To some of you retired what makes up your day?

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Small Cabin Forum / Off Topic / To some of you retired what makes up your day?

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Author	Message
Steve_S Member	# Posted: 15 Nov 2014 09:26 Reply In Semi-Retired mode now... (won't really be retired till I'm in a pine box). Building my current little cabin, then cordwood cabin, plus Earth Sheltered greenhouse, gardens, raising chicken's, rabbits and a couple of piggies and all stuff around the property... Working towards self-sustainability as much as possible and as minimal reliance on external stuff as possible. ------------ Have no intention of leaving anything for anyone to fight over, get piddly over or cause hassles when I pass along to the "next emanation". That has already been solved very simply... Blowing it all on my build & setup over the next 5 years ! There won't be a cent in the bank LMAO ! The property & all that is also already resolved ... ;) Don't wait to start your plans tomorrow, do it today as tomorrow may never arrive or things can change/interrupt it if your not already doing something...

bobrok Member	# Posted: 15 Nov 2014 09:51 Reply Quoting: Steve_S Don't wait to start your plans tomorrow, do it today as tomorrow may never arrive or things can change/interrupt it if your not already doing something... How true, how true. My biggest regret in life is not having a small cabin in my earlier years. I have to pack a lot of fun into the rest of my life to make up for this.

redlandfd Member	# Posted: 16 Nov 2014 22:27 Reply I've got a good paying (but stressful) job, been working ever since I was 13 (40 years), but I am eyeing retirement in 5 years. After that, what I'd like to do is seasonal work, earn 8-10k to keep the bills paid. Anybody got any ideas on seasonal work?

Wilbour Member	# Posted: 17 Nov 2014 07:30 - Edited by: Wilbour Reply I've got 5 years to go before pension. Even then I will find something part time. Driving school bus *would* give me all summer off to spend at my cabin.

turkeyhunter Member	# Posted: 17 Nov 2014 14:17 Reply Quoting: toyota_mdt_tech Anyway, retirement is all I think of anymore. 8 yrs is going to seem so far out. But I know it will come fast. it will be here before you know it... it hard to believe I have been retired for over 5 years. Time FLYS!!! I retired at 48 and glad I did...so I can enjoy it while my health is still good. Thank God for being healthy and being able to enjoy it for sure!!!

Steve_S Member	# Posted: 17 Nov 2014 14:28 Reply Guys... let me say this... I retired early both by choice & by force (health) and with the health issues, I look at things very differently now than I did... Regrets... Could haves, should haves, would haves etc... all play into that... I shoudl have started my project 5 years ago but I'm doing it now and it's tougher but still absolutely 100% worth it. IF I COULD DO OVER... I would have started earlier, even if I did not have all the time I do now, should have because now I am paying the price for being lackadaisical and "dreaming" rather than doing, even if in baby steps. I know I won't be around in 10 years... I know I'll spend 3-5 years doing this stuff till I can't anymore and at that time I have to be in a position to sit & enjoy it with minimal efforts (reaping the rewards from the work). Get a good piece of land, undeveloped is much cheaper and easy enough to carry... Start a little at a time, even if Tent Camping while doing it on weekends... Make that your getaway / holiday / work & play combo. Smell the grasses, wild flowers, hear the birds and the chipmunk chatter (rather nattering @ you for making noise)... If you have 5-8 yrs before retiring, it's a head start on being where you want to be when you do and IT IS AN INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF & YOUR FUTURE.

PatrickH Member	# Posted: 17 Nov 2014 20:40 Reply My neighbor up north planned on retiring in 5 years and was forced into retirement (School teacher) made 60k a year lost part of his pension to his ex-wife,he told me if it wasnt for his land and cabin he didnt know what he would do.He sold his duplex in town and started painting(Which took off overnight). He plans on building a more usable cabin in the spring and will rough it through this winter. hes always busy just working on his place,spending time with his kids and grandkids etc. His situation makes me even more thankful that I started doing this now and doing it right the first time.You just never know.

The Hermit Member	# Posted: 18 Nov 2014 11:36 Reply I've been retired for 7 years and love it. Both my children are set as I gave them their inheritance years ago.I have life use of my property, by design. My Donna passed in 2005 so I live alone. I have FBW so I'm not ever lonely.I've built over 7 cabins over the years and live in the 1st one I ever built. I heat with wood only. 20 cord are high and dry in my basement.I can clean my stove pipe without going out doors, takes 20 minutes. I get up when I wake up and sleep when ever I'm tired, usually I only need about 6 hours. I spend a lot of time in the woods just watching game. I go to town, about 12 miles away to get groceries, but have enough here to stay all winter if I want to. I have company by appointment only, call before you come out and everybody accepts that. We have camp fires and lots of cookouts. The little ones love that I stock marshmellows and hershy bars. I love it too. Retirement can be anything you want it to be as long as you plan for it. After all, you're worth it.

neb Member	# Posted: 18 Nov 2014 22:03 Reply Interesting thoughts and views on retirement. I'm not a wealthy person but have done enough to survive when I plan on retiring in about 1 1/2 years. I don't believe I would have any trouble staying busy and finding a part time job wouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure I can just stop working done it so long it would be an adjustment for me. Thanks for the input.

