Makin' some changes

[Flyin6]

I posted this somewhere else...my Honda Talon thread I think. But since this site is a place where we discuss the trevalls of life, I put this here. I can be the scout pilot and recon up ahead while some of you youngins learn a few things about what your forward battlefield progress will look like.


Yea, so I seem to have reached a "Y" in the road of my life. Sitting at a point where a lot more of it is in the rear view mirror and anticipating road bumps in the remaining time. I am beginning to realize I am not 30 anymore.

I have been rethinking my life and what I realistically can and want to do.

What does that mean?? Well, I think I realize I cannot build the ponderosa out of my farm without incurring a couple lifetimes of work, so I am going to really downsize the scope of that. I think I'll pay someone to throw up a pole barn to park stuff in and make a tool room there. With that done, I can convert my "Shed" into a pretty roomy small cabin.

I won't need a dump trailer, 16K big to do that, so I think I'll put that up for sale. If I just get a 20 foot equipment trailer I can carry most everything, even firewood, so that's what I'll do there. Gravel will be from dump-trucks from now on.

And as for the big excavator, I'm going to sell that too. I need to fix that upper cylinder, but with that done, I'll send it on its way.

I'll likely sell off one of the John Deere, or scrap it since once the green paint falls off it will likely melt in place...I no longer like Deere at all. I'll keep the big Deere and call it a day. I just gave away one of my bush hogs and will keep the rest of the implements.

My truck can tow everything so we are scrutinizing the Suburban. Likely, I will not sell it, simply because I have SOOO much invested in it. But I am selling the topper from the Duramax truck and will install a steep cage/hoop instead to hold Kyacks or the roof top tent. It is looking possibly like I use the truck to tow the Hondas, and let her tow the camper with the Suburban. But I have noted that a ZR2 could easily tow the camper as well.

Having driven the silverado way (like WAAY) back into the daniel boone forest, I find it very off road capable. It could get me way deep into anything wide enough. So that truck becomes the number one truck as far as priorities go. The burb is about to undergo it's final test (Of my patience) I purchased the Flex-a-lite silverado electric fan kit and will trash that unreliable stock junk and install the 37" tires which are sitting in my driveway. With that done, it should be rock solid, with 5600 CFM of fan capacity it is more than is needed for an 8.1 gasser. The tires will cut the RPM some, so if I'm happy with where that lands, its a keeper. If not, it may go bye-bye

We are looking at purchasing a super-C class RV built on an international truck chassis with a truck diesel and spending some time adventuring, dragging something like the 4-runner or a jeep. That will take away time I would have used building everything and servicing everything else.

[Bigdave_185]

I tell the wife as a joke ( I’m serious but building her up to it) that we should sell everything when we retire and live on the road, in a really nice RV and see the great area around us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Flyin6]

We plan to acquire a Super-C class in 1-3 years and start to use it.

How much stuff do you have?

A Short CIEMR

by Don Harward

When you have stuff, you spend a lot of time keeping it protected, serviced, repaired, up to date, painted, properly groomed, lubed and tuned. We sacrifice for these things, we accumulate things, we use and wear out and replace and upgrade. And we think and worry, and plan for even more acquisitions.

And all the while sunsets and sunrises that are magnificent go unnoticed. Roads go untraveled. Friends move into forgotten corners of our busy lives, and life becomes more about paying for, paying off, working, competing at the workplace,  and accumulating wealth, while we keep missing birthdays, and anniversaries. Instead we score on a deal for some piece of junk that will rest in some corner of your cluttered garage and never fulfil your vision for it.
We stop hiking, canoeing, skiing, riding, sightseeing, trail riding, and miss a thousand cool places to stop and eat and meet other people. We are not available to have chats and moments with our children, wives and husbands, aunts and uncles, and some of them pas on to eternity leaving us with regrets.

There is a price to be paid for having wealth and things, and many will not learn of it until the long years of life have produced wisdom for some that will only echo millions of missed opportunities.

We become slaves to our possessions, and I for one am going to become a bit less enslaved!

