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Crazy week in Groovyland. Groovy parents are in the midst of moving from house number one to house number two (they close next week on the sale of house number one). So our disjointed life has become even more disjointed (we’re living in house number two). The mattresses and boxes that furnished our lives with some degree of normalcy now have to be moved to the second floor of house number two. Oh, joy! And despite all the tumult involved with moving stuff and helping others move their stuff, the demands of being a phony-baloney blogger never take a week off. I curse the blogging gods and their unquenchable thirst for new content!
Well, blogging gods, you wretched, unfeeling bastards—here’s your new content.
Two Year Retirement Review
Since retiring in October of 2016, Mrs. Groovy and I have spent $72,587. That comes to an average of $36,294 per year.
The good news is that our spending has unfolded as expected. Going into retirement, we figured we’d be spending roughly $3,000 a month for the first few years.
Even better news is that our income over the past two years has more than covered our modest appetite for spending. Here’s a breakdown of how our groovy income was derived.
| Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Pension | $39,450 |
| Dividends/Interest from Taxable Accounts | $22,815 |
| Dividends/Interest from Non-Taxable Accounts | $25,780 |
| Total | $88,045 |
Not too shabby. Annual income of $44,022 less annual spending of $36,294 equals a very successful retirement. Couple that with a friendly stock market and there are no complaints in Groovyland. We’re two years into retirement, we’re doing everything we want to do, and our net worth has increased by $160,000. The system works!
Groovy Ranch Is Approaching the Home Stretch
A lot’s going on at Groovy Ranch. Except for the gutters, the garage is finished. Forms for the walkways to the front and back doors have been placed. Cement for the walkways will be poured either this weekend or early next week. The shiplap has been placed around our linear fireplace. Interior paint should be finished today. Floors will be sanded and stained next week. But of all construction activity transpiring at Groovy Ranch this past week, the thing we were most stoked about was our rafter ties.
Here’s a video of Cam and Brian constructing the rafter ties.
And here’s a picture of the rafter ties stained and installed.
Groovy Ranch Is Currently Under Budget
Can’t say enough about Terry, his crew, and his subs. I’ve never seen a more conscientious bunch. These guys build a great freakin’ house. And they also build it for what they said it was going to cost.
As of now, we’re slightly under budget. Our garage, fireplace, and walkway upgrades have been offset by going under our allowances for lighting fixtures and appliances.
We did go a little mashugana on the countertops, though. The really cool quartz countertops (level 4) were just too beguiling compared to the humdrum granite countertops (level 1) that our contract allowed for. HGTV has left Mrs. Groovy and me far too jaded for our own good.
In the end, I expect Groovy Ranch to be about $2,500 over budget.
| Contract Cost | Adjusted Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| House | $228,750 | $224,950 |
| Garage | $24,750 | $27,600 |
| Total | $253,500 | $252,550 |
Final Thoughts
Okay, groovy freedomist, other than another rollicking episode of Talking Trash, that’s all I got. Have an awesome weekend. Peace.
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