This summer has been hard trying to figure out ways to enjoy it that still keep us safe. Trauma has been triggered in my household so it's been challenging. We have purchased bikes, inflatable kayaks, a new bedframe (switching out the one at the cabin for better sleep), WNBA league pass to watch the games, more storage shelves, bedroom chairs and a used elliptical). Most of these will be very good for the rest of the summer but the elliptical was purchased for us to continue to have some physical activity during the cold winter that we know is coming. We wanted to get it now before the demand is high. It makes me a little nervous with the spending but we're still sitting very good. Oh, we also opened a ROTH for my spouse. If there is a second stimulus check sent out, we intend to put it in there in it's entirety.

We did have a social gathering at a local lake one evening with friends, everyone masked, brought their own chairs and visited six feet away. We rode there on our new bikes, it's about 4 miles away. It was lovely.

This week we plan to go to the cabin for an overnight to switch out the frame and mow the lawn. Next month we hope to finally have a driveway installed. Sunday we leave to drive all day (12 hours) to go to a really special hiking spot. We were going to camp but because of the trauma response to everything happening in the world, we decided a hotel might be easiest for a better sense of safety.

Dreams we also have been having is next year or so purchasing a minivan and having it outfitted as a simple campervan. We've done some research, their are some folks in Colorado who do this and we hope to do some easy simple traveling in the next decade or so.

We've also been dreaming about retirement. If our country can't ever figure out healthcare. If I can stay healthy, I probably could retire around 62 and cobra for 18 months and free market healthcare until medicare (if things remain as they are) at 65. That's about 11 years from now. Dreaming...dreaming...

We're eating at home so much more but I'm wanting to find healthy low carb foods that will fill me up because when I'm bored, I'm snacking. It helps having regular walks to both keep me busy and burn some calories. I found a great vegan cream of broccoli soup that I've made twice now. Super easy and tasty.

We also were watching on Netflix Nadiya Hussain’s Time to Eat which is really good and inspiring. We want to make her seasoning that goes in her rice noodle dish.

I had remembered formerly known as patient saver's granola recipe so I went looking for it. It was back in 2015 that she shared it. I'm going to try and make a batch of that too.

CB, I've always appreciated your ability to be a single person and have the variety of homemade foods you do. You're amazing.

It's unseasonably chilly here today. I like walking in the cooler weather and enjoying that soup.

So far I'm still employed but who knows what the longer view is. I think if I lost my job, I could go a year but health insurance would be the issue. I sure hope things will be ok for us all. It's reinforced how careful I've been with money.

So my location on campus is considered a computer lab apparently (grrr...) and so we're still open. My spouse has severe asthma and we're very concerned about if she would get it. It would devastate me if I brought that home to her. I'm mostly working from home. Our state has a "stay home" order but my job is exempt. We'll see if they close the campus or somehow I don't have to go in. We have had 346 cases and two deaths as of today. I peeked at my retirement down $100k and I'm grateful knowing that I'm not trying to retire tomorrow. I'm checking on folks that I know...single parents, older folks. We're trying to organize something here in our townhouse development but we don't know all our new neighbors because we just moved here in September.

We have also discussed that if there is money coming to us and it looks like there is. We plan to give it to folks we know who are struggling far worse. I'm still working, we have an emergency fund and I think we will be ok. There are folks who don't have all that we have.

I hope you all are staying safe and healthy.

We're on track for early retirement. I asked when he thought and he said age 55 or 60. I can hardly believe it because that just seems too soon. My spouse is 6 years older than I am so if I waited until I was 62 or so, it would even be better. My spouse would be covered by medicare and if I could figure out health insurance for 3 years. He also mentioned the christian healthcare plans aka health care sharing ministries but I'm not sure they would take a couple of atheists who while pretty square also probably go against their personal beliefs in other ways.

He talked about since we live pretty frugally it's easier. Our expenses have gone up due to our move but it sure makes me motivated. I also think our expenses would go up if we were retired because we would want to travel more. I'm sure we'd figure out ways to travel inexpensively but who knows.

