(Thanks for saying you like my writing!!)
I was just thinking today that I feel more... satisfied than I've felt in a long time. I think I might be--dare I say it aloud--happy?? For no reason other than I think I've finally started to let go of some things that were interfering with that satisfaction. Like--giving up thinking that my job isn't OK because I've given up my management position. Like--finally letting go of a relationship that I'd been half hanging on to even though it's been over a long time. Like--finally realizing that I am not responsible for taking care of everything for some family members. Like--giving up bemoaning some of the things I miss about where I used to live and reminding myself of the things I like about where I live now. Like--giving up thinking I don't have enough (if I got laid off, retired, etc) and realizing that financially I can be OK if I choose to be.
I think this might be called "contentment." This is really a big deal for someone who was having panic attacks on a regular basis 2 years ago. I know it could change at any time, but this feels really good right now!!
Too Old To Retire "Young"
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IlliniDave
- Posts: 3876
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Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
That's all great news! "Contentment" is probably as good a word as any. For me it's like a tide--sometimes flows, sometimes ebbs, but slowly in time I seem to be gaining ground. I still look ahead a little more than is good for me, I think I would be better served looking around myself more, but I have most of the weight of the past pretty well discarded.
I've not ever dealt with panic attacks myself, but my youngest daughter suffered from them. Awful things. Sounds like a lot of good things have happened for you over the last couple years.
I've not ever dealt with panic attacks myself, but my youngest daughter suffered from them. Awful things. Sounds like a lot of good things have happened for you over the last couple years.
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EdithKeeler
- Posts: 1099
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:55 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
I made what may be a weird decision today, probably deemed especially so by the frequenters of this forum: I decided to scale back my investing for retirement a little bit. I actually cut my 401(k) contributions in half. It’s not that big a deal; I can increase it any time I want to. I was maxing it out, including catch-up contributions, and was on track to contribute the max this year of 23,000. And yeah, it’s great for deferring taxes, but I started looking at my budget and other things and decided it’s more important to get this debt paid off, plus there are some things I want to do that I’m not doing right now (travel) that a little extra cash would help me do.
And in looking at my money situation, I’m good. Things are humming along nicely, my job is secure as long as I want it. If I quit or lost my job tomorrow, I could make it, though not quite as comfortably as I will in 5 years, my tentative target.
The good thing is, I can always up my contributions at any time. It was a spur of the minute decision, which I may reverse in the near future; I just don’t know.
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
(I looked up that quote just to make sure I had it right, and read that poem again, always one of my favorites—The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. I will say that poem means way, way more to me at this age and point in life than it did when I first read it in high school....)
And in looking at my money situation, I’m good. Things are humming along nicely, my job is secure as long as I want it. If I quit or lost my job tomorrow, I could make it, though not quite as comfortably as I will in 5 years, my tentative target.
The good thing is, I can always up my contributions at any time. It was a spur of the minute decision, which I may reverse in the near future; I just don’t know.
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.
(I looked up that quote just to make sure I had it right, and read that poem again, always one of my favorites—The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. I will say that poem means way, way more to me at this age and point in life than it did when I first read it in high school....)
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EdithKeeler
- Posts: 1099
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:55 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
Some thoughts on.. Chicken?
I posted on Facebook last week that for Mother’s Day my mom was letting me off easily; when I told her I’d take her out, just not on Mother’s Day (we all hate crowds and waiting), and that I’d cook whatever meal she wanted on Mother’s Day itself, she chose homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn on the cob, with strawberry shortcake for dessert. I commented that this made me happy because it was such an easy meal to cook.
It was funny the responses I got: two people asked me how to cook fried chicken, and one of my best friends in Atlanta texted me throughout the cooking process when she made it a couple of days later, complete with pictures. Another friend at work asked me to arrange a night when I can come over and teach her how to cook that meal, and she’s reminded me several times since then. One other friend commented that I was “brave,” because she’d never try to cook something so hard.
I want to hasten to add that these are not 20 year olds, but each one is at least 50 years old, and each has at least two children.
All of this made me think of my grandmother (because it’s her fried chicken that I cook). When I think of the reasons I want to quit my job, my thoughts often go to the life my grandparents lived. They lived further out in the country than I’d want to live all the time, and they worked awfully hard. But my grandparents lived a great, pretty simple and very frugal life, and there are so many things I’d like to emulate about it.
I bet my grandma probably fried 2 chickens a week during her lifetime, probably more (to be fair, she was a cook in a school and in a restaurant, but also cooked every meal at home for her family as well as usually a hired man). Some of those chickens she killed and plucked herself. She would laugh at the thought that frying chicken was some kind of arduous task: it was just what you DID. You cooked a big meal every day, in addition to the other chores around the farm, and often an outside job. Plus, my grandmother didn’t drive, so she often walked to where she needed to go if she didn’t have a ride. Now, she didn’t cook fancy stuff: I remember a lot of fried chicken and pot roast. Often a pot of pinto or navy beans. She usually had fresh bread or hot rolls under a towel in a certain spot in her kitchen, and usually at least 2 kinds of pie. I remember more pies than cakes. And that pie crust was made with lard! There were always a ton of fresh vegetables from their garden in the summer, and in the winter, home-grown veggies from the freezer or that she had canned. There was always a pot of potatoes on the back of the stove, on an unlit burner, boiled with the water drained off, ready to be diced and fried at a moment’s notice.
