I have friends who constantly tell me I should enter some retirement facility because I won’t have to grocery shop or cook any more. I LOVE to grocery shop, and I agree about the advantages of home cooking others have mentioned. I’d add another— mental stimulation. When buying groceries, it’s necessary to assure all ingredients will be in the kitchen— I never have a list— and while cooking, there’s the need to assure the timing of the various dishes. But I am glad my husband does the cleaning up— I tend to use every pot!
Lots of important insights here. We’re still committed to aging in place, but being 83 have seen what our friends are encountering. I totally agree about the importance of having family nearby. That seems to be critical. Also, I think you’re right about memory care facilities. I really wonder about those with many residents in independent living and a handful in memory care. I know of one non profit CCRC where the independent living folks had the manager fired because he was spending on Memory Care and shortchanging their amenities. The prices you mention are very typical of those where I live.
The comment that sparked this post got over 20 likes. Rather than recount the rags to riches bio that is well known to anyone who has read HD for more than a month, you might have thought hard about why you might be overstating the case.
Here’s an example from my real life. When my husband got out of the army, we moved 1000 miles to Wisconsin so he could accept an assistant professorship. The pay was $11,000 a year. We had saved enough from his army pay to be able to buy a house. In the week before the move, one of our two toddlers was hospitalized with a fever of 106. Turned out to be just a kid thing, but the timing meant my husband had to drive to WI, and I had to fly a week later with the two kids. We had health insurance, but the plane tickets were an unexpected expense. Shortly after we moved into the house. The roof started leaking. The roof needed to be replaced— didn’t show up in the inspection. My husband grew up in an apartment inNYC and had never done any repair work. He got instructions on rerefooing from a DYI outlet and devoted his evenings and weekends to the roof. I went to the DIY and bought the bundles of shingles— on our credit card. We knew nobody in Wi and had to handle the project on our own. I’d like to say that we paid off the card balance at the end of the month. But that would have been truly impossible. Life happens— maybe not to the Quinns!
i think this post minimizes the economic reality of a very large portion of American society, Too many people just don’t have enough money and easily fall into the credit card trap. Recently, a major candidate for governor in WI was sued by Capitol One for non payment of $30,000 of credit card debt. I thought that revelation would sink her candidacy— the governor is in charge of the state budget. Quite the contrary, the suit was seen as evidence of experience of the working class reality.
Comments
We ‘re having supermarket steamed lobsters for dinner tonight. With the store coupon, $22 for the two crustaceans! Can’t beat it!!
Post: The Value of Scratch Cooking in Retirement
Link to comment from September 2, 2026
Very nice piece.
Post: Finding A Balance
Link to comment from September 2, 2026
I have friends who constantly tell me I should enter some retirement facility because I won’t have to grocery shop or cook any more. I LOVE to grocery shop, and I agree about the advantages of home cooking others have mentioned. I’d add another— mental stimulation. When buying groceries, it’s necessary to assure all ingredients will be in the kitchen— I never have a list— and while cooking, there’s the need to assure the timing of the various dishes. But I am glad my husband does the cleaning up— I tend to use every pot!
Post: The Value of Scratch Cooking in Retirement
Link to comment from September 2, 2026
Why do you assume the others lied? That’s the problem.
Post: This would be a great posting on a web site with the name “HaughtyDollar.”
Link to comment from September 2, 2026
Lots of important insights here. We’re still committed to aging in place, but being 83 have seen what our friends are encountering. I totally agree about the importance of having family nearby. That seems to be critical. Also, I think you’re right about memory care facilities. I really wonder about those with many residents in independent living and a handful in memory care. I know of one non profit CCRC where the independent living folks had the manager fired because he was spending on Memory Care and shortchanging their amenities. The prices you mention are very typical of those where I live.
Post: Percentage that “age in place”
Link to comment from September 1, 2026
That was a win if your objective was getting out of jury duty. Any judge would dismiss a potential juror who showed bias favoring potential witnesses.
Post: This would be a great posting on a web site with the name “HaughtyDollar.”
Link to comment from September 1, 2026
I don’t believe this answers the posed question.
Post: This would be a great posting on a web site with the name “HaughtyDollar.”
Link to comment from August 31, 2026
The comment that sparked this post got over 20 likes. Rather than recount the rags to riches bio that is well known to anyone who has read HD for more than a month, you might have thought hard about why you might be overstating the case.
Post: This would be a great posting on a web site with the name “HaughtyDollar.”
Link to comment from August 28, 2026
Here’s an example from my real life. When my husband got out of the army, we moved 1000 miles to Wisconsin so he could accept an assistant professorship. The pay was $11,000 a year. We had saved enough from his army pay to be able to buy a house. In the week before the move, one of our two toddlers was hospitalized with a fever of 106. Turned out to be just a kid thing, but the timing meant my husband had to drive to WI, and I had to fly a week later with the two kids. We had health insurance, but the plane tickets were an unexpected expense. Shortly after we moved into the house. The roof started leaking. The roof needed to be replaced— didn’t show up in the inspection. My husband grew up in an apartment inNYC and had never done any repair work. He got instructions on rerefooing from a DYI outlet and devoted his evenings and weekends to the roof. I went to the DIY and bought the bundles of shingles— on our credit card. We knew nobody in Wi and had to handle the project on our own. I’d like to say that we paid off the card balance at the end of the month. But that would have been truly impossible. Life happens— maybe not to the Quinns!
Post: Americans and their credit cards
Link to comment from August 25, 2026
i think this post minimizes the economic reality of a very large portion of American society, Too many people just don’t have enough money and easily fall into the credit card trap. Recently, a major candidate for governor in WI was sued by Capitol One for non payment of $30,000 of credit card debt. I thought that revelation would sink her candidacy— the governor is in charge of the state budget. Quite the contrary, the suit was seen as evidence of experience of the working class reality.
Post: Americans and their credit cards
Link to comment from August 25, 2026