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Thinking about retirement


petitepedal

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13 minutes ago, petitepedal said:

I keep thinking it would be nice to be in a small house someplace rural or at least smaller town then large metro area...Where I could slow down and enjoy life and have a small garden....watch birds...maybe have a doggie....Hmmmmm I gotta work on that lotto

Cheese could probably find you a nice little country cottage.

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13 minutes ago, JerrySTL said:

I hope not. June 5th is my last day if not sooner. I've been looking for my replacement so that I can quit earlier. 

 

12 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Just think........if you stay a bit longer and continue to pay into social security how many friends you will have.

I can start collecting SS in two and a half years so keep building the pot

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Life is uncertain, which is why we are working hard to slow down on working.  We will still do side slings and part time, for probably another 10 years. The less you spend today, the more you can place into a retirement account/emergency fund. It gives you peace of mind.  

Once you get that condo paid off, it should be smoother sailing, right? 

This is also the draw of many to the tiny home plan.  

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I hear these discussions when we have family get togethers often but I think my older siblings forget I’m not their age.  

No I’m not even thinking about retirement yet. Planning yes but counting the days, not even close.  Actually I’m mentally preparing myself for one more job change before I retire.  I hope I can ride out my existing job 10-12 years but the volatility of my industry & the age of our owner puts the likelihood of a ownership change before I retire high.  

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36 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

I hear these discussions when we have family get togethers often but I think my older siblings forget I’m not their age.  

No I’m not even thinking about retirement yet. Planning yes but counting the days, not even close.  Actually I’m mentally preparing myself for one more job change before I retire.  I hope I can ride out my existing job 10-12 years but the volatility of my industry & the age of our owner puts the likelihood of a ownership change before I retire high.  

It's abit reverse..not that there's much discussion when we all get together. It's more individual siblings initiating the discussion with me (because I'm the oldest, hence more eligible to retire sooner), by each asking me one-to-one, when I plan to retire.  I give them the vague year which prompts them to say:  I want to retire abit early too.  And they mean it: they are each, tired. These sisters are each primary breadwinners with several children each.  One of them wants to retire at 55 which I think is slightly crazy 'cause her children will still be in high school.

No, unlike petite, I need continue to live close to services and alternative transportation options wherever I am. So a big to medium sized city. I can't expect this from a small town.

Dearie chose not renew his driver's license last spring. I'm certain folks here in this forum, would consider it disastrous.  It isn't 'cause he and I never had a car for past 30 yrs.

In the 2 cities, we live within 15 min. walk of 3 different major grocery stores in each city, walking distance to doctor, dentist, recreational centre (I don't use mine.) 1 block away is major park system/MUP routes that extend over 50-100 km. if you know how to connect routes,...etc. (which we do cycle such distances, most of the time away from car roads).   His opthamologist is 15 min. walk.  Hospital for him can get there by 20 min. walk or take the taxi..  He bikes annually to the university to a heart clinic for his annual 1 hr. long cardio testing, etc.  

 

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1 hour ago, petitepedal said:

I keep thinking it would be nice to be in a small house someplace rural or at least smaller town then large metro area...Where I could slow down and enjoy life and have a small garden....watch birds...maybe have a doggie....Hmmmmm I gotta work on that lotto

The one missing dynamic to the rural/small town is the availability of specialty medical care. May want to be within convenient commute to the metro center with advanced medical care availability.

Or move to Canada or France or similar. :whistle:

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2 minutes ago, shootingstar said:

It's abit reverse..not that there's much discussion when we all get together. It's more individual siblings initiating the discussion with me by each asking me one-to-one, when I plan to retire.  I give them the vague year which prompts them to say:  I want to retire abit early too.  And they mean it: they are each, tired. These sisters are each primary breadwinners with several children each.  One of them wants to retire at 55 which I think is slightly crazy 'cause her children will still be in high school.

No, unlike petite, I need continue to live close to services and alternative transportation options wherever I am. So a big to medium sized city. I can't expect this from a small town.