[wyorunner]

Interesting to see all this. Our move to Hawaii we thinned a lot, and have continued to do so since getting here. Depending on how things pan out, we are aiming to buy a sailboat when she hangs up her coat and calls it done. So we are weighing all items heavily as to the value they have/provide.

[TexasRedNeck]

Don, i feel your pain.  I’m not far from getting the hide/retirement site pretty much done.  Outdoor kitchen and a shop expansion. Houston house will go bye bye on retirement if not sooner as COVID has taught me I can work remotely and commute in once or twice a week and be free of $27,000 a year in property taxes on a place that is pretty much paid for.

We too plan on a smallish diesel pusher and split time between here is ID/WY/MT where ever I can find another plot of acreage far away from people and 6000-7000ft elevation to beat summertime heat.

In the end, for me its about reducing my taxable footprint and eliminating utilities.  Solar installation and water well are both on the agenda and my ag exemption keeps taxes very low.  If I can find a specialty policy to insure the place with a $25,000-$50,000 deductible that would allow me to get total annual operating expense to less than $5000


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Bob Smith]

Man that sailboat thing is a very big commitment. You either have to pay to store most everything You own, or just get rid of it. Not a lot of room in even a very large sailboat. Moorage alone would tax most people’s bank account. Maybe a long term rental or lease to see if that is really the life for you is in order. The time seeing the world priceless, all the time spent on the water getting there, not so much. 

[KensAuto]

Charles, 27k a year? Wth!!

[stlaser]

Charles, 27k a year? Wth!!

Well, you made me feel better. I thought $12k a year between the house and shop combined was horrible.....

[KensAuto]

That's nuts. You guys live in NYC?
My shop is 1200/yr. Rental house is almost 1200/yr. Main house 1400, and large property in Idaho is
$87.00/year. Wherever you are, I ain't goin!

[wyorunner]

Man that sailboat thing is a very big commitment. You either have to pay to store most everything You own, or just get rid of it. Not a lot of room in even a very large sailboat. Moorage alone would tax most people’s bank account. Maybe a long term rental or lease to see if that is really the life for you is in order. The time seeing the world priceless, all the time spent on the water getting there, not so much.

Bob, get rid of it all is the plan, would like to do it now but we use most everything we have. There will be a few large steel containers like job site box size that get left with a trustworthy individual. The rest will be done away with. It’s the boat that actually is the big expense. The cost of living isn’t much different than any other retirement style and can be cheaper if you want. We’ve looked into it pretty extensively. But time will tell what happens. If that doesn’t happen we’ll probably buy a small lot some where warmish and build a small place.

[TexasRedNeck]

Charles, 27k a year? Wth!!

Well, you made me feel better. I thought $12k a year between the house and shop combined was horrible.....

Not that the math completely works but no state income tax here. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[stlaser]

Charles, 27k a year? Wth!!

Well, you made me feel better. I thought $12k a year between the house and shop combined was horrible.....

Not that the math completely works but no state income tax here. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Way to just kill my positive vibe I had going on here in hippyland Charles! 

[Flyin6]

Reducing taxable footprint is a big part of a smart long term plan. Like Charles, my house is spendy. $6K annually and going up. Farm is $500 annually.

KY taxes personal property such as cars, bikes, planes, boats, ATV's, and some other things.

Reducing the number of those or registering elsewhere is the answer to that problem.

[oklawall]

Don,

Check Arizona to register the off-road stuff. Friend register his golf cart there and even got a license plate, IRC a 3 year tag was just around the $100 mark

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

[Bob Smith]

Registering elsewhere works great until they catch up with you, then all savings are lost.

[Flyin6]

Don,

Check Arizona to register the off-road stuff. Friend register his golf cart there and even got a license plate, IRC a 3 year tag was just around the $100 mark

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

Ken, that all sound right?

Bob, not questioning that, more like seeing if Ken can add to your suggestion. I've never heard of the AZ registration thing...

[KensAuto]

I'll have to check.. I know you have to buy an off-road tag here on top of registration. Plus a $35.00 tax in the registration fees just for being an off-road vehicle (just recently started that), then additional if you want to drive it on the roads. Used to be pretty simple and cheap.. not so much now