Is the grass greener? Retirement, what does it really mean?

Dang... a lot of retirees in here, and at early ages. That's pretty impressive.

 
EmpirE231 said:
Dang... a lot of retirees in here, and at early ages. That's pretty impressive.
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I was thinking the same thing. Pretty cool to see, stoked for many of you. I got what feels like a long road ahead of me, but I know it will come sooner then expected. lets hope the funds do the same, lol!

 
megadesertdiesel said:
Retirement, moving to a heaper cost of living and slower lifestyle.  Is that giving up and just coasting towards death?  Moving east to cheaper house and some acreage to relax in seems like an interesting plan as we are used to the Desert South west where nothing is green and water is non existent in streams.  We are used to the hustle and bustle of city life, and always on the go.  And actually like being busy every day and weekend. 

What's your thoughts on retirement?  eff it work till you die?   Retire and tinker around with projects, but projects cost money.  
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Cool topic.

I'm lucky in that I already live east (Ramona in San Diego) - and have the acreage, plus a small ADU...and plan to slowly have enough toys (buggy, boat, old car, tractor, nice motorhome  - and a ton of landscaping to keep me busy.  My wife also has horses and chickens, which isn't for everybody, but what I do like about it is that it keeps from sitting all day...Garden, plants, trees, toys, animals - they all take time and can all be fun if you let them be - plus those types of projects don't cost much money if you already have them.

I know some people hate CA - but I can go outside at least part of every day and be comfortable...All day in spring and fall, mornings and nights in summer - and 9am to 4PM during most days in the winter...plus I'm close to Glamis, the River, Julian etc.  So that said, it would be hard to get bored staying in Ramona, coupled with the fact I'll be travelling in motorhome throughout the year. (Hopefully)

If there's another area in the country that can match all the above outside of CA - I'd like to know...Prescott, Cottonwood AZ seem to be close to this...but are they really?  Acreage seems to be $$ almost everywhere that people would want to live...and when it's cheap, it's a small town in the middle of nowhere, (which can be scary once you're old and need medical help) crap weather. etc. At least that's my opinion so far.

I don't know how some of you are retiring at 50ish -stoked for you...I'm prob going to retire at 62 and rely on savings, ADU rental, etc. I'm enjoying this part of my life (I'm 46) and am not in a hurry to retire...I like hustling, moving up at work - etc - and look forward to retirement, but don't dwell on it. P.S, I'm partially full of chit - retiring now would not suck. :)

 
megadesertdiesel said:
one of my old neighbors sons did pressure washing out of high school.  picked up a bunch of Autozones and carwashes, all had to be done at night though.  Was a cheap enough to setup a trailer with some equipment.

On site soda blasting could work also. 

3D printing and anything on ETSY. 
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dustless blasting, my buddy had his car frame and jeep body done, man it does wonders, all done in his front yard, no metal warping, went straight to body shop

 
FOG said:
Retired at 53. It’s been over 20 years now. I like to travel and have been to many places in this world before and after I retired. I spend most of my winters in Glamis and plan to continue traveling in the Moho until I can’t do it anymore. 
BTW  @Sausage450r  thank you for your Social Security payments. 
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You just keep being that bike and I’ll ride it naked!!! 

 
What an awesome topic. 
my dad - 77 still works on his land and business which my Bro owns now. He’s full of energy, a pain in my ass, but still gets outside everyday and breaks a sweat. 
My mom and step dad (same age) don’t do much. They claim they live for medical appointments. 😞 and always seem to be sick. They try but you can witness the pains they go through. 
My wife’s dad suddenly died at 75 and was in good shape still working. His wife is still working and kicking ass. 
My point is  don’t wait till you “can” retire to do all those things you wanted to do when you retire. 
Our days are numbered. 
Stay busy  and plan, just plan to make sure all your hard work isn’t going to a probate court  

 
Now my retirement, 

almost 30 years developing software for startups is getting old. 401k is a joke. 
we invested in land and building houses. Managed to collect some rentals and it’s looking bright in the next 5 years. 
We can’t leave CA cause that’s where we build, but a few hours South of here is San Felipe and that’s our goal. 

 
Want to mention this as it’s also a player on retirement. Parents and grandparents. 
My wife’s grandpa “Poppy” will be moving in with us this Christmas and he’s 97 years old and requires some care which we will have. 
I don’t know but want to say that taking care of family might be part of your plan or should be. 

 
Gonna need medical insurance if you're under the age of 65, plus car/homeowners insurance, property tax, vehicle registration, vehicle upkeep-tires etc., food, utilities, internet access, gasoline if you want to drive anywhere. Don't think that the appliances in your home will never break down again, or the 30 year tile roof will never need new underlayment. This list just keeps getting longer and longer. Truth is, if you don't own your home already and you don't have a million in the bank, you probably won't get to retire anytime soon.  Moving to Californizona is not the solution anymore, it is just as expensive here as it is anywhere else.

