Hi from southern Indiana!
I have been on other money forums through the years. My husband and I are getting ready to retire, likely end of year, maybe before depending on his work. By the way we will both be 69 this year, he wanted to work till 70, to max SS, plus he has a well paid job working overseas. He is gone 8 weeks and home about 3. I'm just tired of living alone. We also have a 44 year old mentally challenged DD so that has impacted some of those decisions.
We lived previously in Texas for 30 years, this is moving back home to help with MIL who either is getting dementia or alzeheimers, not sure what. Our son lives in S Korea, he will be 46 this year, wife is from Russia, she is 36, they are having their first baby in June, a little boy. They hope to come home in 2 years.
We had almost 10 renters in Texas so we lost most of our retirement income by moving back, but we have no relatives down there and got very concerned about leaving our DD in a group home there with no one that would even know her. Distant relatives here but at least they can check on her on occasion. That was a very hard thing to do. I still have a duplex and lot rented there and am selling a small TT and lot on contract. We have bought 1 rental up here and may add more after hubby retires.
I had to quit work way way early to care for my mom and daughter, I was devastated, I was an accountant for a major oil company. That is why hubby went overseas as our savings ability was not going to get us where we wanted, so he has done this for 15 years, it made up for what I would have added.
We have no debt, I put out a garden, sew, can, cook a lot at home. I can sew but haven't been doing much the last 2 years as we moved and honestly are still settling in. My one indulgence that is a money pit is an older motorhome, DD and I travel some, I would love to more but she is having issues which has stopped us for awhile.
We have no debt, net worth about $1.4M. A 2006 Lincoln truck, 2013 Cadillac SRX. Our house is on 4 acres with 1800 sq ft upstairs and the basement is 1800 sq ft with a 2 car attached garage. The basement is half finished out and we will finish it out ourselves We want to partition the ends off for storage, I put flooring down on the rest, there is a electrical room with all my canning, a mechanical room, sewing room, separate bedroom, and a large room for seating, exercise, and just a huge family room. We need to put in doors and frames, may drywall the outside like the inside, lighting and receptacles are in, will add a dropped ceiling. All is heated and cooled. My husband is able to do anything, wiring, Hvac, plumbing, dirt work, you name it. We added a 44 X 46 garage here with circle drive and may add another building to store all his trailers and things.
The house is very economical with foam insulation and geo thermal heating and cooling, only 10 years old. We added a 40 year metal roof and our garage is all metal too. The cost of living here is reasonable, though groceries and insurance are about the same as the city.
We think we will be ok. We really don't have many expenses to cut except those relating to the motorhome and will if we have to and eventually will due to age. I like to travel and we have thought about a lot for the motorhome in Florida or a fixer up house, but nothing definity.
Anyway, that is our background. We are pretty thrifty but I'm sure not as good as we could be or once were but honestly we don't see a need for pinching every penny anymore.