I'll just have water

[ultrarunner]

I've never seen a hurst towing a uhaul full of money.

Damn, that is next level frugal.

What are your thoughts on retiring early?

Younger brothers semi retired and all elders except mom worked until they passed away… the farming side wouldn’t have it any other way and the business side had too many years making a go of it to close the doors.

Middle brother retired at 58 to enjoy his place and has made a real go of the Christmas Tree business which he really has profitable fun at… Senior VP of a Billion dollars company in 37 states and the site visits via private jet and structuring deals was all consuming… he is still on retainer but he strictly enforced it.

 

[Snobdds]

My brothers new favorite saying is “It’s later than you think”

I excel at deferred gratification… work today for tomorrow, build a nest egg… etc.

I also know first hand that a family with nothing can live well given the myriad of government programs.

Example… live 25 years in a neighbors of 900k homes and pay $50 for rent each month with gardener and paid garbage service.

Buy a brand new Toyota Yaris, receive Free Cell and Internet, Health Insurance, Family Income, Food Program, Free Higher Education, Free School Lunches, Free Summer Lunches, send the kids to grad night, etc…

Contrast this with my good friend, career ATT lives in a 2 bedroom home with wife and 4 daughters and mother in law in the basement… life is good but like most working guys he has to be careful making ends meet.

The home next door rented Section 8 and the lady and her son were nice enough… she became pregnant giving birth to a daughter so now she was moving to a 3 bedroom because her family size increased…

So we have the hard working family man supporting 7 doing the best he can yet his neighbor with new baby is now under housed and eligible for a 3-bedroom voucher.

It’s enough to at least make one wonder?

Don't worry about some dude and if he's going to make it.

All you can do it take care of you...

 

[Snobdds]

What are your thoughts on retiring early?

Younger brothers semi retired and all elders except mom worked until they passed away… the farming side wouldn’t have it any other way and the business side had too many years making a go of it to close the doors.

Middle brother retired at 58 to enjoy his place and has made a real go of the Christmas Tree business which he really has profitable fun at… Senior VP of a Billion dollars company in 37 states and the site visits via private jet and structuring deals was all consuming… he is still on retainer but he strictly enforced it.

Retire as soon as comfortably able to...

I have not met one person, who actually planned for retirement, that said...gosh, I wish I would have worked longer.

Time>money.

 

[2manyrocks]

Seen guys retire and then die. Don’t know if the transition was too much for them.

 

[ultrarunner]

Sadly I know people that retire and die…. 40 years on the job often is who you are.

My retired military friend are still called by their rank like gunny, captain, commander… just like retired doctors and judges and clergy.

I’ve found that the option to comfortably retire changes everything.

Yesterday the well respected RN nursing director confided he would retire or step back if he could but at 48 with kids away in college it’s not financially feasible… many of my co-workers in similar situations.

I go back and forth… part of having options for me is minimal expenses and not needing the newest and shiniest things.

and… I almost always have water… soda now can be $4 dining out.

Seen guys retire and then die. Don’t know if the transition was too much for them

 

[2manyrocks]

I suspect the challenge for you will be adjusting from 100 hr weeks to? Plus, what would you find to be a satisfying way of spending the new found time?

Few years ago I knew an administrator who was being politically pressured to retire. It didn’t make financial sense for her to keep working and put up with hassle because she had so much retirement pay coming. Literally, she could afford to retire and decide what she wanted to do each day instead of working in a pressured situation. She came around to that point of view.

 

[ultrarunner]

I suspect the challenge for you will be adjusting from 100 hr weeks to? Plus, what would you find to be a satisfying way of spending the new found time?

On the clock it’s rarely more than 65 hour weeks… but it’s seldom predictable which is the problem…

Property management fills in the rest… like last night… family came home from a weeks vacation to no hot water… replaced the thermopile and good to go… everyone happy.

I try to keep a little of everything on hand.

I’m actually off today after 26 straight…

Corp philosophy is it’s better to pay overtime to one guy while outsourcing as much as possible.

The problem with outsourcing is someone still needs to be onsite and that someone also needs to know the answers.

Anyone need anesthesia machines… been told to scrap them along with a 20 hp Baldor motor… 30 years 24/7 without a single problem… one shot of grease monthly…

The old generation would often be ashamed if they couldn’t clean their home and maintain the yard… etc.

Now it’s the opposite…

 

[2manyrocks]

Long time friend is college maintenance guy retiring in December. He recommended they hire assistant to learn job. No signs of that happening. Meanwhile, paying hefty fees to property maintence company to do the work he cant get to.

 

[Alan W.]

My brothers new favorite saying is “It’s later than you think”

I excel at deferred gratification… work today for tomorrow, build a nest egg… etc.

I also know first hand that a family with nothing can live well given the myriad of government programs.

Example… live 25 years in a neighbors of 900k homes and pay $50 for rent each month with gardener and paid garbage service.

Buy a brand new Toyota Yaris, receive Free Cell and Internet, Health Insurance, Family Income, Food Program, Free Higher Education, Free School Lunches, Free Summer Lunches, send the kids to grad night, etc…

Contrast this with my good friend, career ATT lives in a 2 bedroom home with wife and 4 daughters and mother in law in the basement… life is good but like most working guys he has to be careful making ends meet.

The home next door rented Section 8 and the lady and her son were nice enough… she became pregnant giving birth to a daughter so now she was moving to a 3 bedroom because her family size increased…

So we have the hard working family man supporting 7 doing the best he can yet his neighbor with new baby is now under housed and eligible for a 3-bedroom voucher.

It’s enough to at least make one wonder?

