Christmas Lights

If everything goes according to plan, in just under 5 years EVERY note I have including my home will be paid in full.

Fatboy, you'll never be able to retire with expenses like those. My prop. taxes are $200/yr (seniors rate); homeowners insurance $200/yr for $270k house; ALL utils (water, elect, nat. gas, sewer) are $100-125/mo; gasoline currently $3.25/gal; heating is included with utils. above. Scenery: priceless.

Don't know where else in US has such a good deal for retirees.

View out my front window

I didn't remember the home owners insurance, mine is $1400 for a $450,000+ house. I am certain that is going to go up a significant amount to pay for "Sandy".
Beautiful view! As far a great deal for retirees, FLHTbiker has a spare room that I plan on moving into!
:roflmao:

Either you have followed a careful plan over the years or you are a lucky man. I'll still have a mortgage when I die. My best plans never worked that well, but I'm happy.

You know what they say, if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans...

We were living in high cotton, even with the recession. Then came cash for clunkers, which nearly wiped me out. I've cut things to the bone and figured out I make more money w/o employees at this time.
I decided that even though we were making it that wasn't enough. I sold my dually and a whole bunch of other luxuries. Then I did the math and it should be easy to be free and clear w/in 5 years.

But yes anything can happen......

Get a new wife then.

Wait!!! Fatboy128 is on his way out there right now! Sez you will provide free room and board. Can I come too? I promise I won't stay out late or come home drunk..........heh heh.

I like my HOA. I wanted to move to a nicer area for my kids to go to the best schools, figured that's the best time to go smaller and save money. It's funny that I moved into a place with a HOA simply because I know me, and I don't want to live near me. I'm the guy who at any given time will have bikes/cars/boats torn apart waiting to get put back together or waiting for parts. I seriously had a camaro torn apart in my driveway sitting on stands in my last house. That car was apart for almost a year, no pressure to put it back together. Now I can't just tear things apart and leave it because if it doesn't run, or even has a flat tire, they fine you. Now all my projects are put back together before 9pm.

As far as the HOA and lights go though, I DEFINITELY think I am doing something wrong, I am the ONLY house with lights or any decorations. It's kinda funny looking to see this long block of dark houses, then mine. I'll have to post pictures tonight, stuck at work sick today.

It's also funny to hear the differences in prices people pay. My brother lives in a little slice of hell called muskegon heights michigan, he bought his house for $7,000. Nope, didn't make a typo, it was 7 thousand. That's half of what I paid for my last motorcycle, and he bought an entire house. I paid 700,000, I can't even imagine a house for $7k. I told him if he gets a $7,000 house foreclosed on, I will personally punch him square in the mouth.

Yeah...It is simply amazing what you X dollars can you in various parts of the country...But I like where I am...

Wait a minute! Just hold on there!!! Whats this crap about not being able to stay out late and drink too much?!!? :cussing: For get it! I'm not coming there to live. :gah:

So lets get his straight, I should get rid of one woman and get me another? In other words I have been shot in one foot so I should shoot myself in the other? Or, I have bamboo slivers under the fingernails of my right hand so I should go and get bamboo slivers inserted under the nails of my left hand? Or, there is a stake stuck in my right eye I should...

Yeah, values are all over the place when it comes time to buying a house. I retired early because my employer asked me to move to the San Francisco regional office with only a 5% pay increase. I told him he would have to give me a 50% pay increase in order to buy a house there.

At the same time, I have a friend who bought a 10 yr old house in Ellenwood, KS for $4,000! Great if you're a farmer, otherwise no work=foreclosure. Same in MI. He may be knocking on your door after all.

Only a 5% pay increase from Co to San Francisco? WTF!?! I know people that pay over $3500 a month rent on a 1 bedroom apartment in SF.

$4,000 is just scary low. I could never move back to Kansas, I was only 11 when I lived there for a summer and I still have nightmares of the boredom.

OMG!! That is soo funny! It might be the cold medicine, but I can't stop laughing. I was untangling lights a few years back and almost snapped, I was going to do something similar to that ball of lights.