I WANT TO RETIRE BUT CAN'T AFFORD TO!

I Want to Retire but Can't Afford To!

You want to retire?  Can't afford to?

You're not alone.

It's no secret that millions of baby boomers are approaching their retirement years with meager savings and no pension at all.

This means retirement in the traditional sense of "not working" while maintaining your standard of living just isn't a possibility for many baby boomers.

Here are a few ideas that might help....

First, downsize everything.

The most important thing to do is downsize your debt. If you are not part of the millionaire’s club, you will struggle without your career paycheck.  Attack your debt with intensity. Start by paying off your credit cards. Ditch the car payment by driving a beater. You must downsize your debt.

Consider downsizing your home and possessions. Sell your house and use the equity to buy a small place with cash and pay off your debts. Find a way to pay off your mortgage.  Get rid of the clutter with an auction sale and use the proceeds to attack debt. You really don’t need three cars, two boats, a fleet of ATVs, and a time-share-condo. Downsize your home and possessions. 

Downsize your retirement expectations too. Sure, a few people made smart investments and can retire to Tuscany and live in a Villa. But many cannot. If you picture retirement as one big party on the Love Boat you need to downsize your expectations. The post-career years can be some of the best years of your life but you need to be realistic.

Second, explore an encore career.

An encore career is a job which gives you greater personal satisfaction while earning an income. It combines enjoyment with a paycheck.

Before you walk away from your established career ask yourself some of these questions. What would I like to do even if it paid nothing? Which of my hobbies could be turned into a revenue stream? What need exists which could be met by combining my strengths and passions?

Encore careers, depending on individual interests and financial needs, range from starting a travel agency to buying garage sale items and selling them online. Give it some careful thought. Go with your gut. Start exploring these possibilities now while you still the security of a regular paycheck.

Third, get in the best physical shape possible.

Stop smoking.  Eat better.  Exercise.  Get plenty of rest.  Take care of yourself.

Extra weight is a killer. And if it doesn’t kill you it will cost you. Those added pounds cause diabetes, heart disease, and other health related concerns. If you face retirement age with little cash reserves you cannot roll the dice on your health. You must do everything possible to lose weight.

If you are overweight and have failed to lose the pounds in previous attempts remind yourself now is the time to get serious. You may not have another chance to attack the weight. It is now or never.

Even if weight is not issue start a walking program. If you can only walk one lap through the local mall start doing it. Progress until you are walking at least two miles a day six days a week. You will be surprised how walking helps you physically and makes you feel sharper mentally.

Before you leave your career make an appointment with your doctor and get a complete physical. Now is the time to address any health issues. If you wait to check on your health you might discover a need after your income drops and your insurance isn’t as good. Take the time now to deal with any health issues.

Fourth, get on your knees and thank God that you will continue working in your retirement years.

When your friends talk about 401ks, IRAs, pension plans, and a couple million in the bank, you feel the need to fight back tears.  Right?

You didn’t intended to end up this way, but things just didn’t work out… for whatever reason.

Get over the tears… get on your knees and thank God that you will (might) have to continue working in your senior years.  Here’s why:

(1)  When you keep working instead of taking conventional retirement, you stay more connected instead of less connected.

Many people who retire tend to unplug from the world. Their world grows smaller. The circle of work friends disappears. Any social engagement from the job is gone. Golf courses of America are full of lonely retirees fantasizing about the good old days when they were involved in something meaningful. But if you continue to work you maintain friendships. You meet new people. You stay connected.

(2) When you keep working instead of taking conventional retirement, you remain active and healthy instead of becoming lazy and unhealthy.

How many people have you known who retired and “enjoyed” a life of watching old TV shows while they got bigger and lazier? It’s easy to do.  But if you keep on working you stay active and keep the extra pounds off.

Finally, The traditional understanding of retirement is no longer relevant to a growing number of men and women today.  They continue working for the purpose of fulfillment, often choose second or third careers, or find non-profit organizations or religious causes to dedicate themselves to, and stay fully engaged in the process of living an active, productive life.

Myself, I am unwilling to winter with the old folks in South Florida.  Playing another round of shuffle board is not my thing.  Neither do I want to live at the same maddening pace of my first half.  Knowing that I have another twenty years or so to live (God willing) I want to live them as productively as possible, vigorously pursuing the things that mean the most to me.  I want to run my race well and cross the finish line strongly.

I think that's what you're supposed to do in the 2^nd half.

If you start doing these things ( and many others like them) you will not enter into panic mode when retirement comes knocking on your door. Begin now.  You will be glad you did.

Harvested Potatoes Today

Monday, Memorial Day.  

Renae and I spent the day in the garden catching up on chores, harvesting potatoes, and planting three rows of brown crowder peas.  Here's a few pictures of the day...

She looks good... even when working in the garden

The result of hard work - about 150 pounds of potatoes

A row of squash

A 100 ft row of tomatoes - several varities

This tomato is about 4 inches wide right now
(It's one of my heirlooms - a cat faced variety)

Sunflowers in the garden - they attract bees
which pollinate the blooms on my vegtables

This is a pic of the larger potatoes on a drying rack.
I still have four boxes of smaller spuds.

