The Slow Motion Retirement Plan

[dhagood]

my wife and i closed on 40 acres of land 16 miles east of kiowa, co and 4 miles north of highway 86. we will retire there in about five years or so. the aim is to end up retired, debt free, and with everything we need finished. the land has 4 strand barbed wire fence on the east and west sides; the north and south sides of the lot are open. there is a gravel road on the eastern boundary that is well maintained by elbert county. power is available across the road. other than the two fence lines, the land is completely undeveloped. we will thus have to create a driveway, drill a well, run power into the property, add a septic tank, and then build.

it's going to be a long road, but the journey started today. the obligatory picture:

[chopped]

CONGRATS
Debt free is the best way to be...Ive NEVER owed anyone anything except my wife.Good luck and perhaps keep us updated on the journey...

[TripleR]

Congratulations, nothing quite like owning your own land.

[newbury]

Congrats.

However, I think in this day and age "debt free" should be used with modifiers. Interest rates are so low that it may be advantageous to have a mortgage loan which allows you to take advantage of significant deals. Especially if you get tax savings. With 30yr mortgages around 3.5% the money is there for many of us.

I could have done without buying my 50HP M4700, and done without clearing land, hauling lumber, making gardens. But since the bank loaned me money at 3.5% for 30 years I'm paying it off at about $45/month.

/edit - that's based on my mortgage of 30yrs at 3.5%, not a separate loan for the tractor.

[vtsnowedin]

I see the neighbors have built their houses down in the trees. Are there any trees on your fourty acres. Great view but must be windy as all get out.

[rbstern]

Awesome looking. Congrats and enjoy it for many years to come.

[dhagood]

vtsnowedin, yes, we have perhaps 100 trees on our property. unfortunately, all but 8 or so are 3 feet tall or less. i share a triangular enclosure with my northern neighbor that is packed full of what looks like ponderosa pine. i'd guess they were planted some years ago as they are densely packed into a small area. my wife and i are going to move the smaller trees around for windbreaks and the like. and yes, the wind has been known to blow in that area i've spent something like 30 days in that part of elbert county wandering around looking for property, and the wind was generally very calm, however i'll be springtime can be interesting.

[vtsnowedin]

vtsnowedin, yes, we have perhaps 100 trees on our property. unfortunately, all but 8 or so are 3 feet tall or less. i share a triangular enclosure with my northern neighbor that is packed full of what looks like ponderosa pine. i'd guess they were planted some years ago as they are densely packed into a small area. my wife and i are going to move the smaller trees around for windbreaks and the like. and yes, the wind has been known to blow in that area i've spent something like 30 days in that part of elbert county wandering around looking for property, and the wind was generally very calm, however i'll be springtime can be interesting.

I don't know as you can move estableshed trees without killing most of them. You'd need to take as large a root-ball as you could and keep it watered in it's new hole as long as possible. Someone with more local experience will know better. Sounds like a job for a good sized tractor though :-) Looking forward to your updates.

[BobG_in_VA]

Looks, good...along with the tractor/attachments, etc. I hope you have a good 22-250 or an AR-15 for the occasional coyote.....BobG in VA

[Gary Fowler]

I don't know as you can move estableshed trees without killing most of them. You'd need to take as large a root-ball as you could and keep it watered in it's new hole as long as possible. Someone with more local experience will know better. Sounds like a job for a good sized tractor though :-) Looking forward to your updates.

I would second the issue of transplanting established trees. Might be better to get some fast growing trees that will tolerate the climate and plant them where you want rather than kill the few that you have. The area looks like it might be high desert like terrain so choose the trees to be tolerant of the conditions.