I don't have a choice. My husband is 4 years younger than me and self employed, so I'll have to work until he's eligible for Medicare. So it's probably 67 for me. Unless we win the lottery.

I was un/under employed for 2 years and I loved it. But I had no money to do many of the things I wanted to do, so it was bitter sweet. I did get to spend a lot of time in the yard neatening up, so that was a plus.

My husband is working until 67 because when he retires we'll have no health care. He has cut down on his hours though. Not everyone can do that. I've talked to many people who wish they had waited longer to retire. It's no fun to worry about every penny. But ofcourse time is worth alot. We do with less so Michael can work less hours and I don't work except for a tiny bit of artist's income.

Harry, go on livingto100.com and see what your life expectancy is before making a decision. Then maybe you can see how much $$ you will need. Not that it is a guarantee but I find it a fun survey. I hope you do too.

Good Luck with your decision! Buford, my Hubby is 4 years younger also.

Ann, you make some very good points.
Harry, I think they saved that greeter job for Pete.

Carla

I'll try to make it more relevant by asking: Is it enough to
be secure, stay at home, garden and live a simple life? "
Not in this country! Don't do it.
You can NEVER go back...you could go back as a consultant
BUT it won't be the same. Health care costs are a big consideration
in this country....even if you are healthy now and can live frugally, I think
it's too risky. ESPECIALLY if you just want to stay home and garden,
you're already doing that why give up the financial security your job provides?

Harry - Here's a point of view FOR early retirement. I worked for a major Fortune 500 company since I was 18, and after 31 years last November, I suddenly came to the realization that work was no longer fun. My B/P was 185/110; I couldn't get out of bed in the morning, my migraines were out of control, and I was flat out miserable. The place I worked for expected at least 12-16 hour days from its management staff. So much pressure. Anyway, I came home late on a Friday nite about 9 pm. after being at work at 7 a.m., and told hubby I couldn't take it anymore. So, long story short, I gave my 2 weeks notice last November. I have now been retired over one year. I have lost 53 lbs., my B/P is 110/75; and I am very happy to be at home. I have been asked repeatedly to return to my former place of employment as a consultant, so that option is always open to me if I get bored. Even if I had stayed employed, pension plans and health care plans change. There are no guarantees in life. I found that out this past year when my 5-year old grandson had a liver transplant (he's doing great); my very healthy, active 51-year old hubby had a heart attack, and I had to have emergency blood transfusions and surgery. I'm so glad I retired when I did...I couldn't have coped with work and the health challenges that came our way. Sorry this is so long, but every person has to look deep inside themselves and decide what is right for their family. No one else can make that decision. Good luck with yours, Harry.

Harry, oh, if it were that simple (and I'm not retired.) But, you know what the answer is. Everyone and every situation is different. From what I understand, you have a tough commute. Do you think, if you're not sure, you can relocate to another job nearby? Even if you had to take a pay cut, at least to first, remove the commuting issue, which may be a factor in your thinking, allowing you to have more time.

I think commuting could be a big factor. I know my husband, who does very physical work, and is 53, we're starting to talk about it. But, right now, he wants to continue being "in the game." But, he hates the commute. In our case, with our apartment, he'll be able to cut over two hours out of the daily commute, if we begin to stay in the apartment during the week, which we plan to after December, when our son moves out. So, I'm just saying, see how much of a part the commute plays for you. Maybe you think you want to retire but you just hate the commute!

Just remember Buddy-you only get on shot at life.Retire-have a more enjoyable life or end up blowing it.

I'd like to retire and spend more time with roses, but I
have to wait 30 years. Good luck, with whatever you
decide, Harry. You deserve the best!

"You will be bored".
Just remember Buddy-you only get on shot at life.Retire-have a more enjoyable life or end up blowing it.

*** DH took early retirement 10 years ago. We have NEVER regretted that decision.
It is a different decision for every person, so the answer depends to some extent on you.
Yes, we do live somewhat frugally. But we have enough money to do the things we REALLY want to do.
We don't travel to Europe -- BUT we take an RV journey from CA to TX.
We don't eat out much -- but that is in part because we are happier eating here at home.
We buy clothes at Costco, rather than Nieman Marcus.
And -- BORED??? ROTFLMAO!! Far, far from it.
There are never enough hours in the day.
We couldn't be bored if we tried.
But it depends upon your personal priorities.

