Here's something that should make you all giggle a little. My little one Elijah just came to give me my good morning kiss. Iwas scrolling through the quilt show catagories. He read "How To Dye".
Rolled his eyes and said "Jeez you people even have a way your suppose to die...that's kinda weird don't ya think" . . . "I'd get new friends if they were that bossy" :shock: I'll explain it to him later. Happy Mother's day ladies. Rachel

Wendy, what do you mean if the price of gas doesn't go crazy? :shock: It is $3.78 here in Franklinville NY. We had to for go our vacation because we just couldn't afford the gas this year and my hubby couldn't get time off work.
Eileen, My hubby has no vacation time, no sick time, no holidays, and no retirement. The only benefit to his job is that it is 1 mile from our home. Oh and our kids bowl for free. He gets no respect and no compliments. He hates it! Yet he will not quit. Why because his employers have lied to banks and prospective employers about his employment. He has applied for jobs here in town and has been told that there was no position available. Only to find out later that this was done as a favor to his current employer. We have been told this from several people who work in the offices wanting to know why he was not hired. My hubby is a very hard worker. In fact many times he is the only one working and not setting at the bar watching TV. He keeps bowling machines running in the winter and the gulf corse looking good in the summer. In fact this week I have gone up to give him lunch and he was the only one out on the corse. The other ones were inside because it was too cold. He goes inside to warm up his hands and gets asked what he doing : Tell your hubby he could have these idiots for bosses but he would probably have the intellegence to tell them where they could put thier tractors. :shock: Tell him you love him no matter what you just want him happy but most important yu want some time with him. Maybe he can take semi-retirement. Rachel

Eileen tell DH that he's lucky to have been able to accrue some leave, the alternative is to have health issues that could have cost WAY more than the value of that leave. YOU are in a great position to point that out!
Florence

We have a while to go yet, but retirement is on our minds here too. My dh is currently in his mid 40's and I am 10 years younger, so it seems a long way off in a way, but I know it is just around the corner. We have been fortunate in that Rj has a good thrift savings plan at work as well as several life insurances he has maintained through the years so we at least think we will be ok... of course if the economy goes completely nuts you never know.

Recently Rj has been becoming more and more disappointed in his current job, and I can feel it comming - he is going to quit and change jobs. Currently he is working for the Department of Energy as an analyst, but he has a PhD in Mechanical engineering. I know he could get a job teaching just about anywhere, but the idea of moving is daunting to say the least, and there would also be a probably pay cut for a while at least. I would have to go back to work (not a problem really - I miss it) and the kids would be uprooted. It just makes me nervous really. At the very least I know his retirement is there for him when he turns 55, and if he is still there then he will take it and leave for a private sector job of some kind for a few years.

Eventually we do have a plan for retirement. Once the kids are done with school and we are both retired we plan to sell the house and buy an RV. In the winter we will rent close to wherever the kids are living, and during the summer we want to pick a Drum and Bugle corp to tag along with and help and travel the country. Rj teaches trumpet/soprano bugle, drums, and marching drill as a hobby, and these groups are always looking for volunteers to help with everything from music instruction to running the chow truck, so this is a real dream for him and I have to say it would be a lot of fun. Even if we only did it for a couple of summers it would be worth it.

Thanks everyone. You've given me some ammo to discuss with him. His point is that he doesn't want the gov't to keep any of his leave, he wants it all.
We're going to our son's for dinner on Monday(DIL's cooking a belated Mother's Day dinner)and I'll bring it up like a family meeting.
eileenkny

I can't recommend retirement enough. I retired at 50 and my husband at 53. We bought a sailboat and spent all our time on that. Then in October of 2007 we sold our house in Md along with the boat and moved to Texas. I get to go home to England at least once a year. DH can drive me crazy on occasion being underfoot all the time but all in all it works out well. Since Texas is so much cheaper to live in than Md we can do more. Our next adventure is to buy a Motor Home and travel the USA. (If the price of gas doesn't go to crazy) We will keep the house for the winters here. I miss my friends terribly but I am making new ones and meeting people at quilt classes. My only regret is that we didn't move to Texas earlier, I love it and the people are wonderful. If anyone would like to meet in New Braunfels I am always up for a day of fabric shopping and lunch.

Wendy in New Braunfels Texas

Here is my two cents:

Most people don't plan for retirement...what I mean mean is they don't plan how they are going to fill up their days.
Men have far more of an adjustment then women. If you notice, most men have friendships at work. When they retire...generally those friendships stay at the work place. Women tend have friends outside of the work place.

