We Interrupt This Blog For A Bout Of High Scanxiety

 

What Is Scanxiety?

As a cancer survivor myself, once my treatment was over, I'm supposed to get a scan every three to six months. Getting these scans, to a cancer patient is very, very worrisome. It produces a lot of stress and anxiety in their life, thus the combo of the two words 'scan' and 'anxiety': SCANXIETY, to reflect the massive stress a cancer patient may be feeling. Needless to say, I had my first scan yesterday (ultra sound) and true to my depressing life, the radiologist saw something he didn't like. He (and my breast surgeon) ordered me to undergo a biopsy next week thus starting my new journey onto the world of scanxiety.

A million questions, like the ones pictured above, are going through my brain right now. At first I thought the biopsy request was just so typical of my down-on-my-luck lifestyle. Then came anger. Then came acceptance and now I am currently in a state of depression. I feel so typical. I keep asking myself "what in the world were they trying to accomplish over the past year because obviously they didn't succeed?"

The radiologist discovered one of the lymph node modules in my left armpit (where several lymph nodes were removed last June during my lumpectomy, one of which was cancerous) to have a slightly thickened wall. This may be due to swelling from the radiation, a reaction to an infection, or....as you guessed it....the return of breast cancer in my left breast area. Son of a gun! I'm furious. What was it all for? After all I've been through this past year, it appears to me that all the drugs, medicines, chemo, surgery, several blood transfusions, radiation, physical therapy was for naught.

Oh well. Other than suffer till Monday morning, I am going to have a rough weekend. I'm trying to smile but I am so depressed I can't move myself off of my couch nor do I want to eat, clean up the kitchen or bathroom or even brush my teeth. I cancelled an appointment I made for a haircut next week. What's the point of cutting this mop atop my head and styled if I have to go back on chemo and lose all my hair again? I also was scheduled to have my port removed this morning BUT my breast surgeon cancelled that appointment pronto. I may still need my port for future infusions.

I'm also very disappointed in God. I thought for sure He was going to protect me and give me a clean bill of health. I really thought it was going to be smooth sailing going forward. That my life would return to 'normal'. That I'd be doing the things I loved once again (like traveling in my RV) my tiredness would go away finally and vigor would once again rule my body. I thought God was my best, best friend. I thought He was my true buddy and was going to protect me from harm. 

Maybe He is. Maybe this is just a test. And maybe........well........just maybe.........

Housing. Life's Most Vital Possession.

 I come from a European family where owning one's home is the ultimate prime possession. In Europe, houses were usually passed down from generation to generation for many reasons. The first reason being that home ownership was very, very expensive. In our current American cost-of-living crisis, where home ownership has almost become a thing of the past, I'm hoping that home ownership will once again pass down from generation to generation.

In the interim, I've been fortunate enough to buy my own home since I first married back in 1974. When that marriage ended, the marital abode was sold, the proceeds split 50/50 and I ventured out into home ownership practically on my own. In 1985 I bought my second marital home, on the very tip end of Long Island, New York. For sixteen years my two daughters and second husband all lived peacefully and happily in that home. We were also building up equity.

In 2001 that equity came in handy. On September 11, 2001 the World Trade Center in New York City was attacked by terrorists. After the two towers fell, within seconds I realized that living on the very tip of Long Island was not a safe place to be. Not knowing what the future might bring, I realized that there was only one road in and one road out of the area. If any terrorism came our way, unless we owned a safe boat, there was no escape should the roads become impassable. We made a unanimous family decision to move to upstate New York, in a rural, mountainous setting which we felt, at that time, would be a much safer location. Within a few days our Long Island home sold and we had enough equity cash to relocate the family homestead.

The area we chose to relocate to had scant, already-built homes available for sale. We knew we would have to buy land and have our own home constructed. We quickly found out that the equity we thought was sufficient, really wasn't. Our $180,000 cash equity quickly evaporated. The figures I am going to give you are based on 2001-2002 prices. We'd have to triple these costs if we were to buy land and build our own home today. 

One thing my husband and I were extremely adamant about was starting our new life over without any debt. We were determined to stick to our $180K budget and NOT take out a mortgage. My husband took on the GC (General Contractor) position as a means of saving money and did all the plumbing, electrical, contracting himself. I took on a local job so that cash would still be coming in and we could buy food, gas and other necessities. We rented a farm house @ $1000 a month until our new home was move-in ready.

After a few frustrated home-buying attempts with a local real estate agent, we finally found 3.5 rural acres at a reasonable price. As our luck would have it (and also a blessing from God) the owner of said land had sold it to a couple who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald in New York City. Their work offices were located in the World Trade Center. Unfortunately the husband and wife perished when the buildings fell. The land owner had never received any cash from the couple. They had just gotten the BOH (Board Of Health) permits and paper work approved before they died. We made an offer to the owner. He accepted immediately. We bought the land for $50,000 cash. 