Home Site and Garden Photos

Block for foundation has been delivered. Should
begin laying in a day or so.

Our gathering spot.

Blueberries are coming along

Musadine grapes (for my future winery) :-)

Squash blooms

Potato blooms

Newly Installed Garden

Planted my garden a few weeks ago.  Things are coming along nicely.  It's the early stages right now... but in 4-6 weeks it will look completely different as the plants begin to mature and grow large.

Potatoes Planted

Finally got potatoes planted.  Two rows, 100 feet long.  Red LaSoda, Red Pontiac, and White Kennebec.

Do it Yourself & Take Care of Yourself

Live frugal.  Develop skills.  Be resourceful.  

Taking care of yourself and knowing how to fix things is an important skill (and attitude) to develop.  It minimizes your dependence on others, the system, the government, etc., reduces your out-of-pocket expense for repairs, and makes you a better provider for your family.

If I don’t know how something works or how to fix it, I find out (as best I can) and try to fix it myself.  It may not come out exactly right the first time, but it will be better the next time.

If I have to call in a home repairman, I will pay for his services once.  I will watch him do it, learn, then do it myself next time.

I have a working knowledge and hands-on experience with most aspects of home repair.  Saved myself a small fortune over the years too.  I can make minor plumbing repairs, fix leaking faucets, replace hot water heaters, replace light fixtures, build privacy fences, pour concrete, install a sprinkler system, replace toilets, add new field lines to a septic system, fix a leaky roof, landscape, paint, weld, pressure wash, saw, cut, nail, build, fabricate, lay patio brick, build a retaining wall, modify a smoker, pull maintenance on my boat, work on lawnmowers (weed eaters, chainsaws, edger’s, and hedge trimmers), and even do small masonry repairs.

Handy man skills.  They keep the homestead running.

My father taught me many of them.  Others I learned on my own (thanks to my father for imparting to me a self-reliant mindset).

I take the same approach to my health care.  I prefer self-treatment options (as much as possible) when experiencing aches and pains in my body instead of rushing to the emergency room at the first sign of sickness.  Cuts, sprains, lacerations, smashed finders, cold symptoms, and insect bites (etc) don’t require a hospital visit and $4000 in medical bills.  First aid treatment at home will usually suffice.

Regarding getting older:  I  have a bulging disc in my back, bursitis in a hip joint, trigger finger in my left hand, and a condition called shoulder impingement (in my left shoulder).  In every instance I was told by doctors I needed surgery… and extensive on-going physical therapy at their facilities (that would have cost me another fortune).  So I began to search for information and learned to heal myself through my own physical therapy exercises at home.  After being plagued by pain from these conditions for most of my life, I still have not had one surgery and live relatively pain-free.  Some of these exercise have completely changed my life.  Furthermore, at 58 years old I am still physically active, can exercise, work hard, ride bikes, take long walks, dig in the garden, haul wood, and be engaged in all other sorts of labor intensive activity.

I think if more people took a more active role in their health care, dedicated themselves to preventative medicine (exercise, and healthy lifestyle habits), and took the time to administer some self-therapy – rather than surrendering to the pain in their knees and back – they would be much better off in many instances.

Thanks to the United States Army, I learned how to hand sew and make stitches when I was 19 years old so that I could make minor repairs on my clothing (like replace buttons and repair holes in the fabric).  This is a skill I have used all my life.

I am an outdoorsman, handy man, homestead enthusiast, advocate of self-reliance, gardener, fisherman, dog lover, and cast net thrower....

And I believe in the sovereignty of God. 

Until the end comes…..

Country Boy Can Survive

Lot's of Shoveling.

This was not a an easy  job, but I did enjoy the exercise.

As weird as it sounds, I enjoy manual labor.  It gives me a physical & mental  break from my ministerial and administrative duties (which often wear me down mentally and emotionally).  Even something as brainless as digging a hole is therapeutic.

Why I Love Living Here

Gulf Islands National Seashore.  Over 52 miles of the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the United States.  I purchase an annual pass to Ft Pickens for $25, and on my day off (or in the off season when tourists are not in the area) I can find places so isolated I would swear I am on an island in the South Pacific... and just as beautiful.  Almost everyone I know who moves away yearns to come back to the beaches here.

Water, water, and more water.  I own a boat and absolutely love being on the water.  There is off-shore fishing, and in-shore fishing in the local bays.  The area also offers fresh water rivers (Blackwater River, Yellow River, and Escambia River).  My boat can take me to places that no one else can get to.  I especially enjoy seeing the marine wildlife; porpoises, turtles, birds, large schools of fish, sharks, etc.  It’s the kind of thing you see on TV, but I’m living it.

Blackwater River State Forest.  This is the jewel of NW Florida.  Almost 200,000 acres of public land.  Literally miles, and miles of pristine longleaf pine forest, wildlife, and shallow water creeks for canoeing, lakes, and camping.   Let me say it again; this is 200,000 acres of “public land” meaning it is open to the public… for free.

