# At what age did you or will you retire?



## Miss Kay

And by retirement I mean you no longer work outside the home. I'm not talking about hobby income or selling a few animals off the farm. I mean getting a steady paycheck whether it is full time or part time. 

I see two classes of retirees in my area (Arkansas). Either they got too sick to work and went out on disability and are barely getting by or they are still working until they drop. My sister-in-law is 72 and still works a factory job and has no plans to quit because she can't. 

Until last year we lived in the most southern county in Texas and every October our population would boom with what we called "winter Texans". It was retired folks coming from up north, some as far as Canada, to spend the winter months in their big RV's and play their days away. It is an industry that is catered to there. Problem is, fewer and fewer people come each year. As that generation dies out, it seems the ones under them in age do not have the pensions or funds to spend their golden years in leisure. Jobs went from providing pensions to providing 401 (which you have to partly fund) to people changing jobs so often they don't even get medical coverage, much less a pension of any kind. I'm afraid too many must rely solely on social security. 

So how does it look in your world? What do you see in your circle of family/friends?


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## Cabin Fever

I am 66 and still working. I will retire just after my 67th birthday.


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## AmericanStand

At 28 my home my farm my automobiles etc. were all paid for,
My utilities we’re down to less than $50 a month and my taxes were half of that. 
I had $75,000 cash in the bank
And it occurred to me I know longer need to work on anybody else’s schedule. 
I announced to my family that I was retired on the Fourth of July and of course everyone laughed. 
But since that point I only take jobs that interested me or worked on things that interested me or done things that were fun
Weirdly enough by following that criteria I now make a lot more money than I ever did before.
I see no reason to change that until I depart from this planet. 
And good Lord it drives my parents mad. 
Women in particular have had a hard time dealing with my weirdly sporadic income. 
One of my girlfriends left me because she couldn’t deal with always being broke. In the two-year period that I was with her There was never a night we couldn’t go grocery shopping, or to the movies ,out for dinner or buy a car cash. 
But she didn’t see that paycheck every Friday and it really bugged her


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## AmericanStand

Cabin Fever said:


> I am 66 and still working. I will retire just after my 67th birthday.


 I have always gotten the impression that you enjoy your work ,why will you retire at 67?


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## Alice In TX/MO

I am officially retired from teaching now, although I left the classroom in 2004. The Texas system requires that your age and years of experience total 80, so there was a delay on the OFFICIAL retirement date. 

I manage my rentals an a legal trust with investments. 

Mom retired from that job at 83, when she had a stroke. 

I hope to live longer and healthier, so retirement isn’t on my calendar. However, I will draw Social Security at 67.


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## anniew

Once you retire, it is too late to make up the money you should have accumulated when younger. Social security is only a supplement, as is often said, so younger people need to figure out a way to build their nest egg during their working years. I know, circumstances often make things difficult for some, but most of the problem is that people just won't give up their WANTS when younger, to accumulate enough for their NEEDS when retired.
Get a second job, have only the number of children you can afford, grow your own groceries. Don't expect other people to support you if you are able bodied...must also be able thinker!


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## newfieannie

AmericanStand said:


> I have always gotten the impression that you enjoy your work ,why will you retire at 67?


likely because he can and he wants to spend the time he has left with his wife doing all the things they enjoy . my husband enjoyed his job but he couldn't wait to retire and come home to me. he passed a few months away from it at 59. ~Georgia


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## [email protected]

I have often told my wife that in high school there should be a mandatory class where kids are told things like planning for retirement. planned number of children.
how to try to save money. Many families don't discuss things like this with their children. 
I often see good advice from retired people who wish they had done things differently. Let some of those people give the class.


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## AmericanStand

I can’t imagine total retirement. 
First all your friends and family would work you to death .
How Could I miss the colors of spring in West Virginia and Pennsylvania? Spring rains in the desert ? The Colorado yellows of fall ?


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## Oregon1986

Honestly, I have no clue. As of right now,I am a stay at home mom. I imagine as the youngest starts grade school, I will go back to work at least part time. I have not thought much about retirement for myself.


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## emdeengee

The ideal time to start planning your retirement is as soon as you are employed. It takes a long time to save enough to be safe, secure and independent. If you count on a work pension or government social security you could end up like millions with nothing because your pensions were mismanaged by your company or state or because the government cuts social security (has happened in many countries).

If you are a stay-at-home person you need to start your retirement savings just as if you had a full time job - which you do have. Partner pensions can disappear with them or you end up with half or less which is not life sustaining for either of you.


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## Scott SW Ohio

As I posted here a while ago, my employer has allowed me to taper off my hours as I approach retirement. Right now I work three days a week. Without a part-time option I probably would have retired a year or two ago. As it is, I will hang it up for good in February at the age of 61. It would be easy to keep working, but why? We have enough money and lots of other things to do before we die.


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## emdeengee

Both my husband and I have loved our careers but we always planned to retire as soon as financially possible with plans for that retirement. Those plans changed when I got sick. Now we have other plans. 

Many people retire and never get to enjoy that retirement. Acquaintances that we have kept in casual contact with for many decades just retired after both working three years past age 65. He died of a heart attack just a few months into that retirement.

Work is one thing but there are a lot of other things in life. And you can always pick up some extra work after retirement even if just volunteer.

