What We Spent in Retirement-Year One & Year Two

Hubs retired the end of last June so I went through all our bills for the first full year of his retirement-July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018.

We figured our Annuity Income was going to be $38,077.56 net per year.
But in April of 2018 our tax withholding changed which meant an extra $45.03 per month in that deposit so we received $135.09 more than we were counting on so the base Annuity Income payment was $38,212.65 net.
Going forward into Year #2 the yearly base Annuity Income amount will be $38,617.92 net....unless the taxes change again.

But Hubs got a 1 week paycheck(received mid July 2017 for work performed end of June 2017 as there was a lag in pay vs. when it was earned)so we received an extra $1,382.06 in July 2017.

We also had these other sources of income for that 12 month time frame.......
* Interest income     $3,615.47
* Dividends              $366.03
* Blogging                $512.32
* Rebates/Refunds    $843.49
* Fed. Tax Refund    $5,744.00
These 5 added up to $11,081.31

In addition we took two 401K withdrawal of $6000 each(in Jan. 2018 and Apr. 2018)which netted us $10,303.50.

Adding these 6 sources of income to the Annuity Income gave us income of $60,979.52 net for the first 12 months of retirement.

I added up all our spending and bills for this same 12 month time period and it came to $39,882.33.
This was every penny we spent in that time frame--electric, phone, water, food, insurances, taxes,  internet, gasoline, credit card charges, other store cards, WAM, even a bit of Ex-College Boy's last tuition payment from January 2018.

Income of $60,979.52-$37,799.73 spending=$23,179.79 left over for the first 12 months of retirement.

*******************

Moving onto Year Two which ran from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

The Annuity in Year Two came to $38,630.16 net.  The first 9 months the payment was $3218.16 and then it went up to $3222.24 for the last 3 months so the total was $12.24 more than anticipated when I figured what it would come to back in Year One.

We also had these other sources of income for that 12 month time frame...........
* Interest income      $5,302.01
* Dividends                 $415.73
* Blogging                   $490.83
* Rebates/Refunds    $1,495.83
* Fed. Tax Refund    $1,465.00
* Online Sales              $233.72
These 6 added up to  $9,169.40

In addition we took one 401K withdrawal of $6000(in July 2018)which netted us $5,147.07.

Adding these 7 sources of income to the Annuity Income gave us income of $52,946.63 net for the second 12 months of retirement.

I added up all our spending and bills for this same 12 month time period and it came to $49,189.94.

This was every penny we spent in that time frame--electric, phone, water, food, insurances, taxes,  internet, gasoline, credit card charges, other store cards, WAM, Long Term Care premiums, Doc/Dentist bills(including high deductibles), Dog costs, cash gifts given, garbage fees, sewage fees, tree removal, and miscellaneous like passport costs and an auction we purchased from.

Income of $52,946.63-$49,189.94 spending=$3,756.69 left over for the second 12 months of retirement.

Comparing Year One & Year Two side by side......

Total Income
2017-2018  $60,979.52     2018-2019  $52,946.63

Total Bills Paid
2017-2018  $37,799.73     2018-2019  $49,189.94

Leftover Funds
2017-2018  $23,179.79    2018-2019    $3,756.69


So let's analyze these numbers.

First Retirement Year Income was much higher compared to Second Year due to........
* a $1382.06 paycheck(earned in June 2017 but received in July 2017)
* 2 401K withdrawals rather than 1 in the Second Retirement Year which added $5,156.43 extra
* a much higher Federal Tax Refund during the First Retirement Year($4279.00 more than in Second Year)
A Total of $8,032.89 MORE received in 7/2017-6/2018 than in 7/2018-6/2019.

A few income categories are worth noting that were bigger/better the Second Retirement Year....
* $652.34 more in Rebates/Refunds received
* $49.70 more in Stock Dividend checks
* $1,686.54 more in non-retirement account interest

These three categories of higher $2,388.58 income categories received in 7/2018-6/2019 do not go far in offsetting the $8,032.89 in more income received in 7/2017-6/2018.

It's obvious we are spending more during this Second Year of Retirement.  There are some areas we really can't change though, like various taxes, long term care premiums, sewage, garbage, phone/internet and medical costs.  There is no flexibility in the first 5 types of costs and medial costs have to be paid.