Jeri Jennings

My husband is five years younger than I am and retired at 53 because he was getting burned out on providing computer support in a big corporation. He loves being home and, since we have a fairly large property and live in the country, there's always something to do. It also gives him time to become an artist again. I've gone to working four days a week instead of five because my job is also stressful and because of my less than optimal physical condition. We're able to do this because of investments and a low mortgage. We've also considered a reverse mortgage if that should become necessary. The important thing is to have health coverage and a good pension plan, hopefully in addition to personal investments. Social Security is an extra that we don't even count on, although it will be a nice bonus. You never know how much time is left to you. Your gut feelings about what you need to be happy and a realistic look at your financial situation will hopefully give you the answers you need.

Ingrid

Harry, go for it. It's just the best thing in the world. You've worked all of your life, now it's your turn. Grab that brass ring and enjoy yourself. I retired at age 54 and haven't regretted it one day. There's nothing like getting up in the morning-- whenever, drinking my coffee and reading the newspaper. Life is good!!!

Rosemary

Hey! That Walmart Greeter's Job is mine! Pete back off!

I was going to retire and work part time selling suits. I was good at it and those guys made good bucks in the 60's. I am afraid nowdays I would starve. Not even enough for chicken feed. Bummer!

My brother who is 6 years younger than I am has been retired for several years now and just loves it. He is covered under his wifes medical. He keeps busy with some volunteer work and does the cooking, which is to die for. He drinks a few glasses of wine at dinner and has given up the vodka caddy he had in his closet. He had high killer stress type jobs during his working years. It is good to see him happy.

My job is so cool I would almost pay them to let me work here. I am happy that my wife is retired and drawing SS. She also does taxes in the winter.

I am looking at that decision myself in the next year or two.

The medical coverage bit is scarry. I lived with a DDS who at the age of 80 had to reopen shop. His hands shook so bad that his clients were only the very poorest of the poor. He had to open up his antique furnished house to a bunch of college students. He had this beautiful hand engraved shotgun in the hallway that could have kept him in the chips for a couple of years, but he liked it. I slept on a real horehair matress. I suppose that is one reason I am still working.

We could all go visit Pauline!

I hope the next few years are not too interesting and I can continue to putter away in my garden.

Foghorn

My father died at 64 from sudden heart failure. One minute he was watching the Super Bowl, the next he took two sudden breaths ... and was gone.

He died on the February 2. He would have been 65 on the the 11th and his last day of work (he was "retiring" that month) was supposed to have been the 28th. Poor man didn't get to enjoy one day of retirement.

A lot depends on your health. Members of my father's family are short lived. The family was poor, the children never ate well while developing, and now are prone to suddenly dying in their 50s and 60s (out of 11 children only 4 are left).

I'm retiring the second I can afford it.

My Father died from a stroke about a year before retiring and my wife Barbara made it for 3 months.Retired the first of
april``00'' gone right at 4pm 4th of July.That is something to take in account although of course if its you,you wouldn't know it.I was in such good health I thought about gambling on no health insurance.Suddenly I needed a $75,000 operation.Don't gamble.

I too am thinking about retiring soon--mixed feelings. Parts of my job I love, other aspects are a real drag. I probably can work out what is called "phased retirement"--working 1/2 time for several more years, then completely retiring. But I do worry about what happens if I unexpectedly live to be 100--financially speaking. In the meantime I can easily live a rather modest life (except for all the money I spend on roses, etc.), but that is easy because I know that while I'm working, I can also spend money if I really need to. Retired, what happens if big, unexpected expenses occur? I worry about things like that. While I'm working, I love to escape to my garden, but retired, the garden will no longer be an escape from anything--maybe I will miss too much the stimulus provided by my job and the larger world out there.

I keep teetering back and forth on the issue. In the meantime, I'm waiting to see what kind of phased retirement contract my employers will offer me--I may be on phased retirement a year from now--who knows?

I lost my mother when she was 61; my neighbor lost her husband when he was 58. I fully understand the feeling that I should just get busy enjoying my life. When I think that way, I'm ready to retire today.

Big decisions.

