Meet a Reader | Maria in Florida
Today we're meeting a Floridian reader...and I know we have some regular commenters who also hail from Florida, so you will especially enjoy this. 🙂
1. Tell us a little about yourself
Greetings from sunny Florida! My hubby and I retired in Central Florida after downsizing to a new home in order to age in place and enjoy the warm weather.
Joaquin, our sweet, trusted, good-looking companion lives with us rent-free.
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
I've been reading The Frugal Girl since retiring in 2015 and look forward to the blog every week. I especially enjoy Meet the Reader, Thankful Thursday and Five Frugal Things.
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
My hubby and I have always been frugal with our hard earned dollars. However, our deep desire to retire early in order to enjoy our golden years fueled our efforts to save consistently for retirement.
After retiring early in 2015, we intensified our savings efforts even more because we retired before the eligibility age for Social Security. This posed the problem of paying in full for both our health insurance plans since our employers no longer contributed to our healthcare needs.
3. What's the "why" behind your money-saving efforts?
Our primary "why" behind our money-saving efforts now is to be able to pay the 15-year mortgage on our new build in 10 years instead of 15.
Staying in place as we age is important to us so making sure our mortgage is paid off is a top priority.
Our secondary "why" is to have the funds to pay in full for our yearly vacation since we've acquired a love for river cruising.
Note from Kristen: I didn't know what river cruising was, so I googled! Here's an explanation but basically, I gather you are on inland routes rather than on the open ocean.
We seldom took vacations when we worked due to hectic work schedules, two children in college and maxing out our retirement plans to retire early. For this reason, we now prioritize vacations while we are still healthy.
4. What's your best frugal win?
Our best frugal win has been our health insurance plan.
Our plan provides a free gym membership for each of us. Since retiring we have become gym buddies and have taken advantage of this great health benefit.
We also enjoy forest bathing*, walking, and hiking in our local parks.
*Kristen here again: I also didn't know what forest bathing is. Maria is teaching me new things! Basically, it's spending time in the woods, soaking it up with all of your senses.
Which is kinda-sorta what I am always doing when I take walks in the woods, except for the fact that nursing lectures are usually playing in my earbuds. That is probably not in line with forest bathing. Ha.
5. What's an embarrassing money mistake you've made?
The biggest money mistake I've made was in my early 30s. In preparation for a big move, I took out $10,000 from my retirement plan. At tax time, Uncle Sam took $5,000 right back. Boy, did that hurt!
What can I say... I was young, misguided, uninformed, and naive! I learned a valuable lesson the minute that money flew right out of my hands. I learned to educate myself about all money matters before making a rash decision.
6. What's one thing you splurge on?
I splurge on food! We love fresh seafood and living in Florida provides us easy access to delectable seafood.
Salmon and sushi are always favorites or fresh salads made with local organic produce.
7. What's one thing you aren't remotely tempted to splurge on?
Starbucks! I love my homemade cup of coffee that's good to the last drop!
8. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
I would send it directly to our mortgage company for our sweet little home. The goal is to have a zero balance on our mortgage by January 2030 .
9. What is something you wish more people knew?
I wish more people knew that we need very little in life to be truly happy.
True happiness for me personally stems from having a deep relationship with God, family, and nature, spending time with my grandchildren, and always having a little fun.
Our motto for a happy life is: Quality over Quantity, More of Less and Less of More.
_____________________
Maria, tell us some more about river cruising. What makes you prefer that over open ocean cruising? Also, how did you guys get into forest bathing?
I enjoy Florida mainly in the winter; I've been to Disney in January and I thought the weather then was quite lovely. But to be there year-round, you really need to be a person who enjoys hot weather (or you need to live in the air-conditioning!) Lisey loves that type of weather, so she could definitely be a Florida gal.
In fact, she considered looking for a job in Florida, but ultimately decided on Hawaii (and who could blame her?)
What's your coffee-making method? I have a very, very basic drip coffee machine, and I'm sure what I produce would make a barista cry. 😉
Hello, Maria! I think your point about educating yourself about money matters is an important one I need to learn. I think my head is in the sand with regards to this because I've made the decision not to work and to homeschool my children. I've decided only to think about that for now because thinking about a future with no retirement is unpleasant. Perhaps I need to begin that education soon so that I can maximize my earnings (when I have some).
