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Triciajeanne, I am REALLY enjoying your posts tonight! Can't believe I haven't noticed yours before!
And thanks for "The Minervah Minute."
I almost fell off my chair laughing at that one. I'm going to shamelessly steal it and use it over and over until my friends are driven to "retire" me permanently.
Without any changes in lifestyle, I'm living on a little more that half of the gross I was making the year I retired with more money in the bank.
I have concluded that 1) saving up for retirement and 2) going to work was expensive.
I only have 2.6 months of retirement so far and have a bit more than half my gross while working. Even with buying a new bicycle and tricking it out, I don't seem to be able to spend more than 2/3s of what a typical month cost me. I don't know if I'll continue this way, but I have to agree, working costs a lot!
actually, as a totally non-car person, i do appreciate the comment about the Mazda rx7 or whichever -maybe it's a mazda thing....
i had a little red miata, a 2000, before they "de-chicked" it .....I have never really thought anything of cars.... but my little miata - it was like escaping off the track in disneyworld and taking off with one of the kiddie race cars.
never have i had any kind of vehicle that felt like it was just built for me - it was the kind of car that evoked a smile from everyone who saw it - it was the happy machine and i have never had so much fun - (even when it rolled away on what had to be THE ONLY non-flat spot in southwest florida .............._)
so, a car could be a wonderful memory - i doubt i'll ever have another,but i am a "richer" person for having owned the wee little car - zoom zoom zoom
Quote:
Originally Posted by texdav
Everyone is different in what they want and can afford. Can't really say that cars are tops on my memories list.You should be in your mid 50's hardly thniking your past making memories.Persoanlly My fondest memories where not about cars at all.
I have to agree with those of you who said that life has to be balanced.....balanced between enjoying the moment, and at the same time, saving for retirement.
But that's only a tangent of what i was initially trying to get at. My point was that most people don't need 70 or 80% of their before-retirement money to live comfortably......of course, having more won't hurt....but i've found that i can live 'comfortably' on 20-30% if my house is paid off and if i stick with the same life style. that's all i'm saying.
we don't have to KILL OURSELVES trying to get to that 70-80% mark if we could enjoy the "moment now" much more. what's the use of saving that extra money and find out in retirement that you didn't enjoy your younger, more energetic days and now, in your later years, when you have pain and more limitations, you have twice as much money as you would have had?
The best advice about retirement comes from average retired folks.
The “Experts” usually give advice that will ultimately benefit themselves or the system in which they operate, and profit from.
This is an interesting thread. My $0.002: I have and would advise ignoring the "experts". Their advice is, in my opinion, too generic and simplistic (in addition to being self-serving in many instances) to be useful for most folks. Common sense should be one's guide and tailored to a specific individual's circumstances. Retirement planning is not rocket science, it simply requires prudence and development of a clear plan for your situation.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,811 posts, read 58,368,761 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by triciajeanne
actually, as a totally non-car person, ...
i had a little red miata, a 2000, ...- it was like escaping off the track in disneyworld and taking off with one of the kiddie race cars. ...- i doubt i'll ever have another,but i am a "richer" person for having owned the wee little car - zoom zoom zoom
There are affordable options to everything....*just about... still hunting for cheap resort hotels, private helicopters, and yachts
I have a lot of fun driving my $35.00 VW Rabbits. They are like 'go-carts' and can be made to go very fast (there is even a 'racing class' for them). They are just getting 'retro' enough to turn heads. Check your neighbor's 'brier patch', that's where I find mine!. Due to 'shoestring' weakness, I stick with the 50 mpg diesels . At 52 hp, They are only fast going DOWNHILL. They are the perfect 'retirement' vehicle, parts are cheap and they are very ez to fix. I have built a few houses using one as a 'work-truck', hauling everything from 20' pipe to bales of hay, toilets, and showers. (A $35 car has advantage of not worrying too much about 'scratches' (Or my 'image' ).
OP... The 'experts' are 'tweaked' , definately short on 'reality'
Follow us 'shoe-stringers' and hope for an 'inheritance' In the meantime seek 'excitement' in the smaller things in life than such items as pensions, healthcare, and a condo with a housekeeper and chauffeur.
BTW, my favorite 'car' was the '1951 GMC pickup' I bought for $50 in High school. I had nice muscle cars and 4x4 trucks, but I always drove and loved the 'ole' pickup the most. My mom threatened to kick me out of the house if she ever found it in parked in front.... In a 'weaker' moment I took a Polaroid pic of it in the front lawn and left it on the counter.
The next weekend I was moving into my first of several '$300/mo' mobile homes...
I have to agree with those of you who said that life has to be balanced.....balanced between enjoying the moment, and at the same time, saving for retirement.
But that's only a tangent of what i was initially trying to get at. My point was that most people don't need 70 or 80% of their before-retirement money to live comfortably......of course, having more won't hurt....but i've found that i can live 'comfortably' on 20-30% if my house is paid off and if i stick with the same life style. that's all i'm saying.
we don't have to KILL OURSELVES trying to get to that 70-80% mark if we could enjoy the "moment now" much more. what's the use of saving that extra money and find out in retirement that you didn't enjoy your younger, more energetic days and now, in your later years, when you have pain and more limitations, you have twice as much money as you would have had?
Cheers!
I retired on about 56% of my last salary gross. But comparing my take home pay to my retirement take home, it is only 15% less than I was taking home. A lot of things change when you retire. Calculate what you actually are living on to what it will be in the future.
Oh, and somehow, I'm spending less than half of what I used to spend with no deprivation at all these first 3 months of retirement.
I'm not really sure why there is such a huge difference and I have always closely tracked all my expenditures.
I'm not sure you can plan your retirement down to the penny in your 20's, but it doesn't hurt to start thinkng about it. Just be prepared to change those calcs as your life changes. 5 years ago I was going to pay off my current mortgage and live here until I died. Two years ago, I decided that I would sell my house and move to Vegas when we kicked the kids out fo the nest. Last year, it was sell it and move to Reno. Now it's sell it and buy an RV and see the country. I am afraid that at this rate our plans will get to the point where they change daily!!
I do know that we are discovering that it is possible to live on much less than we currently do. Its funny how the desire to not work anymore will eliminate your materialistic tendancies. I think those 70 - 85% estimates include country club memberships, first class seats and a new Caddy. It's possible to live on much less (depending on your present income) than that and still enjoy some of the finer things.
$35 cars? Sounds like a challenge.
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- maybe the "Experts" are not right!
. Due to 'shoestring' weakness, I stick with the 50 mpg diesels 
. They are the perfect 'retirement' vehicle, parts are cheap and they are very ez to fix. I have built a few houses using one as a 'work-truck', hauling everything from 20' pipe to bales of hay, toilets, and showers. (A $35 car has advantage of not worrying too much about 'scratches' (Or my 'image' 
).
, definately short on 'reality'
In the meantime seek 'excitement' in the smaller things in life than such items as pensions, healthcare, and a condo with a housekeeper
and chauffeur.
