-warming drawer configuration of any brand. DH suggested that I give up the warming drawer. Gasp! I should mention that our former kitchen had a self-contained stove/oven so just having them built-in is an upgrade for us. But I did have my heart set on something like this:

When we entertain, that’s when a warming drawer would be nice.

After talking with the contractor, we came up with an acceptable solution. He is going to modify the cabinet to move the bottom of the top cabinet up 6”. That’ll be enough to fit in the three appliances. That means that I’ll need cabinet doors that are 18” tall instead of the 24” ones that are there now. It would be nice if the cabinet company would swap them but they may not do that so I may have to purchase 2 doors. Ugh.

I think it’ll look nicer with 18” doors since that will line up with the 18” tall cabinet above the refrigerator.

I shared photos earlier of our makeshift kitchen in the dining room. It’s working okay because we know it’s temporary. Plates, bowls, cups, and utensils are disposable but we still generate dishes to wash with measuring cups, cooking utensils, mixing bowls, food processor container, crockpot, etc. Since there is no sink available (The laundry AND kitchen are included in the reno.), I set up a dish-washing station outside. I found the used countertop at the BuildIt store when I donated the old laundry door. Unfortunately, there was no part of our old countertop that would fit on top of the metal bar thing.

We take our clothes to a local laundromat for washing and for my non-towel items, I prefer to dry them on a line at home, weather permitting.

When I hear grumbling, I point out that we’ll appreciate the new kitchen & laundry that much more!

Good progress was made this week.

+ The dumpster arrived and was set up. It was bigger than anticipated since the smaller ones were all rented. So, I took on the additional task of rid of anything we planned to trash.

+ The cabinets were delivered and stacked inside our garage like hay bales.

+ The plastic ‘wall’ with the zipper door was installed.

+ The demolition was completed. This included cabinets, appliances, an island, and two partition walls.

+ The cabinet boxes were each opened and evaluated for accuracy and damage.

+ The wall behind the new stove location and the wall extending between the kitchen and laundry were framed up.

+ I selected the kitchen sink, stovetop, and water ozonator.

This week also included two unpleasant surprises.

The first one involved one of the partition walls that was removed. The area that will be the new laundry room used to be a closet, the dead space for the door swinging in from the garage, and the laundry room. The removed walls formed the closet and the old laundry entrance. The closet wall had nothing inside. The laundry wall was expected to have electrical wires for a switch but it had more than that!

That pipe is a sewage pipe from an upstairs toilet that is not located directly above that wall. So that means that there is extra work to be done to reroute that sewage pipe. The contractor has evaluated the options and it could be worse – at least the code will allow us to route the pipe through a joist since it is less than 1/3 of the width.

The second surprise was that one of the cabinets was damaged, despite the sturdy packaging. It will be returned and replaced. I hope it doesn’t take long. This surprise could have been worse too – at least the cabinet is not the one that houses the sink, the stovetop, the dishwasher, or the oven.

Tomorrow is the day work begins on the kitchen & laundry! I’ve done most of the prep work but I still have a few things to get done today.

To be done today:

++ Dryer to be picked up by DS1’s friend who is upgrading from a dryer that doesn’t work well

++ Clear an L-shaped space in the garage for the contractor’s on-site storage.

++ Take the garage opener for that side out of the car so we can give it to him to come & go without coordinating with us.

++ Set up a dishwashing station on the middle deck. I need to get a couple of dishwashing bins (hoping that Sams might have them) and a flat waterproof surface for a ‘counter’ (need to look around with creativity – I’m wondering if Lowes might have some sort of mesh metal like some outdoor tabletops use). Then snake the hose to that location and I already have a dish drying rack.

++ Cook some muffins. We won’t have use of an oven for some time so I want to freeze homemade muffins. BTW, a homemade bread item is a great neighbor gift if you know someone who is renovating the kitchen! Store-bought breads cannot compare taste-wise or nutritionally.

++ Empty the last cabinet – under the sink where the dishwashing detergent and scrubbers are. Use the dishwasher for the last time(s).

++ Take the old laundry door, the basement door old hardware, and the cabinet knobs to the Habitat RebuildIt store as a donation.

