Backed away from work in the last 2 yrs , kinda retired I guess , there’s days were I feel I should still be at work thou ! I’m 61 kinda young to retire !
I plan on retiring in July of 2020. I still enjoy my work as a Union Operating Engineer (Heavy Equipment Operator) but I'm am getting so tired of all the hours I have to work... Just feel wore out... The last 3 years it has been a steady 6-7 days a week with 10-12 hour shifts. Plus throw in the hour or so trip to the job site each way and that makes for all work and no play!
I'll be 63 in July and my wife who has been teaching for 30 years was going to retire with me. She has since changed her mind cause she really enjoys the kids and teaching. She is also 5 years younger than I. So, I will be the "House Hubby" for awhile. I have an attached garage that needs some remodeling, a 14x30' shed that I need to finish the inside and get electricity to it... We are looking to down size so there's a list of things that the house needs to get done before it hits the market in a few years as well. So, I've got a few things to keep me busy at home.
We purchased a 35' Travel Trailer in 2018 and have really enjoyed camping during her summers off from school. So that will continue until she retires and we start our "Go See America" travels!
Of course, until then, I will attend every SSR Rally that I can, as always by myself but with such a great Fanatic Family, you're never actually alone! Every Rally feels like a family reunion!
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THESE NEXT 217 DAYS TO PASS! Woo Hoo!😉
I retired at age 62 about 11 years ago. I've never regretted retiring and have only been bored a couple of times in mid winter. Don't miss "work" at all.
I retired May 1, 2009 after a week of vacation driving across the country to Maggie Valley. I am never at a loss for things to do. I tell people I am doing all those things I used to say i could not do because I had to go to work, but I have noticed that some of those thing seem to overlap. I still do not seem to have time for my Garden Railroad but that may be because my railroad friends are retired and spending time with their families and working in the yard can be tedious with no one to talk to. I am doing more traveling as the years go by and most of it is in the SSR. When my wife was still living and retired she would plan my time for me and tell me I was not capable of taking care of myself. When she died in 2006 I bought the SSR because we had wanted one since we saw them in 2003 at the Wheels in Motion car show in Pomona and you guys have managed to help me take care of myself ever since.
Thanks for helping make my retirement work.
PS: I forgot to mention that I do go to Disneyland every Thursday if I am in town. That helps keep me young at nearly 73 years.
I talked to my financial planner and he said it would be 3 years and 7 month after I died I could afford to retire. I think maybe I need to find a new financial planner as well as that new wife, so I can retire how I want to.
Army..3 years..31 years at AT&T...was tired of being out in the weather so retired when a bonus was offered. Got bored after the Winter and drove the Brink's truck for 5 years and a little contract eng work back with AT&T...but now it's just wherever the day takes me.. last year has been busy with moving out of state and down sizing..
I intend to golf a lot more...and take advantage of the 50 miles of trails around the new house next year
Army..3 years..31 years at AT&T...was tired of being out in the weather so retired when a bonus was offered. Got bored after the Winter and drove the Brink's truck for 5 years and a little contract eng work back with AT&T...but now it's just wherever the day takes me.. last year has been busy with moving out of state and down sizing..
I intend to golf a lot more...and take advantage of the 50 miles of trails around the new house next year
Retired 12 years ago and shortly before began completing restoration of a 1937 Chevy 1/2 begun by a previous owner. That was finished in about one year. Wife and I then decided we needed more space for our respective hobbies, so we bought a place with a few acres, a studio for her and workshop for me. Well, that shop soon was outgrown when a 1946 Chevy 1/2 ton project came along. It took a car hauler and three trucks to haul all the parts to the shop. It soon became apparent more space was needed, so the space was doubled. Soon after, I bought a ‘55 Chevy BelAir. Nine years later the ‘46 was completed. About 5 years ago I sold the ‘55 Bel Air and bought an ‘05 SSR Aqua Blur. Needless to say my days are filled maintaining the collection and miscellaneous chores on the “farm”. We also have traveled to Europe, Britain, Ireland, Mexico and various states.
Retirement, IMO, is the blessed reward for enduring the sometimes seemingly endless hassle of dealing with knuckle heads. I now do mostly what I want, when I want...as long as my lovely better half says I can. I recall and followed the advice of a long ago friend that said retire only when the job ceases being fun, you’re emotionally ready and the financial return for your time and effort is in your best interest.
Hi @wizzr and Everyone ,
In my previous life my last job was a tractor trailer driver doing local deliveries in NY Tri state area for Chrysler parts and post office for a sub contractor.
