David & Jennifer • North Park → Southeast Asia • 2026
The Slow Travel Plan
A private shared dashboard — roadmap, declutter tracker, and financial dashboard
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The goal is simple: get the house paying for itself, get Social Security started, shed the fixed costs, and get on a plane. Every task here is in service of that single outcome. David and Jennifer's check-offs sync in real time.
The Great Purge
25 years in one house. Room by room. Check off as you clear each box.
Where Everything Goes
The four-box decision framework — when in doubt, sell or donate
💰 Sell — Facebook Marketplace First
Furniture, appliances, electronics — list immediately, price to move fast
Garage sales — April 18–19 and May 9–10, everything $1–$20
Instruments, cameras, jewelry — eBay or local consignment
Target: $3,000–7,000 total across all channels
🎁 Donate — Weekly Runs
Habitat for Humanity ReStore — furniture & appliances, free pickup for large loads
Vietnam Veterans of America — free scheduled pickup
Buy Nothing North Park — Facebook group, stuff gone same day
Goodwill — clothing, housewares, small items
🏠 Leave for Renters
Washer & dryer — renters love this, adds rental value
Patio/outdoor furniture — annoying to store, easy to leave
Room by room, week by week — matched to your departure date
NOW — March 2026
List your 5–10 highest-value items on Facebook Marketplace immediately — couch, dining table, TVs, anything large
Start the paper purge — shred what you don't need, scan what you want to keep
Take a full inventory walkthrough — one room at a time, note what's in each
April 2026
Work through house room by room — one per week, four-box every item
Garage Sale #1 — weekend of April 18–19. Price everything cheap. Goal is empty rooms.
Weekly donation runs — everything that doesn't sell goes straight to donation, not back inside
Schedule Habitat for Humanity large pickup for furniture that won't sell
May 2026
Garage Sale #2 — weekend of May 9–10. Whatever's left. Deep discounts.
VVA or Habitat large scheduled pickup for everything that didn't sell
Rent storage unit — load it by May 20th
Down to: what's in storage + what's coming with you. Nothing else.
June 2026
Professional deep clean — the house needs to impress the tenant
Pack two carry-ons maximum. That is all you need.
Hand over keys. Get on a plane.
The three emotional traps: (1) "We paid so much for this" — what you paid is gone, price for today. (2) "What if we need it someday" — you're going to SE Asia, you won't, and if you do you can rebuy it for less than storage costs. (3) The sentimental stuff — give yourself one dedicated session, one box, and then let the rest go. You're buying freedom with every carload you drop at Goodwill.
📈
You just got a raise.
With $100,000 in the Traditional IRA correctly counted, total retirement is $200,000+. Your full net worth is ~$280,000 and runway stretches to 21+ months. You're in transition, not crisis.
✏️ Yellow fields are editable — tap to update with real numbers. Both of you see the changes.
Full Asset Snapshot
Update the yellow numbers as things change
💰 Liquid Assets
Cash (bank)$
Crypto portfolio$
Total Liquid$30,000
🏦 Retirement (accessible at 61+)
Roth IRA — tax-free withdrawals$
Traditional IRA — taxable withdrawals$
Weekly Roth contribution$25/wk
Retirement Total$200,000
🏠 North Park Home Equity
Estimated value$
Primary mortgage balance-$450,000
HELOC balance-$350,000
Selling costs (~5.5%)-$49,500
Net equity if sold today~$50,500
📈 Total Net Worth & Runway
$280,500
Liquid + retirement + home equity
Liquid only (current $11K burn)—
+ Roth IRA (tax-free)—
+ All retirement (incl. Trad IRA)—
Social Security Decision
Claim at 62 vs. waiting — the honest math given your situation
✅ Claim at 62 — July 2026 (Recommended)
Monthly benefit~$1,500
Collected by age 70$144,000
Covers SE Asia living costs?✓ Almost entirely
Break-even vs. waiting to 70Age ~80–82
Apply 4 months early (now)✓ Do this today
⏳ Wait Until 70 — Not Recommended
Monthly benefit~$3,000
Years without SS income8 years
Assets needed to bridge gap~$432K
Recommended given situation?✗ No
Bottom line: Claim at 62. $1,500/month in SE Asia covers most of your living costs. Every month you wait costs you that money with no guarantee you'll live to the break-even age of 80–82. Apply at SSA.gov now — they allow applications 4 months before your 62nd birthday.
The Abroad Math — Live Calculator
Update as rentals come in, business revenue grows, and costs become clear
Monthly Income (Abroad)
Rental income$
Social Security$
Newsletter revenue$
Jennifer's travel business$
Total In$6,250
Monthly Expenses (Abroad)
Primary mortgage-$3,000
HELOC-$2,000
SE Asia living (2 people)-$
Remaining US bills-$
Total Out-$8,000
Net Monthly Position (Abroad)
-$1,750
Small deficit — closes as newsletter and Jennifer's business grow
50 paid newsletter subscribers × $9 = $450/mo. 150 paid = $1,350/mo. Update the newsletter revenue field above as subscribers convert.
The plan works. $200K in retirement, $30K liquid, $4,750/mo rental, $1,500/mo SS. The newsletter and Jennifer's business are upside that turns breakeven into thriving. You have far more runway than you thought.