@Jody S., Homemakers should have Roth IRAs too!
@Jody S.,
Rose is correct. You should start putting money aside in a Roth ASAP so you don’t lose out on years of compound growth.
Also one need look no further than Kristen for a cautionary tale on life throwing curve balls. Death, disability, divorce…all of these can wreck a financial future. Kristen was very wise in always having some sort of income that she could scale up if needed. Is there something similar you could do? If not now, something that you could take online classes towards for an eventual work at home side income?
@Meg in SoTX, I do have a small Roth IRA from way back when I was a teacher, but I haven't really contributed to it since then.
I have many things I could do, but time is the thing I don't have. I am still teaching 6 of my seven children. I tried a side-gig for a while, but I just didn't have the time to invest in it.
@Jody S., money education is extremely important, especially for women. And today, there is so much information out there with money podcasts, and money blogs. I got started with Dave Ramsey.
@Jody S., just to be sure you know, if you file jointly with your husband, YOU don't have to have individually earned the income; you may still be able to fund a Roth IRA for yourself (and he can also fund one for himself) with your joint household income (his wages). From Forbes: "A spousal IRA is the common name for the IRS rules that permits a spouse who doesn’t work or earn income to fund an individual retirement account. There is no special type of IRA for spouses; instead, the rule allows non-working spouses to contribute to a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA, provided they file a joint tax return with their working spouse."
@Jody S., You should and basically must take out enough of household funds to beef up that IRA. Dead serious here. It's only fair. How much you can put in per year depends on your household income and age, google it, but don't wait any longer, please.
If you'd told me in 2011 that I'd be divorced a few years later, I'd've laughed at you. We were very happy, loved our lives and our kids, we were a team, etc. And I'm not to self delusional type. If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone.
@Meg in SoTX,
You are so right! I would also add other "D's" to your list:
Disaster --Whether it's a hurricane, tornado (or other windstorms), flood, fire (wildfire, house fire or....), blizzard, car wreck/accident, or if you're a victim of a crime, such an event can also knock you for a loop.
So can disease, dementia, disability, incurring big doctor bills from expensive drugs or being hospitalized for just about anything.
All these dreadful experiences, and more, can wreak havoc on your finances, and your life!
@Jody S.,
You would be doing yourself and your children a great favor by including Financial Literacy in your curriculum. Don't wait! Every moment you delay causes a loss of compound interest earning power. If you and your children only learned this one concept, your financial futures would benefit greatly. Lots of folks like DR, but his strength is on getting out of debt, not investing. I recommend JL Collins' "A Simple Path to Wealth", and Ric Edelman's "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Wealth", both of which are available used or in your library. I'm not going to recommend Liz's book yet, but doing The Frugalwoods Uber Frugal Month could be a great family learning activity. It's free and you can start any time. There's a link on their website, or have Sir Google serve it up.
Nice to meet you Maria! We lived in Palm Beach county for 7 years and although we enjoyed the wonderful weather the majority of the time, we were getting priced right out of the market. And our daughter was not leaving Western NY, so we are semi retired in WV now and love it. (My husband is the retired one, I still work for the health insurance!)
We thought we would have people come and visit all the time, and turns out we did not and then covid happened. Not only could family not leave their state of NY, we could not enter without quarantining. And my husband missed his daughter and her family. His job was also not good for his health. However, the great benefit of working hard for those years is he got a great salary that bumped his SS.
We love river cruising, but always add bicycling to it so it makes for a great vacation. I am not one for ocean cruising, but I will take a river and a bicycle any day. Florida got me into biking!
@Maureen,
Love my Viking River Cruises since I often get sea sick in ocean cruises.
Ds graduated college in 2021 and moved back home to job search. Eight months later, he and a housemate drove down to Tampa to spend a few days with another housemate from senior year. He had a blast. He came home, packed up his car and went straight back. He Ubered and Door Dashed until he found a job and noe he has a great job, apartment and overall life. I miss him, but he's happy, so I'm happy.
@Jennifer,
Tampa is a great too!
Hi Maria! I highly recommend the GREAT LAKES River Cruise. Love my Great Lakes! So nice to meet you. Your home is cute!!
@Stephanie, do you recommend a specific company? That sounds very awesome.
Maria,
It was nice to read your "interview". I especially liked:
"What is something you wish more people knew?
