Downsizing: Two cars to One!

Shannon and I have always had two cars, since we married in 1971 

Now, at the Glenridge, there are so many activities "on campus" we discovered that in our first two months, we'd never had both cars off the campus. 

So, I traded my big Cadillac DTS for a golf cart. For a couple of months we made due using Shannon's Honda Civic hybrid for any trips around town. 

The problem is, I'm 6 foot 2 inches, and she's 5 foot 2 inches. I had difficulty scrunching down to get in, and I must have looked pathetic prying myself out of the little honda civic. 

We needed to find a car that we were both comfortable getting into and out of. 

Our primary criteria were that the door be wide, and the seat height was approximately butt level, so we could get in and out without climbing up, or dropping down. We just wanted to swing our legs and walk out. 

I researched the issue on the internet and found two cars that looked like they would work, the honda element, and the Toyota Scion xb. 

We went out to look at these on Christmas eve. Honda was closed, but Toyota was open. 

We stepped into the Scion xb, and it was exactly what we were looking for. Hard to believe, but it fit us both very comfortably. We drove it, and we bought it. 

So, if you're looking to cut back from two cars to one, and you're different sizes, I suggest you look at the Toyota Scion xb. Best news of all was the price. Around $18,000 with tag, tax and title. 

I gotta tell you, though, the car is not beautiful. In fact, it's pretty ugly. But, as Shannon says, "it's so ugly it's cute."

Other couples have downsized from two cars to one. The retirement resort style living offers so much on campus, there is much less need to go outside. 

Phil and marion used the transportation department to drive them out for their anniversary celebration. Out and back in a limo for a total cost of $10. Can't beat that. Our CCRC is pretty full, so there may be a waiting list, but if you want to see what a first class resort style retirement community looks like, visit the Glenridge web site. 

Retirement in a Retirement Resort

My mother, (bless her heart, she's 99) lives in a retirement home just south of Sarasota, in Venice. She lived with my sister, who is 77, in her condo on the bay until last year. Then my sister became unable to care for her, so we moved her into a retirement home which offered independent living and assisted living. 

The CCRC Shannon and I just moved into is more like a resort than a retirement home. I'll tell you what I mean. 

Our new continuing care retirement community has over 300 living units for independent living. Each is a complete home. You pay up front for the apartment or club home, and then a monthly fee which covers virtually everything you could imagine. 

That fee may go up each year with inflation, but if we should ever need assisted living, or (knock on wood) skilled nursing care, the fee we pay doesn't ever change. We have no worries about healthcare or healthcare costs. 

I say it's like a resort because of all of the amenities and services that we get for our monthly fee. We can dine in one of three dining rooms. We can get meals delivered to our house, like room service. The list goes on and on, but the main thing is the community is alive and vibrant. People are learning and playing and interacting. 

I don't know about you, but in caring for my parents, and Shannon's parents, we scouted out a lot of retirement homes. We saw lots of really old people, and walkers and mobility scooters. When we visit my mother, we see people staring at televisions, with little to do. 

At our new place, there are dozens of activities to choose from daily. It's almost too much. You can read the list of daily activities on their web site, so I won't list them here. Just think resort and imagine living in a retirement resort. That's what it feels like. 

We really feel secure knowing that no matter what healthcare issues we have in the future, we never have to worry about high healthcare costs and outliving our money. 

In your retirement planning, I hope you'll consider finding a CCRC that is like a resort, and for goodness sakes, don't wait too long. Don't wait for health issues to hit you, and like my mother and sister, not be eligible for membership in a retirement resort like ours. 

Yours for a happy and healthy retirement,

Ken Johnston

P.S. To see what makes this place seem like a resort, go to their website and click a few links to see what makes a continuing care retirement community so different from a retirement home. Explore our new community. 

P.P.S. If you want to see pictures of my mother and her many birthday parties, go to our personal website: http//www.kenshan.com

Light Bulbs Out. Call Maintenance!

We just spent 13 years in a wonderful house in a great area. We kept adding on to the house till it was 5500 square feet. It was a fantastic house, but a maintenance nightmare. 

We've been in the new place for 7 weeks and I am thrilled. Yesterday I noticed a light bulb was out and I called maintenance. 30 minutes later the bulb was changed. And, since maintenance is built into our monthly fee, there will be no charge. 

Doris, our friend and neighbor, noticed her refrigerator was not keeping things cold enough. She called maintenance. In less than an hour, two maintenance guys showed up with a new refrigerator. They moved everything from the old fridge to the new one, and wheeled the old one away. (This place is only three years old, the "old" fridge couldn't be that old. 

I'm 73, and while I still glide smoothly around the tennis court, I don't do well crawling around the floor. Five years ago, I couldn't see it coming. I just sort of assumed I'd be nimble and flexible forever. But, that's not how aging works. 

This place comes with free cleaning service, so I'm delighted to save some of the low down tasks for our housekeeper. I call this blog retirement at the last resort, because it is really resort living at its best. It's like living in posh resort. 

In your retirement planning, I hope you'll give some consideration to a retirement with some built in indulgences. You won't always be able to do everything you've always done, and you won't want to. 

Yours for a happy and healthy retirement,

Ken Johnston 

P.S. There are CCRCs all over the country. It's the next new thing for retirees. Discover what you might want to be looking for by taking a look at Our new Place.