Jim in NB Member	# Posted: 20 Nov 2014 11:53 Reply First off I don't think of it as anything other then the end of paid employment. I am going as quick as I can - actual date is Sept 30th next year but I have managed to squirrel away holiday time so my actual last day of paid employment (that I have to be at work for) is July 6th. Got my camp built and I will finish up a few things next spring and then start on my house on an island in the Bay of Fundy and push real hard on it in 2016. Hope to have it finished up by 2017 but if not no big deal. I work with alot of retired military people who just can't stop working - not really productive but they have to have some place to come, some order in their lifes. Not for me - I can put the order and routine in my life ... tonnes of things to do and learn, watch and see. Since I turned 50 I have given over 70 blood donations, volunteered at the local theatre, built the camp, learned to paint, have started to learn the guitar (that will be a life long pleasure). The first two things I see coming up will be taking scuba lessons (there are over 5000 golf balls in my lake!) and learning to sail. There are so many interesting things to do and so many people that can use a hand in many different ways, from helping older people out with chores to helping younger people to learn to read and write better .... the sky is the limit and I feel it is important to keep living and growing as a means of staying physcially and mentally healthy. My Dad died at 64 - retired for less than a year and a millionaire in 1979! Big lesson there - you don't get any of the time back! Another lesson learned as I finished raising my kids and watch them go out and conquer their worlds was to get back to what is now called livning in the moment. I remember watching a film (wild about Harry) - the guy went into a coma at middle age and came out as if he was 18 again. One small snippet of the movie show him after the coma sitting at the front of the house just watching the traffic going by and being very comfortable with it - that is where I want to get back to as well .... nowing that is quite alright to put your feet up and watch the world go by at times and not feel guilty about not accomplishing something .... Good luck to all in finding what they need to enjoy their time after paid employment!

ColdFlame Member	# Posted: 20 Nov 2014 18:00 - Edited by: ColdFlame Reply Although I'm only 33, I really appreciate this thread, particularly many of the comments that have been made, specifically yours, Steve_S. Keeping in mind that I have a young family, we are now trying to make strides to getting to what many of you are achieving. A simpler, smaller, more satisfying way of life without so much reliance on working, being able to enjoy life for what it is, and all that it has to offer. Life is too short to not enjoy it while we can. Tomorrow may never come after all! I know of too many people similar to Jim in NB's father whom have lived/worked their whole lives to be able to afford retirement. When they finally achieve it, they either have no hobbies to enjoy retirement, or they are too unhealthy to enjoy it. Work to live, not live to work. Good luck to you all in finding your dreams!

turkeyhunter Member	# Posted: 20 Nov 2014 18:58 Reply Quoting: Jim in NB knowing that is quite alright to put your feet up and watch the world go by at times and not feel guilty about not accomplishing something .... Good luck to all in finding what they need to enjoy their time after paid employment! AMEN TO THAT!!!....my working friends give me hell.....about being retired not having to go to work etc....I have NO problem with retired life at all...but in reality they have to work until they are at least 65 to retire.