I wish more people knew that we need very little in life to be truly happy.
True happiness for me personally stems from having a deep relationship with God, family, and nature, spending time with my grandchildren, and always having a little fun.
Our motto for a happy life is: Quality over Quantity, More of Less and Less of More."
I really love your motto and have not seen it before.
@K D, Thank you!
I love the motto too! I'm going to find a way to put that up in my house somewhere so I see it often!
Hi Maria! Nice to see green and flowers for those of us still waiting on spring. 🙂 Thanks for the lovely photos.
@kristin @ going country, you're welcome; however, it's important to know that everything is springing up and pollen is at its highest!
@Maria,
Before I moved to Florida, I had no idea what a Raintree was. I soon learned that it is a tree that rains down pollen! Achoo!
I've always wanted to go river cruising in Europe and I think I will soonish. The Rhine, Paris to Zurich, and on a narrowboat in England.
@Rose, Our cousins just did this river cruise for their anniversary.
@Rose,
We did the Rhine River Getaway in 2023 for 10 days and plan on doing the Danube Waltz Cruise for 10 days in August 2024. I can't wait!
@Rose, We did narrowboats in Britain and loved it. However, you have to be able to maneuver the locks and that got harder and harder as we aged. My point is, don't wait to go until you get old because by then the physicality may be beyond you..
@Rose,
The Rhine Getaway is fabulous!
Hi Maria - I'm with you; those are my favorite types of FG posts too! It sounds like a lovely life that you and your husband have created. I've never been on any type of cruise, but I'm intrigued by the idea of a river cruise. I think I'd like to gaze out on changing landscapes and then dart in and enjoy the various towns and sites.
Your cup of coffee looks so good that I'll echo Kristen's question - what coffee machine do you use? I've thought about a fancier machine over the years, but they're so pricey - I'd want one that lasts forever and it would have to make a consistently stellar cup of coffee!
@Suz,
I use a Nespresso Coffee machine and when I run out of pods, I use an Italian Moka pot. I buy flavored creamers but the secret is an electric frother that fills my cup with delicious creamy foam! I learned about these coffee techniques when my daughter and I traveled to Europe for 14 days.
Hi, Maria. I'm another Commentariat member who applauds your approach to saving for retirement. After investing in my 401(k) at work a little too conservatively when I was younger, I really started pouring it on after I passed the age when "catch-up" saving became possible, and I'm glad I did. Having a paid-for house is another great comfort.
@A. Marie,
Congratulations! Definitely a goal for us!
Hi, Maria, from a fellow Floridian of of 47 years, but not a native,
DH and I seriously considered retiring further north, out of Florida, ha. The older we get, the less we can take the heat and humidity. We opted to stay near our kids and grandkids, however, and now that his health has failed, I'm even more glad that we made that decision.
As someone who is mortgage-free, I fully support your early-payoff decision! It certainly worked out well for us.
Your pictures are lovely.
The woods around me are untouched and too full of snakes, insects and man-eating plants to walk in them. I would love to have walkable woods nearby; that was one of my favorite things to do, growing up. Do you walk trails in your woods?
Do you cruise rivers domestically? I have wanted to cruise the rivers here in the US, but the trips seem so expensive. Any suggestions for cruises on domestic rivers that don't cost so darn much?
@JD, Most of our trails nearby are actually paved. We will occasionally come across deer, but we have not encounter snakes just yet, thank goodness. We have discovered that European river cruises are less expensive than domestic River cruises in the U.S. Even with airfare they are less expensive. As I mentioned in Meet the Reader we save up all year for our trips. We would like to save up for the Great Lakes River Cruise.
Hi Maria, I’ve visited Florida frequently and think it would be a wonderful place to retire.
So many people in the UK equate Florida with the amusement parks, which we have enjoyed ourselves, but the wildlife, parks, birds and coast are a revelation.
I’m also interested in your coffee brewing secrets x
@Julie,
I use a Nespresso Coffee machine which I received 3 years ago for Christmas . When I run out of pods which are somewhat expensive ( remember quality over quantity), I use an Italian Moka pot. I buy flavored creamers but the real secret to the coffee craft is a little machine called an electric milk frother that fills my cup with delicious creamy foam! I learned about these coffee techniques when my daughter and I traveled to Europe for 14 days a week after retiring .