Dearie chose not renew his driver's license last spring. I'm certain folks here in this forum, would consider it disastrous.  It isn't 'cause he and I never had a car for past 30 yrs.

In the 2 cities, we live within 15 min. walk of 3 different major grocery stores in each city, walking distance to doctor, dentist, recreational centre (I don't use mine.) 1 block away is major park system/MUP routes that extend over 50-100 km. if you know how to connect routes,...etc. (which we do cycle such distances, most of the time away from car roads).   His opthamologist is 15 min. walk.  Hospital for him can get there by 20 min. walk or take the taxi..  He bikes annually to the university to a heart clinic for his annual 1 hr. long cardio testing, etc.  

 

I could give up my car and do just fine.  This town is actually pretty blissful for bike riding.   I am close to food, shopping, and the hospital.  We have Amtrak to a bigger city, and bus.  Population 20K, but that number is a little deceptive.  Likely, should be 65K  They split the city in a strange way, county/city.  It's more expensive in city.  I live in the city.  

We have a theater here too.  Blue Oyster Cult played here about 10 years ago.  

I can walk to the hospital in 20 min. Both colleges in town are within a short bike ride.  We love our truck for the mountain biking trips.  We can shuttle 6 bikes.

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11 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

I could give up my car and do just fine.  This town is actually pretty blissful for bike riding.   I am close to food, shopping, and the hospital.  We have Amtrak to a bigger city, and bus.  Population 20K, but that number is a little deceptive.  Likely, should be 65K  They split the city in a strange way, county/city.  It's more expensive in city.  I live in the city.  

We have a theater here too.  Blue Oyster Cult played here about 10 years ago.  

I can walk to the hospital in 20 min. Both colleges in town are within a short bike ride.  We love our truck for the mountain biking trips.  We can shuttle 6 bikes.

You are lucky to live a town and a home in the right place. There are times when people complain. about distance, car congestion.and I wonder if people even thought through in  long term way/impact on lifestyle long term,  where they bought their home in the lst place or even figured out their top priorities.  We always can do better...in hindsight.

There are beautiful towns in British Columbia and in the Alberta in the Rocky Mountain areas.  I would never want to be in mountain wintery resort areas.  The amount snow and length of time for it melt completely, would depress me and make me feel landlocked (remember I don't drive/have a car). Those areas are too wet to go hiking even spring.  It's not even until late May or June to go hiking when it's drier. Some of the areas get locked in by avalanches.   I know a couple who had condo in 1 of B.C. ski resort mountain areas.  They felt stifled..especially her.  He found his niche as a janitor part-time, doing little jobs during his retirement.  He is a patient person. She is the opposite. 

Despite rain in Vancouver winters, I'm fine.  I never got SAAD when I lived there.  Here in Calgary, we get frequent warm chinook winds, which melt our drier snow and so the constant cycle of snowfall and snow melt, helps the snow not pile up forever.  But for sure, the growing season here is way shorter than southern B.C.  Also living near downtown, snow clearing is always better because municipality has vested interested to clear roads and snows for workers, pedestrians...  Snow clearance in suburban streets that are secondary is not good in Calgary.  I was a little shocked how bad:  this is why having surburban sprawl for winter cities doesn't work/very expensive for any municipality.

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1 minute ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

We’ll probably just stay put and go to either one car or one and a junker. Right now we have one and two junkers, which does cost a lot in insurance. I am getting rolled on auto insurance, so if my agent’s  rerate next week doesn’t work it is probably time to change. 

$74 a month for our truck.  9 for the momo

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2 hours ago, petitepedal said:

I keep thinking it would be nice to be in a small house someplace rural or at least smaller town then large metro area...Where I could slow down and enjoy life and have a small garden....watch birds...maybe have a doggie....Hmmmmm I gotta work on that lotto

 
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Hibbing, MN 55746
 
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19 minutes ago, Page Turner said:

...there's one house in International Falls that's a little more rural, for 60,000 flat.  Looks like it might cost more to heat it, though.:whistle:

It's right off State Rt 11, so I bet the plows go right past it and all you'll need to do is hire some guy to plow the driveway. :) 

Page tries to be helpful. Parts of house looks fine. Yea, I wondered about the basement.

