I stepped off the deep end today.

The only bad thing about retirement? You can not take a day off.

 

"We plan on living in our camping trailer till our home here sells then building a shop/house."
Noticed you put the shop first,I like your thinking.

 

Good on you. Nothing beats the feeling of quitin' a job you hate.

I've only got another 40 years till retirement myself

 

Hey, I pledged 10G on that deal already!

I wanna be like you!

Ive been greedy too long. Now i wanna have fun

Yep, if wasnt for the wife this wouldnt happen. Shes a keeper!

My new boss is pretty demanding but he doesnt believe in working more that 8 a day.

Yeah I fucked up my 401k the same way about 6 years ago. Got in the catchup plan for over 50 and maxed it out each year. Just hope I dont have to start dipping into it now. Good luck to you too.

At least we have our priorities straight!

 

I retired a few years ago but found I needed more $$$ than my retirement check to live comfortably. Went back to work as a delivery driver. I'm thinkin of giving it up again for a 2nd retirement.

 

...30 years of work, 12-16 hours a day?...what kind of work did you actually do?...just curious.

 

Ive been working for a metal building component manufacturing company. I was the first person hired when they built their second facility here in Lubbock. Now they have 35 facilities nation wide and are listed on the NYSE. For most of those years I opened up in the AM at 6:30 and closed up when the work was done. There would be a few weeks during the year when we would quit at 5 or 5:30 but it often ran into 7-10 pm and later. Company really got impersonal when they got listed on the NYSE. More damned cheifs than indians if you know what I mean, not to mention all the bean counters. Anyway, it shocked more than a few with the news. All the guys that started the company have left so I figured they know more than me and its time for me to bail too.

 

awesome, I'm very close to stepping away from my full time secure job and doing the PC biz full time. Its scary, but I'm almost ready.
Enjoy your time with the hobby and woman you love. have fun and build some cool shit.

 

Your right your wife is killer, she was so sick at the LaGrave swap meet and she was hanging in there and selling insulation as fast as she could. Good luck selling that great product

 

Congrats and enjoy it! Best wishes for your insulation business (and an order placed too).

56 is a good retirement age, I'll be 60 when mine kicks in.

 

Congrats man. Glad to hear you heading east, too. Just means we might see more of ya.......you mentioned that to me at Roundup. Too cool.
See you at Pate next weekend.?.?.?.?

 

Yep its a scary deal. We've been pretty secure with the benefits and all. Thats the biggest hurdle. I plan on enjoying both more (hobby and the wife)

Yeah shes a real trooper. I couldn't do this deal without her. I've been trying to get her involved in the HAMB but she says 'that's your deal'. Maybe one day I'll get her hooked on that too.

Thanks for the order and make sure you get the Alliance discount! If we miss it we can refund it.

 

When you're retired, you can wake up with diarrhea and know it's still gonna be a good day.

I retired five years ago at age 53 after 26 years with the Lubbock PD, on call 24/7 for about 90% of that time. I was called out hundreds of times, interrupted at every normal activity in life. Additionally my high profile in the community, the result of frequent media exposure, required me to lead a very circumspect public life, no activity that might reflect poorly on my employer or myself. No beer with a restaurant meal, for example.

I hated the last three years of my career...hypocritical, ethically-challenged, marginally-literate supervisors...and, when I had to take medical leave for treatment of a spinal disorder, I decided to check it to 'em.

Life's been great since then. The back's holding up, and I spend every day hunting down decent project cars. I can change, or eliminate, my schedule on an hour's notice. I sleep 'til 8 or 9 each day and run 'til about 2 AM the following morning.

Congratulations on starting the best part of your life. Springtown is still a nice town and so close to so many swap meets. I have family there and stay with 'em every time I go to Metroplex.

 

I thought I'd throw in an update. Things are really rolling now. We put our house up on the market Friday before last and it sold last Friday and we actually got more for it than it listed for! An oil company wanted it to put in a stack yard and office and offered more than the list price. I didnt want to see that and my neighbors would shoot my ass if I ever showed up again after letting that happen. Luckly a family fell in love with the place and upped the oil companys offer.