Already done:

++ Biggest chore – unrouting and rerouting the internet cable from the Verizon box across the garage and into the dining room. I’ll hire a professional to do it right with the router in a new location sometime after the remodel. The internet cable used to come through the mudroom area which now will be part of the new laundry room.

++ All cabinets emptied (but one) with the contents donated, stored, or organized to be accessible.

++ Cabinet knobs removed and bagged. The original knobs were a gold finish that didn’t age well. Same for the light fixtures. About a decade ago I replaced the cabinet knobs with brushed nickel ones as an upgrade. They were probably $3 each and there are maybe 20 of them so I figure that someone else might use them.

++ Setting up the dining room to be our temporary kitchen. This came together fairly well though we keep conking our heads on the hanging chandelier since it doesn’t have a table under it now. This included moving the refrigerator which is the one appliance that we are keeping.

++ Bought paint & hardware for the new laundry door. The contractor said that he is going to focus on the kitchen first and then move to the laundry. He wanted that interior door to be ordered so he can close off the laundry I think while we start using the kitchen.

++ Stocked paper plates, bowls, plastic cups, and utensils.

I considered putting a post on Nextdoor for our cabinets in case someone could use them in a garage, shed, or workshop. DH talked me out of it. He said that getting them down intact would be more work for the contractor and if I asked the recipient to take them down, he could damage the wall and cause more work for the contractor instead of less. They are 20+ years old and weren’t good quality to begin with so I let that idea go. I just hate to waste. I did decide though to take those knobs off.

Tomorrow the dumpster is scheduled to arrive and so are the cabinets. The new laundry door has already been delivered. The contractor mentioned that he’ll be going through each of the cabinets to make sure they are what we ordered and that they aren’t damaged. (He’s super detailed.) That way we have time to reorder if something isn’t right. The cabinets will be stored in the garage until they are needed. The tile and some leftover cabinet trim from the last corner are already there.

our temporary kitchen

I’ve waited a few days to post this topic so the emotions aren’t quite so raw. We’ve had a couple of unexpected expenses arise as we’re preparing for the remodel and this one is painful.

We had to make the heart-wrenching decision to put down our dog. Once DH decided while talking to the vet, he made the appointment immediately before he could change his mind. While our pets are enjoyed by the entire family, it’s understood that the dog is DH’s and the cats are mine. So the decision was his.

She had a tumor on her belly that broke the surface of her skin and was actively bleeding. It was the right decision at the right time – the vet agreed – but still so hard.

For those of you who have pets, this is another reason to have an emergency fund. It’s a time when you want to make decisions based on what matters to you – not what you can pay. Having her poked only once made the IV worth the extra money, but getting ashes from her wasn’t something we valued.

$780 total. From the bill:

Euthanasia appointment - $280

Communal cremation - $205

IV catheterization + propofol anesthetic - $295

Her final hours included her favorite things - a ride in the car, a walk in the woods, and treats.

Following is the recipe I mentioned that was originally shared by the blogger Toilet Paper Tracker. This one is a hit with every member of the family.

Asian Meatballs

Ingredients

1½ lb ground turkey
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 scallions
2 tbsp ginger
1 tsp onion powder
¼ tsp Chinese 5-spice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup broth, veggie or chicken
½ cup ketchup
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar

Cooked rice, for serving

Directions

1. Combine sauce ingredients (starting with broth) in slow cooker.

2. In a large bowl, mix meatball ingredients and make about 12 meatballs. Arrange in slow cooker in a single layer.

3. Cook on high 4 hours or on low for 6 hours.

4. Serve with rice.

Shared from my Recipe Keeper - the easy way to collect, organize and share your recipes on your mobile, tablet and PC.

This is our third year to be a host site for the local CSA. We’ve been a customer for much longer.

Especially this year, with grocery prices up, I am appreciating the fresh local organic veggies. Since we’re the host, our weekly box is free. This week our haul includes gold potatoes, red chard, mini romaine, spring onions, strawberries, lacinato kale, garlic scapes, and Italian parsley.

