What is it exactly? Per the Oxford Languages Dictionary, luck is “success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions.”
It was recently suggested that we may have been the beneficiaries of luck, which is why we are able to enjoy the lifestyle to which we have become accustomed. And given that this is the product of chance, it is irresponsible or misleading to suggest that others could do the same if only they made similar choices.
When you work for a living it is important to live within your means. Every budget and finance tool available will scream at you if spending exceeds income.
In retirement, it is also important to live within your means. But your means is no longer tied to income. In fact, there is zero relationship between income and spending when you are living off assets.
Every year I write a summary of our life and expenses, with the exception of last year / 2021 (because apparently I forgot.)
2022 was our 10th full year of unconventional living – we traveled some (Hawaii, California coast, Yosemite, Tahoe Thanksgiving, Disneyland), Winnie grew a ton of food and flowers, I built some stuff out of wood, and we went snowboarding often throughout this epic/record snow season. I also experimented with income generation (didn’t like it), home maintenance (renting is still better), and public speaking.
Expenses were what they were… a bit more than planned, but that is how these things go sometimes.
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Last month, American Express began offering a bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards Points for opening one of their new Business Checking accounts and completing a few easy tasks. Since free points/money with bank accounts is a wonderful thing, I decided to jump on this one and think it’s a great idea for just about everyone to do the same. Here’s why. (more…)