It is also important to do the math. Will working an extra year actually make any difference to your pension amounts? Will the income be that important it once you figure out how much you save by not working and can do other things that you want to do?


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## Oxankle

I had an adversarial civil law enforcement job. I had to deal with people who did not want to see me and wished never to see me again. At 60 I decided it was quit or die, so I retired.


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## Miss Kay

I would assume with this forum more people are prepared than normal but I do not see the generations past the boomers being prepared. Maybe they will kick it into high gear as they get closer but I see them working until they drop. 

I left at 57 and was fortunate enough to have a great retirement with medical. I stay very busy but now I do exactly what I want to do every day of my life. I tell my friends to get out as soon as they financially can because life is too short to give it to an employer. Too many people plan retirement for years and end up sick or dead soon after.


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## mzgarden

We had a plan to move more rural as soon as our kids were moved out. We did that in 2012 and DH retired at the same time, at 52. We had a 5 year plan - I would work for at least 5 more years, he would stay home and bring the new place up to snuff. He can do just about anything, including jacking up the farm house and putting in new floor support beams, releveling the stairway and second floor, re-roofing the barn and house. He even built a two story addition to make the kitchen twice as big and put in a large full bathroom upstairs. We got nearly everything done in 4 years and I retired in 2016 at 58, when yet again I was told to let go perfectly good employees because we were moving work out of the US. I'd had enough of that and I retired after almost 35 years. I watched our granddaughter 3 days/nights a week for the next 2 1/2 years until she went to kindergarten. Our garden got bigger, we got milk goats and chickens, grew us some pigs and he put a green house on the side of the house. He makes furniture and does handyman work. I garden, milk, cook, can, dehydrate, quilt, and volunteer. Together we are active in church, take care of the garden, animals, cut firewood and squaredance. We have more than we need and do as much or as little as we like.


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## AmericanStand

Ff


emdeengee said:


> The ideal time to start planning your retirement is as soon as you are employed. It takes a long time to save enough to be safe, secure and independent. If you count on a work pension or government social security you could end up like millions with nothing because your pensions were mismanaged by your company or state or because the government cuts social security (has happened in many countries).
> 
> If you are a stay-at-home person you need to start your retirement savings just as if you had a full time job - which you do have. Partner pensions can disappear with them or you end up with half or less which is not life sustaining for either of you.


 I pretty much agree with what you said It shows great wisdom but I think a young couple in my line of work could work five years and put away at least half $1 million.
Perhaps as much is twice that. 
Why not do that between the ages of 21 and 26 and then do everything you wanted from then on?


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## HDRider

55

After 35 years behind a desk I thought I would do something different. I loved my old job. Very satisfying.

I now mess with cows, sheep, chickens, dogs, cats and my wife on our little piece of paradise.


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## Cabin Fever

AmericanStand said:


> I have always gotten the impression that you enjoy your work ,why will you retire at 67?


Because my pension plus my social security is more than my current gross salary.


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## Bearfootfarm

I haven't had a "real job" since 2002, when I was 50.


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## ticndig

I retired at age 56 to take care of my elderly mother.
poor sole only lived another 4 months . I'm debt free and feel no need for a job.I get a pension and have real estate holdings. and will get SS in a few years.


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## AmericanStand

Bearfootfarm said:


> I haven't had a "real job" since 2002, when I was 50.


How did you manage to retire at 50?


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## Bearfootfarm

AmericanStand said:


> How did you manage to retire at 50?


Everything I owned was paid for.


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## AmericanStand

That makes a world of difference.


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## CKelly78z

I'm 54 years old with no debt, and a paid off farm. Depending on health care $$ with my pre-existing conditions, I plan to retire at 62 with a 25 year pension, SS, and a sizable 401K/IRA. I will either have to arrange for COBRA, and retire at 63.5, or get reduced rate ACA, at 62.

I see the same problems with most of those I work with (in a factory), they all seem to drive new cars, and Harleys, party away every weekend, and never have 2 nickles to rub together making the same money as me.

I hope to travel South in the Winter, and would look at the Gulf coast in Texas, and Florida.


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## frogmammy

My DH loved his job and always planned to work well into his 70's. He died one month to the day after he turned 61.

Man proposes, God disposes.

Mon


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## Alice In TX/MO

My boys (born in 1975 and 1977) understand preparation for retirement. They are far ahead of their peers. 

Makes me proud.


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## Farmerjack41

Retired eighteen years ago, from 34 years in law enforcement. Age 60 was a manditory age for retirement. Friend from another agency talked me into working part time. ( 2 or 3 days a week) Really enjoyed it so worked to 65. Could work the days and hours I wanted and only worked the road, seldom ever went to the office. Have always farmed also. Am down to 80 acres of hay and am giving a little thought about selling it next year. Everything has been paid for for the past 40 years, so no payments to worry about.


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## Evons hubby

Miss Kay said:


> I'm afraid too many must rely solely on social security.
> 
> So how does it look in your world? What do you see in your circle of family/friends?


