We're going to cut back. Cut back on the hours worked that is. :)
We've been working half days for a couple years. After this school year ends in late May, we'll take the usual summer off, then come mid August we're gong to go back to work Tues through Fri, half days only. No more Mondays. After roughing out this years (2007) tax picture, and taking some other personal situation changes into account it seems to be the smart thing to do.
I'll be 62 soon enough; still able to do stuff I'm interested in. We may as well take advantage of the time. An extra day to ourselves every week will be nice. Hope I've done the math right. ;D Even with the economy in the tank it should work.
Good for you Don. You've paid your dues, slow down and smell the roses.
My wife and I dedicated ourselves to making a good home for each other and the kids. Raising them was the number one priority. Then came college and again, it was a challenge to get them through. I made our son work for me in his off time to help pay for school (I invested his wages and gave them back to him for a down payment on his house). My daughter did it on her own to her credit.
Anyway.....Our entire life has been dedicated to the family. The Kids are grown, married, have their own homes and we are grandparents. After I got sick, I realized that my wife and I had not ever taken a vacation...never,not even a couple of days. I decided that it was time for us to enjoy a little freedom and do some things WE enjoy.
I can't tell her we'll do it later anymore.....because LATER is here!
I don't know how it happened either Peter, but it does seem like Later is Now. I think I have worked harder physically since I "retired" than I have in years. Feels kind of good.
Don, since you are always running the numbers I suspect you have it right. Good for you! [cool]
Right. Later has arrived and is now the present.
I haven't seen Don miss any numbers. :)
Life is what happens when you're making other plans.
I'm trying to figure out the cost of living question, which also includes taxes. Owning the house you built, growing most of your food, and keeping the lights on with work that doesn't kill you is good. But what I can't figure out yet is how do we cover the medical expenses that come along with getting older?
Yeah, I take care of myself and I'm 42 now. My dad gets Medicare, but I'm not so confident about it being around for me. Plus, counting on the government is not part of the plan. Maybe I haven't dug too deep into that part of the plan because I'm afraid of the answers.
I'll tell you one thing, though. If ever I need in-home care I am not calling them nurses or care-givers. They'll be called farm hands.
"Marcus, wheel me down to the barn. Now feed that steer. Let's go check the hoop houses, then go to the brothel in town. What? City Hall is closed? ..."
... covering medical expenses...
I'm presently covered under my ex-employers plan for as long as I care to pay the monthly premium. My other choice would be getting coverage under my states Health Insurance Alliance. Either way I have about the same monthly cost, just under $500. For now the ex-employer is the better deal with significantly lower copays. That could change year to year.
Or I could go with a strictly catastrophic plan, or go without. Neither of those makes sense to me because of past and ongoing heath issues that demand (strongly suggested to me if I want to remain ahead of the reaper) many $K worth of "inspections" to be done on a annual basis.
I do not include nursing home residence in my list of options should things deteriorate badly.
OMMV
QuoteI do not include nursing home residence in my list of options should things deteriorate badly.
Good for you again Don!!! [cool]
Yeah, my wife and I say that we'll get ourselves matching pistols on our 60th wedding anniversary. The kids don't think it's too funny.
Quote from: Drew on February 01, 2008, 06:41:26 PM
Life is what happens when you're making other plans.
I'm trying to figure out the cost of living question, which also includes taxes. Owning the house you built, growing most of your food, and keeping the lights on with work that doesn't kill you is good. But what I can't figure out yet is how do we cover the medical expenses that come along with getting older?
Yeah, I take care of myself and I'm 42 now. My dad gets Medicare, but I'm not so confident about it being around for me. Plus, counting on the government is not part of the plan. Maybe I haven't dug too deep into that part of the plan because I'm afraid of the answers.
I'll tell you one thing, though. If ever I need in-home care I am not calling them nurses or care-givers. They'll be called farm hands.
"Marcus, wheel me down to the barn. Now feed that steer. Let's go check the hoop houses, then go to the brothel in town. What? City Hall is closed? ..."
Drew don't try to figure out all the stuff first. Just jump in and go for it. I retired at 45(now 56) and still tring to figure out how I did it. You will do what is nessasary to live by and the rest will fall into place. The farm is now paid for and I am still in good health and building another place to sell to cover expences that allways come along. We will work till the day we die but it gives us something to do in the mean time. Mark
Good point, Mark. A lot of things will change along the way. Just the same, I'll keep eating my oatmeal and paying in cash. :)
Comcast went down and just came back up. I was reading "Everything I Want to Do is Illegal" by Joel Salatin. It talks about the laws and how they are stacked against the farmer in the local food arena. I had the pleasure of attending his talk in Point Reyes last weekend. I got to meet the man and shake his hand.
"That book I can't read at night," I told him as he signed my book (I am a fanboy), "It makes me too mad and I can't get to sleep."
We talked and he signed one of my other books, 'You Can Farm'. "I can't read this one at night either. It gets me too excited."
Quote from: Drew on February 03, 2008, 12:12:37 AM
Good point, Mark. A lot of things will change along the way. Just the same, I'll keep eating my oatmeal and paying in cash. :)
Comcast went down and just came back up. I was reading "Everything I Want to Do is Illegal" by Joel Salatin. It talks about the laws and how they are stacked against the farmer in the local food arena. I had the pleasure of attending his talk in Point Reyes last weekend. I got to meet the man and shake his hand.
"That book I can't read at night," I told him as he signed my book (I am a fanboy), "It makes me too mad and I can't get to sleep."
We talked and he signed one of my other books, 'You Can Farm'. "I can't read this one at night either. It gets me too excited."
I can't post a lot of things I would like to tell you but I bet you will figure them out in time. There are lots of things to do to offset the imballance. Mark H.