Retiring this year (9 year old, payment, smart, mortgage)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: Prescott Valley,az summer/east valley Az winter
2,061 posts, read 4,141,089 times
Reputation: 8190
Guess I cannot relate to waiting out the last day til retirement~ wife and I were looking forward to retirement~ then I had a accident on the job. Called wife and said" remember that retirement we were talking about? think I just did. Meet me at the hospital"
Spent first day of retirement in the hospital
Spent first 8 months doing a lot of rehab. By then was pretty used to retirement~ never even thought about going back full time. Have really enjoyed my retirement and so far have no problem living within my income. color me happy
Guess I cannot relate to waiting out the last day til retirement~ wife and I were looking forward to retirement~ then I had a accident on the job. Called wife and said" remember that retirement we were talking about? think I just did. Meet me at the hospital"
Spent first day of retirement in the hospital
Spent first 8 months doing a lot of rehab. By then was pretty used to retirement~ never even thought about going back full time. Have really enjoyed my retirement and so far have no problem living within my income. color me happy
Sorry you had to get there the hard way deckdoc, but congrats on how things ended up. It's great that you were able to roll with the punches.
And thanks to Nancy, Tressa, and njmike for the advice. I think some of my friends are a little jealous. At least a couple have enough years of service that they are eligible for retirement, but both just recently did some major remodeling of their homes, and now they have to pay for it. I can't deny that after seeing how nice their updated homes looked, I wasn't tempted. But I decided that I could live with my modest little house and dated kitchen for now. It's a matter of rethinking priorities.
Sorry you had to get there the hard way deckdoc, but congrats on how things ended up. It's great that you were able to roll with the punches.
And thanks to Nancy, Tressa, and njmike for the advice. I think some of my friends are a little jealous. At least a couple have enough years of service that they are eligible for retirement, but both just recently did some major remodeling of their homes, and now they have to pay for it. I can't deny that after seeing how nice their updated homes looked, I wasn't tempted. But I decided that I could live with my modest little house and dated kitchen for now. It's a matter of rethinking priorities.
I'm finding that my priorities have changed since retiring. Of course the bills and food come first but I'm finding a lot of things that are free or inexpensive that are enjoyable. There's always AARP discounts available. They're usually around 10% but it's a help.
Tesaje- how smart of you - a year of test run. That is just the kind of thing I think about, would advise someone about ... and then I just don't do it myself!
In some ways, I think I've become spoiled - I don't think about my income or how I spend it really. I spent years working part time raising my daughter and seemed to manage just fine on a much reduced income. Then, I worked double in her college years. Then... with a child raised and no debt ...well... I've just played and spent it anyway I want to without a whole lot of planning or thought. Danced to the music, now I must pay the piper!
I was smart enough to defer part of my income every year, though.
Now.. like BucFan... I have to give up those daily barista coffee's. That's been my big adjustment in the last six months - ha! I may have a rude awakening.
Travel is likely to be another big adjustment and it is the one I will have a really really hard time with. It is one reason on the "pro" side of leaving my current environment as travel to and from here is so expensive.
I don't own a home here and I know my money would go a lot farther if I changed locations. In fact, I could live in my mother's empty home back east for nothing - really giving me more play money. But, there again, lies the horns of my dilemma ..less expense, less community (my precious, precious daily community!). I think I'd rather pick up some part time work, for now.
deckdoc - I like your color me happy - tough way to get there but it is good that things turned out fine for you!
Someone brought up the mother/daughter conversation ... the resistance to move, chanage. It is a good point that moving now might mitigate that situation. My Mom agreed to move a few times when crisis hit, but as soon as the crisis subsided then the move was off. For years, I've spent a lot of "extended leave" time to rescue and stabilize a crisis across the country. Each trip became harder requiring significantly more of me - ultimatley, there was no free time for anything or anyone else on those trips (or any vacation time left either). Swallowed whole would the most accurate description of how I felt for weeks, sometimes months on end - but the payback was unbelieveably significant in returning her to and extending her independence at home. Now, she is 94 and mentally bright as a button but physically unable to live independently. She is all alone in a nursing home looking out the window all day long...lonely...but still unwilling to make a move closer to one of her children. I've offered many times for her to live with me., but she can not make the leap. I respect her choice to stay in her home area but it is very hard on everyone. Both I and my daughter call her everyday, but someday she may not be able to even talk on a phone and it is likely that she will be all alone when death does comes. Now that I am retiring, I've slogged through mounds of "guilt" that I am not returning to live there when I theoretically "could". That has been a tough one, for sure.