I feel sorry for anyone that has to live on social security by itself. What were they thinking for that fifty years? They didn't bother to set anything aside for their upcoming inevitable old age? I retired at about 55, was disabled in 03 at age 52. Kept trying to work up until 06 but was getting dangerous in my profession. (Peddling real estate) not the best dealing with chemo brain short term memory loss when dealing with hundreds of thousands, some times millions of other people's dollars. Long story short, I gave up working,nlived off savings and investment income for couple years, then filed for disability. Three more years before getting that approved. Been drawing the big easy bucks ever since! All $630 a month! It covers the necessities.... Alcohol n smokes, while my investment income goes to luxuries like taxes, food, keeping several vehicles insured and running, feeding 6 cats and a good old dog. Most of my freinds and kinfolk have their homes paid for, a small income from various investments along with their pensions and social security. We ain't rich but we are comfortable. It really helps not having mortgages and other debt sucking you dry.


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## woodsy

62, 6 mos ago went on SS and small pension to boot.
Physically tired from years of labor, building construction mostly.
Looks like it will work with no debt and property paid off, VA health care is a nice bonus and i know that health care is a big expense for most people so lucked out on that.
We live relatively frugally by choice , don't hire out any home repairs/maintenance or snowplowing and I cut firewood from the property every year, wood heat only, DIY solar hot water assist, car , truck , tractor and other equip.repairs done here in the shop 95% of the time. Grow some food like corn and tomatoes, blueberries, apples but buy things in bulk like squash and potatoes this time of year when they are .40 lb 
Living comfortably now but inflation is the scary unknown .


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## Micheal

Quit work in Sept of 2007, drew a paycheck till end of Dec 2007; all due to built-up personal/sick/vac time. 
Officially retired Jan 2008 and haven't looked back since.


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## Esteban29304

I am a disabled vet & had to quit working at 50.


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## AmericanStand

What do you do with your time now ?


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## kinnb

I had to stop working in 2008 for disability reasons at 38-39. I NEVER expected or intended for any of that, nor did I ever expect to stop working in the arts and in my own businesses. 

I now do (and have been doing) volunteer work online, as I am able, for a few different disability/chronic illness related orgs, plus I train my own service dogs. 

I would kill to work again...


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## susieneddy

Susie retired at 66 and I retired when I turned 65. I walked into work right after the Christmas holidays and told them I was retiring. The VP asked when and I said today.


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## Esteban29304

AmericanStand said:


> What do you do with your time now ?


I am 70 now, & stay fairly active. Many things I cannot, or should not be doing. I walk, play with the dog , target shoot with air rifles, metal detecting , fishing, boating, explore/volunteer at archaeological & fossil sites, research genealogy, & more.


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## Sheila58

when my husband and I were younger we had money in the bank didn't owe much and our mortgage was paid off. After having cancer three times, surgeries and being out of work for weeks at a time we don't have much now that we are at retirement age. We will sell our house in Massachusetts and pay cash for something in Tennessee where the cost of living is lower and live as much as we can on SS and just supplement with what we have in bank.


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## Scott SW Ohio

Sheila58 said:


> when my husband and I were younger we had money in the bank didn't owe much and our mortgage was paid off. After having cancer three times, surgeries and being out of work for weeks at a time we don't have much now that we are at retirement age. We will sell our house in Massachusetts and pay cash for something in Tennessee where the cost of living is lower and live as much as we can on SS and just supplement with what we have in bank.


Sheila, welcome to HT. Tennessee sounds like a pretty good choice for retirement. Whereabouts are you looking?


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## NCGarden

58 - started saving money at 22, paid off my small farm and all other debt, and then retired from my job while I was young enough to enjoy it. I "work" harder now than I ever did taking care of the farm and running a small fiber business, but I love every minute of my time now. The plan is to live off my savings and whatever small income the business generates.


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## JeepHammer

Miss Kay,
I'm probably never going to stop working outside the home, I'll still help folks with homesteading & solar installation simply because I enjoy it.

In January 2020, I'm 60, I hand the keys over to my business, but like the guys that used to work there, I'm likely to stop in, loaf, help out of they need it, work on my own little projects.


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## Skandi

Since the criteria is working outside the home 34. I do earn some money from home selling vegetables, but only enough to cover land and building taxes/insurance and pay for a car. Husband is on disability and we have no debts and own our house/land outright. 
I see no reason to work for money I do not need, time is the resource that is limited in life and once it's wasted making money for someone else you can never get it back.


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## Sheila58

Scott SW Ohio said:


> Sheila, welcome to HT. Tennessee sounds like a pretty good choice for retirement. Whereabouts are you looking?


Hi Scott We are looking in central to eastern Tennessee. We want no less than 15 acres and will probably get a fixer upper. Everything I have found so far has sold pretty quick but we don't want to make an offer until we have a solid offer on our home.


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## Scott SW Ohio

Well, good luck with your relocation. I lived in and around Knoxville for a few years in the early 1980s and liked that part of the state very much.


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## TxGypsy

I retired the first time at 35. I needed more deductions on my taxes so I decided to 'work' at my passion of beekeeping. Be danged if I didn't make more doing that than I did before I retired lol. I retired from beekeeping 2 years ago due to health reasons. I'm 48. Yes bad health young sucks but thank goodness I've been retired and lived some adventures! 
I have always said I saved my way into retirement and it's true. My goal over the last 13 years has been to minimize my living expenses. Moving to Mexico was the ultimate step in that direction. Unlimited cell phone(free unlimited calling to all if north America), electricity, condo fees, water, high speed internet (90 Mbps), home phone, property taxes and the additional fee for owning premium property close to the beach, groceries, gas and insurance run me about $300 per month. My boat slip is by far my biggest expense as it is around $400. Not even going to mention upkeep. A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into and I knew that before I bought it. So not counting the expensive hole in the water, I live a very nice quality of life for very little with the current exchange rate my expenses are probably under $300 a month. 
Of course I spend more than that but if I needed to I could get by on that.


