You Know You Are Old When

[drssg]

75 days and counting....

Enjoy and don't be one of those that dies right away

When I was in college, I worked in a cafeteria on campus. There was an old guy that worked there for 30 years, loading the dishwasher. Within a few weeks of retirement, he was dead.

In his case, I think work was the only thing keeping him sober for a significant portion of the day. He had nothing else to retire to.

 

[California]

Enjoy and don't be one of those that dies right away

I thought long and hard about just that.

25 years ago I ran all sort of projections using QuickBooks retirement planning software. Realized by living simple and saving like mad we had gotten to where it was a gamble, but retiring seemed feasible. I could go back to work if I had guessed wrong.

Retired at 54 with a small government pension but most important, the pension included lifetime family medical care. This made retiring much less of a gamble. Started spending my IRA at $750/month (allowable back then IF you signed for a flat rate for the rest of your life) - to cover the period before I could draw SS.

That was 25 years ago. Things have worked out fine. Savings balance is about what it was when I retired if you adjust for inflation. That and two properties, is going to make a decent inheritance for the kids if we don't spend it all on in-home care in our final years.

I love playing Gentleman Farmer, even if I'm making hardly anything from the apple orchard. It's a great retirement hobby, as it was for Dad and for his father before him. This sure beats sitting indoors watching golf on TV like some retirees my age. Life is good.

In my opinion living simple and retiring early is a better alternative to working until you drop.

 

[masseyrider]

I thought long and hard about just that.

25 years ago I ran all sort of projections using QuickBooks retirement planning software. Realized by living simple and saving like mad we had gotten to where it was a gamble, but retiring seemed feasible. I could go back to work if I had guessed wrong.

Retired at 54 with a small government pension but most important, the pension included lifetime family medical care. This made retiring much less of a gamble. Started spending my IRA at $750/month (allowable back then IF you signed for a flat rate for the rest of your life) - to cover the period before I could draw SS.

That was 25 years ago. Things have worked out fine. Savings balance is about what it was when I retired if you adjust for inflation. That and two properties, is going to make a decent inheritance for the kids if we don't spend it all on in-home care in our final years.

I love playing Gentleman Farmer, even if I'm making hardly anything from the apple orchard. It's a great retirement hobby, as it was for Dad and for his father before him. This sure beats sitting indoors watching golf on TV like some retirees my age. Life is good.

In my opinion living simple and retiring early is a better alternative to working until you drop.

Retired early 40s. Similar situation. Investments returning enough to keep up with inflation.
When I see the traffic reports each morning and roll over for a couple more hours It's all good.

 

[Eagle1]

I thought long and hard about just that.

25 years ago I ran all sort of projections using QuickBooks retirement planning software. Realized by living simple and saving like mad we had gotten to where it was a gamble, but retiring seemed feasible. I could go back to work if I had guessed wrong.

Retired at 54 with a small government pension but most important, the pension included lifetime family medical care. This made retiring much less of a gamble. Started spending my IRA at $750/month (allowable back then IF you signed for a flat rate for the rest of your life) - to cover the period before I could draw SS.

That was 25 years ago. Things have worked out fine. Savings balance is about what it was when I retired if you adjust for inflation. That and two properties, is going to make a decent inheritance for the kids if we don't spend it all on in-home care in our final years.

I love playing Gentleman Farmer, even if I'm making hardly anything from the apple orchard. It's a great retirement hobby, as it was for Dad and for his father before him. This sure beats sitting indoors watching golf on TV like some retirees my age. Life is good.

In my opinion living simple and retiring early is a better alternative to working until you drop.

That's my plan -- live simple, tend to my livestock, garden, pond, etc. I don't need a lot of money just serenity and things to do, it's never ending here.

 

[ultrarunner]

Beloved High School Teacher of mine started my Sophomore year and retired a couple of years ago…

He was the real deal and never lost his zeal for teaching science and made it interesting.

