For the other retired guys::

[Retiredguy2]

For everyone who is retired, good for you and bless you for working so hard to be retired. I am 41 and have several friends who are retired, my in laws are retired. Here's what bothers me about people being retired, they think because they have nothing to do that I have nothing to do. I work in a machine shop and friends know I can do stuff for them here, they bring me something they are working on and want me to fix it and say "I'm in no hurry" then the next day they come by and say "you get that part done yet?" NOPE! I work for someone else and their stuff comes first since they sign my paycheck. I have a friend who restores cars, another friend (retired) bought a car and said other friend is going to restore car, he has 2 to do before he gets to said car. I told the guy who restores cars the other day that the other guy is going to pester him so much about his car while he's working on it and he will be there everyday, he said "he already is!".

I worked in the trades industry from 1970-2002 and retired from the same, along with working part time for myself from 1974-2006. Never thought of asking someone else to do something for me UNLESS I PAID FOR IT. I see your point 100%....us retired guys may tend to think because they have all day, others also do...and I sincerely appreciate your input here. You make an excellent point. :thumbsup:

 

[dickfoster]

My Dad is retired and many of the folks he visits and spends time with are retired. Yet he still travels like he was still working (been retired over 20 years). He will go camping for a 3 day weekend and complain about the crowds. He can camp in the middle of week, but just likes weekends.

I've always tried to stay home when the rest of the herd is out and travel when they are all back in the corral. When I worked I even took my vacations after labor day or before memorial day to avoid the crowds. That way I could typically go without a schedule or reservations and have a real vacation.

 

[Retiredguy2]

That's great to hear you guys got to retire, as for me unless I'm unable to physically do work, I won't retire. If I do retire I plan to farm for the rest of my life, buy some land and take care of 25-30 head of cattle.

But I can count my time in decades before I'm even close to that age.

I just hope I die before I land in a nursing home, if I do make it there I hope there not stingy with the good meds lol.

Admire you for your determination BUT: I have been paying a big premium toward LTC for 15 years now, and darn it IF I get to the nursing home I BETTER get the good meds for the extra bucks I have forked out after all this time....:laughing:

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

For everyone who is retired, good for you and bless you for working so hard to be retired. I am 41 and have several friends who are retired, my in laws are retired. Here's what bothers me about people being retired, they think because they have nothing to do that I have nothing to do. I work in a machine shop and friends know I can do stuff for them here, they bring me something they are working on and want me to fix it and say "I'm in no hurry" then the next day they come by and say "you get that part done yet?" NOPE! I work for someone else and their stuff comes first since they sign my paycheck. I have a friend who restores cars, another friend (retired) bought a car and said other friend is going to restore car, he has 2 to do before he gets to said car. I told the guy who restores cars the other day that the other guy is going to pester him so much about his car while he's working on it and he will be there everyday, he said "he already is!".

My grandparents and many relatives are retired and live about an hour and 20 mins away, I work a full time job, take care of 35 chickens, a dog and 4 steers plus work on HVAC and side jobs for fam and friends near by whenever there stuff breaks down, needless to say I stay busy.

I see many of those relatives 2-5 times a year for holidays and family get togethers and they always get mad at me for not taking time off of my schedule to visit them more often, I invite them to my house but there not interested in that.

Last few years they all have gotten worse about getting on my case about it, in there defense there in there 70-80s mostly and I'm 26 but I have 2 spare bedrooms in my house and can still get my work done and entertain company.

I am more than willing to accommodate company but idk if they think they will just be in the way or what, would be 10 times easier for them to spend a few days, heck a week in my house for that matter than it would be to lose a day or so traveling and visiting. When I travel I can't stay away that long anyway, I have animals to feed and water daily, dogs to let out ext.

So I guess for you retired people out there that may be in the other side of this, what would you do in this situation?

 

[Retiredguy2]

My grandparents and many relatives are retired and live about an hour and 20 mins away, I work a full time job, take care of 35 chickens, a dog and 4 steers plus work on HVAC and side jobs for fam and friends near by whenever there stuff breaks down, needless to say I stay busy.

I see many of those relatives 2-5 times a year for holidays and family get togethers and they always get mad at me for not taking time off of my schedule to visit them more often, I invite them to my house but there not interested in that.

Last few years they all have gotten worse about getting on my case about it, in there defense there in there 70-80s mostly and I'm 26 but I have 2 spare bedrooms in my house and can still get my work done and entertain company.

I am more than willing to accommodate company but idk if they think they will just be in the way or what, would be 10 times easier for them to spend a few days, heck a week in my house for that matter than it would be to lose a day or so traveling and visiting. When I travel I can't stay away that long anyway, I have animals to feed and water daily, dogs to let out ext.