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## HDRider

TxMex said:


> I retired the first time at 35. I needed more deductions on my taxes so I decided to 'work' at my passion of beekeeping. Be danged if I didn't make more doing that than I did before I retired lol. I retired from beekeeping 2 years ago due to health reasons. I'm 48. Yes bad health young sucks but thank goodness I've been retired and lived some adventures!
> I have always said I saved my way into retirement and it's true. My goal over the last 13 years has been to minimize my living expenses. Moving to Mexico was the ultimate step in that direction. Unlimited cell phone(free unlimited calling to all if north America), electricity, condo fees, water, high speed internet (90 Mbps), home phone, property taxes and the additional fee for owning premium property close to the beach, groceries, gas and insurance run me about $300 per month. My boat slip is by far my biggest expense as it is around $400. Not even going to mention upkeep. A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into and I knew that before I bought it. So not counting the expensive hole in the water, I live a very nice quality of life for very little with the current exchange rate my expenses are probably under $300 a month.
> Of course I spend more than that but if I needed to I could get by on that.


Could you start a thread about your experiences living in Mexico?


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## TxGypsy

HDRider said:


> Could you start a thread about your experiences living in Mexico?


I can do that.


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## Fishindude

Sold the construction business and retired from full time work at end of 2017, 58 years old. Still do plenty of farm work and serve on the board of a business, plus have some "working investments", but no more dealing with clients, suppliers, employees, meeting deadlines and all that other stuff that gives you grey hair.


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## dyrne

Maybe it's my age (30-40) but I can't imagine retiring. If you work a 9-5 that you don't enjoy, getting enough to be independent and make your own way seems like the goal to have but I think a person is what they do so even then, there should be work. I would hope that when I am a grandfather I will still be contributing to the world. Leisure doesn't interest me except as a hobby. I was lazy and worthless enough right after high school and in my early 20s. I don't ever want to feel that directionless again.


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## TxGypsy

dyrne said:


> Maybe it's my age (30-40) but I can't imagine retiring. If you work a 9-5 that you don't enjoy, getting enough to be independent and make your own way seems like the goal to have but I think a person is what they do so even then, there should be work. I would hope that when I am a grandfather I will still be contributing to the world. Leisure doesn't interest me except as a hobby. I was lazy and worthless enough right after high school and in my early 20s. I don't ever want to feel that directionless again.


LOL....there have been many times when I wished I could go back to 'work' so I could have a break! If you are lazy and worthless you will be so whether you are punching a time clock or not. If you are industrious you will be the same when you retire. The difference is that you work at what you want to work at and your time is more flexible.


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## JeepHammer

While looking forward to building a greenhouse and drowning fishing bait, I got 'Drafted' to help with Corona virus shipments.

It seems there weren't enough people with proper licencing and without felonies to haul emergency & now high value loads, particularly to corona virus 'Hot Spots', 
And now that a trailer load of meat has shot up to $400,000 there is a shortage of people capable of passing background checks to get approved/bonded to do that work.

While I see everyone NOT wearing a mask, distancing, doing the disinfecting thing, they want a disabled, old, pre-existing condition, compromised immune system that didn't get felonies to continue to feed them, bring medicine, energy, and everything else that makes their self-absorbed, selfish lifestyles possible...

And being one of the 'Lucky' ones that had all the background checks, could pass the bonding process, and held a Commercial Licence with the correct boxes checked, I'm hauling everything that keeps these whiners fed, clothed, fueled and healthy...
All the while THEY are doing their level best to get in the way, infect me, and generally work 180° opposed to getting over/past this mess.

I live WAY out past street addresses, have plenty of land, my own water & power, and having had my tail run off since February, I'm very close to telling everyone to fend for themselves.
I don't have to see another human for weeks on end if I don't want to, and that's sounding better all the time!
It's hard to try and help people that won't help themselves, seems like a loosing proposal from the outset and on face value...

And to top it all off, not having more than 36 hours off every couple of weeks, I get a letter from the county about weeds!
I don't get to pick those 36 hours, and we have had a LOT of rain, so mowing is difficult, mowed yesterday and this morning in the rain to keep the county off my butt...
Being an emergency service driver with no scheduled time off made no difference to them.

Nothing like having raw meat with a shelf life of hours in the back and some tourists with nothing better to do that plug up the highway while jabbering on the phone hold you up, brake check you, generally be a prick because they have nothing better to do! 

I sure hope people listen soon, or get that big syringe of bleach, either way it will make emergency services workers much happier that didn't get a choice in this and have to get out among the science deniers and politically motivated morons to do their jobs.


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## Bearfootfarm

JeepHammer said:


> Nothing like having raw meat with *a shelf life of hours *in the back and some tourists with nothing better to do that plug up the highway while jabbering on the phone hold you up, brake check you, generally be a prick because they have nothing better to do!


They have these trucks now called "reefers".....


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## tripletmom

58 after almost 40 years with an insurance company. They sent work overseas, offshoring and outsourcing and it became untenable.