I've cruised several times from Miami to Mexico to the Caribbean. It's so cheap these days and I found it really relaxing. I mostly lie in the sun and read. I always get a balcony room so I get a little privacy outside, too.
@Rose,
We've been to Mexico also ...loved it, and when we River cruise, we always get the veranda room so we can sip coffee while the ship is moving.
Hi Maria, lovely house and pup; lovely post overall, thanks for sharing your worthy retirement info.
A few years ago, the phrase "forest bathing" was all over the internet. Since my DH and I like to hike on trails that include forest-and-park areas, I said one day, Hey, we’re forest bathing. He got such a kick out of it, it became a funny catch phrase for us.
I can’t wait to hear more about your river cruises. We have wanted to do one on the Mississippi River forever since my DH has a strong connection to it. Pics online that I’ve seen for years look so restful and scenic.
@Erika JS,
Thank you so much for your kind words. And remember save, save, save for your dream vacation!
Thank you for sharing. Was wondering why you chose Florida for retirement, are kids close? Love your motto. Money education is huge. I need to contact an elder care attorney as husband was diagnosed with Parkinsons/Dementia. We never know exactly what life is going to throw at us.
@Jennifer G,
Yes both my son and daughter are married and live in Florida. Our daughter moved eight houses down the road to be close to us, and my son lives in the heart of Orlando, Florida about
an hour and a half away. So I get to see my grandchildren often which is what life is all about at our age. My daughter and her husband has blessed us with two grandsons ages 6 and 10. And my son and his beautiful wife has blessed us with two granddaughters ages two and three. And boy do they bring us joy!
Hello Maria, it's lovely to meet you! I've been to Florida for vacation and I loved the hot weather :).
I subscribe to the less is more mindset and I learned that having more isn't too bad either. I recently joined a local meet-up and got to know a few fabulously wealthy women, and they seem pretty happy contrary to popular belief ;D. They live in neat and beautiful houses (designer/ house cleaners) that smell wonderful with jazz playing in the background. They don't have to do what they don't want to do and have the extra ordinary privilege to get to use their time on what they truly want to do. It was almost shocking to find out that they're not as unhappy or entitled as you'd expect them to be!
@Farhana, People are often very sour grapes-y with wealthy people. "They have huge credit card debt," etc.
Maria, I enjoyed reading about how determined and successful you've been in preparing for early retirement, downsizing and aging in place. Joaquin looks like he's enjoying the good life, too!
@MB in MN, Joaquin is so spoiled!
@Maria, Your doggy is adorable, esp. with his bowtie!
@Fru-gal Lisa, thank you
Hello from the sunshine state! It’s nice to meet you. I’m glad you are enjoying living here. As you have found out, it can be easy to live a simple and beautiful life in Florida. I am a Florida Native and my husband is a third generation Floridian. We love this state and our life near the water. However like Lisey, I would have found the draw of Hawaii irresistible. Aside from being beautiful, the weather is nicer.
However, if you are one of the many who is thinking about moving to Florida year round. I suggest you spend July, August, and the first half of September here to make sure you can handle Florida heat. This will also give you and idea if you can deal with the stress of hurricane season.
The summer months are hard here, and it is much hotter than it used be. Asphalt and concrete absorb heat from the intense Southern sun. The trees too are disappearing as maritime and low-lying pine forests are bulldozed for development. High rise condos and hotels block sea breezes in some of the larger cities along the coast. And because of the humidity, it does not cool off a great deal on summer evenings.
@Bee,
See me nodding my head in agreement with you?
@Bee,
Agree 100% and hurricane season can sometimes be brutal especially with insurance increases in FL. However, I still think the good outweighs the bad at least for us personally because I don't think I could ever endure the brutal winters up north.
@Bee, When we visited Indiatlantic, FL, this winter, I took my son on a drive down the barrier island to a museum, and fully expected we'd get to see the ocean along the way...nope, the ocean side of the island (aka "prime real estate") was fully built up with tall houses, if not apartment buildings! Pretty sad, actually. We were lucky to get to walk to a beach behind one of the apartment buildings.
Hi Maria, congratulations on making the decision to retire early. I am trying to do the same - a few years before being eligible for medicare. Would you be willing to share any information and guidance on how you found your healthcare plan?