In addition to the cooking, she kept an immaculate house. My grandfather often had to go away to work (he worked on oil rigs in OH and WV) and while he was gone, she had full responsibility for my mom and her sister, the house and garden, plus she worked. She made her own soap from the fat from their butchered hogs and beef. She sewed some—not all—of their clothes. In later years, when they got rid of livestock and cut back the size of the farm and she had more time, she made quilts that were pieced by hand, and quilted by hand, on quilt racks my grandfather made by hand from scrap lumber. My grandfather was an expert woodworker, and in his free time (when he wasn’t gardening, working at his paid job, maintaining the house, taking care of livestock, etc.) he built furniture and wooden toys. I remember after he retired he took it upon himself to take care of the old cemetery where several of his relatives were buried, because the old church had burned and the cemetery wasn’t being kept up. He also had a vineyard of sorts; he had all kinds of grapes that he’d gotten in his travels. He was sort of obsessed with grapes, and my mom tells how he’d often come home from working away with a small piece of grapevine wrapped in a moist towel. He planted them against all of the outbuildings (they had 6, including a smokehouse) and built grape arbors from scrap pipe from his jobsites. Every summer those vines would be groaning with all kinds of grapes, and he’d stand out there and eat handfuls. My grandma made jelly, but she refused to let him try to make wine.
Both my grandparents lived into their 90’s. They didn’t have a TV until very late in life, and I can remember when they didn’t—we’d listen to The Grand Ole Opry on the radio, and I remember thinking how neat that was at the time, just like Olden Days.
When I think of not working for paid employment, I think about doing some of these things (on a much smaller scale): gardening, cooking, making things. Of course they did it because that was their lifestyle, but they also, I don’t think, would have lived any other way. Despite the fact that neither of them earned much money, at the end of their lives, even after my grandfather’s stay in a nursing home for a while, they had amassed a tidy sum of money, about $50,000 or so, plus their farm, and I doubt either of them ever made much more than $10 an hour.
I think about how they lived: they never had a mortgage. I’m pretty sure my grandfather always paid cash for his cars. They did a lot of hard work, and were extremely self-reliant. Did they live dreary lives of unending self-sacrifice? I don’t think they saw it that way. I don’t see it that way. They lived close to nature, they had a vast network of friends and family (my grandfather was one of 17 children....). They entertained—not fancy catered parties, but home-cooked pot lucks. They didn’t go on a lot of vacations, but when they did, they’d come to our house or my aunt’s house in Florida.
They were relatively unaffected by the larger goings-on of the world. My mom talks about remembering the end of World War II; times were pretty tough, and they got even tougher when my grandfather got called up. However, the war ended literally when they were packing for him to report for duty, and he got to stay home. (He was luckier than his brother who died over there and is buried in Luxembourg). But whatever went on the world, they owned their house, they had enough food to eat, and lots and lots of skills to see them through, along with a strong network of friends and family with similar values and abilities.
It occurs to me that this type of life, on a much smaller scale, is within my grasp right now. Within most people’s grasp, I think, if they wanted to live it. I find this both reassuring and depressing. It’s sort of depressing that so much of this kind of life is being lost—it makes me sad that my friends can’t fry chicken. That lack of ability (or really, it’s lack of desire, I think, because frying chicken or any kind of cooking is not hard—if you can read, you can cook) seems to be symbolic of something bigger and something being lost. But it’s also reassuring, because financially I’m in good shape, and while I don’t have a lot of things my grandparents did (including so many of their skills!) I have the desire. I’m not giving up my Internet service or my car, but I can use those things (because of my desire) to create something better than working frantically until I drop dead and living on take-out chicken. And not knowing how good homemade chicken can be.
I posted on Facebook last week that for Mother’s Day my mom was letting me off easily; when I told her I’d take her out, just not on Mother’s Day (we all hate crowds and waiting), and that I’d cook whatever meal she wanted on Mother’s Day itself, she chose homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn on the cob, with strawberry shortcake for dessert. I commented that this made me happy because it was such an easy meal to cook.
It was funny the responses I got: two people asked me how to cook fried chicken, and one of my best friends in Atlanta texted me throughout the cooking process when she made it a couple of days later, complete with pictures. Another friend at work asked me to arrange a night when I can come over and teach her how to cook that meal, and she’s reminded me several times since then. One other friend commented that I was “brave,” because she’d never try to cook something so hard.
I want to hasten to add that these are not 20 year olds, but each one is at least 50 years old, and each has at least two children.
All of this made me think of my grandmother (because it’s her fried chicken that I cook). When I think of the reasons I want to quit my job, my thoughts often go to the life my grandparents lived. They lived further out in the country than I’d want to live all the time, and they worked awfully hard. But my grandparents lived a great, pretty simple and very frugal life, and there are so many things I’d like to emulate about it.