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## CKelly78z

CKelly78z said:


> I'm 54 years old with no debt, and a paid off farm. Depending on health care $$ with my pre-existing conditions, I plan to retire at 62 with a 25 year pension, SS, and a sizable 401K/IRA. I will either have to arrange for COBRA, and retire at 63.5, or get reduced rate ACA, at 62.
> 
> I see the same problems with most of those I work with (in a factory), they all seem to drive new cars, and Harleys, party away every weekend, and never have 2 nickles to rub together making the same money as me.
> 
> I hope to travel South in the Winter, and would look at the Gulf coast in Texas, and Florida.


So...six months later, and I still have this planned, but lost initially about 20% of my 401K from this virus scare, stock market drawback. I am recovering quickly, but the future outlook for businesses, and financials looks bleak for the remainder of this year.


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## MrSteve

i retired at 62 after quiting my truck driving job. Tired of being on call 24/7 with no certain day off. Might go in and told to go home. Or think your off today then get a phone call and your gone for a week. Expected to make runs you legally cant do. Last time that came up i made the decision, no more, and i went home. Its not been easy going from making 70k to 17k. But ive got plenty of time for things i never had time for and plenty of time to do nothing. I only was a driver for about 12 years and still hold my cdl but medical issues keep me from driving in the time being or working at any other job. I get by ok.


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## emdeengee

I retired officially about 3 years ago but was not working much for years before that due to illness. My husband will retire later this summer but he has over 20 years of vacation and sick time benefits that he never used so because of his contract will be on payroll until all of that time is used up which will be months. This is great as he will be on full salary as well as have all benefits. He was given the choice of taking time or monetary compensation. In one lump sum which would have disappeared in taxes. No, thank you.


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## Jenn

AmericanStand said:


> I can’t imagine total retirement.
> First all your friends and family would work you to death .
> How Could I miss the colors of spring in West Virginia and Pennsylvania? Spring rains in the desert ? The Colorado yellows of fall ?


First of all "No." or "Sorry can't help you." are complete sentences. Second of all why would you miss all that travel and beauty? Keep going there even after you retire, with more time to enjoy it- though as a veteran with 7 years overseas I know working somewhere new for 4 years lets you see it a lot better than visiting it for a week or two. But I understand- I returned to work to get out of the many volunteer jobs I'd saddled myself with. I'll try to avoid the same trap this time.


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## Miss Kay

Well, thought I'd drop in and give an update. After six years of retirement and plenty of adventures, I finally got bored. We finished building our house (or actually rebuilding from the studs) on our 60 acres last September and then the world went into lockdown. We had gone from working on that house every single day, all day, to sitting in our lovely new home watching day time TV. We sold all our animals when we left Texas 3 years ago so we didn't even have them to look after. It was a long, wet, cold, and lonely winter but then spring finally came and we got our shot of freedom. I gardened until the heat became too much and a nasty spider bite on my leg put out the desire to garden for now. I no longer had a reason to get up or get dressed. There was no where else I wanted to travel, nothing else I wanted to try cooking for the first time, not a book or old movie left I wanted to experience. As much as I love my husband, he's never been much on conversation so I felt my brain was soon going to turn to mush. I got on my computer and started playing with the idea of looking for a local job. It had to be an office job, in the nearest town to us (15 minute commute), no weekends or evenings, etc. and low and behold I saw one. So I filled out the application, hit send, and got a call 30 minutes later for me to come in and was hired. I never ever thought I would again but I have enjoyed having a purpose and ladies to bond with at work. If it ever gets stressful or the boss irks me I'm gone but so far I'm enjoying it. I didn't need the money so I'm putting 100% of my check in the savings so I don't get used to it. I have no idea how long I will do this but for now, it is filling a void.


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## Lisa in WA

Sounds like a great idea and I’m glad you checked in. Any current pictures of the finished house?


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## HDRider

A person needs a purpose. I appreciate the update. I am in kind of the similar situation.

All the best to you @Miss Kay


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## Wellbuilt

I was in line to retire at 55 but 08 hit and things have not been to good for me. 
my wife has been sick for 5/6 years
It took me 6 years to build my cabin . 
I picked up 2 little kids 10 years ago 13years old now , so I have 4/5 more years till they get out of school ? 
All my kids are 24 and up .
I have 2 girls that are 17/19 but they are not ready to move out they will need more time home and one may never live on her own 🤷‍♂️
I will probably have to sell my youngest son with the house but he has a job at the school down the road .
It sure seams like saving money my whole life was a wast of time the inflation is killing it .
I do own 3 homes out rite and some land but the taxes are steep here in NY .
The way thing are going my social Security will be enough money to pay off a bar tab 😳
So im just taking jobs I can do alone for now .
I mite just move to the cabin and hang a shingle out and start working there doing some thing 😊 i could just visit the family on the week end 🤗


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## Clem

I quit working the first time, around 48-50 years old. 2 years later, my best pal, and long time employee would come around every Saturday, we'd talk about lotta things, but mostly work and the people we hung with when we were a going concern. So, I opened back up for a couple years, shooting for 20 hours a week, ended up at 60 hours instead, and quit working again, this time for good, at 53. 

Which is exactly where everything went wrong. The house burned down. Momma died. I hired my buddy again, we built a new house, and then my son got seriously ill, and after that my wife got seriously ill. 