Kate

Have more fun now and don't retire. Take more great vacations, do the good stuff, and sock away as much dough as you can and max out you social security for yourself and your family. Nothing's simple. It's hard to decide which is worse: die suddenly (I'm too old to die young) or die at 106 after decaying for 8 years in a nursing home with linoleum floors, sealed windows, florescent lights, and canned fruit cup for lunch.

I doubt many of us are going to be in the position of putting away too much money for retirement. My grandmother is 102 and still living at home with a family member. Knowing we've socked away enough to live on for another 45 years after retirement is not going to be easy.

Oh joy. The longevity calculator says I could live to be 103. My worst fear. This is why I won't let my husband retire. :~)

Susan,
Yes, it is the commute. Three hours a day in New Jersey traffic. My job isn't bad, but the repetitive motion has wrecked my right leg.

Terrijean,
Exactly. Stress and no time to exercise. There is more of Harry to love.

Ann,
I can live frugally. I do now. DW is low maintenance, except that she loves to go out to eat.

Karen,
Working with an advisor is important. I learned a lot about my plan this way.

MAT,
If we're conservative, we have enough to be secure. And yes, I would sub. teach or consult or something to make fun money.

Jeri,
You are right. Its unlikey I will be bored. The simple-minded are easily entertained. I even enjoy weeding!

Pete,
And I really need more time for fishing. But will I be able to afford to travel to Florida to fish with a master?

Patrick,
I don't want to bite the bullet before I've felt free. I've never even had a 2 week vacation. I want to wake up one morning and feel like I never have to get up at 4:45 again.

This decision is about being sure that there will be no regrets. That we will be happy slowly drinking our coffee and wasting away every morning like we do on weekends. That puttering around the house will always be as much fun as it is now.

Sounds good to me. Thanks all.

Harry, yikes! I did a 2 hr each way commute in Long Island. 7 years ago we relocated to North Georgia. It was for a job, but it was really for a better quality of life. I don't have that job anymore, but I love living here. I have a 45 minute commute (and people here think that is bad) on mostly rural roads. But now I can work from home, which is heaven.

So hopefully I can keep this job for at least 15 more years.....

I know what I'll be doing - when I am 62 my youngest will just ge graduating HS, so I know I'll be working past that just to pay for college, plus if i retire I won't be able to spend quality work time out here on the forums!

I do agree with bernoodle on the fun. We have great family vacations every year whether Disney, a cruise or whatever, we make sure to have fun!

Foghorn, what is your job?

Carla

I sort of retired at age 74 when carpal tunnel made it impossible to work full time. That was eight years ago and I still have a part time job.
I've always liked my job and still do. But my motto has always been to enjoy the here and now and don't wait for some future date. Having a miserable working life and looking forward to enoying retirement is an illusion. You may never make it and, if you do, poor health can limit what you will be able to do.
Yes, it would be nice to have more time for the garden and more time for other hobbies but, as it is, the day fills up nicely and being bored is not an option.

With DH self-employed (and in fairly poor health,) I look forward to working for our health insurance coverage for years to come. Can't decide if it's a good or bad thing that my family is chock full of relatives who lived into their 90's and beyond - that's a lot of years ahead I have to be ready to fund, just in case! ;-)

But Harry, it sounds like you've done your homework and you have an option if you decide you don't like being home round the clock or you need a bit more income. Best wishes to you on this important life decision!

Anne

My dad just retired (a bit early). I was afraid he would become bored or depressed, but when I mentioned it my parents looked at each other and laughed like I was out of my mind.

If you can afford it, and your work is very stressful RETIRE NOW. LIFE IS TOO SHORT! Sometimes we prioritize our career over all else and end up regretting it in the end.