I'd also love to figure out how to earn income as a digital nomad.

The old house is finally sold. Now we wait to see what our final tax bill is next year. I'm looking forward to this being all wrapped up.

Yesterday we went through our expected bills and there's a little bit of wiggle room each month that we can use towards building our emergency fund back up with the goal of being $50k. I think we are approximately 50% of the way there. Also my spouse is looking to go back to work. We don't expect that she will make much money due to the nature and therefore the pay of the work.

Mostly except for the unexpected, we'll be mostly chugging along at a good pace towards our future.

My position is union work and recently the contract has been settled, I will have a small increase in January and then a one time payment in July. I don't know if I will have summer hours next summer and if I don't, we'll be fine. If I do, then we can build that emergency fund back up quicker.

We have our holiday plans scheduled. We also plan to look back at the last decade and do some thinking about what we want in the next decade. The decade after that will be looking at what retirement looks like.

I'm mostly back to work full time except for a couple of days. So much has happened this summer, landscaping, road trip, sister got married, visit to my son in WA and he was here for the wedding too. We're starting our foster care training. Work is heating up, and I will have more responsibilities. I feel like I've got to mindfully pay attention to self care. There's not a whole lot of wiggle room for getting sick and etc.

As far as net worth, I've been hanging around $800k for the last few weeks. I did meet with a Tiaa Cref representative to see when I could retire. With the marriage and my spouse not having great retirement, if we can figure out healthcare, I could probably retire at 62. I love what I do but I'm not sure where things are going. This is the longest I've been at any job (10 years) but I feel like I'm working with golden handcuffs.

With the current state of the country, I also dream about leaving. Listening to podcasts and reading blogs about expats. I loved New Zealand and heard that Thailand is a great place to be as well.

I don't pay too much attention to the stock market because I'm young enough that I can still be a bit aggressive in my investments. I figure that anything too terrible will correct itself eventually. I also figure since my most active retirement account is my 401k through work, it's just buying more shares when the market is crappy. The current ride of great returns has been nice but it seems that is changing.

I wonder if this is a big long term change or if it is only a temporary blip.

My wife recently retired and rolling over her retirement account. We're also going to get her going with a ROTH.

I must confess, I'm hoping eventually we'll have better saving interest rates.

How are you taking today's stock market news?

Anyone else use Mint? I just passed a milestone (for now) as my net worth is showing up at 750k+ for the first time. This is kinda exciting but I also know that it's bound to go down too. I have heard rumors about the market correcting itself. I don't expect it to matter that much because I still have a few years to go. Although, I'm trying to get in a planning mode. Every few years I get a little itchy. Right now I feel like I've accomplished much of what I set out to do. I could coast for a bit but I like to have at least some kind of financial goal. I'm still relatively young but I have done well financially. I could look at working part time I think if I could figure out health insurance.

I don't trust the current political environment to think the insurance market is here to stay but something needs to change.

Do you know of any creative solutions for health insurance for those not old enough to retire?

I've lurked here and read for years and now I think I'm finally going to start my own blog. I don't even remember how or when I started following these blogs. I live in the same state as Cee Jay, read CB in the City before she moved back and as a fellow librarian, read Laura before she got her job as a librarian.

A little about me: I'm an empty nested, single parent who's figuring out what the next part of life is like. My son is still in the process of launching, he's expecting to finish his undergrad degree next spring. Coincidentally, I will also be finishing my second master's degree then, perhaps we'll have a joint celebration.

I've been very fortunate to have learned to be pretty frugal and lived that way most of my life. I'm not sure how it happened (mostly through my parents' examples I'm sure) but I'm grateful. As a result of the values I grew up with, I am about to finish my second master's degree without student loans. Another value I grew up with was to work in a field of interest where we impact the world versus just to make money. Fortunately I've also been blessed with high standards and tenacity (one might call it stubbornness) so I can get things done. I have no debt and thanks to my father's tragic death (small inheritance and lawsuit), I'm a lot more flexible with money than I once was. With this blog, I'm looking forward to connecting with you all instead of just lurking.