Students gave him 4 tickets for Hamilton for retirement on the last day of school to see the show 2 days later…

Healthy, active guy died in his sleep from brain hermorage…

Several of his slightly younger contemporaries decided early retirement made sense…

That great pension and all those plans never came to be… he had lost his high school sweetheart wife 2 years prior to cancer…

 

[stuckmotor]

75 days and counting....

Enjoy and don't be one of those that dies right away

I've seen it happen far too often.

 

[CalG]

The wife was cleaning out a drawer today and asked if we should toss the Olympus "electronic" camera. I said "let me look at it first. Hooked it up to an old laptop. There were three pictures on it. All taken prior to 2010.
Now I've got some photo prints on my desk. All before 1990.

 

[ultrarunner]

In my grandfathers old suitcase was a very old camera with film inside…

It wasn’t easy but I found a place to develop and this was 20 years back.

Grandparents trip to Lake Tahoe with stops along the way in their 1955 Olds 88

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I've seen it happen far too often.

Stay busy and stay active. Do things (exercise), fabricate, hobbys, read, travel.

 

[CalG]

Attitude will get one far

 

[seville009]

I think maybe 3 months ago I bought an 8 piece bucket, no sides - just chicken, and it was about $25. Wasn’t even that good…..

 

[newbury]

This may need a new thread - BUT
you-know-you-are-old-when
You start wanting to label EVERYTHING on a project.
I started about 6 years ago, bought a good Brother Label printer, something like the PTD610DT, print up to 1" or better labels.
Labeled most of the drawers in my rolly carts in the shops. A godsend. Standard duct tape and MY HANDWRITING were not conducive to finding things.
Mistakes could be made.
THEN Brother came out with the "Cube" wireless, runs on batteries.
Seems like they had just been waiting for one last sucker (me) to buy their machine that did wider tapes.
So I bought the Cube. Works with my Android phone.
WONDERFUL.

 

[Sigarms]

You don't have much hair on your head, but your wife has to take scissors and cut hair off the back of your ear because it's driving her crazy looking at it...

Getting ready to leave the house for work, you come downstairs into you and your wife's office, and you inform your wife "gosh darn it, where did I leave my glasses" because you can read anything without them. Your wife then informs you that you also forgot to put your hearing aids in.

Both happened to me today...

 

[WinterDeere]

You don't have much hair on your head, but your wife has to take scissors and cut hair off the back of your ear because it's driving her crazy looking at it...

At least she notices! I'll bet my wife could win a contest for least observant person on earth. I'll find a hair growing out of my ear, nose... heck, the middle of my forehead like a unicorn. Then I'll think, "this didn't just appear today, it's probably been growing like that for two weeks." Wife claims she never noticed, but sometimes I wonder if she's just laughing behind my back, and watching it grow.

 

[bigtiller]

I know a guy that has a full set of dentures, hearing aids and reading glasses, and sometimes a toupee.

His wife teases him saying "your problems are all in your head".

 

[Sigarms]

I know a guy that has a full set of dentures, hearing aids and reading glasses, and sometimes a toupee.

Getting a toupee is like getting breast implants...

I just call a balding head a solar panel for a *** machine, although I'm at the age my wife might disagree LMAO

I remember coming home from church with the kids in the backseat. I told my wife out loud I couldn't wait to get back home to get in the bed with her to take a good nap.

We looked at each other and started laughing and the kids were somewhat confused.

I didn't have kids until my 40's...

 

[EastTexCowboy]

My wife was asked by a young lady several years ago, "Was Paul McCartney in a band before Wings?"

WTH???

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

My wife was asked by a young lady several years ago, "Was Paul McCartney in a band before Wings?"

WTH???

Through her a curve saying he started playing in "The Quarrymen".
(B4 the Beatles)

 

[WinterDeere]

My wife was asked by a young lady several years ago, "Was Paul McCartney in a band before Wings?"

WTH???

"Yeah, but you've probably never heard of them."

 

[Oaktree]

Getting a toupee is like getting breast implants...

I just call a balding head a solar panel for a *** machine, although I'm at the age my wife might disagree LMAO

Fortunately, I've still got about 90% of mine, but agree that a toupee isn't fooling anyone.