I abhor waste so I attempt to get every bit of it into our bodies! Last year I spent time entering favorite recipes into my Recipe Keeper Pro app and it’s paying off now. I have over 500 recipes in there and I can easily search on certain ingredients or characteristics to find something appropriate. I set up categories like finger food, okay to make ahead, instant pot, crockpot, etc. I’ll continue to add our recipes as I have time but I’m at least to a point where I don’t have to ask myself “What will I do with chard?”. And every recipe is something healthy that has ingredients I would use. I used to search online and I had to go through so much to find something that I’d feel good about making. It took too long – every time.

That reminds me: two nights ago, I made the Asian meatballs recipe shared by Toilet Paper Tracker. Do you all remember that blogger? I always enjoyed her posts. I hope she’s doing well. Her recipe lives on in my collection!

I’ve been searching and planning for a few years and this year I committed to a new primary care doctor. My upcoming milestone birthday caused a self-imposed sense of urgency. I want to remain healthy & active as I age and I figure that it’s good to enter each remaining decade with resolution of health concerns that have cropped up in the previous one.

I looked last year into direct primary care but couldn’t find a participating doctor in my area. This year I found one. In case you aren’t aware of the concept, direct primary care is a relationship with a doctor that isn’t through a large medical corporation. Most don’t accept insurance and instead the financial arrangement is like a subscription. For that subscription, you basically get all the visits and doctor’s attention that you require. I like this arrangement because it aligns the doctor’s best interests with mine. The healthier I stay, the more profit she makes. This is the opposite of the standard model of care in the US and I have felt that conflict to the point that for years I have just avoided doctors altogether. Orders that she gives me for lab work, scans, and referrals do go through my insurance.

My second concern with primary care doctors is that I know their beliefs and recommendations won’t always agree with my alternative-healthy ‘let’s brainstorm the cause & fix it instead of treating the symptoms’ approach. So, during the complementary consultation (via Zoom), I just put it out there. I told her that I view doctors as consultants just like accountants and that there may be times that I wouldn’t choose to take her advice. And that I would want her not to take that personally and to respect my choices. She agreed that the consequences are all mine of course since it’s my body and she was fine with it. She has been true to her word too, I’m happy to say! As one example, I refuse to take the recommended (and risky!) drugs for osteoporosis. Now she is working with me both to look for possible causes and to consider non-drug methods to address it.

In addition, this doctor has a certification in lifestyle medicine, which means that she has studied nutrition (among many other things I'm sure but nutrition is huge for me).

I have direct access to the doctor (not via a nurse or receptionist) by portal and direct text and she has even been willing to read articles that I send to her on studies and treatments that aren’t familiar to her. I’m impressed.

For my doctor, I pay $150/month. I can cancel at any time with 30 days’ notice. My first in-person appointment (I took a list!) was over 2 hours. I’ve never had such a comprehensive discussion (with exam too).

Now I have an assortment of follow-ups with bloodwork, scans, eye exams, dermatology appointments, etc.

For whatever reason, Saving Advice wouldn't allow me to include this with the last post. Perhaps there's a limit on the number of photos - I don't know.

Following are before & after photos of the 2024 kitchen corner #2 project. It was removing a goofy half-wall and replacing it with a full wall to support a new pantry cabinet. Because removing the half-wall left an exposed strip with no flooring, I elected to go ahead and replace the flooring in the family room and that portion of the kitchen. I bought enough of the tile for the kitchen and laundry floors that will get finished this year. I didn’t want to risk having that particular tile getting discontinued. So, we have a pallet of tile in the garage.

I know it looks odd to have a tall cabinet next to the short wall. I did it on purpose a year in advance so I could see how the flow of the kitchen would work with a pantry there.

Like DisneySteve and LuckyRobin, I also have an upcoming renovation. It’s our kitchen & laundry areas which are adjacent. We’ve been in this house for over 20 years and I’ve waited so long for this day!

