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Jeff moved to Raleigh in 1971 to attend North Carolina State University and never left. He retired in 2020 after 43 years in various engineering roles. Jeff’s the proud father of two sons and, in 2013, expanded his family with a new wife and two stepdaughters. Today, he’s “Grandpa” four times over. In retirement, Jeff works on home projects, volunteers, reads, gardens, and rides his bike or goes to the gym almost every day. He's written several Humble Dollar articles that can be found here.
MY WIFE AND I purchased a 1942 bungalow when we got married in 2013. It met many of our criteria: price, location, spacious backyard, access to greenways and more. But the place also had drawbacks—including the one described below.
The entryway to the house included a climb up seven steps to a stoop. The stoop was small, large enough for only one person to stand while opening the storm door. The only protection from the weather was an old canvas awning.
MY RETIREMENT IN July 2020 came at a stressful time. I was recovering from knee replacement surgery and we were in the midst of the pandemic. Luckily, I had physical therapy goals to meet, and I’d already purchased a huge supply of reading material. TV, music and my laptop were also there to distract me. In addition, my wife had retired eight months before, so we had each other for company.
As the pandemic stretched on,
AS AN ENGINEER and a believer in keeping things running, I haven’t owned many automobiles during my lifetime. Instead, my focus has been on extending each one’s longevity.
Among the maintenance and repairs I’ve undertaken: oil changes, spark plug and wire replacements, carburetor cleaning and adjustment, belt and hose replacements, distributor and timing settings, brake replacements (disk and drum), master and slave brake cylinder repairs, clutch adjustment, alternator repair, radiator repair, heater core repair,
I BEGAN MY CAREER as a part-time employee for an engineering consulting firm. At the time, I was working on my master’s degree in mechanical engineering. I shifted to full-time when I’d wrapped up my coursework but before completing my research and oral defense.
Over the next four years, I finished that degree and passed the national exam to become a registered professional engineer. I also got married, and bought a dog, a second car and a house.
AS A KID, I WAS usually one of the last chosen for pickup games, be it softball, basketball or football. My athletic prowess was limited to being the fastest kid in my neighborhood, but it seems I lived in a slow neighborhood. I had moderate success on a local swim team, but again found that success didn’t translate to surrounding communities.
Into my teen years, I was plagued by allergies and asthma. It wasn’t until the late 1970s,
MOM AND DAD WERE products of the Great Depression. I feel like it affected every single day of their lives. Despite their difficult upbringing, they made good financial decisions that allowed them to live comfortably. Part of it was because Dad worked for the same company for almost 42 years. His pension paid him more than I earned in my first job as an engineer.
When Mom died in August 2004, she was almost 84.
WHEN I FIRST CAME across HumbleDollar, I just lurked on the website, convinced that everyone knew more about investing and personal finance than me. After a while, I started making occasional comments.
Finally, I’m ready to share some of my financial stories. My first topic relates to my misadventures with real estate limited partnerships. Note that all references here are to my then-wife, not my current wife.
I was in my first job as an engineer.
Comments
Soap! I forgot. I have a mesh bag at my sink. Every time a bar of soap becomes too small and unmanageable, I replace it with a new bar. Then the old sliver of soap goes into the mesh bag for hand washing.
Post: The Art of Making Do
Link to comment from September 26, 2026
Question: If you buy the same socks, how did your daughter know which matching sock to throw away? :) I admit it. I'm tight about a lot of stuff. I have a toothpaste tube squeezer. You have issues with your electric toothbrush - I still use a "manual" toothbrush. The dentist says my teeth look fine. The paper from our printer that no longer serves a purpose is used to make shopping lists. There are used CD, record, and book stores in nearly every community. I fix things or coax them back to life. We had a ceiling light fixture that stopped working. It wasn't just the bulb. It was the electrical wiring harness. I took it apart and rebuilt it rather than replace the light fixture. Sometimes there's a real sense of accomplishment when you avoid the replacement cost. But that's just me.
Post: The Art of Making Do
Link to comment from September 25, 2026
Mark, I'm like you. I have a wide array of friends in different social circles. In fact, I'm often the organizer of get-togethers. But that doesn't change Dennis' or your point. I'd be terribly lonely if something happened to my wife. Not sure what I would do or how I would cope.
Post: The Security Money Can’t Buy
Link to comment from September 25, 2026
I like how you stick to your principles. Good for you. You probably sleep very well at night. :)
Post: When $2000 Isn’t Worth the Hassle
Link to comment from September 16, 2026
I've done something similar for one of my sons. He's had a tough 2025-2026 with a divorce and job loss. I gave him the money to get over several hurdles. He's back on his feet again.
Post: What would you do if you received this text from your child as I did this morning?
Link to comment from September 16, 2026
Mark, I recognize the decision to give up as a valid one. Some thoughts: (1) post on social media, identifying the company by name, the barriers you've encountered, and ask for comments (2) change telecom providers and make sure they know why, (3) in the US there is a process called small claims court - not sure if you have that option. I've read that the social media post approach can be quite effective.
Post: When $2000 Isn’t Worth the Hassle
Link to comment from September 16, 2026
Mark - You've adapted the Three Laws of Robotics! I like it. I'm as much concerned about how the Large Language Models are being trained on stolen literature (books, magazines, periodicals, etc.), as well as unmoderated/edited/proofed content such as X, Instagram, and Substack. The day is coming when an AI response will be based on a ridiculous Substack post such as 1 + 1 = 1 or worse.
Post: The Ultimate Tail Risk
Link to comment from September 13, 2026
Gary - I went through three periods of unemplyment during my professional career as an engineer, so I feel your pain. I regularly meet with a group of seven friends. We are all similar, in our 60's-70's, and worked in technology. There are seven of us. Three (including me) retired on our own terms. Three of our group were terminated from their "real" jobs. Two managed to work part-time or temporary jobs for a while, but have come to grips that they are probably retired. The third is still looking, but is discouraged. The seventh is still working, but fears he may be terminated at any time. My point is that job availability for experienced workers is fraught. Not knowing where you live or what you did for a living, suggestions are difficult. One thing to considere is the benefit of cutting the cost of a three hour per day commute - - - that has to be worth a lot to your bottom line. If I read your post correctly, and you only recently began your search, then you have to give it time. My mid-30's son recently took four months to find a new job at basically the same compensation. I liked Chris' suggestion of contacting sales personnel that might be familiar with your work. When friends and/or family inquire about retirement, turn it around and ask them for assistance with your job search - who do they know or where do they work? Best of luck.
Post: Being terminated…
Link to comment from September 12, 2026
Hmmm. Another reminder to deal with all those pictures downstairs. My sister has done some similar cleansing. I don't think I'm adding to the pile of stuff, but I'm not decreasing it, either.
Post: Make the Attic Great Again
Link to comment from September 1, 2026
We visited Nova Scotia in May. We pretty much apologized for the adversarial political behavior whenever we were forced to disclose we were from the US. The uniform reply was something to the effect that "we know it's not you, because we used to visit there a lot, and everyone is so nice".
Post: You Heel!
Link to comment from August 28, 2026