Community Chat

[AngelPuppy1]

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@ID2 wrote:

We retired 3 years ago. What worked for us was to sell our home and downsize. With the profit from our sold home we were able to pay off all of our debts including the new home we were moving into. So we now live completely debt free and loving it. 

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@ID2

That's good planning.  We bought this home a few years ago and it is very small, a small ranch.  I am so glad we did that because many times people have such large homes and they hate to lieave them, but they are way too big and just too much to take care of!!  

[AngelPuppy1]

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@Jasmine19 wrote:

Be careful with magazine subscriptions. Most of them auto renew now without really obtaining your permission. It's a very sneaky practice. The magazines will just keep coming - sometimes for months - unless you officially tell the publisher to stop. 

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@Jasmine19

Yea, they are sneaking, aren't they??? 

[AngelPuppy1]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@AngelPuppy1 wrote:

I have pretty much reached my point!  DH and I have been discussing this for some time and I really feel I am about ready.  We have gotten our finances and budget pretty much where it will be.  We will need to be very frugal but without any really horrible occurrences, we should be able to make it.  

I would like to ask everyone what things did you do or are you doing when you reached this point regarding cutting expenses?

A few small things which I have already done are:  

I discontinued my Ipsy subsciption -- it was only $10 per month--- recently went up to $12.

Stopped buying clothes (this one is really hard) several months ago.  I have worked since I was 18 and am now over 66 so this has been a life-long thing for me. 

My Sirius radio subscription is due to run out in a couple months --- I will not renew.

I am discontinuing all my magazines with the exception of about 3.

I wanted to discontinue newspaper except for Sunday delivery for DH will not go for that!

These are basically small things I know, but I figure everly litle bit helps!  

What are some ways which you have cut expenses and economized in anticpation of or since retirement?

I already think I am pretty careful with money.  Much more so than DH.  We have talked and decided when this happens we are downsizing to one car, so this should help a lot with expenses.  Also, do the same with cell phones, even though we both have tracphones, which we seldom use any way.

Also --- another aspect --- how did the transition go with all of a sudden being at home all the time? DH has been retired for seveal years and he is used to having the house to himself and running the show --- so I think there are bound to be clashes!

I am a little apprehensive about this.  I am looking forward to not having to be on a time schedule every day --- but then, it will be such a big change after all these years of work, work, work!!

Thanks, everyone.  

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@AngelPuppy1

Your assessment makes me nervous.   

Prices will continue to go up and there WILL be unexpected occurrences you never saw coming.  Thinking "we should be able to make it" with one car and one phone, and hoping nothing bad will ever happen sounds (to me) like a recipe for disaster.  

People who go into retirement thinking they will just coast along are usually shocked .... and back working again.   Maybe you need to continue to work for another year or two so money isn't quite so tight.  Not even having your own car or cell phone is taking it too far .....  JMO

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@Tinkrbl44

I appreciate your concern.  I am not going into this thinking I will just "coast along".  Something catatstrophic could happen to anyone at any time --- no one knows what the future holds.  I have not revealed all my assets, debts or lack thereof, nor the extent of my financial planning, as this is a public forum.  I was just asking for posters if they chose to to share little tips about their retirement.  I really wasn't looking for a sermon from anyone about how they felt I am misinformed or misguided about my plans.  Thank you for your opinion and your post.  

[AngelPuppy1]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

@AngelPuppy1  Again I ask..DO YOU HAVE A FINANCIAL PLANNER?  That is the first step. Not discontinuing a $10 subscription. 

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@SeaMaiden

I am just trying to have a friendly discourse on what small tips and things others did when planning for their rtetirement.  I am not looking for people to get upset or argumentative because they do not agree with what I am posting, i.e., discontinuing magazine suscriptions, etc.  Thank you, I appreciate your post.  

[AngelPuppy1]

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@jlkz wrote:

@AngelPuppy1

As for the 3 remaining subscriptions, why not get an elibrary card and read them for free on line ?

As for the increased time together, why not set up a schedule where you are out for the morning or afternoon twice a week and he the other two.  This way you both get alone time in the house and time to spend outside.

Don’t let minor irritations fester.  Stop them when they occur and brainstorm how to deal with an issue when it arises.  This will make retirement easier and more pleasant.

Much happiness and contentment at this milestone event !