Credit card charges is were I need to take a closer look as they went up almost $6K in Year Two!!
I need to dissect those bills and see where things are going off the rails.  How much is food spending, gasoline charges, necessary bills put onto the credit card and what are eating out charges, clothing, and other possibly frivolous charges we can cut down on.

It's time to see what's hiding in that c/c bill and take action.  Another post will be further coming on what I find hiding in that little monster. lolz

Final Thoughts--

Overall we are doing alright financially.

* We have the RMSA medical account to pay for Healthcare Premiums. It won't get us to age 65 both but once it's exhausted we can buy Healthcare based on our "income" and qualify for subsidies on the premiums.  Can't qualify for subsides as long as we have the RMSA.

* We still have quite a bit in the HSA for co-pays.  That should last us well into Medicare age if we keep paying our high deductible amount each year OOP.

* We have the annuity funds every month and it continues until we die.  It does reduce once Hubs/I take Social Security but even then, we'll have more cash coming in once SS kicks in.

* We have the 401K of over $500K which we stopped tapping at the end of 2018.  We had calculated that if we tapped it at a rate of $36,000($9K per quarter)we'd still have 3/4 of the amount it started at once we started collecting SS at full retirement age of 67.  We have found that at this point, we don't need to tap the 401K for living expenses so we are leaving the $$ there until either we hit full SS age or 70 years old and then the Required Minimum Distribution(RMD)rules kick in and we have to withdraw from it.  We are still too far away from those events to worry about it now.

We have over $400K in non-401K investments/emergency fund/cash.  This is all liquid or easily made liquid if need be.....hopefully that sort of emergency never happens. ;-)

So that's a financial update on how retirement is going the last 2 years.
I can't believe it's been TWO years already and we've started Year Three.


Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Not Interested in Cooking" Edition................

We are working on house stuff lately since we haven't needed the a/c for awhile, so meals haven't been very interesting....just easy and cheap.
Moving and going through crap just zaps my energy and eating is an afterthought.

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--FFY

2. Monday--Fried Fish and Zucchini

3. Tuesday--Quiche, Salad

4. Wednesday--Korean Beef, Stir-Fry Veggies

5. Thursday--BBQ sandwiches, Cole Slaw

6. Friday--Lasagna Hamburger Helper, Salad
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--FFY

2. Monday--Fried Fish and Zucchini

3. Tuesday--Quiche, Salad

4. Wednesday--Leftovers or FFY

5. Thursday--Korean Beef, Stir-Fry Veggies

6. Friday--Barbecue on Rolls, Cole Slaw
7. Saturday--Lasagna Hamburger Helper, Tomtoes and Cukes

Last week saw 5 nights of home cooked dinners, 2 nights of leftovers/ffy, and 0 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out.  
Pretty much everything planned happened last week.  Imagine that?! lolz

What got put into the freezer last week.....

* Nothing

What got taken out of the freezer and used last week.....
* 1 lb. Cod
* 1 London Broil
* 2 bags Stir-Fry Veggies
* 1 bag of Smoked Pork Shoulder meat

Two trips to Weis($43.15), the Bread Outlet($4.00)and a trip to Malacari's($18.12)brought the weekly spending to $65.27 and my August total to $116.94.

My savings percentage last week was 42.70%(without Rite-Aid trips)and August's monthly savings total comes in at 44.75%(w/out R-A). 

I have 19 more food shopping/spending days in August and $283.06 left in my $400 food budget for this month.

Leftovers going into this week......about half of a quiche, lasagna hamburger helper, Korean Beef stir-fry w/rice, 1 piece of cod.

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--London Broil, Corn on Cob

2. Monday--Chicken Fried Steak, Gravy, Mashed Taters, Cabbage(I'll just have Mashed Ts and Cabbage since I don't like CFS)

3. Tuesday--Tempura Shrimp and Veggies

4. Wednesday--Lasagna, Salad

5. Thursday--Tacos or Taco Salad

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 5 new meals cooked, 2 nights of leftovers/FFY, and 0 nights of Take-Out/Eating Out.
Or only 4 new meals if the leftovers hold out after Hubs attacks them for lunches. lolz

What needs buying for this menu? Corn.  I've got half a cabbage(after making Cole Slaw last week)and some aging sweet potatoes and a zuke left(to tempura).  Might need lettuce if there isn't enough left out in the garden.  I might also buy a cantaloupe or broccoli since both are cheap this week.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week? 