I think I have a few years left before my own daughter will be in the position of having to make choices around me and my care. However, I do plan to check myself in someplace near her so she can continue about her daily life...occassionally dropping by or taking me out for an event. The challenge will be knowing when the optimum time is to take that leap.
Status:
" living in beautiful Charleston South Carolina"
(set 8 days ago)
Location: home...finally, home .
8,823 posts, read 21,308,600 times
Reputation: 20137
but we have our time and it's free.
Yes, Tressa; time is the one thing that no one else can either give or take away from you. That's why it's so precious. I am so glad that you're enjoying yourselves. I remember when you moved there.
__________________ ******************
People may not recall what you said to them, but they will always remember how you made them feel .
Today I made one of my retirement goals- I PAID OFF MY MORTGAGE!!!!!! I'm doing the happy dance. About 5 years ago I decided that if I wanted to retire after 30 years of teaching I would have to be mortgage free. I've really led a frugal life the past 5+ years so I could reach my goal and I did it! I paid off a 30 year mortgage in 16 years.
NJMike- I don't have any toys and I can retire and afford it(I think).
Now retirement and FUN seem a little closer.
Janet- 6 days left. How are you feeling? Does retirement seem real?
Awesome, bluecrab. Congrats!! I've lived fairly frugally for years too and my house is paid off as well. Over the past couple of years I've started fixing it up, as I prepare for retirement and enjoying just being home for a while.
Today I made one of my retirement goals- I PAID OFF MY MORTGAGE!!!!!! I'm doing the happy dance. About 5 years ago I decided that if I wanted to retire after 30 years of teaching I would have to be mortgage free. I've really led a frugal life the past 5+ years so I could reach my goal and I did it! I paid off a 30 year mortgage in 16 years.
NJMike- I don't have any toys and I can retire and afford it(I think).
Now retirement and FUN seem a little closer.
Janet- 6 days left. How are you feeling? Does retirement seem real?
Wow bluecrab - that's fantastic! Good for you! Having no mortgage would certainly make a big difference for me, which is why I was originally hoping to sell my house and use the equity to buy something mortgage-free in Florida. A great time to buy, but not such a good time to sell, so my plans are on hold for now. But I've crunched the numbers, and if I'm careful I should be okay.
And yes...I'm down to my last 6 days. It's starting to feel more real. My replacement at work has been announced, and since it really doesn't make a lot of sense for me to start anything new, I've had the luxury of being able to focus on just clearing up the old stuff. I've made some real headway in cleaning out my office - it's starting to look very bare - and more people are stopping by to wish me well. I've sort of compromised on the whole party thing by agreeing to meet a few people at a happy hour at the place where my daughter tends bar after work on the 17th, and just as I feared, that is taking on a life of it's own. I guess I'll just go along with it. I'm not sure if that many people really want to wish me well, or if it's just an excuse to have a few drinks.
As for any type of official send-off, I think I've convinced them that I really do not want anything like this. As it is, the head of my division is retiring on June 1st, and his deputy on May 1st. The 2 assistant directors (who along with the deputy happen to be good friends of mine) are being promoted to those positions. So we all agreed that we would meet for dinner with our spouses/significant others and celebrate everything at once - 3 of us retiring and 2 being promoted.
It's still really hard to get up and get going in the morning, but the end is in sight! I'm getting excited...I feel like my life is just starting.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
color me happy
About 5 years ago I decided that if I wanted to retire after 30 years of teaching I would have to be mortgage free. I've really led a frugal life the past 5+ years so I could reach my goal and I did it! I paid off a 30 year mortgage in 16 years.
