Finally into the green on the 7 months average! Still working on cost reductions! Suggestions? Email me at Nopurplecar@gmail.com #buzzretirementgarage #earlyretirement #cabletv #socialsecurityretirement
I cut the cord on satellite TV over 10 years ago and I don't miss it. Got a rooftop antenna that pulls in mega channels and I don't even watch half of them! Saving over $1,000 a year!
You’re killing it Buzz! Good for you! You really don’t need a million dollars to retire like many say. Being debt free makes it possible to retire with a lot less.
I'd still like to have a million dollars......lol....Some need a lot more and some live on less. I'm trying to make it work for us. Hopefully we can stay green!
Thanks for this Buzz. I live in Canada and didn't know all the in and outs of where your money goes. No matter how much you bring in, it always finds a way of vanishing!
@@BuzzRetirementGarage You've inspired me to try to follow my income a little better. I don't start SS until February. Right now we're living on about $3300 per month. I think we will have nearly $5000 once SS kicks in. But it's good for me to learn a bit better how to keep track. :-)
Hey, it’s time to make a road trip to Waterford, PA to pick blueberries. Mine are coming on strong. Your First two quarts are free because you have to travel so far ;-)
@@jimhoge3252 I could stop in Erie and visit the places I lived on Peach Street and Rankin Ave then drive 20 minutes over to you. Hmmmm. Could be a plan.
I retired 12 years ago at 61, took SS at 64. I've rented since 2014 now in a new 2 bedroom duplex, have a new truck, have not had any mortgage or car payments for 20 years. Just have normal utility payments, credit card paid off each month. I have a small $285/mo pension. I live very comfortably on that pension and my SS and still increase my savings each month.
Cable and Internet = $235./month? Mine was about the same then decided to cut the cable service and just went with internet. Only paying $85/month. I'm loving having no cable. Just enjoying free streaming like Pluto, TUBI, and so on. I got tired of David Muer or Lester Holt's Daily Breaking News! So as for News I go online for that. Life is actually better without cable.
$59 per month for broadband. Our TV is a large-screen "smart" TV and we also use RU-vid and Pluto for everything. Pay TV has the same damned commercials that free TV has. Don't see the advantage.
@@shirtlesslager I agree. I tried RU-vid TV for a month but decided to save my $78/month. RokuTv, Pluto, Tubi, & RU-vid can keep me entertained just fine. The thing about having 300 channels (when I had deluxe cable) I found myself spending too much wasted time trying to find out what else is on the other channels.
Get the HD indoor antenna. They are cheap. It's flat and you can stick it to the wall or window. In Cleveland you should be able to pull in lots of clear channels. You can use this in conjunction with cable or app and switch back and forth by way of using the input on remote control. Easy-peasy.
Great update! My wife and I will be debt free in three years, retiring in seven years. Our SS combined will be slightly less at 3093 a month, but we plan on pulling from 401k, to bring us up to 5000 a month, we love to travel with our RV. We will both need to be on ACA from 60 - 65. Our only worry is medical cost in this plan.
I’m retired and my husband lost his job. We were 2 years away from his retirement. He will be 65 in August and so far has not been able to find a job😔! Your Chanel is helping me in case we have to retire now! 🤞🏼
Oh what fun to find your post today. Definitely subscribing as i am approaching retirement (65) and my husband took his at 64. You e given such a great template for me to use and track. Won’t have the house paid off alas but otherwise should be fine. Cheers from So California 😊
Covid taught me to stay out of stores and that was a game changer! I dislike shopping online as I prefer to see the items and worry about the return process. Living expenses are a lot more here (Ontario Canada) but my husband and I each have indexed work pensions plus the government pensions we paid into.
Very interesting and helpful however I just have internet and I saw the debate in its entirety. There are many free movie channels and so much to watch I would never pay for cable or RU-vid premium. I can deal with a few commercials . Vicki
Thanks for bringing us along! Good info. As a fellow retiree "hang in there, we're in this together" as Red Green would say. If you bring in a special guest we recommend Harold :)
Okay now Mr. Buzz . . . I hope you don't get tired of my back to back comments, but I'm binge watching your videos now that I've found your channel. As someone who THRIVES on planning early, I am LOVING the content!!!! I love knowing what others are doing/living IN their retirement. I LOVE looking ahead, learning from what others have done/are doing, so I can be well prepared in all areas for my retirement. I am EATING this content UP!!! Thanks sooooooo much to you and other commenters! (well, at least the positive commenters) ;-p Unfortunately I do not own a home, so I will continue to have rent throughout my life, and therefore will likely supplement my SS income with a part-time job, Lord willing I have the strength, energy, and mental sharpness. I've kept a similar detailed budget for years now that lasts through full retirement age AND I have a separate spreadsheet for when I am IN retirement (estimated SS payment, medicare, etc.) We MUST be mindful of this income/expenses ~ for peace of mind!