Our current start date for the physical work is June 20^th. On that day there will be a dumpster in the driveway and the demolition of the current kitchen will be underway. But I wouldn’t call that our ‘start’ date. I have spent the past several months designing the kitchen, then my contractor came over and walked through the project with me in early April. He had a couple of great ideas that generated some minor changes to the design. Then he worked a quote and following that I drew the final plan and submitted the application to the township for the building permit. The permit was approved about a week or so ago so we signed the contract and set the start day for the work. Because the cabinets I’m using have a long lead time, we actually ordered them before I even had the quote. I had to pay half upfront to order them too. That’s how trusting my relationship is with my contractor. This is our 5^th project with him (and the largest one). He wrote the quote knowing that he would be awarded the project and I was okay with that.

Since this is a financial site, I’ll plan to share my costs as the project proceeds because I know that’s of interest here. So far, this is what I’ve spent:

$24,000.00 cabinets (2 of 2 payments included)

$12,233.00 initial labor payment

$309.50 building permit (admin & inspection charges)

$570.28 new laundry door (will be picked up by contractor)

So, $37,112.78 and work hasn’t even begun!

I should mention too that there are two far corners of the kitchen that are already done. I was able to have those done as smaller separate projects and it allowed us to live with the cabinet style, backsplash, and countertop for a couple of years before putting it throughout the kitchen. I used the same contractor for those projects.

Following are before & after photos of the 2023 kitchen corner #1 project. It was taking an empty wall section and turning it into a beverage station for our water filter and coffee machines. I still love it.

I am going to try to get back into the habit of posting – I have so many money-related things going on. This post is about a frustrating one.

You know how when you send a package via USPS Priority Mail it’s insured for $100 by default? It turns out that that’s not really the case.

My package was lost and USPS’s own tracking records indicated that they delivered it to some other address. When they couldn’t find it, I was instructed to file a claim. At that point I was annoyed, but hey – mistakes happen. Once I started the claim process though, I got angry.

The first question in the online claim process was to state whether this was (1) an initial claim, (2) a first appeal, or (3) a second appeal. That should have been a clue!

I was required to list all items in the package and provide receipts proving their value. I actually was lucky that my package was a birthday gift so I had bought new things and most receipts could be located. [Unfortunately, not the card which I bought on vacation months ago – it could be planted after being read and it grew wildflowers. So cool!] It was a pain to locate receipts & scan them but I did it and attached to the online claim.

I received a letter in the mail that my claim was approved but only for $48. I don’t even know where that figure came from – nothing was $48 in value. My total claim was $128 - $100 for the contents (I had receipts for more.) and $28 for the shipping I paid. I just received a check in the mail separate from that letter – it’s for $77. Why that amount? Who knows!

Just imagine if the contents were not new things. I would not have had receipts for them. Does that mean that it’s not really insured?

Lesson learned. From now on I will send all packages via UPS.

Those of you who sometimes cook vegan dishes may already know this, but I thought I’d share for those who don’t.

For baked recipes like muffins, a ‘flax egg’ can be substituted for a chicken egg. A flax egg is made by combining 1 tablespoon of flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside for several minutes. You’ll notice that the consistency becomes thicker and almost gel-like similar to an egg.

Some recipes call for plant milk to be combined with the flax instead of water. The result has good omega 3 fat too!

Here’s a sample recipe that uses this technique. It’s from The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution by Drs Dean & Ayesha Sherzai – two married neurologists.

Cornbread Muffins

1 T flax meal + 3 T water

2 t apple cider vinegar

1 c plant-based milk

1 c whole-wheat flour

1 c fine ground cornmeal

3 t baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 T applesauce

1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 12-cup muffin pan with oil spray.

In a small bowl, make the flax egg. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, add the vinegar to the milk and let curdle for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, cornmeal. Baking powder, and salt. Add the plant milk, flax egg, applesauce, and olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to fold together. Don’t overmix.

Spoon batter into muffin cups and back 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Great with chili.

I was able to buy eggs (despite an egg heist in my area reported just today!?!) and even expensive ones are a cheap source of protein when compared to meat in my mind. But if the price or availability of eggs prevents you from obtaining them, there are options.

I can’t believe we’re already a month into the year. January was eventful for us.

A good friend invited me some time ago to meet her and her husband at their time share in Los Cabos, Mexico for a week. On some years they have two units instead of one. January was the week. I took DS4 with me and it was fabulous. A luxurious place and though food cost just as much as home, since we weren’t paying for lodging, it was a great deal for us. We got massages, went whale watching, had probably too many meals in restaurants, and took picture after picture of the gorgeous sunsets.