Here is a photo of my husband standing in front of the recently prepared 'hole' where our new home's foundation was to be laid. As you can see the land was loaded with shale, rocks and stone. We only had enough money budgeted to clear out a driveway and dig out a foundation. 

Here's a better photo of the land with my husband and myself, along with our dog, Maggie, standing in front of the newly excavated foundation site. Since we couldn't afford a traditional stick-built house, hubby and I opted for a Modular Home. This is NOT to be confused with a mobile home, pre-fab home or anything like that. A modular home technically really is a stick-built home, except it is pre-built in a manufacturing plant and transported to the building site by truck. Our home came in two pieces and only the first floor was finished (1134 square feet: bedroom, living room, eat-in kitchen, bathroom, home office). We chose a Cape Cod Style with an unfinished (800 square feet) second floor. We bought the land at the end of 2001 and ordered the home in January 2002. The house was delivered in March 2002 and we moved in on June 8, 2002. We paid $65K for the house, $40K for the foundation, $30K to clear out the land and lay down a gravel driveway, $15K for a well, $10K to bring electricity to the property, $10K for a septic system, $10K for rear/side/front entrance decks, misc landscaping, a Culligan reverse osmosis water system, heating/air conditioning elements, kitchen appliances (fridge, stove, dishwasher) and a boiler system. My husband needed one more part to connect the heating system to the house and we didn't have the $250 to buy the part. Our daughter loaned us the cash to buy the part. Hubby installed the part. 

The next day we had a blizzard. And heat!!!

God is good!

Bloom Where You Are Planted.

The first floor came completed with a kitchen, bathroom, vinyl flooring in the general areas and carpeting in the bedroom and living areas. It took us ten years before we had the money to complete the 2nd floor. Upstairs has two bedrooms, tons of closets and a full bathroom with a French-claw style soaking tub and shower. My daughters (and their respective families) stay upstairs when they come over now. Before then, they utilized the office as a makeshift bedroom. 

None of us know when a catastrophe is going to come our way. More and more people are finding out that maintaining debt can quickly become a life-changing albatross around one's neck. After the WTC disaster we quickly realized that we had to move, that hubby would lose his job (he was out of work for 2.5 years!!!) that I myself would not be able to find a high paying job in a remote, rural area. All of this meant that we would have money problems for many years to come if we didn't get our act together. Note: we DID have money problems but we quickly resolved them. We knew we had to be debt free if we were to live free. That's why hubby and I were very insistent we build our new home without a mortgage or building loans. We stuck to our budget. We also traded down our cars and kept our expenses low. 

Because we were debt free we were able to endure the housing bust of 2008-2009. Both hubby and I had endured the inflation crisis of the 1970s (gas and heating shortages as well) so when our current cost-of-living, pandemic and higher inflation costs hit our economy in 2020, hubby and I had enough knowledge and experience to weather the storms. The secret, for us, is to keep our living costs down and NOT fall prey to lifestyle inflation (I always tell people hubby and I are 'financially challenged'). When we first built our home, our property taxes were $700 a year. Today, those taxes are $6,600 a year but because our income is low and we have no children in any of the local schools anymore, we are able to qualify for the Over 65 Property Tax Reduction Act.  Our annual property/school taxes are $3,042. 

It only costs us, in today's dollars, $705 a month to live in our home. We're 99% debt free and for us, that has been our salvation. It's not easy to live debt free. It's very difficult to say 'no' to yourself most of the time. But all we have to do is remember the stress we endured during financial hard times and we come to realize the debt just isn't worth its so-called rewards. If we need to purchase big ticket items (i.e. tractor, appliances etc) we put them on zero interest loans and pay it off within one month BEFORE it is due. 

Here's a breakdown of our annual housing costs:

        1. Property/School Taxes        $3042

        2. Home Insurance                  $1548

        3. Electricity                            $1500

        4. Propane                                 $760

        5. Wood Pellets                         $408

        6. Miscellaneous Upkeep        $1200  

                                    TOTAL        $8458 divided by 12 = $705 per month

Where can we go for $705 a month? That amount wouldn't even cover a studio apartment rental. We do almost all of the work ourselves (cleaning, maintaining and repairs). We installed a pellet stove a few years ago which at that time cut the $1500 annual propane bill down to its current $760. We heat our hot water with propane. Hubby is looking into changing this to a more economical alternative. Currently we can maintain an interior home temperature between 71F and 75F which has come in handy these last few weeks as our outside temps have dipped below zero several times too many!

