Benefits--no baby sitting/child care unless I want to
Travel--yes with RV all over US and Canada--met great people--some not so great Why we stopped? Cancer now under remission but other health issues
Now: too much to do should go back to work
hobbies--stamp collection, scrapbooking, church, crafts, counted cross stitch, computer
housework--who has time?
All of you have a great day.

Benefits:

No daily schedule.
Travel on a moment's notice
Grocery shopping on a mid-weekday morning - no lines
Doctor, hairdresser, gym etc - all during the day, instead of evenings or Saturdays
Time to knit that Tree of Life afghan

Took early retirement at 54, now 68, and not one single regret!

I'm still debating when to take that step. I'll be 65 in August but don't have any definite plans for what I'll do when I do retire so I may just hold off till Aug. of '09 to give me more time to decide. I'll get my full SS benefit then also, which is about a $250/month difference from this year.

The best thing is that morning you wake up and it's pouring down rain and you don't have to get out in it!!!

Also when you're sick you don't have to call a sub and your boss.

No schedule unless you want it!

No dressing up! I hate dressing up.

It's so funny.

I am out of work. Actively looking for work, etc. but still nothing. Now, I know at any time I can get a "job", but we foresaw this happening and made arrangements so that it is not really necessary for now. We will still manage to pay off our mortgage next year. (waiting to avoid the penalty, which we calculated to be more than interest from waiting LOL).

My family of course is very concerned that I am not working yet. I get emails about jobs that are very unsuitable - and while I would jump at them if desparate - but at the moment they are not tempting. I keep re-assuring them everything is fine! We don't have an extravagant lifestyle, we have no debt other than the mortgage, I still have my severance set aside for emergencies, and so on. Still, they call daily to point out ads in the paper ROFL. Oh well!

DH asked me if I really HAVE to work. Now, bear in mind, the house is no cleaner nor more efficient nor am I any more dependable on cooking meals every night. I do not do laundry. I still cannot wash a floor, vacuum, or clean the tub until it gets so gross that I cannot sleep (tee hee!). There is no benefit to having me home, in that sense, plus he has to pay ALL the bills himself and give me spending money.

And you know what? "If you don't HAVE to work I would rather you didn't. You are so much happier now. You smile a lot. You sing and hum and laugh all the time". And you know, he has a good point.

Too bad we can't remember to be happy even when we are working. Something for ME to work on if/when I get my new job, isn't it? I want to be happy in retirement, but why waste my time waiting for then to be happy? An interesting lesson I think.

Have a great week-end, Ed!

Ed.....many very good sugestions. thank you. DH & I retired in 1999. Money-wise were good. Health-wise, leaves a lot to be desired. So far we have managed to wake up every morning. LOL Since selling the house with the big yard and moving to an APT, we find it is nice to be able to look out the window to see someone else shoveling the snow or mowing the lawn. Dottie

My husband and I are retired now and feel that we have planned well for it. Of course, we never know what the future holds, but for now, we are able to live as we want to and much deserve after years of work.
It's so nice to wake up each morning and do exactly what we want to do. Every single day is Saturday! I think that's the best part of retirement.
I personally believe that people can live on a lot less than they may think. Get all debts paid off before retirement, though. Many go back to work because they want to, but I've seen many who HAVE to go back to work because they didn't plan well enough to continue the lifestyle that they were accustomed to.
Lu

My DH (57) retired March 31st from law enforcement~~I used to always think he was a cheap ole meanie the way he saved his money and we went without a few things through the years:) LOL!!! Now I will be reaping the rewards of his saving ways.

Joyful is so right yougin's plan ahead our golden years are almost as many as our young ones:) Happy days ahead!

Oh I will be working 2 more years, I am not as rich as my DH yet:) I am indepentant enough to want my own money.

I can retire from my current job in ten years and four months. I can't wait! I'll probably have to find something else after that but I plan on finding a fun job.

Dances,

You sleep in the bath-tub often?
_________________

Thanks for your messages, everyone.

I'm pleased that so many of you are enjoying your retirement.

Tempered somewhat by the fact that some have health problems with which to cope.

I did some more garden planting Friday ... and have some left to do.

I have some manure left in the barn ... had thought to put some of it between the rows, but, as landlord said the other day, the soil is rich from when it was a barnyard, so I think that I'll hold off on the manure.

But there are a thousand or so bales of straw in the mow, and I think that I'll get some of them down to spread between the rows, to see whether they may deter the weeds.

Could I have a lazy streak or two in the constitution, somewhere?

As I approach 80, I have about 80% of my assets in stocks, slightly over 1/2 in stocks owned directly and over 1/3 in equity-based mutual funds.

The nice thing about owning Canadian stocks is that, while the annual dividends that many pay were tax-advantaged earlier, recently the advantage was increased. And part of the average annual return is in their price going up ...

... but I don't need talk to the income tax people about that until I either sell them ... or die.

Don't plan to do either, this week or next.

There was an offer on the table for a couple of pension plans in Canada and some others to buy out Canada's biggest telco ... but then this big funny-business U.S. mortgage deal hit the fan and there was talk that there'd be a renegotiation at a lower price.

It would involve the company being loaded with huge debt in order to pay out the stockholders (it's been known for years as a "widows' and orphans' stock") ...

... and current bondholders sued, saying that their bonds would become like junk bonds.

Quebec Supreme Court agreed to hear their case, the other day - and the deal was to be completed by the end of June. So my holding in that issue went down about 14%, this week.

But several major mining and processing companies in Canada have been sold to out-of-country new owners, some private, in recent years and the stock in another major one that I bought in early Jan has gone up by almost half ... my best deal in years.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

ole joyful