House burned down. Momma died. Son nearly died. Wife did die. All that stuff hit me for somewhere in the half-million dollar area. 
I stayed retired, but the 5 gallon bucket of hundred dollar bills turned into a half pint of nickels and pennies.


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## Wellbuilt

Yep could of happened to any one . Sorry to here that


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## Pony

I resigned my position when I was 60 years old. Life became too challenging for me to continue the kind of work I was doing, and I had to give my soul a rest from soul-sucking work. 

I still raise the animals here on our little 'stead, and maintain the gardens and household. Tried going back to the office one day a week for a while there, but then got hit with the CCP Virus, and lost an entire 6 weeks. Haven't been able to go back to the office since, though the thought has crossed my mind on occasion. 

Still haven't figured out what I'm going to in the next few months, but feel the need to do _something._


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## GTX63

This thread has a little green growing around the sides so I may already have posted.
Retirement begins when they mix me in with the remaining cat litter to save a trip into town for another day.


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## Miss Kay

I'm so sorry to hear about all that Clem. No one knows what tomorrow can bring. Sometimes it's great, other times not so much. I'm glad I did retire when I did. For 6 years we did all those things that people dream about all their life and we were still young enough to enjoy it. It's just I've been there, did that. I think at our age the key is to take what comes our way and get busy living for tomorrow. I hope you have found new ways to bring joy and fulfillment into you life.


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## Clem

No, life is just life. While I went through several bad things in just a few years, I've also gone through several good things. All told, I'm well ahead.
When I quit working, I mean that I quit working for pay. I am sure that for 16 years or so, I did more work around here than I did in the 16 years prior to that, with the difference that instead of working to survive, then working to get ahead, I've been working to make the my life fit to my hopes and dreams of life.

The last 5 years, I've been gearing down, because I have a huge(for one individual) orchard and garden. And have converted 2 bedrooms to food storage. I joke around with my daughter "Here's your inheritance. Dump the food, wash out the jars, and sell them on craigslist." Occasionally I'll run across a jar of something that's dated 2007 or so(The first fully functional year after the housefire). Even now, I'll have an increasingly rare year in which the orchard overflows, like last year, and put up a thousand or so quarts of peaches, or something to that effect. I hate to see food go to waste(having been raised in a different time) and it has gotten bizarrely difficult to give away produce. 

I miss the woman. I have tried a few times in the 11 years since she died, but the man/woman dynamic has changed since the 60's and 70's into some form of warfare and duplicity that don't much suit me.

And although life was expensive at times, and I have always paid the bills, I managed to survive. I always find solace in numbers, they're the standard of honesty, they never lie. You never find a 3 pretending to be an even number, like 4, right?? And, I noticed patterns, all around me. I suppose that in some cases, that's insanely paranoid thing to say. However, not in stock markets! So, every day presents me with the opportunity to make more money than I use to make in a year. So, financially, i guess I am OK. But, I don't need money for anything. Social Security sent me a check for $494 a month, which over the years has grown to $655. After I pay my bills, I still have around 400 to buy everything I need, and I don't need anything! I do splurge now and spend around $40 a month on groceries. I raise most of what I eat, and make an alarming amount of stuff from scratch...including mayonnaise!! Martha Stewart ain't got nothing on me!!!
I've driven about 500 miles in the last 3 years. Had to buy a few parts for the mower, tiller, and some other gas tools. My life is, for the most part, mine. I could never have what I want and need if I'd not given myself the opportunity to stop working for dollars and start working for enjoyment. After all, people would have still gotten sick, still died had I been still working. But I'd never had the time to put into reaching my goals.

I feel like an aging King Arthur in a crumbling Camelot. Walking through the orchard at the crack of dawn picking a couple of Japanese persimmons finally ripening after a couple frosts wondering if I should can them, knowing full well I've got thousands of quarts and pints of canned fruit already...then going back in to check if the internet has anything good. I share the easy chair with my sleepy little chupacabra who is now 14 years old. Then I just rare back and laugh and laugh. Not the cruel mocking laugh that is so commonplace now. A deep laugh that comes from a contentment that can't even be put into words.

Nobody, ever, has had a better life than I have, and the last 20 years have been the best. So far.


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## Scott SW Ohio

Miss Kay, thanks for the update. It's nice to hear that you are enjoying your new career.

I retired at 61, almost two years ago, from a fairly stressful job dealing with difficult people. Since then my wife and I have renovated and sold two houses (we love old houses!) and we are casually looking for the next project. We like working together and setting our own standards and goals. I don't miss having a boss at all. The fact that we are financially independent means we can do what appeals to us, not what we must do for the money. It's a good place to be.


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## 101pigs

TxMex said:


> I retired the first time at 35. I needed more deductions on my taxes so I decided to 'work' at my passion of beekeeping. Be danged if I didn't make more doing that than I did before I retired lol. I retired from beekeeping 2 years ago due to health reasons. I'm 48. Yes bad health young sucks but thank goodness I've been retired and lived some adventures!
> I have always said I saved my way into retirement and it's true. My goal over the last 13 years has been to minimize my living expenses. Moving to Mexico was the ultimate step in that direction. Unlimited cell phone(free unlimited calling to all if north America), electricity, condo fees, water, high speed internet (90 Mbps), home phone, property taxes and the additional fee for owning premium property close to the beach, groceries, gas and insurance run me about $300 per month. My boat slip is by far my biggest expense as it is around $400. Not even going to mention upkeep. A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into and I knew that before I bought it. So not counting the expensive hole in the water, I live a very nice quality of life for very little with the current exchange rate my expenses are probably under $300 a month.
> Of course I spend more than that but if I needed to I could get by on that.


