A question for the gray beards

[DaTow'd]

My grandpap told me to save my money and buy a farm some day- seemed like a great idea so at 27 I bought 13 acres.
I built our house and shop with wood I cut on the property with a saw mill I built.
Living in a place with clean air and water- and a wife that can put up with all my projects
I could not be happy anywhere else.
I'll be 77 this December and my beard is grey but what left of my hair is brown
When I'm done with this body they can have it for medical science that is about all the down sizing I'll do
cheers
Hank

 

[Bugzilla46310]

Howard on Andy Griffith tried that and it didn’t work!

 

[Steve67]

Looks like you got a lot of good advice Skeets. Whatever you decide to do with your life I wish you peace and happiness

 

[Daren Todd]

This past years been an eye opener. We sold our place last year taking advantage of the market.

We've been renting since then.

The eye opening part is the house we are renting, and the property management company that owns the place.

If you need a light bulb changed, they will handle it at no charge with just a phone call. Same with any maintenance around the place.

They also take care of all the yard work as well. The only thing we have to do is keep the house clean. But heck, you can hire that out if you want to.

Now we are actually looking to purchase another house and property.

But after we retire, a rental with a turn key property management company is something to look into when our health and age start to dictate the limits of what we can do.

 

[DustyRusty]

Skeets, get yourself a couple of 25-year-old babes and after a weekend, you will have so much energy looking for the next weekend that you won't believe it! I am older than you, so I will have to upgrade to two 30-year-old babes!

 

[dlsmith]

If I didn't have this place with my outbuilding shop and workshop in the basement, I have no idea what I'd do. I have most all the tools I could ever need (except for a Bridgeport), a couple of little tractors, and a '70 Nova I have been doing a complete restoration on. I constantly get friends and family that need things fixed or modified, some of which turn into projects of their own. I only have 3 acres, so the amount of property upkeep isn't too bad, and I do actually enjoy mowing, pulling weeds and trimming trees. Been single for the last 41 years, so I have been lucky to do just about whatever I wanted, when I wanted to do it. Got my pilot's license in '96 and enjoyed flying until I decided to sell my Debonair last year as I wasn't flying it nearly enough to justify the cost of ownership. I have a couple of close friends that I get together with regularly and a lady friend that is staying here occasionally until she gets her house built.
Had this place built in '74 and have no intention of going anywhere else, everything I need is here or close by. No way would I ever go to a retirement community, I'd be dead from boredom in a week.

 

[skeets]

Thanks guys lots of sage advice!

 

[D2Cat]

Hey Skeets, instead of thinking you have something you want to change just be thankful you have a choice. These folks didn't plan so well. Probably thought they wouldn't live too long?

Nearly half of Santa Clara County's homeless population are people 55 and older - KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco

 

[Crash277]

im hoping when i retire, that i can afford to build a small retirement home with a workshop, and basically have it as a place to call home; however I plan on spending time riding my motorcycle and touring all of north america.

 

[Biker1mike]

im hoping when i retire, that i can afford to build a small retirement home with a workshop, and basically have it as a place to call home; however I plan on spending time riding my motorcycle and touring all of north america.

Do not hope. PLAN !
Set a target for how much you will need to survive and another how much you will need to live the life you want. Then set out a plan to get rid of debt and a target in your investments. Keep to the plan and it should happen. It may hurt in the short term as saving is hard while spending is easy.

 

[Crash277]

Do not hope. PLAN !
Set a target for how much you will need to survive and another how much you will need to live the life you want. Then set out a plan to get rid of debt and a target in your investments. Keep to the plan and it should happen. It may hurt in the short term as saving is hard while spending is easy.

I have been planning, currently in a job where I get a decent pension after 25yrs (i can extend further if i desire). i have enough equity in my currently house/property that it will make a good sized payment towards the retirement property. im hoping to be able to purchase the land in the next couple years and then putter away with the BX clearing it, making the driveway installing septic etc.