Sluggy  

Some More Shopping/Deals Lately

I have just been so overwhelmed with life and busyness lately I'm trying to clear out all my photos and stuff.

Beginning of August I found these two items at Walmart on their clearance shelf--
A nice mix of rice for $3(this brand is expensive stuff)and a 5 lb. bag of macaroni for $1.25 which is a GREAT price!  I put the pasta into a big barrel container I have so it keeps.

I found these items on clearance at Weis on Friday--
A bottle of good white balsamic vinegar for $1.74 and 3 containers of grated Parm//Romano for $1.69 each.  Use by dates are not anywhere near time on anything.

I am also stocking up on Arizona brand Rx Stress Relief bottled iced tea at Weis this week as it's $1.97 a gallon(the lowest price here for that-it's normally $3.19 per gallon).  Unless I am drinking water or I brew my own iced tea this Stress Relief variety is my other "go to" drink.

I spent down more Bonus Cash on Friday at Rite-Aid as well---

2 x Big Win Kitchen Trash Bags on sale=$11.98
1 x Arm and Hammer toothbrush refill heads on sale=$5.99
SubTotal was $17.97 and I used a $1/1 L2CQ on the refill heads so $16.97+.72¢ tax=$17.69 paid for with BC.
I earned back $4 in new BC($2 wyb2 BW trash bags, $2 Arm and Hammer).

I was down in the valley so I hit a different R-A and did the transaction again on another card........

This store carries a $1 food section so I got these pretzel rods as well(.80¢ w/my Wellness discount).

Total after $1 L2CQ and .72¢ tax was $19.29 paid for with BC.
Again, earned back $4 in new BC.

I still need to spend more BC down this coming week but the deals are looking pretty slim at R-A.

I also hit the Bread Outlet for 3 loaves of "good" bread paying $4 OOP.  That's almost the price of just one loaf of this brand in the grocery store.  ;-)


Ok, that's all caught up now.
Onward to next week!

Sluggy

To-Do List.......July Update & An Introduction

Here's the July To-Do List and how it all turned out last month.


*  Pay Bills  DONE  Always at the top of my monthly list.  Pay everything due and no slacking here. ;-)

*  Read 1, 2 Books  DONE
I read this one...........

"Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy" by Judd Apatow

If you've been in a coma the last 20 years and don't know, Mr. Apatow is a prolific writer/producer/director of both tv and movies.

In high school Judd began his career in comedy by joining the school's radio station and going about contacting famous comics to interview them.  Many comics took his calls since he said he was from the media(didn't tell him it was a high school radio station)and he taped the interviews on a cassette player.  He picked their brains about life and comedy.
This book is a compilation of those interviews(plus a few non-comics)along with ones he's conducted since becoming a comic writer and along the way to becoming an award winning writer/producer.

He started as a stand-up comic, went on to write for "The Larry Sanders Show" and is best known as the writer of the movie "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and others.
He has in some capacity or other worked with just about every big name in the comedy world today-writers, actors and producers.  Most anything you've paid a movie ticket for or switched a tv on to watch he's had a hand in.

This was a fun(but very, VERY long-over 400 pages!-read)but great read except for the conversations with some folks I really don't care for......I'm looking at you Lena Dunham.
It also gets bogged down in Judd Apatow's neuroses but then again, without these he wouldn't be the comic genius he is(but every interview has his side of the conversation so you'll get tired of hearing about his childhood and hang-ups pretty fast). lol

If you can get your hands on a copy and love this area of the arts, do pick it up and take a look.

"The Man Who Loved Clowns" by June Rae Wood
I found this book among droppings from my Daughter's old room when we were cleaning it out.  It's a YA story but was enjoyable(plus a fast read and after slogging through the book above I needed a quickie).
Based on Ms. Wood's own life/her Down's Syndrome affected brother this was a thoughtful and warm book about seeing the world through different eyes.  A love letter to her brother and dealing with difficulty in adolescence.
If you have a 10+ year old in your life(who someone who is young at heart)who likes to read, find a copy of this for them to enjoy.