I bet my grandma probably fried 2 chickens a week during her lifetime, probably more (to be fair, she was a cook in a school and in a restaurant, but also cooked every meal at home for her family as well as usually a hired man). Some of those chickens she killed and plucked herself. She would laugh at the thought that frying chicken was some kind of arduous task: it was just what you DID. You cooked a big meal every day, in addition to the other chores around the farm, and often an outside job. Plus, my grandmother didn’t drive, so she often walked to where she needed to go if she didn’t have a ride. Now, she didn’t cook fancy stuff: I remember a lot of fried chicken and pot roast. Often a pot of pinto or navy beans. She usually had fresh bread or hot rolls under a towel in a certain spot in her kitchen, and usually at least 2 kinds of pie. I remember more pies than cakes. And that pie crust was made with lard! There were always a ton of fresh vegetables from their garden in the summer, and in the winter, home-grown veggies from the freezer or that she had canned. There was always a pot of potatoes on the back of the stove, on an unlit burner, boiled with the water drained off, ready to be diced and fried at a moment’s notice.
In addition to the cooking, she kept an immaculate house. My grandfather often had to go away to work (he worked on oil rigs in OH and WV) and while he was gone, she had full responsibility for my mom and her sister, the house and garden, plus she worked. She made her own soap from the fat from their butchered hogs and beef. She sewed some—not all—of their clothes. In later years, when they got rid of livestock and cut back the size of the farm and she had more time, she made quilts that were pieced by hand, and quilted by hand, on quilt racks my grandfather made by hand from scrap lumber. My grandfather was an expert woodworker, and in his free time (when he wasn’t gardening, working at his paid job, maintaining the house, taking care of livestock, etc.) he built furniture and wooden toys. I remember after he retired he took it upon himself to take care of the old cemetery where several of his relatives were buried, because the old church had burned and the cemetery wasn’t being kept up. He also had a vineyard of sorts; he had all kinds of grapes that he’d gotten in his travels. He was sort of obsessed with grapes, and my mom tells how he’d often come home from working away with a small piece of grapevine wrapped in a moist towel. He planted them against all of the outbuildings (they had 6, including a smokehouse) and built grape arbors from scrap pipe from his jobsites. Every summer those vines would be groaning with all kinds of grapes, and he’d stand out there and eat handfuls. My grandma made jelly, but she refused to let him try to make wine.
Both my grandparents lived into their 90’s. They didn’t have a TV until very late in life, and I can remember when they didn’t—we’d listen to The Grand Ole Opry on the radio, and I remember thinking how neat that was at the time, just like Olden Days.
When I think of not working for paid employment, I think about doing some of these things (on a much smaller scale): gardening, cooking, making things. Of course they did it because that was their lifestyle, but they also, I don’t think, would have lived any other way. Despite the fact that neither of them earned much money, at the end of their lives, even after my grandfather’s stay in a nursing home for a while, they had amassed a tidy sum of money, about $50,000 or so, plus their farm, and I doubt either of them ever made much more than $10 an hour.
I think about how they lived: they never had a mortgage. I’m pretty sure my grandfather always paid cash for his cars. They did a lot of hard work, and were extremely self-reliant. Did they live dreary lives of unending self-sacrifice? I don’t think they saw it that way. I don’t see it that way. They lived close to nature, they had a vast network of friends and family (my grandfather was one of 17 children....). They entertained—not fancy catered parties, but home-cooked pot lucks. They didn’t go on a lot of vacations, but when they did, they’d come to our house or my aunt’s house in Florida.
They were relatively unaffected by the larger goings-on of the world. My mom talks about remembering the end of World War II; times were pretty tough, and they got even tougher when my grandfather got called up. However, the war ended literally when they were packing for him to report for duty, and he got to stay home. (He was luckier than his brother who died over there and is buried in Luxembourg). But whatever went on the world, they owned their house, they had enough food to eat, and lots and lots of skills to see them through, along with a strong network of friends and family with similar values and abilities.
It occurs to me that this type of life, on a much smaller scale, is within my grasp right now. Within most people’s grasp, I think, if they wanted to live it. I find this both reassuring and depressing. It’s sort of depressing that so much of this kind of life is being lost—it makes me sad that my friends can’t fry chicken. That lack of ability (or really, it’s lack of desire, I think, because frying chicken or any kind of cooking is not hard—if you can read, you can cook) seems to be symbolic of something bigger and something being lost. But it’s also reassuring, because financially I’m in good shape, and while I don’t have a lot of things my grandparents did (including so many of their skills!) I have the desire. I’m not giving up my Internet service or my car, but I can use those things (because of my desire) to create something better than working frantically until I drop dead and living on take-out chicken. And not knowing how good homemade chicken can be.
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jacob
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Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
"If you can read you can cook". I like that. I would go so far as to say "if you can watch a youtube video you can do practically everything but rocket science".
A 1950s life ,or a 1870s life for that matter, with antibiotics, modern hygiene, and internet doesn't sound bad to me.
A 1950s life ,or a 1870s life for that matter, with antibiotics, modern hygiene, and internet doesn't sound bad to me.
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saving-10-years
- Posts: 554
- Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:37 am
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Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
@EK Thanks for that post. It reflects much of our thinking too (DH and myself). Many of my female friends are in awe that DH not only can put up shelves but can built in cupboards to my design, a teardrop trailer, and just about anything else we might need that requires carpentry skills. Friends have joked that they would like to apprentice their son to him to learn how to do this. The same friends who PAID someone to come and assemble their IKEA kitchen for them.
