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!

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.

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

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.

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.

The number of working days left – three!

I’ve sent my ‘so long’ e-mail to colleagues that I’ve worked closely with over the years and I’m glad I did that. I’ve received many well wishes and compliments. The company’s gotten large, so often in the past I’d find out someone was gone after reaching out to them for information.

I’ve completed the COBRA paperwork. The company will pay for the first three months and I’ll pick up the premiums (or change to another plan) after that. The monthly premiums will be just under $2500. Ouch! It’s for the family but still. I’m thankful that the company pays the first few months and I do have HSA funds that can be used for the premiums. We’ll definitely stick with COBRA for 2023, and probably 2024 but I’ll do comparison shopping for 2024 before making that decision. And now, I’ll have the time for that research!

Because I have to return the printer, I purchased a new one. I’ve just done the pack-up and set-up activities related to that. I was told that I could keep the cell phone (just not the company-paid plan) but not before I purchased a new phone and plan. So my former work phone will go to DS5. He’ll be upgrading from an iphone 7 to an iphone 11. He’s excited.

I can’t pack up the laptop and monitor until I’m really finished working. And much of my days this week are in knowledge transfer sessions with others.

We finally completed the long-procrastinated task of updating our wills. I’m glad to have it done though I am still working on the step-by-step guidance document for the executor. (requested by DH) That document has been a bigger chore than I expected but I’m learning a lot. In addition to online research, I bought a book that is so worth the cost: The Executor’s Guide by Mary Randolph. I also created documents for inventory of assets, final wishes, and contact information for all beneficiaries. Our previous wills had been written decades ago when we had just two children and lived in another state!

I am setting a target to review & update as needed the supporting documents annually and the will every 5 years. I am also continuing my long-term effort of simplifying our finances. The longer I live, the simpler the estate planning will become.

I’ve learned a lesson from my Mom’s death and left my jewelry and personal things to either my boys or my nieces instead of DH. My mom would be livid to know that some of her things ended up in the hands of the children of my Dad’s second wife and they sold it for cash. That will not happen to my things! Of course, I had that discussion with DH and he gets it. His mother also died first so the situation was similar.

I’ve never had a goal, and still don’t, to leave a substantial inheritance to my kids. I’ve told them this throughout the years too – that their college funding is their gift from us and that we plan to spend our remaining money to fund our own lives. We also don’t buy the boys cars, weddings, or down payments on houses. I don’t expect that to change unless we strike gold or something. If I have an unfortunate early death, they’ll benefit financially but otherwise their inheritance will likely be modest (and split 5 ways). As an example, I have a 30-year term life insurance policy that will expire in a few years. The point of that policy was to have assurance that the kids would be cared for if I died while they were young. It’s already served that purpose. Another policy is provided by my employer, but it will expire when I stop working. So no life insurance policies will likely be in place when I pass.

The good news for the kids is that we shouldn’t ever need to be financially dependent upon them. I appreciate that my parents provided that situation to my brothers and me too.

The new bank has free coin-counting for members so I took my banking bag full of change and deposited it into the new checking account: $53.07. I didn’t think so much of it was quarters! Then I used the new debit card at the grocery store to make sure it worked with no problem.

Finally, I submitted my updated direct deposit splits to the company’s payroll department that will hopefully be effective by February.

I’ve had a plan for some time now to replace my big bank with a local community bank. Last week I finally did the first step: opening the account at the new bank. Now I’m setting up links to other accounts and bill pay for some things. I thought it would be efficient to just do it all at once and that has resulted in required scrutiny of all those micro-deposits institutions make to verify identity. In hindsight, it may have been better to do them one at a time.

I also activated the new debit card. Next will be to change my payroll direct deposit to use the replacement account instead of the big bank one. Then I’ll probably use the big bank account to pay taxes this year before I close that account. They’ll probably charge me some crazy high monthly fee once my direct deposit stops because that’s what big banks do. In contrast the new community bank is completely free for members over 50. No monthly fees and free checks even without direct deposit.

Like many things, it’s more effort than I’d expected, but I like that the bank is a small community one that could be a walk from my house on a good-weather day.

So now I have three banks: a credit untion, a community bank, and an online savings account (Ally). 

I still can't comment on any blogs though I'm reading them. I like Rob's scooby-snack story!

I’ve slipped out of the habit of blogging and financial things are still happening.

My paychecks are back to the normal lower level since social security and 401k contributions are again being deducted. The company for the first time in decades (and maybe ever) increased its matching contributions from 50% up to 5% of total compensation to 50% up to 6% of total compensation. I still think that’s lower than the benefits offered by some of our major competitors but I was pleasantly surprised.

I’m targeting to retire in 18 months and I have a ‘This is the home stretch!’ feeling. I want to get some home projects done that could become pricey and I want to begin transitioning the way I spend my free time. When I finalize annual goals, I’ll focus on those aspects.

Happy new year!

DS5 is now a licensed driver. I spent about $350 on six hours of driving lessons several months ago and it was worth it to me. With DS1 & DS2 I wasn’t so afraid to ride in the passenger seat with a driver-in-training but I am now. Relatives helped on getting driving time for him too when we visited them last month. I’m glad that we’ve got the last one over the line.