*  Have Carpet Replaced  DONE

After waiting for what seemed like years(it was only 3 weeks)the carpet got installed.  The room is now nice and clean.   

*  Move My Stuff into Bedroom  IN PROGRESS

I am now filling up the room with my crap.  My 2 shelving units were put in first and then all my tubs of fabric were brought in so I could go through it all and decide on what to keep and what to get rid of.
It's a work in progress still......


*  Purge Inserts  DONE

Every month(or I try to do this every month to cut down on clutter)I pull the coupon inserts where most if not all the Qs have expired.

I'll clip and toss into my coupon envelope the ones that aren't expired if I think I'll use them.

This last shot is the stack of whole inserts left after the purge.  Not much of a stack really. lolz

*  Prep and Freeze Beans  DONE

Local Green Beans finally went to rock bottom price so I bought 8 lbs. to prep........

After blanching I put 7 x 1 lb. bags into the freezer and had a sore thumbnail for my troubles(if you've every snapped beans you know the struggle).  ;-)

*  Hold Giveaway  DONE

I was a bit late getting this up in July due to some health issues and a trip to the ER and the fallout from that.  Then we had a long distance medical appointment and all that entailed but I did get the Giveaway up before July was over.

*  Mail Giveaway  DONE

It went out earlier this week and should be arriving sometime today at it's destination.

*  Can Jams  DONE

Within the span of 6 days I found deals on both fresh local blueberries and not-quite-local(nobody grows it up here)peaches for .99¢ lb. each.

I set about to making jam, not a ton since we aren't big jam/jelly eaters here.  We do like to have some available.  I put a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon in the blueberry jam.
I ended up with 5 half pints of blueberry and 8 half pints of peach(besides the containers of each in the fridge to use soon).

*  Keep on top of Garden  DONE

While Hubs does the bulk of the weeding in our tiny garden I do the picking and monitoring.  We picked the bulk of the broccoli and the first of the cauliflower in July.  Everything picked was either eaten or blanched and frozen for later use.
I think the summer squash will be a bust and the cucumbers will do poorly as well.  The Morning Glories however are just taking over! lolz

*  House Train Puppy  IN PROGRESS

I guess it's about time I introduced the newest member of the family here at Chez Sluggy.

We added another puppy to our household.

This was a baby photo of our new doggy that was named "Cinamon" (1 n, not 2).

Chester was pining for a playmate since my daughter's dog moved to Texas and we found an older puppy that we thought would be a good match for him and us.

We renamed her "Dixie Belle".  She is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the "Ruby" type(a mahogany color).  Think Cocker Spaniel but smaller, more compact. 
Now I have the redheaded child I always wanted. lolz

Dixie has fit right in here and she and Chester get along very well already.  While Chester is our fierce guard dog, Dixie is laid back and the only time you hear her bark is if Chester is ignoring her and won't play. lol
We are still working on the house training and teaching her doggy manners but it's progressing well.

She is just a love who wants to be near you or on you and she has bonded with Ex- College Boy(and him to her)quickly.
Cavaliers are the largest of the toy breeds and were bred in Spain(where the term Spaniel comes from)from it's predecessor the Toy Spaniel and soon spread throughout Western Europe.  They were brought to Scotland from France by Mary, Queen of Scots. 
Cavaliers are named for Charles II, the Cavalier King, of England as he was exceedingly found of the breed.  He was said to travel with and keep 3 of these dogs on his person at the Royal Court.  They were bred to be lap dogs for royalty.

They are called "love sponges" in the dog world because they just want to be with their humans.  Not a dog you want to get if you don't have someone home most of the time so perfect for retired folks.

Queen Victoria's childhood dog, Dash, was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. 
Hey, if this breed is good enough for my 13th Cousin, it's good enough for me. 8-)))


*  Continue to Clean Out Garage  IN PROGRESS

Still plugging away at clearing out stuff from the garage(and the house). It's been too hot to spend much time out there.  Some empty boxes as well as some of Hub' stuff have been thrown away.  Come September when the weather cools off more we'll focus more on going through more crap out there.

*  Move More $ Into a CD  FAIL

We didn't get around to moving $$$ around in July. sigh.  Just too many other pressing matters going on last month.

