Being retired

[rbmac52]

I've been retired since July 10, 2005. It didn't take me any time at all to get used to six Saturdays in a row followed by a Sunday.

 

[Smoke]

For me, retirement came down to a simplified concept: what is more valuable; time or money. In answering this question, as a young man, it was all about income generation. Time, we had plenty of. Money, not so much. But, somewhere along the line, my priorities changed. Time became my focus. It became the most desirable commodity, because, for one thing, the amount you get is finite, and secondly, the amount you get is unknowable.
“Therefore watch, for you know not the day, nor the hour”.
Spend your time wisely.
It’s later than you think…

This. So Much THIS.

When I got my lump sum the first thing we did was pay off all of our debt, That Alone was a huge weight off my shoulders.

A few weeks later I missed an alarm at work and my supervisor came UNGLUED. In the middle of him screaming at me and yelling at me I realized if I got fired over this we would still be okay.

When I got home from work my wife and I had a sit-down and we decided what our priorities were going to be. Bottom line, we decided that the time was worth more to us than the money.

I got my first full time job when I was 15. I worked till I was 56. I really don't care if someone else doesn't approve of what I do with MY time. It's MINE, not yours and I will spend it as I see fit.




This is an Army tradition. You do it when you ETS because you're done and you're not ever going to need those boots again.

I found a spot on the perimeter fence at work that no one ever checks and as far as I know those boots are still there. Maybe a bird made a nest in them

 

[sigp220.45]

Mandatory retirement at 57, started a couple of part time jobs a week later. Don’t need the money.

My wife still works for the Yankee Government as my Missouri friend says. I had a houseful of people for a while (kids, their significant others, and a nephew) but all have moved on so most days its me and Randy the Rottweiler looking at each other. Happily, I do backgrounds for a local PD so I can set my own hours and pretend I’m still one of the cool kids.

Some people are wired right for retirement. Others ain’t. You’ll figure out which you are soon enough. Time is still gonna pass whether you’re fishing or doing another gig you like.

 

[Golddollar]

This. So Much THIS.


When I got home from work my wife and I had a sit-down and we decided what our priorities were going to be. Bottom line, we decided that the time was worth more to us than the money.

I got my first full time job when I was 15. I worked till I was 56. I really don't care if someone else doesn't approve of what I do with MY time. It's MINE, not yours and I will spend it as I see fit.

Good for you. I always say that retirement may have saved my life. I have no pressure or stress and I have the time to take better care of myself.

What you said is really on the money. When I decided to retire, I was still making house payments, but all of the other debts were paid. So when I sat down and ran the numbers, I knew I was not going to have a lavish retirement, but at least I could walk away from the job and have my time back. When my dad's estate got distributed I paid off the mortgage and learned how little I needed to actually live on.

So I won't be taking any cruises around the world, but the ability to go to the NRA Museum on a weekday without having to clear it with anybody is absolutely PRICELESS!

 

[SMSgt]

On the contrary, shortly after I retired, a stock I had was being bought out at a healthy price, a nice windfall. I asked my financial advisor if I should use some to pay off my mortgage. He asked how much I owed and at what percent. $30,000 at 4.5%. He said I could earn 8-10% investing that $30,000 instead.

I didn't pay off the mortgage, and he did easily get me 9-10% on the investment. I'm ahead by 5-6% by not paying off the mortgage.

Debt is not necessarily a bad thing that must be disposed of.

 

[Smoke]

Good for you. I always say that retirement may have saved my life. I have no pressure or stress and I have the time to take better care of myself.

What you said is really on the money. When I decided to retire, I was still making house payments, but all of the other debts were paid. So when I sat down and ran the numbers, I knew I was not going to have a lavish retirement, but at least I could walk away from the job and have my time back. When my dad's estate got distributed I paid off the mortgage and learned how little I needed to actually live on.

So I won't be taking any cruises around the world, but the ability to go to the NRA Museum on a weekday without having to clear it with anybody is absolutely PRICELESS!

One of the reasons we opted to retire was because job or not we're not ever going to have a lavish lifestyle.

I said this to someone the other day but if I'm able to make my monthly bills without having to punch a clock and if my time is mine then I consider myself to be prosperous and blessed.

 

[Smoke]

On the contrary, shortly after I retired, a stock I had was being bought out at a healthy price, a nice windfall. I asked my financial advisor if I should use some to pay off my mortgage. He asked how much I owed and at what percent. $30,000 at 4.5%. He said I could earn 8-10% investing that $30,000 instead.

I didn't pay off the mortgage, and he did easily get me 9-10% on the investment. I'm ahead by 5-6% by not paying off the mortgage.

Debt is not necessarily a bad thing that must be disposed of.

Bird in the hand.....

If the market crashes your investment is gone. If your mortgage is paid off and you don't borrow against it it stays paid off no matter what.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

I'm with Jessie, Haven't worn a watch since I retired 33 years ago. I wake up when I want to & go to bed when I want to. Lost my wife 13 years back & too old for another one.