I don’t know how much the insurance will go up from adding a third teenaged boy to the policy. Yikes! I’m expecting an invoice soon.

I had an annoyance with the car insurance & our state’s DOT but fortunately it didn’t cost me money – just inconvenience. While we don’t buy cars for the boys, I am willing to have them in my name and to insure them while the boys are in school if they choose to buy a car. [And their driving record is clean.] As a result, I have four cars in my name though I drive just one of them.

DS4 decided to sell his car and buy a different one so for a short while I had five cars insured. I didn’t realize it until later when I noticed different policy numbers, but apparently only 4 cars can be on one policy so the insurance company had the fifth car on a separate policy. Then when DS4 sold the car, the newest one was moved to the original policy so all the vehicles were together again. That’s when I received a notice from the DOT that they had been informed that my policy was cancelled. I know from the experience of one of my boys that if the DOT doesn’t receive proof of insurance by the deadline, they assume that you had a lapse in coverage and they fine you $500. You can appeal it by going to court and showing proof of insurance but the appeal is $150 for court costs. Sooo, I sent my proof of insurance to the DOT by registered mail so I’d get confirmation of its receipt. I may complain to the insurance company. Why would they contact the DOT when they just changed the policy? I don’t know if it was a mistake or if they’re required to do it.

I’m enjoying the last few weeks of our CSA season. My brother and his wife gifted me a couple of boxes from Farmbox Direct for my birthday so right now we’re getting fresh organic vegetables AND fruits! Heaven.

Our gas (with fake logs) fireplace gave out last year. We were able to hire a handyman to do some tweaking to limp it along last winter while I planned to replace it this year. Replacing it became a bigger and bigger deal. No place could just replace the ‘guts’ of it. Even the mantel couldn’t stay because it would break when the fireplace was pulled out. The fireplace came with the house so it was almost 20 years old.

That meant that an upgrade that I originally thought would be a couple thousand dollars was about ten thousand dollars. And the two places that sold & installed them were booked out for months. I think it was in July when I signed the contract and the installation was finally completed yesterday. The good news is that we have it in time for cold weather and it is far (far!) superior to our older one. This one is heating the house! It has a remote control that allows us to control the flame (5 settings), the lighting, the ‘embers’ (cosmetic only), and the fan. With the fan, it blows the warm air out into our family room which is open to the kitchen. I’m in love with it.

I set aside the money for it in the online Ally savings account so it would earn interest while we waited. I paid with a credit card and will move the money into checking when the CC is due next month. I’m doing the same thing with the money set aside for the fence – contract signed in May and it looks like it’ll be 2022 before it is installed because of material supply chain issues. Another post…  A picture of the new fancy fireplace:

I know it’s my age/generation but whenever I hear anything about cryptocurrency, it seems like fake money to me. I don’t get it. And I do realize that our paper money is no longer backed by precious metals so in effect its value is debatable too. I admit that I’m an old fogie in this area.

So recently DS2 installed something on DS5’s computer that earns cryptocurrency. The best I can understand after asking for an explanation is that DS5’s graphics card is being rented out for processing power when he isn’t using it. He’s making the equivalent of $2/day by having his computer run this. That piqued my interest. DS2 has his computer set up with multiple graphics cards connected to a single motherboard and he’s making a few hundred dollars a month while he’s at his real mechanical engineering job. That’s wild to me. He occasionally converts the crypto to dollars and transfers them to his bank account. Apparently the only gotcha is that you have to have a quality graphics card and they’re hard to come by now because lots of people are doing this. I assume that all that processing uses some electricity too.

 I just find it interesting that young adults have discovered an automated income stream. Kids today!

Life of leisure

A recent post in an online neighborhood app touched me and as a result we have three more felines. Making a total of five plus a dog. It’s not a frugal move!

The woman who needed to rehome them is terminally ill and nearing the end. She doesn’t have a husband, children, or siblings. It’s very sad for her – having to let go of her pets but knowing that it needs to be done. It’s traumatic for the cats too – I’m being very patient with them as they get accustomed to their new home. So far they are living in the master suite only.

DH says that I’m now an official crazy cat lady. I’m okay with that.

I’ve been back home since the middle of April and just haven’t gotten back in the habit of blogging. There was quite a bit to do to get the house back in order and my office set up. And catch up to do with neighbors and friends after being away for months. During the time I was gone, two people that were part of my regular routine died – not friends exactly, but folks I chatted with regularly in the neighborhood and the grocery store. That discovery put a damper on last week.

At work it’s like I never left. Finances are trucking along. The company stock has been a huge help with that.

This post is to push me back into the habit. I’ll blog on particular topics in the upcoming days. I need to organize my thoughts.

Boy Scout camp

I redeem credit card points for gift cards as soon as I’ve earned enough to qualify for one. This month I chose a Lowe’s gift card for the $50 reward. I’m sure we’ll use it this spring for yard work or a home repair.