"There's No Place Like Home"

[Williamsmith]

Awwww, nice! Two houses are expensive, so get rid of that NJ property asap.

Like you have said, if VT is just too cold and isolated in winter you can rent a place elsewhere.

It would be a challenge for even a severe winter person like me to tough out the VT scenario Catherine is facing. I’d want a serious review of snow removal plans, access by road and an examination of the infrastructure of that house before winter settles in. It sounds like the perfect three season place.....it’s that fourth season that can challenge the hardiest souls.

[iris lilies]

It would be a challenge for even a severe winter person like me to tough out the VT scenario Catherine is facing. I’d want a serious review of snow removal plans, access by road and an examination of the infrastructure of that house before winter settles in. It sounds like the perfect three season place.....it’s that fourth season that can challenge the hardiest souls.

Agreed. I doubt it is sustainable in winter for many years, but her plan to rent elsewhere is reasonable. What would that be, 5 months? November thru March? It has been so long since I lived in a place with real winters,
I forget when winter arrives and shuts everything down.

[Teacher Terry]

Also Catherine I think you and DH are going to have to decide what you are keeping and what you will sell, donate, etc. That will be hard as you have decades of accumulated stuff to make decisions about.

[Gardnr]

It would be a challenge for even a severe winter person like me to tough out the VT scenario Catherine is facing. I’d want a serious review of snow removal plans, access by road and an examination of the infrastructure of that house before winter settles in. It sounds like the perfect three season place.....it’s that fourth season that can challenge the hardiest souls.

The one service we pay for in the mountains is snow removal. 30" in one day happens at least every other year. If it is a big storm, we can get 4 feet in 3 days. A backhoer with a 5 yard bucket on it makes quick work of it.

We LOVE winter, snow and downhill skiing. There is no way I will live full time at our cabin when we retire. Hence the reason I love that both our homes are small, single level and manageable. Our average monthly housing/utility/phone/internet/maintenance cost-all in is just $1200/month-very affordable. Our emergency fund holds enough for major repair/replace of roof/furnace/AC/appliances moving forward. These are known future expenses about which we do not kid ourselves with delusions of forever lasting.

I might stay up north for 2 or 3 weeks in the winter, but not for the entire snow season which starts Nov 1 with full snow melt occurring mid April. On a regular basis the 4-10 feet of snow in our yard melts off in just 2 weeks.

[Teacher Terry]

I can see how 1200/month is reasonable if you are using the cabin as your vacation. Both my parents and in laws had one but we didn’t want either because we like to go different places.

[catherine]

Also Catherine I think you and DH are going to have to decide what you are keeping and what you will sell, donate, etc. That will be hard as you have decades of accumulated stuff to make decisions about.

Re stuff: When I went to NJ this past week I eyeballed the stuff in my house that I could relinquish and what I really want to keep. At this point I FEEL I don't HAVE to have a lot, but I could be wrong when push comes to shove. Some things I love, but won't fit into my decorating scheme here.

But furnishings won't be the problem--it will be sentimental stuff like kids' schoolwork, etc. I'm hoping I can neatly pack the stuff into their own containers and then just hand them over.

I really am starting to see my house as a Miss Havisham place--a little spooky with the stuff that I think I have to keep, but don't.

Re the winters: Yeah, that's a daunting thought. An off-season beach rental (1 BR) would be about 1200, so I'd have to build about 4800 into my yearly budget. Unless I could talk my NJ son into putting a Tiny House in his backyard. The people who owned the house up here lived in it full time. They had local snow removal people, and cords of wood. I have two big woodsheds, electric baseboard heat and one bedroom that heats up significantly in a passive solar way because there are a lot of windows facing south. (as we speak, I'm sitting in the "hot room" and sweating like a pig--it's at least 10 degrees warmer, even with all my curtains drawn). DH and I are thinking of doing a switcheroo--keep a summer bedroom and switch to a winter bedroom if we could somehow capture some of that passive heat. We are also seriously considering solar power because it's a small house and perfect for solar--a lot of direct sunlight facing in the right direction.

[Teacher Terry]

I would ask your kids what they actually want. Mine only took one folder of stuff. The rest I threw away. If no one else is near you in winter you might feel isolated. Also how will the roads be? When I lived in a small town in upstate NY they did a awesome job keeping the roads clear.

[Gardnr]

I can see how 1200/month is reasonable if you are using the cabin as your vacation. Both my parents and in laws had one but we didn’t want either because we like to go different places.

We go for weekends, most holiday long weekends and occasionally vacation time such as the winter carnival celebration when family comes from out of state. Vacations are generally seeing other states or other parts of our state.

I don't know anyone personally who spends less than $1200/month on a single home let alone 2.

[Teacher Terry]

We spend less than half of that on our home. But our property taxes are low.

[Gardnr]

We spend less than half of that on our home. But our property taxes are low.

Sweet. So a similar cost per home. You're far ahead with no state income tax. Ours is 7.4% along with 6% sales tax while yours is 4.6%.