How really is retirement from your perspective after actually being in it? I mean, in my mind (31 years old) I envision it as a dream world where I can live on my own schedule and do the things I want to do without the corporate work environment.
Did your spouse retire the same time as you? With our age difference I can fully see her wanting to still work after I am ready to retire.
Do you guys think your body's can still take minimal physical work? I want to add that I would like to drastically reduce inventory in my palm nursery and still 'work' out there some because I love it and it'll keep me busy in the early morning/late afternoon of the summer.
Ok well , I lost my entire retirement 401k when the market crashed, got laid off in 2009 , went on social security in Dec 2011 and I get a small disability from uncle sam (Military) saving grace for medical... Ok if I were living on a better income retirement wouldn't be very bad. My wife does still work, (which also Helps a great deal) Yes you have a lot of time to do a lot of things if you can afford it.. While retired you can forget what day it is , you have time to hunt as much as you want cost permitting, Wife seems to have a large Honey Do List... so basically if you can afford it Retirement really can be great...
medically retired here at 55 y/o almost 2 yrs, not what I was planning on. after losing all the value in our home (now upside down). physically not able to do what I used to do and not as fast at what I can, the honey-do list takes a lot longer and it seems I'm busier now than when I was employed. I'd recommend a job with the best possible benefits and retirement plan over salary for as long as you can take it, or better yet 2 careers and 2 retirements, but you gotta start young to do that.
Been retired 3 years this month. Wife retired 1 year before I did. I need to go back to work so I can rest!!! I don't know how we ever got anything done while we were working as we are busy all the time. Yard mowing, flowers, vegetables and food plots. Then there is that "Honey-Do List" that I ignored for many years. I was a maintenance foreman for over 25 years and the last thing I wanted to do was work on a house when I got home from work(unless it was on fire or leaking). New 8" pine flooring in 4 rooms and a hallway. Paint, then rehang the pictures, need I go on? Then there is a lot that can be done at our church, older folks to doctor, etc... Food pantry one a month. Busy busy busy. Retirement funds are sufficient but not like a regular pay check. We are both on SS and are old enough for medicare which helps a lot as I was trying to maintain a BCBS policy from my job, over $1000 per month! Found a good policy as a medicare supplement and we are both covered for less than 1/2 of the BCBS policy. My physical condition is ok but it could be a lot less painful. Only take a blood pressure pill and vitamins but these old worn out knees and shoulders do limit some physical activites such as sweeping oak leaves off the metal roof, used to be nothing to it but a few weeks ago I didn't have the confidence I once had. I don't want this to have any bearing on my tree stands but ground blinds may be in the future. My biggest issue is not having the strength I once had. Hooking up 3-point hitch equipment on the tractors is not an easy one man job even if you are young and strong, this leads to pry poles and all sorts of "intellegent" engineering to do those heavy jobs. The last tractor I bought has steps up to the platform, helps with these old knees. But all in all retirement is the best job I ever had. I'm almost glad when deer season is over so I don't have to get up so early. Treefarmer
Thanks for the replies fellas. Maybe running a tractor and heavy equipment should be minimized by that time in my life? Who knows, maybe I'll even suck it up and have someone to help me out by then.
Treefarmer- I've seen my grandpa use alot of the shortcuts so maybe I'll remember most of them by that time. I love the physical work of farming but it does take a toll on a man's body.