Fwiw, we just had the underlayment of our tile roof replaced, it was $15,000. Retirement you say? Yeah right!

 
I retired 2 years ago in 2021. I started working when I was 12 and then stopped at 62! 50 years was enough for me! I had 2 businesses, a large construction company and a small industrial supply shop with 2 locations. I ran the supply shop for the last 10 years of me working. I thought I would be working until the end, but the opportunity presented itself to be bought out by my partners and leave! So I took it and never looked back! 

In 2021 we also bought a new motor home and after I retired, we have been doing a lot of travailing! I have grandsons in Tennessee, so we are there a lot. I keep pretty busy with projects when we are not on the road, and I help my mom and dad. He's 90 and still going strong and always has stuff going on around his place that he needs help with. We also ride our Harley's every chance we get or go out with our Jeep friends and go to the desert any time we want! The feeling of freedom is like nothing I have ever felt before! My time is my own for the first time in my life and I don't have justify anything to anyone anymore!!  

But now, I live on a fixed income, it's a pretty good fixed income, but still a fixed income! One thing for sure, California is not a good place to be if you are retired! Way too expensive to live here! We had to make a few changes, but luckily, not too many! I have some investments that will kick in down the road so money is not a huge issue...for now. We are looking to sell the big house we have here and downsize in another state, likely Tennessee to be closer to my kids and it's a better place for retirees. 

We hit the road for 6 to 10 weeks at a time and every time we come home I'm pretty much ready to leave again! Were thinking of hitting all the bike rallies around the country in the next few years! :70:

Retiring was the best decision I could have made and I have never been happier! I plan on using the time I have left to the fullest.  

 
Chummin said:
Want to mention this as it’s also a player on retirement. Parents and grandparents. 
My wife’s grandpa “Poppy” will be moving in with us this Christmas and he’s 97 years old and requires some care which we will have. 
I don’t know but want to say that taking care of family might be part of your plan or should be. 
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My mom is 71 and Gma is 91. Gma has dementia and can be a real handful at times(she's been living with mom the past 5 or 6 years)... Not sure how mom does it. I don't know that I could but know I'd at least have to try. 

 
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Retirement is wasted on old people, having the freedom to do what you want when you don’t feel like doing anything is an odd goal. 
You’re only 50, 53, 56… once, if you can retire do it.

I retired @ fiddy, could have doubled my retirement income by working 6 more years but chose to bounce with enough income to keep the lights on.

The one thing I can tell you is make sure you have someplace to be and something to do periodically, waking up at 10am and mixing your first adult beverage at 11:30am isn’t a recipe for success.

I have accounts where I move snow in the winter and do backhoe / brush clearing in the summer. I’m at the gym 5 days a week from 7:40 - 9:15am. My goal is to earn my whiskey / ammo / go fishing money leaving my previously earned cash alone.

Sometimes I want to go back to full time employment so I’m not so busy.

 
my dad's been retired for god knows how long, i can't remember. he's 81 i think, walks 5 miles a day and does wood working in his garage. he builds alot of stuff and gives it away. he sits on the back patio and reads books on nice days. I bet the man has read 1000's of books. He helps me run errands for my side gig, does stuff for me if i'm out of town, helps my sister alot, but he stays busy. but 2 things he's never waivered from, walking and reading. Rain or snow, sleet, whatever, he walks EVERY MORNING. his VA dr said he's in the best shape of anyone she's seen and its all from walking by 5 or 6 am, and reading, keeping the mind working. 

He got into wood working when he retired, then about 2 years ago, he found the internet and started collecting pallets and tearing them down and building stuff out of them, so that keeps him busy lol. he never charges for the dressers and stuff he builds, just finds someone to give it to and starts another piece. 

all on his own time.

 
zilla68 said:
my dad's been retired for god knows how long, i can't remember. he's 81 i think, walks 5 miles a day and does wood working in his garage. he builds alot of stuff and gives it away. he sits on the back patio and reads books on nice days. I bet the man has read 1000's of books. He helps me run errands for my side gig, does stuff for me if i'm out of town, helps my sister alot, but he stays busy. but 2 things he's never waivered from, walking and reading. Rain or snow, sleet, whatever, he walks EVERY MORNING. his VA dr said he's in the best shape of anyone she's seen and its all from walking by 5 or 6 am, and reading, keeping the mind working. 

He got into wood working when he retired, then about 2 years ago, he found the internet and started collecting pallets and tearing them down and building stuff out of them, so that keeps him busy lol. he never charges for the dressers and stuff he builds, just finds someone to give it to and starts another piece. 

all on his own time.
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Now that sounds like a great retirement.  Healthy and stays busy at his own pace and schedule.  

 
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