I REALLY started looking at this retirement stuff about ten years ago while I was recouping from a major auto accident. You're not promised that you will see the sun rise. I wasn't ready to stop working at that time. And I guess I was highly PO'ed that a semi was trying to tell me I couldn't do this or do that any more. Anyway, I took into consideration a lot of things. My overall health. My parents and grandparents and all their families health. How old were they when they passed and what did they die from. That was my big concern (as long as nothing catastrofic happens to me it looks like I'll be fairly healthy through my early 90's). I don't have to worry about health insurance. I'm a combat wounded vet. The VA takes good care of me. I'm going to stick around in the work force untill my SS is totally ready. I thought about pulling down next year at 62, but that extra several $$$$$ every month can give me a long weekend every month if I stick it out all the way. I think I will enjoy working two, maybe three days a week after I take off a few months. I can always do drywall patch work for green back or do a little security work (I will always keep my "D" and "G" license current). I already have the first month planned out. I'm going to dig up my entire rose garden and redo everything the way I want. Not any more in numbers, just taking everything I have learned about growing roses in FL during the past 30 plus years and putting it all together all at once so I can see the rewards for the last 30 plus years I'll still be around. So Harry, this is a decision you have to make all yourself. Just make sure you look at the big picture. Not just one or two little post cards. God didn't put you down here to sit, soak and sour. So grab a good cup of coffee, walk your garden and take time to smell the roses!!!

We've got 15 years of retirement under our belts..at least my husband. He was forced into early retirement (the option was lose our health coverage). We both took SS at 62 and have never regretted it. We've both faced cancer and overcome since his retirement. Financially, we're okay and live modestly by today's standards. I have learned to think twice about spending money since I quit working part time. Having our health and our garden have been major rewards in our lives. You only have one life and who knows how long you are here. Bored?? Never.

My sister and her husband retired at age 57. They enjoyed it greatly, travelling on the spur of a minute. It was a good thing as she died of pancreatic cancer a couple of years ago at age 62. I will be working until 65 or 67. But my joy is enjoyable, desk job, and I get 5 wks vacation. My husband is disabled and has not worked for several years. Our kids are adults. My husband does most of the housework which enables me to spend more time in the garden when I am not working.

Dawn

A few moving stories on this topic. Life can be so sad at times.

My husband was offered an early retirement at 58 with a lump sum. It meant a huge reduction in the already not so great work pension plan for him. But he was encourage to accept it by friends and family who also said, you guys should open a bed and breakfast. We thought about it, made some changes to our house with the lump sum and went for it. I still had four more years at work until I was sixty, my planned retirement date. Anyway It was sure hard doing the B&B while I was still working, but we managed between us. I could not wait until I was sixty.

We will never regret doing the B&B, But doubt I would recommend it to anyone else as a substitute for pension. Financial gain was not worth it for the "up to" 16 hr days in peek season. But we are still getting great rewards from it and never regret the experience for a minute.

My mum passed away when I was sixty one which left me more financially stable so we decided first to run the b&B in peek season only, then decided, but why, we are only doing it to subsidize our pensions, so decided to retire it and ourselves all together.

At this time in our lives, we have never been so happy or so busy in all our lives. We are not loaded by any means, but mum's money allowed us to have an extra fixed income which together with our small pensions enables us to have a reasonable income, but not for extravagance though. Never been on a cruise, yet! Hopefully one of these days.

Harry, I absolutely love retirement, I think anyone who can do it early enough are doing themselves a great favour. It is great to be retired and still feel young and energetic. We have a great group of friends and socialize quite a bit. It is a lot of fun.

...........But the bottom line is to weigh up whatever pensions/income between you and give it an honest assessment. If it is a little tight, will you be able to just have a minimal part time job which will bring your total income to reasonable, not poverty line.

Often there are other things you can cut which also would go into consideration. We find we only need one vehicle now. We don't pay all that money on gas going to work. We are not in lotteries any more, heehee. We generally go out once a week for a pub meal and we have people over or go out to friends. We have had a few weekends away this year and one trip myself to England that was on a mercy mission. My sister-in-law was gravely ill. I am off to friends in Montreal and Toronto in a few weeks (friends through the B&B. Tomorrow night Saturday, we will have two other couples over for dinner. But we do spend a lot of time at our home. We really enjoy our home almost as much as the garden. When weather permits we live in the garden and actually relax there a lot more. There is no urgency any more, just time to stop and smell the flowers.

I always wanted to work until the age of 66. One Sat. I became sick at the age of 57; had a son in college and had to retire. I miss working, seeing different people, and making money. But, I don't miss trying to keep up the young kids in the workforce. At frist I was bored out of my mind, but I have found different things to keep me busy. I'd say retire. I don't believe none us feel we ever have enough money saved. There are so many people who work and save their entire life; and die shortly before or after retirement.