He can also sew and cook pretty well although he does not enjoy those things in the same way. I can grow most things and make (knit, sew, crochet, cook) and enjoy doing these things. But they take time and so we have grown in recent years into skipping these things that we enjoy doing and spending money on buying substitutes instead of doing home made, or we start but never finish projects because time runs out. Retirement is going to be delightfully busy for us.
He can also sew and cook pretty well although he does not enjoy those things in the same way. I can grow most things and make (knit, sew, crochet, cook) and enjoy doing these things. But they take time and so we have grown in recent years into skipping these things that we enjoy doing and spending money on buying substitutes instead of doing home made, or we start but never finish projects because time runs out. Retirement is going to be delightfully busy for us.
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steelerfan
- Posts: 127
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2013 3:33 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
Edith
Thanks for the wonderful post. As somebody that is a similar age (52 for me) your remembrance of your grandparents and the lessons you learned from them resonates with me as well. In a way for me ERE reminds me of a simpler time when we were more connected with our family and not scattered everywhere. People did everything for themself and rarely engaged in movies or tv. I always get nostalgic around memorial day weekend anyway. I grew up in Western PA and my family (4 generations) lived together. We lived in the same house with my great grandfather who was born in the late 1870s and was already in his eighties when I was young. My main memory of him was his running threat that he was going to cut my ears off and constant bruises from being pinched. He came over from Czechoslovakia by himself when he was thirteen and went into the mines. Imagine doing that while not speaking the language. He earned passage on a time for the rest of the family. He was kind of mean but there never was any malice in him. I had to bring him his shot of whiskey from the kltchen at 3 pm when I was a little boy.
We had a large garden and I can remember large meals. Most of the recipes are lost and they were never written down. My pap pap (grandfather) also worked the mines and also was a jack of all trades. He did expert woodworking, masonry and made wine which was always gone before it was ready - as he was a drinker! They built their own house and borrowed the money from a rich family. My dad had to deliver the cash once a month. When we moved out my pap pap helped us make our house as well...
My grandfather made me a workbench complete and stocked it with all the tools. I still have the workbench today in my garage but sadly I was never as handy as him. It serves as a reminder of what I have lost. I rarely get back there these days and was lucky to see of few relatives a couple of years ago. They are all fading away now. My kids live in a different world but I was happy to introduce them to those people I love.
I have been doing things more these days. We tend a garden and do home projects like making picnic tables and such. But my parents are across the country my inlaws are far away so the kids don't have the same connection and are not mentored like I was. It makes me happy that people are looking to simplify and get back to the basics. ERE is not about the money but is all about a core way of conducting yourself and connecting to things that matters and shedding all the other BS. Sorry for the long post.
Thanks for the wonderful post. As somebody that is a similar age (52 for me) your remembrance of your grandparents and the lessons you learned from them resonates with me as well. In a way for me ERE reminds me of a simpler time when we were more connected with our family and not scattered everywhere. People did everything for themself and rarely engaged in movies or tv. I always get nostalgic around memorial day weekend anyway. I grew up in Western PA and my family (4 generations) lived together. We lived in the same house with my great grandfather who was born in the late 1870s and was already in his eighties when I was young. My main memory of him was his running threat that he was going to cut my ears off and constant bruises from being pinched. He came over from Czechoslovakia by himself when he was thirteen and went into the mines. Imagine doing that while not speaking the language. He earned passage on a time for the rest of the family. He was kind of mean but there never was any malice in him. I had to bring him his shot of whiskey from the kltchen at 3 pm when I was a little boy.
We had a large garden and I can remember large meals. Most of the recipes are lost and they were never written down. My pap pap (grandfather) also worked the mines and also was a jack of all trades. He did expert woodworking, masonry and made wine which was always gone before it was ready - as he was a drinker! They built their own house and borrowed the money from a rich family. My dad had to deliver the cash once a month. When we moved out my pap pap helped us make our house as well...
My grandfather made me a workbench complete and stocked it with all the tools. I still have the workbench today in my garage but sadly I was never as handy as him. It serves as a reminder of what I have lost. I rarely get back there these days and was lucky to see of few relatives a couple of years ago. They are all fading away now. My kids live in a different world but I was happy to introduce them to those people I love.
I have been doing things more these days. We tend a garden and do home projects like making picnic tables and such. But my parents are across the country my inlaws are far away so the kids don't have the same connection and are not mentored like I was. It makes me happy that people are looking to simplify and get back to the basics. ERE is not about the money but is all about a core way of conducting yourself and connecting to things that matters and shedding all the other BS. Sorry for the long post.
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EdithKeeler
- Posts: 1099
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:55 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
steelerfan, it sounds like you grew up in a great situation--pinches and all!! I hope you're writing down some of these memories. I'm starting to do that as a project with my mother, and it's great hearing her tell stories, and reminding me of things that I was a part of.
saving-10-years, I would love to say that I cook all the time, but I eat out way too much. As with you, there's just not enough time, and I can't wait until there is. I just hope I have enough time to have enough time, you know?
Jacob, I'm with you. I could easily live in the 1800's, or even the 1700's--but with modern hygiene and internet and medical care. And no layers of petticoats, and better situations for women. But the rest of it--yeah. I went to college in Williamsburg, VA and spent lots of time immersing myself in the colonial area. Yeah, it's reenacted, but it's still cool to imagine living like that.
saving-10-years, I would love to say that I cook all the time, but I eat out way too much. As with you, there's just not enough time, and I can't wait until there is. I just hope I have enough time to have enough time, you know?