 

[kaaskop49]

I worked 7P to7A weekends for nearly 20 years. One of the biggest adjustments I had to make was learning to sleep at night. After 4 years I still have those nights when I wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and am trying to get back to sleep.

Interesting post. Reminds me of a background character in a Carl Hiaasen novel, a police officer who ALWAYS worked midnights. To ease her transition to daylight hours, she didn't. She blacked out her windows so she could sleep during the day, and lived her off hours... on midnights! She could shop, do laundry, hang out (that's an easy one! ) during the same hours that she worked.

Living alone in a big house, I do pretty much what I want and the casinos are open literally around the clock. The gods of video poker are understanding and hospitable. I only wish the cancer, surgery, and subsequent radiation had not left me so completely fatigued and down so I could enjoy myself.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[minuteman]

Retired in 2010. Never looked back. Still don't know how I had time to work a job all those years.
Every day is Saturday, except Sunday. Life is good. How do you take vacation when you're retired?

 

[gamboolman]

I retired 1-Feb-21 after 43 year of working the Oilpatch all over the world.

ms gamboolgal and I sleep when we're sleepy and do not worry about the clock

It's wonderful

 

[ladder13]

Retirement takes LOTS of practice. Jan 1. 2022 will be 40 years practicing retirement. You gain knowledge. I now know how many tiles are in each room. How many weeds are in the yard and how fast they grow back. Amoung other real important [emoji1787][emoji1787][emoji1787] stuff.

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40 years?

 

[Kinman]

My wife and I planned on retirement, we began saving for retirement outside pension plans at work and am fortunate enough to have lived long enough to enjoy the benefits of planning. I am also fortunate and thankful for the 100% medical coverage through the V.A. My wife gets clobbered by Obama Care but her coverage is very good.
I've been retired now coming up on ten years this April, I worked steady since I was sixteen including the Army. I was unemployed for four months before going to work for a local transit authority, finished with them after thirty nine years, could not hold out for forty. The biggest problem I had with retirement was having lived such a regimented daily life it was difficult for suddenly have no reason to get up in the morning so I slept in, at first I considered it a luxury...."So this is what I've been missing." Then it was get up and now what, turn on the morning news, get sidetracked, end up watching a couple hours of t.v. BS. I decided to get back into shooting after about a year of goofing around buying **** off the internet, working on a hot rod, etc. The best thing I did was get back into a scheduled format, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I'm down at the rifle club, til early afternoon. Tuesday and Thursday I book appointments, do lawn work, other projects, work on car, etc. Weekends are when all the squares are out, I may visit a friend but not much of anything on weekends, yard work, car, reloading, etc. Iggy's right...No Days Off

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

Worked for Piper many, many moons ago. S-I-L and Grandson both work there now.

My FIL worked for Piper at their Lock Haven Pa. home until it closed way back in the 80's. Still remember seeing dozens of new Pawnees lined up along the river road at the plant. I didn't realize Piper was still in business. Are they still at Vero Beach?

John

 

[neorebel]

me too

I retired in 2019 and went right into being a pastor for three United Methodist Churches. So, I really didn't retire, although they are only part time churches with full time needs....lol. I'm supposed to put in only 20 hours a week, but always put in more. It's 161 miles round trip from my house and preaching three times every Sunday.

That aside. I was used to working mids as an LEO and woke up for a while at 0430 everyday. I just went back to sleep.

My problem is remembering what day it is... because I don't care except for Sunday.

My wife just retired and is doing just fine sleeping in though. lol.

 

[gregintenn]

I’m a week into retirement. So far, I think it’s gonna work out. I wish I could talk the wife into retiring as well. A perk of her job is that it will pay the kids’ college tuition. With our youngest a senior in high school, she hates to walk away from that.

I figure a job is like a mortgage. If I decided I don’t like not having one, there are plenty of folks out there willing to hook me up with another one.

 

[AJ]

My FIL worked for Piper at their Lock Haven Pa. home until it closed way back in the 80's. Still remember seeing dozens of new Pawnees lined up along the river road at the plant. I didn't realize Piper was still in business. Are they still at Vero Beach?

John

Yes, still here. This plant was built in the 1960's and I worked there in early 73. Realized I was having more fun in the Corps and the pay was as good. When I worked there we were building 12 planes a day. They had aircraft parked all over the place here. Later they had another line in either Lakeland or Lake City. Now all there is, is the Vero Beach Plant. Not sure what their production rate is now.

Just checked with my S-I-L and he said they are rolling six aircraft a week out the door.

 

[joeb1]

40 years?

Dec 31 will be 40 years retired.

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[bulletslap]

I retired in early 2020, my job was outsourced to an Indian IT firm. The Indian IT firm wanted me to stay on for a few years to support and train H1B replacement workers. I refused telling them I would not help anyone sellout Americans.

After working for 44 years, I have not missed one second of it.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Since I retired 9 years ago I have the joy of doing whatever my wife wants me to.