It's true you never know what tommorrow will bring. Practicality has to be an issue-it is for us. After the sudden end of a 24 year marriage I found myself in a scary place financially in spite of the fact of being employed. Unfortunately salaries for my job and my location are much lower than the median wage. Since I had a house, a job and a son in college I chose not to relocate. So I have made a new life for myself, imported an English spouse ( who is NOT a gardener, :) ) and have tried to nurture interests that were dormant. However, I have ten more years of mortgage payments, as does my husband for his house in the UK. At age 55, I am hoping to be able to work for at least long enough to pay off the mortgage and try to cobble some money together to live off of after retirement and give my roses the care they deserve.

It's interesting how many have responded to this topic. I do appreciate it.

I have a friend who makes a nice 6 figure salary, has no kids, mortgage paid and much more than I in his retirement plan. Every year he announces he will retire "next year". He gets scared and puts it off another year. He is so afraid that once he cuts the cord, he will learn he doesn't have enough. I almost dropped over when he revealed that his (their) retirement income would be $7,000 per month.

That seems like plenty to me. What do you think?

I would say $7000 per month, would be pretty "well off". Normally one would not need anywhere near that much per month, and the account would build up nicely for toys and wonderful holidays. He seems one of the lucky ones. :)

Sounds like plenty but the price of auto gas and heating your home is a huge unknown. People my age (we have 2 small children and are years from retirement) do not think we will have any SS at all to count on. DH said to me one day, what do we need money for in retirement anyway? Uh, how about food, entertainment, travel, helping the kids financially, buying things for grandkids (one day), vet bills, and on and on. Just hope the old homestead is paid off.

Yes, I think the main thing is to look after your morgage, make sure it is over and done with or any loans at all, if possible. I realize some situations make it pretty hard to retire early because of house payments. We went into the B&B having to take on an extra loan to finish of the additions. It seemed quite necessary, and I think it was to be able to offer the caliber we wanted too, but my thats what dragged us down.

Pauline - Vancouver Island

I've always said that no one on their death bed has ever said I should have spent more time at the office. My dad took an early retirement when they closed his plant. He said it was the best thing he ever did and never regretted that he didn't go for the extra money. It was tight sometimes but he really enjoyed those years doing the things he liked. I quit my job of 30 years 5 years ago to take care of my mother who has since passed. I can't imagine going back to work now. I don't have a lot of money but I'm managing and I love having the freedom to do what I please.

LOL, there is no way in he-double toothpicks my mortgage will be paid off. But my house will be worth more than I paid for it, so we plan to sell it and move someplace smaller and cheaper. But not an apartment. I have to have at least a small garden.

So what I'm doing now is auditioning roses for the limited space I'll have then.

Harry, all the money in the world can't buy time back. If you can afford it, retire. Anyone that can possibly get bored with life if they aren't working a job outside the home, isn't looking at life the right way. There is SO MUCH to discover "out there", that no one has enough time to do, when working.

There's a lot to be said about living a simpler life.

Sandy

.......and the younger you are the better.

" I almost dropped over when he revealed that his (their) retirement income would be $7,000 per month.

That seems like plenty to me. What do you think?
"

Holy Christmas!! 7 grand a month and he's afraid that might not be enough!! That's almost double what DH and I live off of as working stiffs.

In ten years $7,000 will be scraping by but so what.
Toughest part of retirement is resisting the temptation to sit around in the morning drinking coffee and reading the paper.Long walks or bike rides ,stretching exercises and some weight lifting are needed to keep in trim.
Easy to look and see who does or doesn't.lol

So, maybe those of us who can enjoy the simple life in our garden can retire with less income. The vacation home or trip to Europe may never happen, but we'll be secure and keep busy.

Why not look at the future through rose-colored glasses?

