So You Want to Be a Farmer

Moo

Good Mooorning

Retirement is as unique and varied as the individual retiree.  Some people want to travel the globe as we are doing.  Others want to play golf or fish.  And others just want to break away from the corporate world to live the good life on a farm of their own

For a time, we considered a brief stint on a farm.  Already growing some of our own vegetables and greens on a small public patch of land in Seattle, we wondered what it would be like to raise a few chickens and maybe a pig

As food lovers with a great interest in grass-fed cows, free range chickens, artisan cheeses and cured meats, we loved the idea of moving our table one step closer to the farm

After reading Holy Cows and Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer’s Guide to Farm Friendly Food by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, we decided to give farming a trial run

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For the Love of Biking

bicycle-159796_640

A bicycle is many things… a wonderfully elegant example of human ingenuity and craftsmanship.  An efficient form of transportation.  A builder of self-confidence, health, and wealth

A bicycle is a wonderful learning tool, providing valuable life lessons in personal limitations and how to overcome them.  It is a tool for self-confidence

And at any age, a bicycle is freedom.  As a child, a bicycle opened up my world from a few square blocks to a few square miles.  As a young adult, a bicycle provided freedom from the stress of college and the workplace.  And later, a bicycle helped enable freedom from the need for income

I look forward to making many more great biking memories

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Is College Worth It? (With Future Tuition Predictions)

The University of Washington

The University of Washington (Winnie’s Alma Mater)

With a child on the way, we have lots to think about.  What to name him/her, how to get all the proper nutrients, natural birth vs. C-section, and how to pay for college

It might be a little early to be thinking about college, but that is the point of biggest concern shared in comments on the blog and on reddit about our estimate for the cost of raising a child.  In general, people are concerned that I am too optimistic about stock returns and not pessimistic enough about the rate of growth in tuition

Let’s investigate

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How Much Does It Cost to Raise a Child?

“Hey, Congratulations!  You are going to have a baby!  How exciting!”

“Does this mean you are going back to work?”

We’ve been asked this question a lot recently
(The answer is no, but thanks for asking)

After all… raising kids is expensive… isn’t it?  The USDA estimates that (on average) raising a child to age 18 costs $245,000.  Add to this the average cost of a 4-year degree, another $100k-$200k, and kids look like a guaranteed financial disaster

In the face of these incredible costs, what is a family to do?

Don’t be average

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