“I was smart enough to save as much as I could over the years, as it helps make retirement (so far) to be less stressful.”
Saving as much as possible, and living way below your means during work years, is so smart. We just saw a movie from 2010 where hotshots making a ton of money lived high off the hog. Company downsized, they were RIFed, and they couldn’t survive for three months. Insane.
Yes, also I was accustomed to lowish expenses, and have been able to live on my Social Security so far, in addition to my tiny corporate pension from many years ago. I combined my older IRA with my 401(k), got into a managed portfolio with a 9% stop-loss feature, that re-sets frequently. Since I haven’t been taking any out (yet) and have no mortgage, it does seem to keep some options open as to future living decisions, etc.
But I remember consciously thinking, years ago, that by NOT eating out for restaurant lunches, I was saving for retirement. It takes a lot of discipline over many years, though.