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@jlkz

Thank you.  I agree about not letting things fester.  I try and keep my irritations to my self and at times they get the better of me.  LOL.  Best to get them out in the open,

As for the magazines, reading them library is a goo idea.

[AngelPuppy1]

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@151949 wrote:

I retired in 2008 , my DH in 2010. We knew this was coming so we paid off all our debts - cars etc to retire debt free, and have remained so except DH leases a car, so we do have that monthly payment. We moved our savings out of DH's company's IRA and into the hands of a financial guy who came very highly recommended to us and does nothing but retirement accounts. We are very lucky to have found him and are pleased with our choice there. First winter we came to Florida in our camper to stay the winter and look for a house. Ended up finding the perfect place on the first day, but looked around for 2 months before commiting to build this place. Went back to Pa and sold our house there. Found a camp spot very close to Pittsburgh and leased a year round spot to store our camper in the winter and where we could live for 5 months in the summer so we could snowbird. We had planned for years to do this, so it was just a matter of executing it. We were fortunate to have family here in this town in Florida, that we had visited many times and really loved this area. So no looking all around to find the right town to move to was needed.We both knew we wanted to end up in Florida when we could no longer snowbird. Pa winters are much too hard on my very arthritic body.So that was all the preparation there was for us. DH's family gave us names of favorite doctors,dentists, grocery stores etc. and we were all set.

We did the snowbird thing between our home here and our camper in Pa for 8 years, but last summer DH said it was just getting too hard for him and he wanted to stay put so we sold the camper, & moved lock,stock & barrell to Fl.

We are very involved in our church here which keeps us busy and gives us a lot of social contact. We go to the YMCA to swim and I do water aerobics so we've made a couple friends there as well.

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@151949

That's wonderful!  So happy for you! Florida is great.  I know it does get very hot.  But at least you don't have to deal with the snow, ice, cold and terrible driving conditions! All the best! 

[AngelPuppy1]

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@151949 wrote:

I will say this - we downsized to one car and while I admit we really don't NEED 2 cars - I am not happy with this decision. For one thing my DH insists on us having a large full size SUV. I hate driving it and hate hate hate parking it, and we really do not need what is essentially a fancy truck at all. The other thing is - for this to work he has to keep me informed when he needs the car so I don't make conflicting appointments. However, I just can not get him to keep me up with all his meetings and appt.It's just like pulling teeth, so, of course, we get into conflicts of appts, and every time, no matter what I am the one sitting on a bench somewhere in the boiling sun waiting for him to come pick me up. I just get irate! I do not recommend downsizing to one car.

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@151949

Yes, I understand.  He does not work at all though.  We are going to wait awhile and see how it goes first. I doubt we will need 2 though because we are homebodies and usually where 1 of us goes, the other goes!!!  

[AngelPuppy1]

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@depglass wrote:

Don't deprive yourself of everything that gives you joy or you will regret this decision to retire. 

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@depglass

These little things I mentioned are meaningless to me.  If I really wanted them I would keep them.  DH doesn't care.  He just wants me to be happy.  That is why he encourage me to retire.  

[AngelPuppy1]

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@morganjen wrote:

How do you deal with nosy, know-it-all coworkers that keep asking "when are you retiring?" I'm only 55 and love my job. When to retire is a personal decision and I don't want to feel forced into it by bullying coworkers.

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@morganjen

They have been asking me for years and keep at it.  Yes, I am tired of it --- very tired of it.  Sometimes I think -- well, gee -- sorry if my tired old butt bothers you, but I will stay here as long as I darn well please!!!  Thank you very much!!!  

Pretty much everyone is way, way younger than me where I work.  It does make you feel like you are not relevant a lot of the times.  I am like an old dinosaur!  

Don't let them get to you!  You just keep on as long as it makes you happy!  

[AngelPuppy1]

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@AuntG wrote:

I've been "retired" for nine months although I wasn't even 60 when I took the retirement package offered by my employer of thirty-seven years. We made sure everything was paid off, and had two new SUV's. Next thing we did was refresh the interior/ exterior of our home using my severance money. With all that covered, we could live on one income because we knew what our expenses would be. DH will retire in a year or so, at which point we'll adjust our budget accordingly. I love being retired, but I've always been a homebody. If you are a people person, I'd imagine it would be a bigger adjustment.

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@AuntG

No, I am not really a people person.  Not any more!  LOL.  I love being home.  It will just take me awhile to get used to not having to be on the clock constantly.  But it will be wonderful.