Jacob, I'm with you. I could easily live in the 1800's, or even the 1700's--but with modern hygiene and internet and medical care. And no layers of petticoats, and better situations for women. But the rest of it--yeah. I went to college in Williamsburg, VA and spent lots of time immersing myself in the colonial area. Yeah, it's reenacted, but it's still cool to imagine living like that.
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EdithKeeler
- Posts: 1099
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:55 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
End of Month Financial Update
Well, it's not quite the end of the month, but I tally my financials at the last paycheck of the month, which was today.
Unhappily, I didn't pay off enough debt; only $727. I had some expenses like Mother's Day, things like that, plus I booked and paid for a short trip I'm taking next weekend. I also was looking at "where the money went" and I ate out a ton, and shopped some, too. I took stock of my summer clothes and realized the stained t-shirts and stuff I have were not going to make it through the summer, nor were some really sad shoes. Didn't spend a lot, didn't buy a lot of "stuff," but enough to make a difference.
I do have some stuff to take to consignment--jeans that are too big (yeah!) that I can't take back, a few other things that are barely worn. A lot more stuff to take to Goodwill.
Very happily, however, my net worth increased by a whopping $11,700 this month. Woot! (That's an extra $38 a month in retirement at the 4% SWR!) About half of that is from my employer's contribution and interest credit to my cash balance pension plan. I include this in my net worth as I'm fully vested in the plan and can take it with me when I leave the company (I think I can roll it into an IRA to avoid immediate taxes), or use it to buy an annuity for retirement. The rest of it is investment gains, mostly in my 401(K). If I could do this every month...
Also received some (sort of...) good news. I've determined that 2 houses very similar to the house I'm renting out are renting for $500 more A MONTH than mine's rented for. That's huge! Now, they may be more updated than mine--I've got a distinct 1972 vibe going on with parts of my house--but I definitely see a rent increase in the future. If my current (very good) tenant stays, I won't screw him over but only raise it slightly, but if he leaves, the new rent is definitely going up at least a couple hundred more a month.
Work is still a drag--parts of it I like, parts I really, really don't. I'm so very underemployed right now, and those days when I get to use my brain, I'm pretty happy. The days I don't--which is most of them--are pretty miserable.
My goal for the coming month is improving fitness and diet. I have not been to the Y in a month, and my eating habits have slipped back to that of a drunken college student, with more wine than beer.
Looking forward to the long weekend--extra long for me, as I'm making it 4 days. Planning to spend lots of time at the park with the dogs, a little bit with family, and I have 2 short story ideas I want to sit down and tackle. May is, in fact, National Short Story Month, so I need to do my thing! I haven't submitted anything for publication in a while, so I might spend a little time trying to find markets and journals for some pieces I have.
I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day Weekend!
Well, it's not quite the end of the month, but I tally my financials at the last paycheck of the month, which was today.
Unhappily, I didn't pay off enough debt; only $727. I had some expenses like Mother's Day, things like that, plus I booked and paid for a short trip I'm taking next weekend. I also was looking at "where the money went" and I ate out a ton, and shopped some, too. I took stock of my summer clothes and realized the stained t-shirts and stuff I have were not going to make it through the summer, nor were some really sad shoes. Didn't spend a lot, didn't buy a lot of "stuff," but enough to make a difference.
I do have some stuff to take to consignment--jeans that are too big (yeah!) that I can't take back, a few other things that are barely worn. A lot more stuff to take to Goodwill.
Very happily, however, my net worth increased by a whopping $11,700 this month. Woot! (That's an extra $38 a month in retirement at the 4% SWR!) About half of that is from my employer's contribution and interest credit to my cash balance pension plan. I include this in my net worth as I'm fully vested in the plan and can take it with me when I leave the company (I think I can roll it into an IRA to avoid immediate taxes), or use it to buy an annuity for retirement. The rest of it is investment gains, mostly in my 401(K). If I could do this every month...
Also received some (sort of...) good news. I've determined that 2 houses very similar to the house I'm renting out are renting for $500 more A MONTH than mine's rented for. That's huge! Now, they may be more updated than mine--I've got a distinct 1972 vibe going on with parts of my house--but I definitely see a rent increase in the future. If my current (very good) tenant stays, I won't screw him over but only raise it slightly, but if he leaves, the new rent is definitely going up at least a couple hundred more a month.
Work is still a drag--parts of it I like, parts I really, really don't. I'm so very underemployed right now, and those days when I get to use my brain, I'm pretty happy. The days I don't--which is most of them--are pretty miserable.
My goal for the coming month is improving fitness and diet. I have not been to the Y in a month, and my eating habits have slipped back to that of a drunken college student, with more wine than beer.
Looking forward to the long weekend--extra long for me, as I'm making it 4 days. Planning to spend lots of time at the park with the dogs, a little bit with family, and I have 2 short story ideas I want to sit down and tackle. May is, in fact, National Short Story Month, so I need to do my thing! I haven't submitted anything for publication in a while, so I might spend a little time trying to find markets and journals for some pieces I have.