Thank you for watching and commenting! I never get tired of my subscribers! We have a nice community of people who share their thoughts, and their constructive criticism. Wouldn't want it any other way! Buzz
Love a cheerful presentation about budgeting - and the obvious enjoyment you get when you shave off a bit of money on a bill. Nothing better than being smart about spending, while still getting to maintain a lifestyle that pleases you.
Yes you did better this month. Good to see. Yeah, I live on Social Security and my husband’s pension and I still pay rent a two bedroom two bathroom and rents not cheap.❤
If you have a two bedroom and two bathroom then consider temporarily adding another roomate. Split the rent 3 ways vs 2. Accumulate savings and let the interest grow. Best wishes.
Longevity runs long in both my wife's and my family. Loved my job and co-workers. Decided to run it to the max for SS payments and retired at 70 to get a 24% late retirement boost in my SS payments. This move allowed me to also keep plowing funds into both of our roth ira's. Between our combined SS, my pension, the high yield etf's (15%+) dividends in the roth ended up generating more income for us than when I was working!
Wow your cable bill . I personally have not had cable for over a decade I’m pretty sure you can live without out it . Just wow it’s over 5% of your outflows for cable! And you don’t need to pay for RU-vid tv the debate is free on RU-vid
I'm hoping to cancel cable this weekend. I have RU-vid TV and today received the Internet device from T-Mobile. $62.62 plus $40 for the next 3 months. Hope it works out! Buzz
We watch youtube without subscribing. Watched the debate. Husband watches many movies there. Love how you have tracked all your expenses. We will be doing this. Trying to pay for everything in cash. Keeping the debit card at home. Saves money when you have to pay with real green dollars.
We went onto You Tube TV and love it. Your groceries are very high. We spend around $450-$500 a month here in Michigan for two of us. We stopped feeding birds when we discovered the skunks were eating the seed off the ground and multiplying in numbers.
We're getting better on the food and we'll keep monitoring, looking for sales, etc. Love my birds. I average 10 different species on any given day. Skunks don't bother us now that we don't have a dog. Lol. Buzz
New sub. This was extremely interesting. It's neat to see what others spend. Groceries are a huge expense for us, but you are what you eat, so we eat the best we can afford. It's paid off for us--we're both in excellent health and only have an annual doctor visit to make sure all is well.
Great job. Being able to live on SS ain't easy but you've managed great and should be proud. Congratulations and I hope the trend upwards continues for you. Steve
Love this! Everything is so much more in California! But not only is this of interest now, you are also creating an historical record. I predict you’ll make some extra money of this channel too.
Retired and 72. I live on SS and a small pension. House is paid off and I mostly shop at Wal-Mart. Free home delivery and huge selection with great prices. Farmers was going to jack up my rates again two years in a row. Neighbor said check out State Farm. So and I did and saving $1900 a year vs Farmers. Same house, 3 vehicles, Umbrella cost me $306 a month. Saving $1900 a year is like a huge raise when your retired. i actually spend a lot less retired than I did working.
Been doing it for me to see if I could retire without touching savings so why not share the data? Some say it's too personal but I say let's share the data! Buzz
Thank you for the thorough presentation showing us how and where money can go and the importance of saving wherever you can. It’s very nice of you to make mention of others that can educate us in the matters you’re addressing. 👍
I’m truly amazed at the sheer number of comments on this very informative Vlog & the time & kindness you show in your answers as some are repetitive. But let me hold your hand and walk you thru this retirement thing🫣😳😂. Your the Best & All The Best To You & Mrs Buzz! Be Well Be Safe & Stay Blessed.
You are doing well. Thanks for the details. I appreciate your content. It has really encouraged me to track my expenses since January. It does make me more accountable! Keep it up, Buzz!
Reduce debt, lower monthly costs and still try to save a little money. Isn't that what they all try to teach us? Too late for me but you'll be in great shape!
Great video again. Thanks for all of the effort you put into them. You have inspired me to start scrutinizing our spending habits beginning in July to see how we would fare if I retire early !! Thanks again!!!