Yesterday I drove to Springtown and leased a 40x 60 warehouse to move our insulation business into. Just barely got it. Called on it and the owner told me that he was showing it to a guy and to come on over. He told both of us that it didnt matter to him who called him first on it, the first one with the deposit got it. Well the other guy said that he had to run it by his partner and would get back with him. I made a quick call to my partner (my wife Kelly) and got the ok. Payed him the deposit on the spot. Its a brand new insulated steel building with office and bathroom right on the highway. I am so stoked i cant sleep. Hence the post at 4 am!

 

Man oh man, when its right its right. So glad things are headed in the right direction for you guys. It kinda sounds like you need to find another job just to get some rest!

 

Good luck to you and your retirement. I've been retired almost 3 years now after almost 40 years of a 7 day rotating shift schedule. I was trying to make it to my 62 birthday the first of Dec. but the last 8 months I was on a every day schedule, some were 12 hours and some 16 hour days. It started affecting my health, so I hung it up Sept. 1st and haven't regretted my decision for one day !
It's good you have the support of your wife too, I'm in the same situation. When someone asks why I'm not working I just say " My wife and my wristwatch both work, why should I " Enjoy your time and again, good luck.

 

Congrats on pulling together a plan that's gonna change your life. Awesome news.

For everyone reading, you don't have to be nearing retirement age to do this! At 35, (after 4 years of planning & saving) I told the job to kiss my grits. My "job" this summer is to remodel my shiny new foreclosure house (to live in, not a flip). Will I go back to work somewhere this fall? Maybe. With this much time on my hands opportunities keep falling into my lap. Two days ago I nailed down a job finishing a motor installation that pays a couple hundy,thus extending my unemployment one week. Yesterday it was a $9k C3 vette for $3k. It's crazy, I'm living the real life version of corvette summer. I'd like to tell ya what day of the week it is right now, but really don't know!!

Here's a life motto I borrowed from bikers.

You can work to live, or you can live to work.

Life is short! My head is clearer than it has been for a decade and life is more than just slogging thru M-F with an eye on the weekend. Why did I wait this long????????

 

Got to respect an independent man with guts. West Texas will miss you.

himmelberg

 

Congrats. Like he said-Life is short ! ENJOY !!
Frank

 

Congratulations for reaching that plateau.....now if I can just find somebody to take this fab shop over, I'll run across you at the swap meets.....what a great moment for you.
Skot

 

Congrats!! Sounds like good times are ahead! Good luck...

 

Congrats!! My dad is hanging it up in 09 he can't wait to be in the shop more and travel....Congrats once again.

 

SWEET! Well done Mike!

 

I'm afraid that I'll never be able to retire ,I'm at 55 years old now,
and i've been working for myself for twenty plus years ,I don't have much to fall back on .......But that's my problem and i'll keep on .....
Enough crying.........GOOD LUCK TO YA ,sometimes we make our own luck ,and you have with all the long hours......

 

Congrats, Im sure my job will have killed me before I retire

 

Sometimes I want to live in a camper trailer anyway. Course I would want to park it along side my fabulous dream garage with all my toys uh I mean tools and my mistresses, uh I mean cars, and live the easy simple no more bull life.
Hats off to another passionate individual with a direction.




14...."thats funny right there I don't dare who ya 'r"

 

Congrats!

I only have 30 years left....and they'll probably send my last paycheck to the mortuary.....

 

"Working" is for people that don't have a HotRod to play with! Good going! Now take it easy Mon.

 

I retired in March. Haven't had a day off since. Difference is I'm doing what the hell I want. Even doing stuff for the wife is fun ---now. Don't have a spare minute during the day except for my quicky 15 min. naps. Was doing 4am to 12:30 PM coming home and wasting the day away. Now I get more shit done from 7AM to 8AM than I did all day when I was working.
_________________________________________________
Like I told the kid,"Your music not too loud, it just sucks!"

 

Aaahhhh retirement.........I can't wait!