Fully agree. My cousins kid and shack up have two kids. Wont get married because it would cut her benefits. They wanted to show me their newborn the other day. I said sure since Im paying for it. When they asked what I meant I explained that they had GSBs which is government supported babies funded by the taxes I pay.
Wife made me change the B to babies because she said the other word wasn’t nice.

 

[azbinder]

Martin's just got sold again. Hopefully they'll continue their great service. Kroger on west side of SB is closing. Most likely got shoplifted to death. It was always kind of dirty in that store as long as I can remember, and we've lived on that side of town since '85.

MossRoad, do they still have the Kroger's at Ireland and Michigan area? I remember when the built it in the mid-late 50's.

 

[ultrarunner]

Long time friend is college maintenance guy retiring in December. He recommended they hire assistant to learn job. No signs of that happening. Meanwhile, paying hefty fees to property maintence company to do the work he cant get to.

I see this as the new normal… also cutting back on stock of spare parts to maintain high reliability.

Just in Time Supply Chain crashed and burned during the pandemic.

Will your friend retire as planned.

Yesterday I mentioned to my Admin that it might be wise to bring someone in for when I’m no longer here…

Her response is you are not going anywhere… take tomorrow off and I promise no one will call you as it’s a staff training day with no surgeries on the schedule.

Admin is 71 and a powerhouse of energy and detail… putting in the long hours as necessary… leadership by example.

In todays world of employment the win for hourly employees goes to Registered Nurses.

 

[2manyrocks]

He has always done what he says he intends to do. Gave college plently of advance notice. If they don’t find a timely replacement, it is on them, IMO. Plus, his wife is retiring, too.

 

[ultrarunner]

Change phone numbers along with moving will solve that… actually common in California to retire and relocate.

When mom retired as charge RN at 62 they gave her a great send off…

About 6 months later she was asked if she would be interested in coming back part time… mom said she didn’t think she would have time to comeback.

The Director of nursing ask if she would consider 6 hours one or two times a week.

Mom said ok… if you really need me I’m willing to give it a try… and in her 50 years as a RN said the final years working 6 to 12 hours a week were the best of her career… she really enjoyed it and was paid an hourly rate higher than she had ever made and the staff adored her…

It was great to see her so happy unburdened no longer being a charge and she felt great contributing and making a little mad money as she called it.

She was the best IV starter in the entire hospital… one and in.

 

[2manyrocks]

The other part of the challenge for you is working in a setting that saves lives. You may not be the doc or nurse, but you help make it possible for them to do their jobs helping other people. Makes it tougher to decide when…

 

[ultrarunner]

33 years without a cancelled surgery due to engineering/facility.

That changed when one 1995 steam boiler was down for scheduled service and the second went down… no steam, no steam sterilizing… several patients cancelled that afternoon.

Root cause… aging equipment with capital expenditures on hold.

More recently the Saturday/Sunday operating room HVAC replacement encountered many complications exasperated by after hours work… installing contractor work day and night all weekend with second crane called and supply houses opened after hours… several long total joint replacement cases cancelled that day…

It’s a huge deal to cancel when the surgical team is in place and everything is staged ready to go and you break the news to the patient…

Eye surgery not affected as totally separate HVAC…

 

[newbury]

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make it Do, or Do Without

Lived by that motto all my life.

On the subject of when to retire. When I was about 20 I planned on working until I was 75, if I made it. That would be next year.
About 3 years after that plan my Grandfather, a hardy practicing Mormon died due to a blood clot causing him to be stranded in a field ~ 50 yards from the house. Neither my mother nor grandmother heard his screams (afternoon TV). My Father found him after work, got him to the hospital, but Grandfather passed away.
In 2009 I was finishing 35 years working for the Army Corps of Engineers Topo Labs with about 300 other civilians. Still planning to work until 75. I lived ~1 mile from "work", my job had me travelling world wide frequently, life was good. Then my lovely wife (who worked as an attorney for the Corps) had 2 strokes. It basically took her 3 years to fully recover and retire. Lot's of Physical Therapy.
In the course of those 3 years 4 of my "cohorts", similar age full professionals, getting ready to retire, passed away, out of the blue. People I had spent moths deployed with overseas.

Due to our pay grades we both could and did retire.

Another motto I live by -

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

 

[tradosaurus]

Dude. You're wiping with your hand.

Not when you combine that with a bidet. Also less chance of clogging your septic system using one ply toilet paper.

 

[tradosaurus]

Spend it if you can afford it.
Get rid of it if it's not being used for at least 5 years.
You came into this world with nothing
You will leave this world with nothing.
Don't leave your fortune to others. Spend it!

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm guessing that nobody on this thread is the guy I got stuck behind as he decided which scratchoff he wanted to piss his money on. "What number is that one? No, the one next to it. Oh I don't like that. How about that one over there? NO, not the red one. That's bad luck. That one over there.

Now I need to cash these in for a powerball."

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I can't believe I forgot the number 1 thing: (puts on flame-proof suit)

• If you want to save money, don't have kids. That is not my main reason for foregoing having children, but it is definitely an advantage.
• Bonus Answer: If you get married, find someone who does not have expensive taste and is not enamored with material possessions.

My wife had a normal delivery. I have not had the courage to add up the post-insurance cost, but I am guessing $30,000 for prenatal through 4-month pediatrician checkup. Let's not discuss diapers, painting the nursery, furniture, 85 kinds of grease, 4,000 rompers...

My son is wonderful, however. He lies on his mom, staring at me over her side, waiting for me to wake up. He smiles when I snore because he thinks I'm talking to him.