I have about 15 years to go, 53 now. I’ll likely spend most of my time in the woods, making them elven as I do now but much more time to dedicate to it. Lots of gardening, etc. I may start a software automation consulting business.
you know something?
I have friends that work themselves to death and never have an ounce of pleasure because they are chasing this notion of jumping out of airplanes, travelling the world riding motorcycles and I don’t know what at age 65
Hint do that **** while you can, yer 65 and busted up that is why your retired
After retiring from the corporate world, I now work for myself: I founded and operate an IT support business. There is no longer 50 layers of BS between myself and my customers, in fact there are zero layers.
I’m making a shitpile less money than before, but near-zero stress, and the work is much more satisfying and self-fulfilling, and besides, I don’t really need the extra money anyway due to saving and investing. I also continue to do some computer programming for fun, putting most results into the public domain.
we moved back to my husband’s native Philippines. He helped run the rice farm (supervising harvests etc) and I sat around baby sitting my granddaughter.
What you do depends if you are healthy or not.
I will retire next year. These are all interesting stories.
Bkmk
Had sex all day with my 30 year old Ukrainian ex model paramour while we do winters at St Bart’s and Paris and snowy summers on the South Island
It a hard life and I can pretend that’s my retirement all I want
I’ll never retire
Like sleep
When I’m dead
This has been one of the best threads on FR in a while. I have really enjoyed reading what you all are doing or plan to do. Some good advice too. I garden and do outside chores in the warm months. I craft and do ebay too. Some craft items (I make real patchwork quilts and crocheted bedpreads and rugs for dollhouses). Also resell and have downsized many collectibles I had (if they are small items and won’t be too much to ship). Also had a couple of barn sales early on and taken tons to Goodwill. It feels good to ‘let go’ of stuff and lighten the load. I try and read more and just keep busy and with variety.
I retired for a few years. I was bored silly. I gardened, completed a few projects I vowed to complete and then I was offered an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down. I’ll work til I die.
Retired 21 years ago.... went to work because E6 retirement pay is half of what my full pay was. Even with congress passing such hefty cost of living increases it is better than nothing but not enough to live on.
According to my wife, all I do or want to do is hunt and fish. But I’m actually hell with a chainsaw too. Bought forestland on a mountainside in Montana and I’ve been parking it out for the last 12 years. Built two atv bridges over our creek to access our land on the other side, with plans for a third one for next spring. Then finish clearing things out in the creek bottom and put in the hiking trails I promised my wife years ago.
Working on my shooting range too. Nice to be able to drive down a few hundred yards behind the house and crank off a few rounds whenever the mood strikes.
Also cook most everything from scratch, garden and keep a tidy lawn. Reading in the winter rounds out the year.
BTW Reselling is a decent living, but it’s full of challenges.
My wife is selling her rather successful ebay reselling business if you’re interested. It generates $3500 a month now (before ebay fees and shipping) but it’s all on her terms. She does about 2 honest hours of work a day to make that happen.
Lemme know ! She’s selling inventory, ebay presence, business cards, website (gorocktherack .com) and reputation. Or just inventory.
She likes it, but she wants to move on to another market.
The first year was kind of tough. Grieving the loss of the camaraderie at work. by the second year I was writing a wine column for the local entertainment magazine. Now work? What work?
We’re still a few years out, but the Travis McGee’s (Matt Bracken) approach is probably going to resonate with us: Boat, Bahamas, Sun.
I would argue every retired person should form a corporation and then find work for the corporation. The corporation is able to expense lots of stuff...... it’s the American way. (in many states you cn create the corporation your self with out a great deal of effort)
And...... a corporation looks respectable and official.
Among the jobs you have done before, there are skills that can be sold. The corporation becomes a contractor to the client
I’m not advocating working all day everyday. I got up to working on three days but have cut back to only two.
My little business is technical and my clients are large companies.
As one business, my wife is in is Archivist, Genealogical Document Digitalization. Pretty fancy description for working at your computer and cell phone isn’t it? You buy an HP scanner and a slide scanner and change old photos and various paper documents into a digital data base. She had requests and is starting to convert VCR tapes to digital files. The files created are very valuable because they can be shared with kids and grand kids and interested cousins etc.
Customers are current baby boomers that have been given all the old family records and feel guilty about what to do with them. They have money to pay you to relieve them of the burden.
When we reached 75, we decided we were still in good health and the way forward was to keep on keeping on.
I could retire now at 62, but can’t get Medicare until 65.
What do early retirees do about health insurance? Especially with the individual mandate still in force.
Some years back I adopted my wife’s practical idea of acquiring the tools, books and materials for those hobbies I had an interest in doing upon retirement. It became dogma at our house and we have tons of items laid up for different hobbies.
However just after I retired I also picked up a new thing — harmonicas. I played one just a bit, struggling, as a teenager. Never learned any musical instrument.
Do you know that there are five or six major harmonica brands? Do you know that there are about eight different types of harmonicas? Do you know that every type can be made in almost every key? Do you know that amplifiers and microphones are custom made for that harmonica sound?
Well you get the idea: GAS == Gear Acquisition Syndrome. All begun after my income ended — LOL.
Raising livestock allows us to gain agricultural tax exemption for our land, lowering the county property taxes to a small amount.
Selling our bull calves at auction every year brings in enough money to pay for the taxes on our home.
We are having the best time of our lives. Keeps us fit, healthy and motivated.
We've discussed several times that we would probably be in worse off or dead by now if we hadn't picked this physically-demanding lifestyle rather than rocking away on the porch in retirement.
Playing guitar a lot, camping and long hikes/walks(no serious backpacking) in the woods...plan on at least walking 5 miles a day minimum until i can’t. I am easily entertained.