I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day Weekend!
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EdithKeeler
- Posts: 1099
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:55 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
Ugh. End of my extra long long weekend, and back to work tomorrow. Strengthening my resolve to get out ASAP or at least find something else to do.
Really enjoyed my time off; lots of outside time with the dogs, a little too much family time, but that was OK, lots of time spent reading, but not enough spent writing. Caught up on my sleep. Lots of chores left undone, but I don't really care.
Really enjoyed my time off; lots of outside time with the dogs, a little too much family time, but that was OK, lots of time spent reading, but not enough spent writing. Caught up on my sleep. Lots of chores left undone, but I don't really care.
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EdithKeeler
- Posts: 1099
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:55 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
Am writing today from a hotel room at the beach. I have a meeting for work nearby on Monday and decided to come down early and enjoy the beach. Of course, it's storming, and supposed to storm all day. Oh well--any day at the beach is a good day. I will go shortly in search of good seafood for lunch.
Before I left town I had to do the usual running around--dogs to kennel, pick up rental car, do some errands. It reminds me that I like traveling--but I hate traveling. If they would invent transporter beam technology, I'd be very happy--beam myself to the beach, beam myself home and sleep in my own bed, drink my own coffee. I used to want to travel all the time, but I didn't do nearly as much as I wanted to back then. Now, I'm not so sure I want to travel all that much. I think I'd much rather do the Winnebago thing and park it in the same area for a long period of time, then move along. But unlike some of the vagabonds I read about, I think I would still need a house as "home base." I'm much more of a homebody than I would have predicted when I was young--I love being at home, in my home town. Not to say I don't enjoy new experiences--I'm not the kind of person who goes to Paris and finds the closest McDonald's, but I just really enjoy home, wherever home might be at the time.
Anyway, first thing this morning, I checked my email and was informed that an out-of-state friend's husband died last night. It was not unexpected--he's had a (fortunately short) bout with cancer. Still, it's a shock. He's about 2 years older than I am. I know her pretty well, but only met him a couple of times. I have to wonder--when he realized the end was near, did he find himself satisfied with his life? Did he accomplish the things in life he wanted to? Was he happy overall?
If I asked myself those questions right now, I don't think my answers would be "yes," at least not as to everything. I need to work on making sure those answers are moving toward "yes." I don't think that they will if I continue on the current path I'm on, but I'm not entirely sure what path will lead me there, either.
I hope my friend's husband's answers were "yes."
Before I left town I had to do the usual running around--dogs to kennel, pick up rental car, do some errands. It reminds me that I like traveling--but I hate traveling. If they would invent transporter beam technology, I'd be very happy--beam myself to the beach, beam myself home and sleep in my own bed, drink my own coffee. I used to want to travel all the time, but I didn't do nearly as much as I wanted to back then. Now, I'm not so sure I want to travel all that much. I think I'd much rather do the Winnebago thing and park it in the same area for a long period of time, then move along. But unlike some of the vagabonds I read about, I think I would still need a house as "home base." I'm much more of a homebody than I would have predicted when I was young--I love being at home, in my home town. Not to say I don't enjoy new experiences--I'm not the kind of person who goes to Paris and finds the closest McDonald's, but I just really enjoy home, wherever home might be at the time.
Anyway, first thing this morning, I checked my email and was informed that an out-of-state friend's husband died last night. It was not unexpected--he's had a (fortunately short) bout with cancer. Still, it's a shock. He's about 2 years older than I am. I know her pretty well, but only met him a couple of times. I have to wonder--when he realized the end was near, did he find himself satisfied with his life? Did he accomplish the things in life he wanted to? Was he happy overall?
If I asked myself those questions right now, I don't think my answers would be "yes," at least not as to everything. I need to work on making sure those answers are moving toward "yes." I don't think that they will if I continue on the current path I'm on, but I'm not entirely sure what path will lead me there, either.
I hope my friend's husband's answers were "yes."
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IlliniDave
- Posts: 3876
- Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:46 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
Tht's a really tough one. Sorry to hear of your friend having to go through the loss. It's definitely a balancing act. Would I rather expend my first X years at 100% efficiency regarding what sort of satisfaction I can get out of it and risk spending an extra Y years dependent on success in the workforce or worse, without ability to sustain myself sans charity of others. Or is 90% or 80% efficiency good enough for the first X years?
If I go in my early 50s (what I infer his age was) there will certainly be things left undone. But at the same time, I don't see myself much regretting the time past, although I may be cranky about getting my time cut short. I'll have to find comfort in having made what I felt were the best decisions given the knowledge I had at the time. Whatever regrets I have on my deathbed are likely already regrets now (or will already be regrets before that day). One of my little mottoes is to start each day where my feet hit the floor when I get out of bed and do the best I can starting from that place. There really is no other choice.
I do hope your friend's husband had a good life. And I hope too that your future will be such that when it's time to answer the questions you can shout, "Yes!'.
If I go in my early 50s (what I infer his age was) there will certainly be things left undone. But at the same time, I don't see myself much regretting the time past, although I may be cranky about getting my time cut short. I'll have to find comfort in having made what I felt were the best decisions given the knowledge I had at the time. Whatever regrets I have on my deathbed are likely already regrets now (or will already be regrets before that day). One of my little mottoes is to start each day where my feet hit the floor when I get out of bed and do the best I can starting from that place. There really is no other choice.