Unlike petite who works at keeping fit and mobile, I know a single mother (with adult married daughter somewhere else) who sold her 1-level condo in our city....and moved into a 3 bedroom 2 -storey house in small town of 1,000. It's about 1 hr. drive into city.  Keep in mind we have hard winters, with some difficult roads.

She might have not thought through her decision: she complained often about her knees...which were giving her pain when climbing stairs.  That community does not have doctor specialists. Our city does.  She is around 63 yrs.  She lives alone.

We have to face hard reality of the future....when one can no longer drive. Be graceful to let go instead of other people forcing you.  Therefore to change/adjust lifestyle now,  to make those major changes in future a lot easier.

EAsier for this group...since all of you have been / are cyclists and walkers.

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3 hours ago, petitepedal said:

I keep thinking it would be nice to be in a small house someplace rural or at least smaller town then large metro area...Where I could slow down and enjoy life and have a small garden....watch birds...maybe have a doggie....Hmmmmm I gotta work on that lotto

I had a similar thought several years ago - even thinking of possibly dividing my time between the French Riviera in the winter, where it's warmed by the Sirocco Wind from the Sahara (along the Mediterranean: I speak broken French well enough to get by) and maybe Maine or somewhere in the northern U.S. or southern Canada in the summer - there are some VERY low priced single properties in Northern Maine near where my brother-in-law grew up.

But then I'd be separated from family and friends in the Mid-Atlantic, so I'm happy in the suburbs, where I downsized after retirement to the house of my late parents, which is 100' x 60' and I have more than enough room for a screenhouse, shed, and a 20' x 10' garden with a 30' x 30' Mini Cape Cod and not too much to take care of.

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3 hours ago, petitepedal said:

..Hmmmmm I gotta work on that lotto

Dearies believes that we each buy 1 lotto ticket next wk. But I guess numbers..he wants to give me that heavy responsibility.

He and I have never bought lotto tickets since we've known each other.  I just have propensity to guess his son's store's daily sales to be close 70% of the time. 

 

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I've been doing a lot of planning and calculations recently. But I don't have an opportunity for part time or contract work, so once I retire, I have to make what savings I have work.  The run up in the stock market for the last decade helps make the situation seem more positive, but I have to consider the next downturn as well.   Having lived near my parents during the last years of their lives, I also appreciate the need to have good medical care accessible.

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Uber has a health arm that people use around here. Not sure how it differs from regular Uber. I intend to stay where I am after retirement and also spend some time at the bay. My needs aren’t grand. When I can no longer drive, I will likely stay “at home”:in Maryland where my zillion nieces and nephews live. 

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We talked about moving south but after further review we decided to just stay in our  little house in our little town. When we get sick of winter we will just jump in the motorhome and head to Georgia and much-dock at our son's house 

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I need 2 more years at my job, I hope the place lasts that long. I would like a year or 2 on top of that, collecting SS and a pay check. 

But I seem to be fading fairly fast and may jump as soon as possible

I'll stay where I am, do some traveling if the health allows & depending on Mrs. Further

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I figure on working 7 more years until Medicare kicks in. I can only see 1-2 more years in my current position. Our owner’s health makes me wonder how much longer he will last. If he passes, I expect a power struggle between his daughter and his junior partner. Not sure if the company will survive. I don’t see myself in IT much longer anyway. 

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11 hours ago, petitepedal said:

I keep thinking it would be nice to be in a small house someplace rural or at least smaller town then large metro area...Where I could slow down and enjoy life and have a small garden....watch birds...maybe have a doggie....Hmmmmm I gotta work on that lotto

You are not alone.

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