Neither one of our children want to inherit this home. They both have homes of their own, purchased long ago before this current living crisis came to fruition. Hubby and I think we will stay here well into our late 80s and hopefully sell and move into an assisted living arrangement. If not, our children will inherit a windfall and hopefully the proceeds will help our grandchildren achieve the American dream: home ownership.

Next up: How we keep our grocery bills in-check despite being two, top-notch chefs!

My Number One Financial Concern: Health Insurance

 How does the saying go? "If you have your health, you have everything". I feel the same way. Before I concern myself with other vital important retirement requirements (such as: housing, income, food security, utilities) in my retirement planning, I put Medicare at the top of my list.

When I first started out on Medicare, back when I turned 65, I chose the cheapest medical policy I could. That was Plan K at $61.50 a month, under original Medicare. I was fully responsible for 10% of my medical procedures. (Side Note: I will NEVER get any Medicare Advantage Plan. You think you are getting a deal but they have been known to deny many health procedures. No thanks.) At the time I was 65, both hubby and myself were in good health and there was no reason to buy a more expensive plan. Fast forward to when I turned 70 and I realized we were playing Medicare Roulette. So, we switched to a more comprehensive (and super expensive Plan N at $219 a month) whereby 100% of any and all medical procedures were covered except for a $20 doctor visit co-pay.

My instincts unfortunately were correct because by the time I turned 73 I was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer and hubby is suffering from Congestive Heart Failure. he will eventually need a pacemaker in the very near future. Know what those bills can total up to? Hundreds of thousands of dollars. And we would be responsible for 10% of that! Now, as I have stated, we are fully covered under Plan N. Yes, it's more expensive. 169% higher than our starting Plan K. Fast forward to January 2025 and the monthly premium increased by another 12% to $245! Each!

Here's an example of what my medical costs were when I started radiation treatment (after six rounds of chemo and breast surgery):

Granted, yes, Medicare doesn't pay that whole amount. They have an arrangement with the hospital to accept a lower amount, of which I would have been 10% responsible. Now, under the new plan, I am responsible for zero! 

Our medical expenses amount to 22% of our take-home income (two social security checks, one pension, two investments). Since we have no mortgage, no car loans, no student loans, no credit card debt, we can afford our medical expenses. We've been debt free for over twenty-five years and counting. For us, our secret to having Plenty at Seventy was to make ourselves debt free as soon as possible. We did that when we turned fifty. We downsized, got our finances under control and have lived quite well ever since. 

Stay tuned as I will post more about our financial journey in the future posts soon to come.

Next topic: housing. Having a solid roof over your head is proving to be a good start to having Plenty at Seventy. 

This Is A Tough Time To Be A Retired Boomer.

      2025 is NOT going to be a good year for us retired Boomers. How do I know? After twenty-some odd years of retirement, I just seem to get a good sense on how a retired year will unravel. When I prepared for my retirement, I estimated inflation would be at 2 or 3%. I was dead wrong. Inflation today feels to me more like 20 to 50%. Not only in groceries, as we seem to know, but in ALL our expenses. Thankfully, I always lived below my means. So, with each retirement year I had enough passive income to match the rising living costs. Eventually, I have now figured, I am going to reach my max and something will have to change.

     That change came when my husband (who luckily is 6.5 years younger than me), had to take on a job in order to make our $200 monthly deficit ends meet. (Note: that deficit is now $300 and will probably climb again come January 2026). We made all the usual budget cuts (no vacations, no dining out, no new clothes, more DIYing etc) but still faced a monthly deficit. There was only, however, so many changes I wanted to make to our lifestyle without feeling deprived. 

     So how does one get plenty at seventy without becoming the new American poor?

      For us it did NOT happen overnight. It did happen, however, through a series of life choices that were purposely made over a plethora of years thanks to our life experiences. We're not new to inflation as having gone through 7 to 10 inflationary years back in the 1970s. Throw in the Stock Market Crash of 1987, a few recessions, several housing crashes, the bombing of The World Trade Center in 2001, the massive bank failures of 2008 and our current Cost Of Living Crisis and I think it's fair for us to say: "Been there. Done that!"

     I'm a long time blogger but stopped writing about life events a little over two years ago. In 2023 I was diagnosed with breast cancer (I'm currently in remission) and hubby has some heart health issues. So, I was busy with other things I deemed to be more important than writing. Now? I'm back and must start all over again. This is a tough time to be a retired boomer but somehow, some way, hubby and I are doing just fine. How are we so fortunate? Well, that's what this blog is going to be about. If you're already retired, some of our life experiences may help you now. If you're still in the retirement planning state, you may learn a thing or two to help in your preparations. If you have any images of two beach chairs on a desolate Caribbean-styled beach, despite what the pundits state today (that type of retirement is long gone) you still may be able to resurrect that lifestyle BUT it will come with some hard core modifications.

     You may NOT get this in retirement?

     But you can certainly have this?

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