While we sunned ourselves by one of the many pools, I talked to my friend about how timeshares work. It would not be for me for sure but the arrangement seems to work for her and her husband. They look forward to the trip all year and because they’ve been to the place so many times, they know all the best places – which boat for the whale watching, which seating area in which restaurant, etc.

I booked the trip through SFO with two roundtrip tickets so we could visit with DS2. That went well too and he is now engaged - he proposed to his GF after Christmas. He and his fiancée haven’t committed to any location or date for the wedding yet but they tell me that mid-2026 will likely be the earliest date. And on a side note: I learned that the word fiancé has 2 e’s at the end when it’s the woman and one e when it’s the man. Spelling/grammar is a strong suit for me and I did not know this!

My net worth had hit the next 100k milestone in November, then lost it in December. My calculation yesterday shows that it achieved it again by a smidge. I’ll take it.

As the boys have gotten older, I don’t enjoy the big gift shopping since they usually want money. But I still enjoy filling their stockings. Three of them no longer live at home but they all get stockings (plus one serious GF).

For those who might be interested either because you have boys or may need to buy a gift for one, following is a compiled list of things in stockings this year.

Sunglasses

Apple airtag

Gift card – Chipotle, Amazon, Chewy

Socks

Cologne (requested)

Smoked salmon packet (Seabear)

Throat spray

Chapstick

Cat toy

PDF cookbook of my recipes in Recipe Keeper Pro (cool feature that the app has!)

Custom (silly) golf balls & golf tees

Small book – business, Japanese Inns

Apple slicer

Hose nozzle

Snazzy bookmark

Pocky sticks

Kirby coin pouch

This historically has been the time of year that I plan for upcoming financial goals in the new year. It’s a different perspective now that I’m retired and not contributing to accounts. Of course, I hope to see some growth but it’s almost completely out of my control. So, my planning is about managing money rather than growing it.

2025 is a milestone year for me financially because I will turn 59 ½. I’ve kept my 401k account open since I retired just in case I needed to tap it before I turned 59 ½. I don’t know the rules but saved a link to an informative site about withdrawing money from a 401k without penalty after age 55. I shouldn’t need to do that now though as I believe I have enough to last me until that milestone. I will want to move the entire balance of the account into a self-directed IRA. So that’s a focus this year – researching low-cost companies (Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, etc.) as well as researching the mechanics of doing it. It’s a little scary. I hope I can get good, maybe even in-person, customer service.

2025 will also be the year that I have the kitchen remodel completed. I’ve done two corners of the kitchen in phases – the first in 2023 and the second in 2024. The rest, which will be expensive and take much more time, will be done in 2025. I’m excited about this but nervous about the huge cost. I’ll spend a good bit of time during the first part of the year designing the layout in detail. I want to think of every item that needs to be stored and every task I commonly do in the kitchen. I already have the basics decided. I’ll also need to find out about the building permit application process.

As some may recall, I have a deal with my boys to split any scholarships they get for college with them. DS3 is in a special situation because the military is covering his college costs while he works in the day and remotely takes his courses at night. He and I negotiated a $15k gift at graduation in lieu of matches since his isn’t really a ‘scholarship’. There is a possibility that he will graduate in 2025 if he maintains a heavy school load. I need to be prepared to pay.

I’ve taken advantage of the health exchange for insurance beginning in January 2024. I could have kept Cobra coverage for 12 more months but it didn’t make financial sense. I’ve just signed us up for the same coverage in 2025. This will be the first year I do income taxes that take the generous subsidies into consideration. Even though I followed all the rules, a part of me is nervous that there will be some gotcha and that I’ll owe money to the state. I’m looking forward to getting our taxes done so I don’t worry about it any longer. The plan is to stay on the health exchange (provided that it remains in place) until we qualify for Medicare.

My non-financial goal for 2025 is to do an unassisted pull-up on my 60^th birthday. I have never in my life done one. It’s a serious goal though and I’ve begun preparing for it. If I don’t succeed, at least I’ll be stronger and healthier!