I drove a lot ! probably way to much ,10spd banging gears pulling doubles sometimes stuck on the crossbronx I don’t mis that at all . Don’t get me wrong I loved swinging a trailer around back then .
I got divorced after 30 years in 2012 and was Diagnosed with Myastinia Gravis, thymoma cancer surgery which disabled me in 2013 .
so I’m Blessed to still be here !
I was forced into health related early retirement at 53 , I spent over 7 months in the hospital over 2.5 years with radiation and multiple surgeries. Not much fun times until 2015 which was my last stint in the hospital when I got out , I was 145 lbs and hadn’t eaten anything in 3 months . At that point I Hadn’t driven in almost 2 years .
I vowed when I got out of the hospital I would buy myself a dream car, I just wasn’t sure what I wanted . When you have that much down time , the list of cars I always wanted was huge.
Then the SSR popped in my head,
And it was a Done deal !
you can say the SSR and the fanatics is a big part of my ongoing recovery .
Last year I was blessed and on a good roll for my first trip alone from NJ to NC GA , Florida and back . Frankly just surviving that was a huge accomplishment for me .
I missed out with the Branson rally this year , I had a little problem and couldn’t roll the dice on taking a chance on the road .
I’m still bummed out about that !
I spend most of my time now just doing chores and working on my Health.
Oh I forgot the fun financial part of all of this . When I got disabled in 2013 lost my job , job went chapter 7 and union health insurance coverage was gone . I left the hospital disabled and bankrupt to the tune of 1 million bucks. Fun times !
I live with my Mom now since 2014 and at 93 shes hanging in there . Just riding out these last few years putting this all together.
Sorry for the long post !
Don’t put off what you want to do or go where you want to go !
You might not get a second chance !
Trust me I’m not complaining at all , just glad to get this decade over with and start new 2020 !
like i said I’m blessed to still be here 🙏🏻
I’m looking forward to being around a lot longer and meeting all of my new fanatics family down the road . Dave
I used an app on my phone to countdown the 365 days left until my retirement. Everyday I went to work I pulled out my phone and "shared" how many days I had left until retirement with my fellow workers. There was a lot of envy out there especially from management!
We will find out at the end of the year. We didn't want the President of the bank and I to retire at the same time. Soooo, I am retiring just before I hit 68 at the end of the year. He will the end of next year.
I have a lot of projects and can be a tractor driver when I want. It will be different as I have been working for 56 years. I got my first job when I was 12.
Well about a year and a half ago my company shut down due to an acquisition and I have been test driving retirement ever since. I have made two cross-country trips in the R and had a blast but it is time to go back to work and save up some gas money. I was recruited by a former client and start work again this Friday! Since I'm only 53, I figure I can put in another 5-10 years and retire again officially. I know I'm blessed to have a new job but I'm going to miss the freedom of my first "retirement". I hereby suspend my membership (at least temporarily) in the ROMEO club.
I guess in all honesty, I'm semi-retired. I worked for Caterpillar for a little over 30 years in sales and marketing. But in the down turn in 2009, my commission checks began to shrink. The company was looking for volunteers to take retirement before they started lay offs. As I was suffering serious burnout, I stuck my hand up. I knew right away I didn't have a retirement plan nor the resources to quit work altogether. But I damn sure didn't want another 8 to 5 gig with a boss. Nor did I want to have to use an alarm clock! So after about 6 months of fumbling around I decided to put my sales and marketing experience to work and open my own specialized sign business. The rest, as they say, is history. I now have a successful, one man business that I enjoy. I don't report to anyone (ok, maybe my wife). I don't set an alarm clock. I start my day after I've enjoyed my morning coffee and lounged around (and logged on to this forum). I rarely work past 2 or 3 in the afternoon. And if I don't like someone, I don't do business with them. Oh, and the biz generates enough income for a comfortable living.
So although I still "work" it's not really WORK. I plan to keep doing it as long as I am able. So I guess, in a sense, I am retired. Maybe when I tap social security in another 2 years I'll throttle back a bit. But then again, maybe not.
I WAS ON ANOTHER SITE. THEY HAVE THIS GAME GOING ON THERE. IT SEEMS IT MIGHT BE FUN TO DO HERE ALSO. THE RULES ARE SIMPLE. ILL START WITH A WORD YOU RESPOND WITH A SINGLE WORD. USE THE FIRT WORD THAT POPS IN YOUR HEAD. FOR INSTANCE PLAYER 1 HOT AND THE SECOND PLAYER MAY SAY ROD THEN THE NEXT...
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