I do hope your friend's husband had a good life. And I hope too that your future will be such that when it's time to answer the questions you can shout, "Yes!'.
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
I wonder if it is good to reach the point of a definitive "yes". It never occurred to me before living here with our seniors, but I've learned that it is possible to reach that point where a person accomplishes all the things they wish to accomplish in life yet they still go on and on and on long after the joy, the excitement, the fear, and the passion for living is gone. I would go happily with a few things left undone if only to avoid spending even a moment cursing a relentlessly beating heart pumping blood through a passionless body.EdithKeeler wrote:I have to wonder--when he realized the end was near, did he find himself satisfied with his life? Did he accomplish the things in life he wanted to? Was he happy overall?
If I asked myself those questions right now, I don't think my answers would be "yes," at least not as to everything. I need to work on making sure those answers are moving toward "yes." I don't think that they will if I continue on the current path I'm on, but I'm not entirely sure what path will lead me there, either.
I hope my friend's husband's answers were "yes."
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jennypenny
- Posts: 6858
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
That's good. You're right, it's ok to always be a little hungry. It makes for good cinema to see someone who is ready to accept death and goes peacefully, but I hope that's not me. I told someone recently that I hope I die standing up--it means I wasn't sitting on my ass waiting for it.Ego wrote: I wonder if it is good to reach the point of a definitive "yes". It never occurred to me before living here with our seniors, but I've learned that it is possible to reach that point where a person accomplishes all the things they wish to accomplish in life yet they still go on and on and on long after the joy, the excitement, the fear, and the passion for living is gone. I would go happily with a few things left undone if only to avoid spending even a moment cursing a relentlessly beating heart pumping blood through a passionless body.
So EK, are you going to share your recipe for fried chicken?
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
Maybe those that curse a relentlessly beating heart are people that have cursed it almost their entire lives?Ego wrote: I wonder if it is good to reach the point of a definitive "yes". It never occurred to me before living here with our seniors, but I've learned that it is possible to reach that point where a person accomplishes all the things they wish to accomplish in life yet they still go on and on and on long after the joy, the excitement, the fear, and the passion for living is gone. I would go happily with a few things left undone if only to avoid spending even a moment cursing a relentlessly beating heart pumping blood through a passionless body.
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EdithKeeler
- Posts: 1099
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:55 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
I recently watched the series "Deadwood" (released on Amazon Prime--free). The show aired on HBO 10 years ago, but it's very watchable (if you're not offended by profanity--Wow!) and the first season is the best. Anyway, it's set in Deadwood, SD when the area was still a territory and the gold rush was starting.
It started me thinking about the pioneers and the people who came west to seek their fortune in one way or another, and in my mind that sort of melded with ERE, because I started thinking about how rough it was, often living in a tent, not a lot of luxuries. I was thinking that there are parallels to ERE--the willingness to undertake some relative hardships for a short period to have your fortune in the end, the willingness to work really hard for a short time to have a longer period of leisure, etc. (Of course, most of those gold seekers ended up broke, even when they hit the mother lode, because they drank it and whored it away... and there's a lesson there, too, for ERE).
Then I started thinking: is that the "frontier" today? By not buying in to consumerist society, by deciding to turn our backs on the world of work in corporate America, are we in effect striking out for the great unknown? If you think about it, we are, especially those of you who are much younger than I am. What will the future hold? Will our investments hold out? Will social security be there when we need it? What is the future of health care in America? How/where will I live? These are much greater uncertainties, much more uncharted territories, than the traditional 9-5 until you're 65 lifestyle. But I suppose like the pioneers we can arm ourselves with good tools and knowledge and skills and prepare as best we can.
And I'm older--I'm only headed as far as the Mississippi River, but some of you are heading all the way out to the Pacific Ocean.
Oh, and since we're talking about pioneers, that reminds me that jennypenny wanted the fried chicken recipe. Here it is:
Dredge your chicken parts (bone in, skin on) in flour and salt and pepper (I always use chicken thighs). Fry in oil (not too much--enough to coat the bottom of the pan, but just) over medium heat until nice and brown, then turn. ONLY TURN ONCE and resist the urge to turn up the heat. Fry until nice and brown, then add about half a cup of water to the pan and cover it and let it cook a while longer, maybe 10 minutes or so. I know it sounds weird, but it doesn't make the chicken mushy, and it does ensure that it cooks all the way through. Take the chicken out, add flour to the pan drippings, then water and a little bit of milk for your gravy. Make sure you stir up all the dark bits from the bottom. Serve with mashed potatoes. YUM.
It started me thinking about the pioneers and the people who came west to seek their fortune in one way or another, and in my mind that sort of melded with ERE, because I started thinking about how rough it was, often living in a tent, not a lot of luxuries. I was thinking that there are parallels to ERE--the willingness to undertake some relative hardships for a short period to have your fortune in the end, the willingness to work really hard for a short time to have a longer period of leisure, etc. (Of course, most of those gold seekers ended up broke, even when they hit the mother lode, because they drank it and whored it away... and there's a lesson there, too, for ERE).