Harry, great post. Who cares if it is off topic. There seems to be a lot of interest.
Another avenue to consider is working hard to eliminate debt. Mary Hunt has a terrific book called 'Debt Proof Living.' It is a practical way to eliminate credit card debt and after that use that money to pay off the cars, house, etc. I have done it and in 17 months eliminated nearly $6,000 in credit card debt and the credit cards are a whisper away from being paid off. That frees up the $600 a month I've been paying on them. That helps a lot to beef up savings or start paying down the house. You can knock years off of your mortgage by just putting a little extra on it each month. So maybe by focusing on eliminating debt for just a few years will make for a cheaper retirement in maybe just a couple of years. Of course you have to resist the urge to use the credit cards to buy, say...roses. Disclaimer, I don't know Mary Hunt and get nothing from this, ha ha.
I think Buford made a good point about moving. We live in a relatively expensive area, maybe not compared to Boston or Manhattan or S. Cal. but still..We have looked into moving to another area with cheaper housing etc. We could be mortgage free from our equity, that is of course if we can sell. Here is good site for finding a good retirement spot.
Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: CNN Money Best Places to Retire

Boy, I've been thinking about this stuff recently myself. I just turned 50 this yr, and my husband will be 52 in January. We don't really make much money, but it's enough to get by with and still afford the multitudes of roses that I don't really need, plus his tinkering around with cars and stuff. I work in retail, so don't earn alot, but I get such a great discount that it's worth staying, plus the hours are easy. I'm just not feeling that well physically any more. The floors at work are concrete and I have all sorts of foot, back and hip pains, plus increasingly worse varicose veins. But at my age, what am I going to find that pays more than minimum wage?

My poor husband is uneducated, altho not totally illiterate, and has dyslexia (which contributed to his lack of education). He managed to handle 10 yrs in the Navy, but was "let go" back at the end of the 80's when they started cutting back on the military and weeded out those who were not the "cream of the crop." We had the two boys and came home to be close to family. He had a hard time getting a decent job. But he ended up becoming a garbage man. Not the best job in the world, that's for sure, but it pays decently and we have medical, dental, optical, 401k. He's been doing that for going on 18 yrs now, and is sooo sick of it, he actually makes himself ill nearly every morning before leaving for work. He hates the job so much he coughs himself to the point of often throwing up. I lie in bed hearing him and want to cry. I feel horrible that he hates it so much. I just want to find a way to let him be able to quit. But we have a mortgage and a few bills too many for either of us to be able to quit working for at least 10-15 yrs. I know he's not going to be able to do this that many more yrs. He's in a deep depression. He comes home and does nothing but lie on the couch and watch tv and sleep. He even quit drinking beer because he feels so lousy.

I recently made a decision tho. I told him if he can stick it out about 6 more yrs, I think he will be able to quit. His parents both died in the last 4-5 yrs, and his 4 sisters and he decided to sell the family home next summer. The house is practically a tear-down, but it's on a beautiful canyon-view lot, that's worth more than the house. So I figure once they sell the property, we'll get a decent chunk. Then, my dad passed away in Feb at 93, and my mom just turned 89. She's in somewhat ill health, and I know she won't be around forever. I know it's awful to think about losing her, but we all know it's an inevitability. If she doesn't end up with some catastophic illness that wipes out their money, I will stand to inherit a pretty good amount. Then, we can pay off the house. If this happens within the next couple of yrs, I told him if he can handle working about 4-5 yrs beyond that, we'll save up his income and then he can quit early and we can live on what we've saved up until he's eligible to collect his 401k and then SS. So, that's our tentative plan. But things change.

As for winning the lottery... you can't win if you don't play. I keep telling our younger son, who has OCD, to try and come up with the winning numbers so we can all live happily ever after. He just laffs.

Beth I feel for your husband. All of the hours that you spend working it has to hard to absolutely hate what you do. My sister had a job that she hated so much that it spoiled her weekends, knowing on Sat that she had to go back in 2 days. I thought she'd have a stroke over that job. She finally quit. I was glad.
Since you have so many gorgeous roses, maybe you could sell them at a roadside stand or something. You'd have a tax write off to boot.
Nancy

Carla,

Most of my posting is done here at work so your question gave me a lot of time to think about it. In the 50's one's job told the world who you were, your worth as a human being, and defined ones place in society.

Men were expected to work 50+ hours a week and the employers expected it from you including working with civic minded organizations to promote a positive image of the company. That was unless you belonged to a union. DW thought I should belong to a union. She did not like the hours I was working.

Women were nurses, teachers, or secretaries.

DW is and always has been smarter than I am. I thought she would get a cushy job like was offered to her when we first moved here by John Deere and break a few glass ceilings. She had already run the Sectioning Center at SIU for over a year (until they could find a man to head it) while I was going to grad school. No life of Riley for moi!

Bummer!