So I guess for you retired people out there that may be in the other side of this, what do you do?

My spouse is pretty much disabled....so I take care of an 11 acre property with a 5 acre yard, do the vast majority of the housework/cooking/cleaning/laundry chores here, take care of 4 cats, four outbuildings plus the house exterior, do my utmost to help care for 3 grandkids, take care of my car, two SUV's and my tractor, help friends when they ask, donate time and money and materials to the local Habitat For Humanity, assist with local food banks, etc. And the last time I helped someone recently was to spend two days putting on a new 16' overhead garage door and opener. But of course...being retired, I must have basically nothing to do.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Now I have another question for all you much more educated and experienced guys and gals out there.

I'm 26 and don't plan to retire BUT I always have redundant back up plans just in case, I don't like to get caught off guard or find myself unprepared so what's the best gain for retirement?

What and where should I invest ext.

I basically know nothing about any of it, I have a 401k which I just match what the company will pay out which is 6% of my wages.

I have gotten into a bit of debt last few years and should have most of everything except the house paid off by the age of 30 (tractor, misc loans ext) the house I have another 17 years on and I pay $100 extra a month on that so in reality I'm looking at more like 15 years.

One question I have always had is: is it better to pay things off ASAP or pay it off slower and invest more earlier on?

As of now I plan to aggressively pay stuff off and at around 30 start aggressively putting into retirement, is that too late?

Also when my elderly neighbor is done with there house in less than 10 years I plan to buy there house, fix it up a little and rent it out, when I get older I want to transition to rentals and making my own schedule vs what I'm doing now which is work in a 24-7 building, getting thrown around shifts. holidays and 2 day consecutive days off don't mean anything around here but it's good money and more than pays the bills.

 

[oosik]

I retired at 55 - almost 20 years ago. dickfoster said it best - "Freedom of time and movement is the greatest freedom of all". Very wise words.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

My spouse is pretty much disabled....so I take care of an 11 acre property with a 5 acre yard, do the vast majority of the housework/cooking/cleaning/laundry chores here, take care of 4 cats, four outbuildings plus the house exterior, do my utmost to help care for 3 grandkids, take care of my car, two SUV's and my tractor, help friends when they ask, donate time and money and materials to the local Habitat For Humanity, assist with local food banks, etc. And the last time I helped someone recently was to spend two days putting on a new 16' overhead garage door and opener. But of course...being retired, I must have basically nothing to do.

I never assumed retired people have nothing to do, I guess I would state it more along the lines they can shuffle chores around easier than I can.

My grandpa always says he's busier now that he's retired than he was when he was working and to an extent I can see that, in his case and knowing his situation I know he's not as busy as he leads on and would be much more likely to free up an afternoon than I would.

So I guess that what I said was more about my situation than it was retired people in general.

 

[Bird]

I "retired" on January 18, 1989 (yep, almost 28 years ago), closed on the sale of the house 3 days later and we became full time RVers for 6 years. We did a lot of traveling, just sight seeing, visiting friends and relatives, etc., but I also worked one summer in my brother's tire dealership/garage in Anchorage, one summer in an RV resort (plumbing, electrical, mowing, etc. as well as "security" (greeter, in other words), two years doing gas leakage surveys in several states for a Georgia company. Then we sold the RV when we bought 10 acres with a shop and barn and mobile home. I sold pecans, a little produce from the garden, raised and sold rabbits, and repaired/rebuilt mechanics' air tools. And I did a little tractor work for pay with my little Kubota, but also worked for a neighbor cutting and baling hay, vaccinating and branding cattle, and such.

Finally moved back to town to find a nursing home for my Mother, who was an invalid, and to visit her every day. So I haven't done any work for pay the last 10-12 years, but I still do the lawn mowing for an older neighbor, I've done a bit of carpentry, a little auto mechanic work, a little plumbing, etc., but now it's getting to be less and less. I now hire an electrician and plumber to do jobs I used to do myself.

 

[Retiredguy2]

I never assumed retired people have nothing to do, I guess I would state it more along the lines they can shuffle chores around easier than I can.

My grandpa always says he's busier now that he's retired than he was when he was working and to an extent I can see that, in his case and knowing his situation I know he's not as busy as he leads on and would be much more likely to free up an afternoon than I would.

So I guess that what I said was more about my situation than it was retired people in general.

Thanks for understanding better....just sent you a PM that I hope you will read. I agree your post was well intended...there are so many variables that can apply. I see numerous people from my old worksiite sometimes. We all agree: How did I ever find the time for myself when I was working?