Have a Son living in Mexico. Works for the government. Good pay and has own house paid for. He does like it there. I go and see him once a year and he and family comes to see me once a year. Except the past year. We will wait a year and see how the Covid is doing. Love the fishing in Mexico. Son has a boat.


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## unioncreek

I retired a week ago at age 62. I was a federal employee that wasn't going to get vaccinated. But, I was luck that I could retire even though it's earlier that I had wanted.

Bob


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## LostCaper

I was to stressed so left my career in information system when I was 50 years old. My wife of 33 years and I moved back the beautiful 23 acres property that she grew up on. Here we are developing the overgrown farm. So far we built a green house, put in big gardens, made storage bins, cut alot of trees, and plan to build a cabin by the shore. Guess that is a good start. I post my progress on my youtube channel. 

I am not a rich man by no means. I supplement my income with my tractor by blowing snow, fixing driveways and helping the neighbours with their projects. 

Feel free to check it out. 
Green Acres Homestead.


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## bpmahagan

I'm obviously very late to this party but wanted to add our story as well.

We retired in the spring of 2015. I was 58 and Susan was 59. We had only been "an item" for about 15 months. We both had friends who had died way too young and decided it was time to spend more time enjoying life. We were both blessed to have made good money in our careers and had made some decent financial decisions along the way. Someone convinced me to invest $100 a month when I was in my mid 20's. When I saw how much I had saved a decade later I increased the amount and continued to do so as my salary increased for the rest of my working years.

On my last official day of work I was on a plane and the lady next to me began a conversation. When she got around to asking me what I do for a living I told her that "Actually, today is my last day. My girlfriend and I are quitting and running away from home." She proceeded to tell me that we were being very smart. She told me that she and her husband had planned their retirement around traveling to all the places they wanted to see. After their first trip, he feel ill and they hadn't been able to travel again. She told me to do it now while we were still young and healthy. 

So, what did we do with our time? We started off by buying a sailboat. We lived on her for a year, six months of that in the Bahamas. This is not as expensive as you might think. And when you sell most of your worldly posessions excepting the boat and clothes, you will give yourself some extra cash. We had a reasonable idea of what it was costing us to live on the boat each month so the often heard question was "Do we want to buy x or spend y more days living like this?" Couch it like that and you'll find it easier to be frugal.

After a year on the boat we sold it and bought a truck and travel trailer. We spent a couple of years living in the trailer, making a trip through the Western US and then later driving to Alaska. At the same time we had been looking for some land to build a house. On our return from Alaska we bought forty acres in East Texas and started building. Four years later we're still not finished but getting closer. We moved out of the travel trailer and into the house as soon as we were dried in and had water, sewer, electricity and air conditioning (it is Texas after all). As we've worked on the house we've put in a good sized garden, small orchard and vineyard, and added chickens and turkeys.

We have been very lucky. We went several years with zero medical insurance, until we began building the house. The chances of a severe injury were greatly increased during construction. We have also made some of our own luck through hard work and saving. Listening when told the importance of saving money in the early years made this all possible. I saved with the idea that social security would no longer be available by the time I retired.

The moral of the story; If it's too late for you, at least impress on your kids and grandkids how important it is to save when you are making money for those days when you aren't.

Throughout our adventure I have been doing a blog. If you are interested after suffering through this long diatribe you can check out the blog svgoodmorningvietnam.blogspot.com 

Brian


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## Alice In TX/MO

Excellent post!!


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## Danaus29

I wish I had been able to persuade my hubby to save some money starting way back when we were young. Unfortunately he is one of those people that just cannot leave money set. He will be working until he drops dead at work.


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## LostCaper

Pony said:


> I resigned my position when I was 60 years old. Life became too challenging for me to continue the kind of work I was doing, and I had to give my soul a rest from soul-sucking work.
> 
> I still raise the animals here on our little 'stead, and maintain the gardens and household. Tried going back to the office one day a week for a while there, but then got hit with the CCP Virus, and lost an entire 6 weeks. Haven't been able to go back to the office since, though the thought has crossed my mind on occasion.
> 
> Still haven't figured out what I'm going to in the next few months, but feel the need to do _something._


man that is tuff. I know what you are going through. I was force to quick at 50. Doing some home steading and some snowplowing with my tractor. I also have a small pension.