Then I started thinking: is that the "frontier" today? By not buying in to consumerist society, by deciding to turn our backs on the world of work in corporate America, are we in effect striking out for the great unknown? If you think about it, we are, especially those of you who are much younger than I am. What will the future hold? Will our investments hold out? Will social security be there when we need it? What is the future of health care in America? How/where will I live? These are much greater uncertainties, much more uncharted territories, than the traditional 9-5 until you're 65 lifestyle. But I suppose like the pioneers we can arm ourselves with good tools and knowledge and skills and prepare as best we can.
And I'm older--I'm only headed as far as the Mississippi River, but some of you are heading all the way out to the Pacific Ocean.
Oh, and since we're talking about pioneers, that reminds me that jennypenny wanted the fried chicken recipe. Here it is:
Dredge your chicken parts (bone in, skin on) in flour and salt and pepper (I always use chicken thighs). Fry in oil (not too much--enough to coat the bottom of the pan, but just) over medium heat until nice and brown, then turn. ONLY TURN ONCE and resist the urge to turn up the heat. Fry until nice and brown, then add about half a cup of water to the pan and cover it and let it cook a while longer, maybe 10 minutes or so. I know it sounds weird, but it doesn't make the chicken mushy, and it does ensure that it cooks all the way through. Take the chicken out, add flour to the pan drippings, then water and a little bit of milk for your gravy. Make sure you stir up all the dark bits from the bottom. Serve with mashed potatoes. YUM.
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jennypenny
- Posts: 6858
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2011 2:20 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
Thanks! I can't have gluten, so I'll have to see which GF flour works best.
That sounds like how I make sausage. I brown 2" pieces on all sides in a pan with a little oil (usually with peppers and onions). Once it's browned, I add a bottle of beer and cover to cook it through. You can use what's left in the pan as 'sauce' or add some tomato paste to it to make a pasta sauce.
btw ... my trips to Memphis have started. Once DD is settled, we'll get together.
That sounds like how I make sausage. I brown 2" pieces on all sides in a pan with a little oil (usually with peppers and onions). Once it's browned, I add a bottle of beer and cover to cook it through. You can use what's left in the pan as 'sauce' or add some tomato paste to it to make a pasta sauce.
btw ... my trips to Memphis have started. Once DD is settled, we'll get together.
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EdithKeeler
- Posts: 1099
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:55 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
I think I've made the decision to take a "gap year." I have enough cash to do it and maybe a bit longer if I do something to supplement it during that year. Work has gotten pretty intolerable and my heart is just not in it anymore. I need to get a couple of things squared away, but I'm shooting for September, which will be my 10 year anniversary at my employer, or October when I'll celebrate my 50th birthday. It may postpone full retirement for a year or two, but I'm ok with that.
So I have now publically declared my intention. Hold me to it!!
So I have now publically declared my intention. Hold me to it!!
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
That's fabulous! What do you plan to do with the time?
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EdithKeeler
- Posts: 1099
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2013 7:55 pm
Re: Too Old To Retire "Young"
Let's see... finish my 2 novels. Finish the anthology of short stories I've been wanting to finish. (Writing--I'm actually a pretty fast reader, haha!). Tackle the chores and projects I've been wanting to around my house, as well as some for my mother. REALLY address my fitness level. Figure out how to get a little business going that I've had in the back of my mind for a while. Get more involved in the community. Beyond that, no clue. Maybe take that metal art/welding class I've been wanting to do. Work on some spiritual stuff. Take a year to eat/pray/love. Why not?That's fabulous! What do you plan to do with the time?
I want to wait until at least September because that's when my rental house lease is up/renews. I don't want to find myself tenant-less for a couple of months and have to pay the mortgage myself. So I want to make sure that's shored up for another year.
I was having some email correspondence with my friend about this. In his typical way, he said "Just fucking quit. You'll finally be happier and I won't have to listen to you whine about it anymore." (And, I'm ashamed to admit, he's right about this. I DO whine about it). I said "I'm scared." "No shit," he said. "Do it anyway."
He's right. What's the worst thing that can happen? I have to get another job that I hate? OK, that brings me about even to where I am now. It pays less money. Well, OK, lots of people make WAY less money than I do, and somehow they survive.
I've built a very comfortable cage for myself, and for a long time I didn't realize that is, in fact, a cage. Now I know, and I see that someone's opened the door, but I'm afraid to leave. I'm like the guy in "Shawshank Redemption" who's "institutionalized," or unable to live outside of prison.
But I'm also afraid to stay, because I'm angry all the time, it's taking a toll on my health (oh my GOD how sick I am of sitting in a cubicle all day long), and I just hate it. I never work with anyone who's happy--almost every aspect of my work deals with angry, adversarial people or unhappy people who've just had something bad happen to them.
I have worked since I was 15 years old. I've been unemployed twice in my life, both times for less than a month, and both times I voluntarily quit jobs without having anything lined up. I found jobs. And when I up and quit, I had a lot less money and a lot fewer resources than I have now. But now the thought of doing it makes me so nervous! Yeah, I'm older, and yeah, the job market isn't great, especially where I live. But I'm educated, I have an IQ in the 98th percentile, AND I can walk and chew gum at the same time. It'll work out. I have to have more confidence in myself, and quit thinking that all the bad economic and jobs news applies to me personally, which I have a tendency to do, even though it's not logical.