@Victoria,
Both my hubby and I were able to keep our employer's health plan upon retiring with the only difference being, we would each have to pay our healthcare policy in full since we were no longer employed and they would no longer contribute a portion.
Hello, Maria! Thank you for writing. I looked closely at your house and it doesn't look like you have steps, or only have one, leading to your front door. Did you buy or build with "aging in place" in mind?
@Heidi Louise,
We built this home after our kids left the nest.
Hi Maria! Congratulations on retiring early! It's wonderful to see all of your hard work paying off.
I, too, am curious about your coffee- making method. It sure does look delicious!
Thanks for sharing with us!
@Ruth T,
Thank you!
I use a Nespresso Coffee machine which I received 3 years ago for Christmas . When I run out of pods which are somewhat expensive ( remember quality over quantity), I use an Italian Moka pot. I buy flavored creamers but the real secret to the coffee craft is a little machine called an electric milk frother that fills my cup with delicious creamy foam! I learned about these coffee techniques when my daughter and I traveled to Europe for 14 days a week after retiring .
@Maria, Fun! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Maria!
Thank you for sharing your story. I am impressed with your early retirement plan! Your home looks lovely and being able to have fresh seafood regularly sounds delicious! I’m curious to know if you have any tips on how to age in place and if financing a new build played a big role in your plans. Florida is one destination I would definitely be interested in retiring to.
Hi Maria, thank you for sharing! Except for July/August/September in Florida, your life looks and sounds ideal. (Maybe those are the months you do your river cruising). Your life is a tribute to planning ahead, delaying gratification, and working toward to long goals.
Hi Maria,
I love your welcome mat. It made me smile. You have lived wisely and we have much we can learn from you. Thanks for sharing!
Hi K,
María here!
We started River Cruising when I explored alternative options to ocean cruising. River cruising became appealing because we took an ocean cruise to Alaska, and I was very seasick. With River cruising there is no ocean waves so the likelihood of getting seasick is slim to none.
About Forest Bathing, I read a book on Japanese culture and forest bathing was mentioned as a way to reduce stress that didn't require any special equipment.
Finally, I use a Nespresso Coffee machine which I received 3 years ago for Christmas . When I run out of pods which are somewhat expensive ( remember quality over quantity), I use an Italian Moka pot. I buy flavored creamers but the real secret to the coffee craft is a little machine called an electric milk frother that fills my cup with delicious creamy foam! I learned about these coffee techniques when my daughter and I traveled to Europe for 14 days a week after retiring .
Hello Maria, I love very word you wrote in answering the question about what you wish people knew. In fact I am going to borrow/steal your motto.
For me, river cruising is much calmer than ocean cruising. It doesn't have all the clamor of ocean cruise boats plus you dock right downtown so often you can walk to whatever you want to see/do in each town. And the towns tend to be historic ones since most countries, even the USA, built their first towns along rivers. Plus, river cruise boats don't carry as many passengers so you don't get caught up in crowds everywhere you go. I have done several of each type and I much prefer river cruising.
Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your life, Maria!
I have a couple of questions about your mortgage. What interest rate is it? Since it's only a fifteen year loan and you're ten years into it, do you know how much interest you're actually paying now? Most mortgages are amortized so that the interest is front loaded. The older the loan, the less interest you're paying. Sadly, you don't get any of that front-loaded interest back if you pay it off early, boo!
Another option is to pay the extra to yourself first. Put those extra payments into a high-yield savings account (~5%), or add it to your retirement savings. Once you've accrued enough to pay it off in one fell swoop, you can do so then, if you still want to.
Even though your house is new-ish, there will always be a need for a maintenance fund, especially as you intend to stay there for many years.
Just something to think about. Having more money than you ever dreamt was possible is far more exciting in the long run than paying a mortgage off early.
Congratulations on reaching FIRE!
Hi Maria!
Lifelong Floridian here first 32 years in Miami and now I have lived in North Florida (outside of Gainesville) for the last 24 years. I love everything about Florida and never plan on leaving. Thank you for saying positive things about it because we seem to get a lot of hate down here, lol.
We are mortgage free and plan on keeping our home as long as we're on this side of heaven. But do plan on spending a lot of our retirement months down in the Keys, camper-styling it. The freedom you have when you're mortgage free is the most wonderful feeling of all.
Enjoy!