Steve_S Member	# Posted: 20 Nov 2014 19:07 Reply @ColdFame: My health is shot but I'm doing it anyways and in fact, I have noticed a marked improvement in general terms and feeling better in many ways than I was... Mind you I have a great deal of hard mileage on my ol' chassis... I regret not having been able to do what I am up to till now but not everything was within my control or ability to do things until those issues had been resolved. Buying a little piece of land which is undeveloped isn't that outrageous - well depending on location of course... My children were all exposed to Camping from birth... not trailers, or drag along's, real tents, naphtha cook stoves & lanterns etc... "real camping" not "Glamping". Kids adapt well and learn fast when exposed to it versus being mired into "tech" which will not serve them in the future. One good EMP from SOL and Techno freaks will die off... I believe the US Military scenario projections show that within 6 months of no power / tech, they estimate 45% die off. 20% joining gangs / groups, 30% "survivalists" (meaning us & preppers) the rest is chaff. 12 Months and global population is projected to drop 50% mostly in "Western Nations" due to lack of supplies & survival skills... Those numbers may be different now, I've been discharged a while now and that's updated regularly. Urbanised folks will be the first to go along with the sick, elderly & those dependent on tech for survival (dialysis and such)... The real investment in yourself, your spouse & children is to have a nice place, out of the way that you can run/operate and have it provide the essentials for you... Be in an area where likeminded folk are and trading / bartering & exchanging can work... Reduce dependence on foreign goods, products & services and support your local farmers, grocers and producers of goods etc... The world today is not that of yesterday and while some things have improved the flip side of that coin is also very obvious for those that want to see with eyes open. Land will never get cheaper unless something major happens but it won't. To pay for 20 or 30 thousand for a few acres where you can get all your needs has a long-term payback (investment) to you. 3 Acres can feed & maintain a family of 4 if properly managed. Coppice the woods, grow fruit & veg in a Permaculture manner, build an earth sheltered greenhouse, raise some rabbits, chickens, a few pigs (get a hardy breed like Siberians) forget cattle and other large animals, too much goes in for a return on the costs... Get a good Hunting Rifle (308 good all around) and a light rifle like a .22 semi-auto for small game and a decent pump shotgun... Bow & Crossbow and bob's your uncle. Don't wait till tomorrow, it may never come or things may change that prevent you from doing what you want to do for yourself & your family... Times are uncertain and changing rapidly. You cannot count on Retirement Plans & Benefits or Investments... Those are options and not "tangible" till cashed in, where owning your plot somewhere IS tangible, real and yours ! Oil/Gas co's can go and TAKE the resources under your feet and the Governments (US & Canada) both seem to be agreeable to it, as seen in recent court cases... The Amish in the States for example are selling off and moving to Canada. The folks in many places are already starting to migrate for work, food, properties and due to ongoing droughts in many of those areas, this will not go away, it "will" just get worse as time progresses. NOT TO SCARE ANYONE - NOT MY INTENT - Just decades of observing, watching and being witness to many things globally. I also don't play the PC game either, just bold, blunt and straight out... I gave up being PC when I was last through the whole medical experience... Call it a change in perspective and a reality check. Lastly, consider... If you buy something and use it regularly it's likely something you need. If you use it once a year because it's convenient, or just because you have it, means you don't need it... Look around your place, in the closet, basement, garage, anything you haven't used in 6 months or more ? You obviously don't need it. Why pay rent for space, heat & light that space for stuff that you bought & store for "someday" use... Not wise economics, it's wasting good money & your resources (mostly $$$) that could be better used with real return on the investment.

Wilbour Member	# Posted: 21 Nov 2014 08:30 Reply Steve, you kinda hit the points found in the tiny house movement. When i see interviews with those folks it is very appealing. The more stuff i purge the happier i get. It's 180° from North American thinking so good luck having a discussion with people's on this. I will be leaving my government job at 55. We have people who are working into their 70s and not taking their pension. That hurts the younger generation who need jobs. When we do get people to leave they wonder why they didn't do it sooner.

Wilbour Member	# Posted: 21 Nov 2014 08:37 Reply We just convinced my dad of 84 years to sell the 2000 square foot home and rent an apartment in town. His pension pays all his bills and now he has $200,000 of cash to spending on himself. In fact he just took a river cruises in Europe $ 16,000 and bough a new $40,000 car! The man provided for his family for all these years its nice to see him treat himself. Remember you can't take it with you!

old243 Member	# Posted: 21 Nov 2014 10:14 Reply I retired in 1998 at 58. We have a small farm, which we rent out, to a farmer who has had it since then. We don't get ,a lot for our rent, but my stipulation is that , he take good care of it and that I can continue to hunt, cut wood , I have a good pension. my health kept me back for a few years. A back operation, new hip, hernia operation, restored me so I am now mobile , very little pain. Went through prostate cancer treatment, 7 years ago, complete with radiation and chemo, have been in remission since then. A word to the guy's out there , Get a psa test yearly, they caught mine early. Bad news if they don't. We do a lot of summer camping, enjoy music, lots of hunting and fishing and family time , round out our life. Retire if you can and want to. But keep busy. old243

turkeyhunter Member	# Posted: 21 Nov 2014 12:01 Reply Quoting: old243 Retire if you can and want to. But keep busy. old243 very true statement for sure!!!!

Steve_S Member	# Posted: 22 Nov 2014 11:05 Reply Quoting: old243 Get a psa test yearly, they caught mine early. Bad news if they don't. YES - EVERYONE.. DO IT and don't wait till 40 or 50 !!! It's a 2 minute blood test guys ! They didn't catch mine early enough (came back @ 1.95) and there is nothing to be done, fortunately it's slow moving but the timer is ticking and so I am using every precious bit of time I have left to do what I always wanted... 5 yrs at most they say, but it's their best guess (remember Doctors are practicing and haven't got it right yet).

Gary O Member	# Posted: 22 Nov 2014 12:12 - Edited by: Gary O Reply What won't make up my day; Getting dressed in clothes I bought for work. Driving to work in a car that I bought to get to work. At the job I need in order to afford the clothes and car. So I can work to make payments on the house I'm hardly at until I'm too pooped to enjoy it. What will make up my day; Doing whatever I want, whenever I want. al-l-l-l-l-l-l the time................ (actually, me and my woman w/be so freaking busy we won't even know what day it is....plopping onto the pillowtop in gelatinous heaps at the end of whatever day it is)

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