Great Restaurants.  Of course, every city boasts great restaurants.  But not all can boast of the restaurants we have on the water.  And the view?  Second to none.  Let’s not forget McGuirers Irish Pub; it is legendary across the country.  The Fish House.  Crabs.  Hemmingway’s.  Jacksons.  Fisherman’s Corner.  Then there are the hole-in-the-walls mom-and-pop shops that I’m finding all the time which offer true local cuisine.   Each one is a new experience in itself.

Joe Patti’s Seafood.  Simply an amazing place.  Here you will see some of the most fascinating seafood anywhere.  I’ve never been to the famed seafood market in Seattle Washington, but a friend of mine has and says it is small, has a limited selection, and doesn’t even compare to Joe Patti’s.  Every time I visit the place I am amazed and the number of tourists who are there.  And yet, I live here.  If a fresh fish market is something you like, our area offers one of the best

Those are few of the highlights, but I haven’t even mentioned the Naval Air Station Museum, the Blue Angels, Scenic Highway along Escambia Bay, (btw, these are the highest bluffs in the State of Florida), the festivals, live  music, the historic districts, Paradise Café on the beach, the marinas, deep sea fishing, Destin, etc.

I guess it was my CPA who said it best last year when I was having my taxes done.  He is a native of Boston Massachusetts.  We were talking about NW Florida and he said, “Where I’m from, people work 51 weeks a year to spend 1 week here on vacation.  But we live here.”

“Yea,” I thought, “I live here.”

Turnip Greens & Roots

Onion Sets

These are the onion sets I will plant this month.  I have about 300 plants here, two varieties:  Yellow Granex and Texas Sweet.  They take about four or five months to make bulbs.

Cold Temps

These are four oranges I picked (from my orange tree) before the cold temperatures arrived.  They were a little under-ripe but I knew they wouldn't survive, so I picked them a bit early.  Very happy with them.

Last night the temperatures reached 19-20 degrees... and held for eight hours.  Yikes!  This is what my turnips, kale, and collards looked like this morning.  They are wilted but appear to have survived.  By noon today they should be standing back up (cool weather greens are very cold tolerant).  An added benefit is that cold weather sweetens the green.

Turnip Greens

Kale 

Collards

Hoop House (Cold Frame)

I put this cold frame hoop house together this morning before coming into the office.  It took about 20 minutes (after buying the parts yesterday).  This is a bed of baby lettuce that probably wouldn't survive the cold temperatures predicted over the next few days.

Turnips

Yesterday I spent some time thinning my turnip plants because they are too crowded to form bulbing roots.  Much to my surprise I discovered these two bulbs hiding beneath the greens. 

They (along with a bunch of greens) went straight to the stove top.  Had them as a side dish last night.  Nothing better than fresh greens and roots straight out of the garden.... especially since I know how they were grown (organically).

Fall Garden Update

My garden is finally taking off.  The weather is supposed to get cooler this week which will sweeten these vegetables.  I'll probably pick/cook some of them after the cold snap. 

In this picture (beginning at the closest row) is mustard greens, next row is kale, the next two rows are turnips, and the final two rows are collards.

Collards in this picture.  My grandson helped me plant them.

Fall Garden

My fall garden is coming along.  Nothing is ready to harvest yet, but is well established.  This photo shows only a part of the garden (the sun was very bright so I had to shoot in this direction).   I have collards, turnips, kale, and mustard planted.  Will start picking collards in a week or two, and we'll have more than enough (of everything) by Thanksgiving and the Holidays.

Me and Nolan (grandson) Planting Our Fall Garden

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Freshly Tilled and Ready for Fall Planting

This is my garden spot.  It's 100' x 65' in size.  Over the last few weeks I've cleaned all the summer growth out, pulled the tomato stakes, etc.  Today I spread (about) a ton of compost and tilled it in, making the soil rich and dark.  I'll let the ground rest for a few weeks, then will till one more time after adding lime.  Next I will build rows (raised beds) with furrows down the center for planting.

Planting of fall vegetables begins next month (about mid September):  Collards, Turnips, Kale, Carrots, Broccoli, Cabbage, Green Onion (bunching), and maybe Potatoes.  

Very excited.

PS - At the upper end of the garden you'll see my row of blueberry bushes and muscadine vine on a trellis.  We harvested a lot of blueberries this seaon, but not so good with the grapes.

Southern Field Peas

These are heirloom field peas.  Specifically, they are:  knuckle purple hull brown crowders.  The shell is purple when ripe having a knuckle (bumpy) appearance, while the pea on the inside is a brown crowder (very crowded).

They have a stronger flavor than other peas and make a dark pot liquor (or potlikker). 

They've been in my family (on my mothers side) for decades. This is my fourth year of growing them myself (after having been given a handful of seed from my uncle).

Of all that I have experimented with, these are my favorite. I always save the largest space in my garden for this variety. 

After work today I picked this row, brought them home and shelled them.  I will be cooking them tomorrow night.  Can't wait.

Peppers

I picked these beauties at 6:00 a.m. this morning.

Mayter's Gone Wild

I picked these tomatoes this morning and will be canning/freezing them this evening (along with just as many more that I harvested earlier this week).