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## LostCaper

bpmahagan said:


> I'm obviously very late to this party but wanted to add our story as well.
> 
> We retired in the spring of 2015. I was 58 and Susan was 59. We had only been "an item" for about 15 months. We both had friends who had died way too young and decided it was time to spend more time enjoying life. We were both blessed to have made good money in our careers and had made some decent financial decisions along the way. Someone convinced me to invest $100 a month when I was in my mid 20's. When I saw how much I had saved a decade later I increased the amount and continued to do so as my salary increased for the rest of my working years.
> 
> On my last official day of work I was on a plane and the lady next to me began a conversation. When she got around to asking me what I do for a living I told her that "Actually, today is my last day. My girlfriend and I are quitting and running away from home." She proceeded to tell me that we were being very smart. She told me that she and her husband had planned their retirement around traveling to all the places they wanted to see. After their first trip, he feel ill and they hadn't been able to travel again. She told me to do it now while we were still young and healthy.
> 
> So, what did we do with our time? We started off by buying a sailboat. We lived on her for a year, six months of that in the Bahamas. This is not as expensive as you might think. And when you sell most of your worldly posessions excepting the boat and clothes, you will give yourself some extra cash. We had a reasonable idea of what it was costing us to live on the boat each month so the often heard question was "Do we want to buy x or spend y more days living like this?" Couch it like that and you'll find it easier to be frugal.
> 
> After a year on the boat we sold it and bought a truck and travel trailer. We spent a couple of years living in the trailer, making a trip through the Western US and then later driving to Alaska. At the same time we had been looking for some land to build a house. On our return from Alaska we bought forty acres in East Texas and started building. Four years later we're still not finished but getting closer. We moved out of the travel trailer and into the house as soon as we were dried in and had water, sewer, electricity and air conditioning (it is Texas after all). As we've worked on the house we've put in a good sized garden, small orchard and vineyard, and added chickens and turkeys.
> 
> We have been very lucky. We went several years with zero medical insurance, until we began building the house. The chances of a severe injury were greatly increased during construction. We have also made some of our own luck through hard work and saving. Listening when told the importance of saving money in the early years made this all possible. I saved with the idea that social security would no longer be available by the time I retired.
> 
> The moral of the story; If it's too late for you, at least impress on your kids and grandkids how important it is to save when you are making money for those days when you aren't.
> 
> Throughout our adventure I have been doing a blog. If you are interested after suffering through this long diatribe you can check out the blog svgoodmorningvietnam.blogspot.com
> 
> Brian


Great post. Save money...Words of wisdom that I wish I listen to. You sure did some adventures on the early years of your retirement. Sound like you played it smart. Again great post.


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## LostCaper

bpmahagan said:


> svgoodmorningvietnam.blogspot.com


I check out your blog. Very nice. Nice writer. Glad you are getting some traveling in.


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## Missouri Reading

I used to think I would work until I died, because I looked at my grandfather, who stopped walking on his own five years ago, and tears came to my eyes. But now he's working with a psychologist and I don't think retirement is such a bad thing.


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## muleskinner2

I will retire, when they nail the lid closed, and bury the box.


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## Pony

muleskinner2 said:


> I will retire, when they nail the lid closed, and bury the box.


I used to have an acquaintance who said, "I'll retire when the Lord calls me home."

We must always be as productive as possible.


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## bpmahagan

Pony said:


> We must always be as productive as possible.


Retired does not equal non productive.


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## Pony

bpmahagan said:


> Retired does not equal non productive.


There's a difference between "productive" and "busy."

After they retired (has it been almost 20 years ago?), my in-laws became very busy, but not really productive. That lasted for a few years, but now their focus has shifted.


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## Summerdaze7

I am newly retired, as of June 30th, a little b4 full retirement age. I haven't gotten my first SS check. 
I told my workplace in March that I planned to retire May 1st. Later in the afternoon the HR lady and my supervisor called me to a meeting and offered a double raise plus a nice bonus if I would stay until 6/30 and keep training a lady for my position.
I really liked my job, and I also felt the offer was too good to pass up! 
They had a nice luncheon for me, and I even got to pick the food. On my last day, the HR lady and my supervisor, (both friends) and 2 other friends from work went to a french cafe for lunch. It was the perfect way to exit! (I received some nice parting gifts as well, which was a pleasant surprise.) 

Since I've retired, I've been camping with friends in Amish country, gotten together with family for a cookout at Tycoon Lake, went out with a friend for a movie and Indian food, been on a couple road trips, and drove out to look at a property a little over an hour away, and met with realtor.

I bought a new van last June, and I plan on putting in a solar setup, etc.. and I have a building out back that I thought I might try a small business in.
I have a LOT if interests, so don't think I'll get bored anytime soon!


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## Montanarchist

I Shrugged at 32. Kinda like retiring, except I worked for myself founding, building, and running this homestead while not giving taxes to the beast that is killing us all.


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## 012345

Will retire from the corporate world at 55. Will retire from working the farm I'm building when dead.


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## LostCaper

I retired at 60. Can no longer afford to stay retired so I do stuff I like…firewood, snow removal and other tractor jobs.


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## harrylee

LostCaper said:


> I retired at 60. Can no longer afford to stay retired so I do stuff I like…firewood, snow removal and other tractor jobs.


I semi-retired at 55 due to my workplace shutting down. I did odd jobs for 3 years like lawncare etc, but it didn't make any money. I then started a driving job for NAPA, mostly part time but enough to keep me busy. I did that until this year when I turned 70. I enjoyed it but my legs didn't....lol
I am adapting to retired life with my 1 acre property to keep me busy. The money does seem to be the biggest problem these days.


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## Adirondackian

Im "retired" at 50 but working the small farm and other "gigs" for extra money. Off to do a roofing job later today so much for being "retired". The word 'retired' itself is too narrow, more like Ive down-shifted.


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