Awesome. Thank you for your breakdowns....it helps to show that it is possible to live on less. Seeing what others are doing helps a lot. The last year an a half I have been tracking and trimming our expenses and being very intentional with our spending. We recently got a good deal on some solar panels which will further help with the budget...break even in about 2 years.
Hey, glad that you are doing well. There is nothing better than letting the government support you after all that you had to pay them all of your life. Stay blessed bud.
Nice to see Buzz. It’s all about the expenses. The house and car paid off are key items to be free and clear . Your retirement can be smooth and stress free.
woo hooo! It's awesome to see you progress and that things are moving in positive direction with expenses, plus you are indeed getting additional income.
You're doing a great job here, showing how it can be done on SS alone! I'm about 6 years behind you, so watching this is very inspiring--get's me thinking about what our expenses are currently.
Congrats! Seems like you and Mrs. Buzz can do it each month!!! Our first month no money out of saving's!! With a higher power bill because High summer heat!! Thank you for sharing!! Keep them coming!!
@@BuzzRetirementGarage I may not win this one because I was able to switch the cable TV this year!! Pick the winners and losers!! Hope they will even out!! She is starting to watch the channel now!! NO PRESSURE!!! Keep them coming!!! Thank you for the budget updates!! Keep them coming!!!!
Dude. Seventh month? And $630 plus $147 is $777? Buy a frickin lotto ticket! Meanwhile, your Cleveland neighbor here retires in four weeks. I still can Not believe it. Thanks for your vids. (Oh, and you got me thinking of doing RU-vid TV)
I'm impressed. You're doing a pretty good job in tweaking the budget. Not a lot of people would have the discipline to keep at it and before long they'd be dipping into the savings left and right.
@@BuzzRetirementGarage I hear that. I'm waiting on taking soc sec and it's been hard pulling some money out of all those juicy index funds that have done so well for me and setting up a bond ladder, etc. I feel like Uncle Scrooge, trying to earn a few dimes to stave off the poor house one more day ;)
I love your budget categories! I teach a financial literacy class and always look for an outline of categories to help my students. Good luck and I plan on retiring next school year.
I'm glad you are teaching such an important subject. If I had someone guiding me when I was young I would definitely be in better financial shape. Buzz
Fabulous job keep on going buzz. Thanks for the awesome information .👍🏻👏 I’ll be 68 in November and haven’t tapped into my retirement yet because I plan on working until I finally kick the bucket . Beginning to spend some of my dividend money won’t collect Social Security until I’m 70….28 months roughly.
It's great that we can make the choices that make sense to us as individuals. Work, don't work, work part time, or do a RU-vid channel! Lol. Good luck to you my friend! Buzz
It's hard to not spend money: food, bills,blah blah blah. Wife and I went to get some groceries and a small,not prime cut roast was almost $18.00. Not even 2 years ago that would have been less than $10.00. We'll get 4 meals out of it. Got 4 regular peaches: $5.79. That was insane. I grew a lot of tomaotes,squash,onions,okra,radishes,etc this year. Was expensive but that garden is feeding me, my wife, and several of her friends. I really like doing that: free for them and kinda expensive to do but it makes me happy.My problem is I like my stuff to be right: just spent over $1600.00 fixing my backhoe fuel system. Rarely use it but I keep it right....
We find ourselves eating more and more chicken and cutting down on meat and fish. I have Lake Erie right next to me so I have to get there and catch some walleye and perch. My tomatoes are doing well so far and I just planted a lot of Swiss Chard for her. Your garden is looking good this year! Buzz
Might be an idea to include a still shot of your spreadsheet. Then we can enlarge it and listen to your breakdown. Low budget folks like me make do with a cell phone for internet.
This may sound strange but I used spreadsheets at work and when I retired I said "no more spreadsheets". Reminds me of work too much. I could put the breakdown in the video description field. Would that help? Buzz
My favorite video of the month, lol.i like your breakdown of paper, cleaning, etc, I think I will steal those category titles. I am inconsistent. Personal care, house, cleaning, misc, it’s always different. I spent $1,904.74 this month…didn’t include income taxes though.
Looks like you are doing okay in Ohio. Indeed, cut the cable. In CA things tend to be much more expensive. Personally, have military pension/benefits and SS, wife still working full time. Am on Medicare and Tricare for Life, wife still on Tricare. Vision and dental plans purchased through the military, too.