I quit my high paying job in retail and found one that required fewer hours handling automobile claims. This job paid for our very modest house, and put two kids through good schools. I did not handle well all of the bad karma that goes with that job. Many people manage to suffer terrible injuries to themselves, loved ones and cause damage to others.

I have had offices close on me, I have been downsized, and fired myself. I have been caught up in franchise battles between National and Regional offices and lost. I have loaded semis at a parts factory. I also worked for a short while with a temp agency selling my back on a day to day basis.

I finally got a job, third shift, but one using new printing technology. I did well and was offered, considering my background in the fine art of B/S, a job selling books. As this department was filled with good looking chicks, with no cold calling or quotas, it was a no brainer. Having an odd eclectic memory helped stroke my ego and do a satisfactory job. I also get to talk with some mighty fine folks. I do not handle any complaints but direct folks where to go to get results they are looking for. I live one (1) mile from work.

The pay; well, I think WallyWorld pays better. But, there is medical and I get to surf the web between calls. It may take me a long time to respond to a post. I am not sure how much longer this job will last, and the decision to retire may be made for me. Until then I am not complaining. DW also only makes oatmeal & prunes if I am working. If I am not working, I am really not working!

At all the booze meetings I attended this weekend we talked about how similar we were, not our differences. I wish I could drink like my brother, but I cannot have that first drink. I would end up in jail, a nut house, or dead. Perhaps I am being overly dramatic and I would just be miserable, and of no use to any fellow drunks or others.

F.L.

Oh! That was a horse hair mattress. It was quite comfortable. I do not envy my brothers who still have to put their kids through college and pay off their houses.

I was notified today that I will be offered a 4 year phased retirement contract (half-time in other words), which sounds pretty good to me since I love my job but just don't want to work so hard any more now that I will reach 65 in a couple more weeks. I'm mulling it over tonight, but will probably tell them "yes" tomorrow.

The only problem is that with all that extra time for my garden, I will no longer have the excuse that I'm too busy working if something (inevitably) goes less than perfect in the garden. LOL

So, I may be retired by June 1. Kind of a relief to have the decision (nearly) made.

Kate

Kate, that's awesome, congratulations! You will love having all that freedom yet able to keep your hand in a little bit longer in a job you love. Will you be doing two and three full days or will it be half days. Whatever, it is good to wean yourself that way.

I think it is a good idea, when you completely retire to keep in touch with your workmates. The two girls, (of course we are all "girls"), that I worked with, were my soul mates, so I was worried about losing that closeness, but we go out once per month for supper, usually a pub meal and catch up with our lives and their "very" stressful work life!! I am so glad we are keeping this up.

Enjoy the anticipation!
You-go-girl!
Pauline - Vancouver Island

Beth, that is very sad. If he is so depressed, medication will help big time, it has for me. If he begins to feel better, and he does not see himself getting another job, well maybe you both can strive at socking as much as you possibly can off your mortgage, saying to each other everytime you put that extra bit on it, that this is for your "early" retirement. That is the one and only thing that would make it very difficult to retire, is a mortgage and/or any heavy loan payments.

He should be first looking after the way he feels now, and see if he can get some help from his doctor. By the way my husband was 58 too when he retired, but we needed to do the B&B to subsidize our pittance pensions and pay off a loan not considered large, but it was to us.

Take good care. I wish you both well.
You will be in my thoughts
Pauline - Vancouver Island

Foghorn, I do not know how long it is that you have been going to AA, but obviously times must have really been tough for you. Seems like you are doing well now which is something to be very proud of. I am sure the troll is very, very proud of you too. She sounds like a super woman and you deserve each other as you are no doubt a super man.
Keep up with the good work. Wish you and your family the very best. How is the wee bairn, the one who snuggles on your shoulder? Great that you did a big life style change to appreciate the little beauty and watch her grow.
Take good care!
Pauline - VI

I feel confident that I will see this through no matter what it takes....but: I have 21 years to go before retirement. I still have 3 children to put through college on just my income. One of my kids wants to be a dentist...I am proud of her and worried about the cost at the same time. I have always had a goal of paying off my house but I have 29 years to go on my mortgage. I hope to finish my Masters degree by 2010 to provide for job security.

There now....don't the rest of you feel better?

;o)

Ronda