I know the far greater concern is having enough money to exist on. And for women it is far more important since we outlive men.
Both my husband and I have rethought how we view retirement. We have decided it will become our second chance. We can change careers if we wish. I know for a fact, my husband cannot just stay at home so he is planning on doing contract consulting work.

Whatever you decide...talk about a game plan including finances and home chores (remember women NEVER retire).
Start laying the ground work now. For men, become involved in various groups in the community. This will create a network of friends and perhaps support. For women...do the same. Do something outside the work place.

FW

Eileen, I vote for July, 2010. Everyone has made really good comments. I think the way your husband feels about his job is a very good reason to go for the earliest date. My husband will probably retire in about two years. We're still thinking about WHERE to retire. I don't want to be very far from my kids and grandchildren, but California is awfully expensive and living near the beach is an arthritic nightmare at times. Judy in Torrance

I feel we only have one life to live,so be happy and live it to the fulliest, job included.

We have been pretty fortunate in all we have achieved through out our life here and its been alot of hard work and a great commitment towards our goals in life.
We have been saving for retirement age for many years now and still saving and still have 15-20 years to go before retirement

Though with the way the economy looks with high pricing on everything and the high gas prices. I look for the gov. to throw us straight into a great depression, Horse & Buggies! Families will be living like many of the spanish families 2-3 families together. Yeah the gov. handed us stimulance check thinking this was going to help the ecomomy grow, thinking people would get out there and spend more. "They are draining the people dry". Thier will be more violence due to all this.
Hopefully they will make some changes soon or buisnesses will begin to fall one after the other, It really doesn't look good.

"Hope we can keep maintaining a good Living for all we have worked for"

Gloria,
I soooo know what u mean. My hubby retired at 50 from law enforcement because he could and started collecting his retirement, because he could, instead of developing a seocnd career and saving our retirement for when we really need it.

Now "I" have to work, probably until I am 80 to earn enough to keep us both going in our old age and until medicare kicks in for some sort of health insurance.

Like u I resent that I continue to have to work 40 - 60 hours a week and there is no end in sight.

U are not alone baby.

Carla

Rachel what you wrote is so true. I am just a retired woman but have seen the same thing so many times even in my own family. You never know what tomorrow will bring and with a small amount of money a lot of things can be accomplished.

My dh came from a family whose summer vacations were a half day between field work and whose holidays were less than fun. It took me a while but I taught him what vacations were and that holidays could be fun. Our first vacation was with no more than $600 and some very generous relatives. We had almost three weeks and made it from Minnesota to California and back. That was forty years ago but we even had a luxurious night in Las Vegas in that budget (gas was cheap those days) but even though we weren't sure where the next dollar was coming from we never regretted it. Later we had a camper and the kids still talk about the fun times we had so we must have done something right. I have never regretted a penny we spent on those vacations and on our fun times because we never expected to live to this age (bad history on both sides of the family) but now we can enjoy even more things. Live life today and eat dessert first.

Ann still living life today and loving it.

I retired last June at the age of 55, as did my husband. I'm happy at home (at the sewing machine) and doing a little vounteering and occasional "grandma duty" but he chose to go back to teaching (which he loves) on a part-time basis, and is also very satisfied. Which is the key, to me - be sure you're spending time doing what makes you feel good. I watched my dad retire at 62, spend 3 good years with my mom, receive a lung cancer diagnosis, and die 2 years later, and decided life is too short to waste it being unhappy.

This is probably going to sound depressing or morbid. I was a Hospice nurse for several years and a nurse in several nursing homes. So please understand where this is coming from. All to often I would see a patient and their loved one sit together and say "we always were going to do this someday". Someday never comes because they were working jobs they hate or waiting for the planets to align properly. I don't know. It was just the excuses were always poor. Take today it is the only one that is guarenteed. Strokes, heartattacks, and alzhiemers take away precious time. If he does not feel rewardes from his job; by all means quit. Become a greeter at Walmart. My bestfriends Dad did and he loves it. The point is Find your bliss and make the most of the time that is here and now. Don't be the one saying we were going to do this or that. Be the one saying boy we really had a good time. Rachel. (By the way this goes for all ages my hubby's and my first vacation was to Myrtle Beach SC with $350.00 and 4 days off . the three of us came back with $7.00 and 1/4 tank of gas. It was the best vacation ever)

I am 2 1/2 years from full retirement at age 66. My husband retired many years ago from full time 40 hour weeks which has shackled me to my job. I have to keep going if we want any kind of income after I retire. I'm tired. Spent last week on vacation then came back to the week from "He double hockey sticks". I resent my husband for not contributing more. He does do the wash, vacuum the carpets and cook supper on days I work but it just doesn't feel like enough. I do love my job which helps most of the time but I'm tired. Boy, that just sort of all came spilling out