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Of the luxuries that cost some money, perhaps my favorite is feeling free to buy any books or magazines or DVDs I want. If I don’t want to keep them, so what. I donate them to the library, knowing that someone will get them either for free or at the bargain prices set for the library’s book sales.
Of the no-cost luxuries, sleeping on MY schedule instead of an employer’s is number one.
going to a sort-of local park, finding a picnic table by the lake (easier during the week) and stitching. sometimes taking a take-out of some kind and eating there.
letting phone call go to voice mail. couldn't do that while working as I worked at a hospital.
taking time to 'smell the roses'. I can spend a long time walking a short way looking and listening. I hate drones. They're noisy and scare critters away.
I am only 9 months retired and aside from not having to get up early for work, my dogs awaken me at 5am. Once I am up I cannot get back to sleep... but luxuriating in bed until 10am is a guilty pleasure.
One of my indulgences in retirement since we now have the extra space and time is purchasing another inexpensive guitar or something similar. I just picked up a Samick Greg Bennett A-frame mandolin in great shape at a garage sale for $20.
I love the craftsmanship in even the cheap stringed instruments; and sometimes even I can make them sound half decent which is another retirement indulgence.
We enjoy indulging our retirement time in tackling various projects and learn new things in our retirement.
Last winter, we had great fun searching local nurseries for houseplants and interesting planters/pots from thrift stores. We were rewarded with many beautiful/exotic small houseplants next to dozens of picture windows and many big plants in each room.
Early last spring we took a grape growing course on a whim. We got ourselves hooked on the idea of starting a vineyard and partnering with another hobby vineyard owner to make wines. It has been a lot of hard work but also a lot of fun. I feel like going back to school again to learn how to establish/maintain a vineyard and to make wine. I got a kick out of getting several more great technical books on wine making from thriftbooks.com (I paid $80 for 16 books on many subjects: trees, flowers, gardens, wild flowers, geology, astronomy, biology researches and wine making techniques).
Our grapes (6 varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc) will not be ready for harvesting for 2 more years. This fall, we will buy grapes from a local vineyard to get some practices in making wines. There are so many technical details and nuances in wine making. I will have a chance to resurrect my analytical chemist brain which has not been in use for many years.
We have also spent quite a bit of time, money and effort to rehab the flower garden, to establish a small orchard and to start our raised-bed vegetable garden. This means numerous trips to local nurseries and garden centers. We have to leave wood working, building more formal trails, building a chicken coop, raising chickens etc. for next year.
Two weeks ago, the very busy sprinkler guy finally found the time to come to our house to add 2 new drip irrigation lines and a new controller box. To save money, we asked him only to get bring the 2 new lines up from the controller box. We have been busy the last 2 weeks designing the rest of the irrigation system and to shop for numerous parts. We wanted to add three hose bibs to the property and it took me a whole hour to find the PVC tube with male threads on both end. It is called a 'nipple'!!!! We will have to continue hand watering the garden, vineyard, orchard and additional fence-line trees (I could not resist buying these clearance evergreens at 50-75% off) for few more weeks.
Retirement also give us free time to indulge in learning new things. We were so glad to stumble into the local Master Naturalist program. We completed the required 40 hours of learning last May and have done more than the required 40 hours of volunteering work. There are so many interesting and fun volunteer projects to choose from : teaching kids about nature, helping at the museums, surveying islands with an entomologist, servicing wood duck boxes, surveying grebe nests, removing invasive weeds, monitoring water quality especially algal bloom etc. - this Friday we will be trained to use the microscopes and other lab equipment for scientific surveys.
We have been super busy with numerous home/volunteer projects since moving to Idaho. However, it feel more like hard play than hard work. There are so many rabbit holes to get sucked down for exploring new things. We can 'play' in a certain hole for as long as we want ;-)
Several people have mentioned not having to get up or go to bed at a particular time, etc ..... but I don't know if that can really be called an indulgence or splurge if that is (as it is for me anyway) the New Normal in retirement. Isn't an indulgence/splurge supposed to be something you do that is out of the ordinary? So that's why I would not classify that as an indulgence in my case.
On the opposite site of that coin, though, is if on occasion I do need to schedule anything before 12 noon (which I try to avoid at all costs) it is definitely an "annoyance" because it messes with my New Normal of having total control of how I spend my time, LOL.
But as far as indulgences in retirement, honestly I can't think of anything that I do now that I did not or could not do before. Actually the reverse is true: indulgences/splurges are far fewer because I have much less money now than I did then. And the food treats I used to indulge in before age 65 or so are now just not tolerated by my fussy gut. The days of savoring a Valrhona Jivara Lactee chocolate bar (or two!) are gone, sadly.
I splurged on a Krieghoff shotgun that's costs as much as Toyota Corolla. I use it weekly to shoot clay targets.
I told my buddies, after I'm dead, tell my wife what it really cost
I'm not retired just yet, but, yeah, buying high end guns and other outdoor equipment is always a joy. When I read online articles and on here that "stuff won't make you happy" - I just think these guys are not buying the right stuff. Just picking up a Luger, a Single Action Army Colt, a Model 70, a Model 71, my LC Smith 12 on a 20 gauge frame, the Belgian Browning A-5 20 gauge my late Dad gave me as the Best Christmas Present Ever when I was about 14 - frankly I can't keep a straight face, I have to smile.
Then to actually get out and shoot - can it get any better?
Thanks, it's really nice. I dreamed of owning one, but never thought I would. When I was finally able to, I thought, hey why not.
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