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

Don’t wait until you are so old you can’t do much anyway. The wife and I walked into our employers when we were 52 and both quit on good terms. We traveled to the Southwest and bought a lot in an old mining town and over the next 5 years spent winters building a nice Santa Fe style house with home equitity money. We worked summers and snow-birded winters until we hit 62 and at 65 with medicare we “retired" again. We sold the Northern house and 30 acres, paid everything off, banked a bunch of money, moved across the State line and built a small super efficient house on 5 acres near our kids. I was a builder so this was logical. Now 73 we have replicated (or kept) everything we found we really wanted and answered the question “Do we really want to do this?” We knew!
The winters near the MX border give a change of culture, scenery, friends and opportunities. Recently we began downsizing to prepare for our next decade or so. I have been doing maintenance to both houses to make them in as good shape as possible. We have savings, we need only food and fuel.

Money? We struggled back when we both worked. We had to be very careful in the 20 years we worked part time, but we controlled our own lives, had more than we needed and lived a charmed life. If we hadn’t it could be done now but much of the transition would be guessing. That is not to say one shouldn’t go ahead. Just Do It!

 

[Biker1mike]

I have been planning, currently in a job where I get a decent pension after 25yrs (i can extend further if i desire). i have enough equity in my currently house/property that it will make a good sized payment towards the retirement property. im hoping to be able to purchase the land in the next couple years and then putter away with the BX clearing it, making the driveway installing septic etc.

It's a plan. Sounds like you are on the right track !!!
You can find two types of retirees having coffee at the deli. One group will talk religion, politics or the weather while the other group bitches about having to decide between eating and buying their meds.
I have friends in both categories.

 

[Crash277]

It's a plan. Sounds like you are on the right track !!!
You can find two types of retirees having coffee at the deli. One group will talk religion, politics or the weather while the other group bitches about having to decide between eating and buying their meds.
I have friends in both categories.

At least meds wont be an issue lol, I do get to maintain my health plan.

side note; rain or shine, i will be taking a short rip on my Vulcan Nomad today lol

 

[Biker1mike]

Guys I do have a question of life I guess. Have you ever woke up and looked around and asked your self about your living style. What I mean, and I am talking about us gray beards, just packing it in. Sell the whole nine yards, bike, tractors, house and everything in it, get in the truck and ride off into the sunset looking for some place. A small place where you can be comfortable, and not have to worry about mowing grass, and snow removal, house maintenance cleaning up fallen trees and stuff. These things never crossed my mind before. I figured they would find my rotting corps on the tractor some place over the hill in the woods or in the orchard, and thought that would be OK.
I dont know, this morning the thought is nagging me, what made this place a home is gone, and the clan seems to have forgotten you are alive.
Sorry , if I sound like an old guy, just had to vent

Skeets, I have to thank you for my actions. After reading these post I gave the wife the keys to all the power stuff, put a lock on the medicine box (field box) . Grabbed some cigars and fire water and started a nice fire in the fire pit. Did some thinking , called out to my demons , howled at the moon for all the bad stuff I have lived thru and then howled again to be thankful for all I have. The dog seemed to understand as she walked the perimeter and sat by my side and then walk the perimeter again. Guess she was looking for those demons. The wife understood while the grand kid will learn lessons much later in life.
All in all, decided my life is good. I may not like the cards I was dealt but, I love the game I am playing.
Hopefully , I have many fires left to burn !

Perhaps , today is not a good day to die. Warf from Star Trek

 

[lugbolt]

well if you're like my dad....

he never stops. When he does he gets depressed and starts thinking like that.

stay active. In his case he's got the mindset that if it's broken it needs fixing but his problem is he can't prioritize things. An oil leak on the mower is more important than blowing leaves which is more important than keeping momma happy

he is the most active 83 year old I've ever known and it shows. He's not able to do a lot of what he used to do, but still tries his best. Winters suck because he is like me, gets cold fast and can't put enough clothing on to stay warm. And when that happens, sit around in the heated house thinking about depressive stuff.