*  Host Company  DONE

Our Eldest son and his GF came for a visit for a few days in July.  Eldest turned 28 last month so there was a birthday cake and gifts involved.  We had a family cook-out with the BIL and nephew too and also took son and GF to a small amusement park West of here one day(man was that expensive!).  It was a laid back fun visit.  Here they are in front of the antique carousel ride at the park.
They couldn't stay long as the GF had to get back to work at Mount Vernon and son had to return to his teaching job the beginning of August.  But it was nice to see them.

That's all from here.
How did your To-Do List turn out for July?



Sluggy

Frugal Friday......August 9th Edition

Here are the few frugal wins we had this past week here............

*  I seemed to find money everywhere I went this past week.
Of course I didn't go many places so yeah. lol

This penny at Rite-Aid shoved into the corner at the register counter.

This dime at Rite-Aid in the foyer leaving the store and the penny in the foyer at Burger King.


This penny and nickel in a crate in my bedroom underneath my slug/snail collection I was unpacking to put into my sewing room.  Evidently Hubs dropped these coins when putting change into his change cup on his dresser and he missed with these two coins.  Too bad, so sad......mine now! ;-)

*  I made a trip to Weis(PMITA)Markets and used a $5 when you spend $25 Qs they mailed me.

Last week Weis sent me these Qs to advertise their remodeling(they shoved a wine and beer section into the Weis store here).  These are good on anything in the store, not just the booze section.  I used one this week and the other one is good after 8/14 so I'll be sure to use that one too!

*  I've already posted all the goodies I picked up at Rite-Aid this week, while trying to spend down my Bonus Cash.

I didn't pick up the Weis Freebie last Friday(it was plastic cutlery and we didn't need that)but I did get a free pen and travel mug at R-A.

Go.
Me.
Yay.

* I was at Burger King this week to use one of my Stranger Things Giveaway winning drink code scans, a free order of French Fries.

I went inside instead of using the drive-thru and found a penny too so two wins in one!

* I received $2.00 from SavingStar from Mayo I bought last week.........

It was regular price, but I had a $1/1 digitalQ so $3.29.  I got back 2 x $1 SS rebates so in the end it cost me $1.29.

*  I finally received $14.94 in my Ibotta account for the motel reservation I made on 2/28/19 through Booking dotcom for our NH stay. I am still waiting on $6.99 for a Choice Hotels reservation made on 3/16/19 for a stay on 3/18/19 in NC.  The average wait to receive rebate is 100 days after stay for Choice Hotels.  We are coming up on 5 MONTHS since that stay! sigh.

* In grocery Ibotta rebates I earned/received $6.70 in the past week there.  $6.10 of that was for the R-A trip buying the Arnicare items.  I also received .60¢ for buying "any items" at Weis so $6.70 total received for grocery stuff.

I am having a devil of a time with Ibotta when it comes to Weis(PMITA)Markets.  I had to complain to their CS to get my Edward' Pie $1 rebate and now I am trying to get the $2 for Kleenex they owe me. ugh.  It's been 10 days and still no rebate for that purchase has shown up in my account.

I found these boxes of Kleenex on clearance for .64¢ each and I had a $1/4 ManQ so paid $1.56 OOP.
You can do that rebate up to 5 times so I earned $2 from Ibotta which will make these a .44¢ once the rebate arrives.
I much prefer to send register receipts for Ibotta offers over linking a loyalty card(with Weis you can ONLY use a loyalty).  I get rebates faster with the scanning of receipts at Ibotta.


* The big win has to be the garden...............

Last weekend I picked the last of the broccoli, 2 large heads of cauliflower and our lone cucumber.
Chester is enjoying the broccoli, the cauliflower was blanched and is taking up real estate in the chest freezer and the cuke is waiting to make it's appearance in a salad.  This all weighed in at 5.78 lbs.

And the first ripe tomato has appeared and I picked it.
We've got a big hunk of London Broil leftover from our Korean Beef stir-fry dinner so we'll have that along with a really nice fancy salad this weekend and the salad will feature home grown cuke, tom and greens.  yummo!


That's about it from Chez Sluggy.

What frugal wins did y'all have this past week?
Let's hear it!


Sluggy