The retirement thread

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Brewdude

Brewdude

Broken Pipe
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Are you retired? If so please share your experiences, ups and downs, various anecdotes, etc. Please keep this non-political.

OK I'll start-

As of today, July 31st, 2018, I have retired from the brewing industry. This marks a 36-odd yr involvement in an avocation that turned into a vocation for 30 of those years.

It's been world of ups and downs, success and failures, and being part and parcel of an industry that has become a mover and shaker in the world of good beer. I like to think I've contributed to this in my small way.

I leave with no regrets. I've been with Snoqualmie Falls Brewing for 20+ of those years and it's been the highlight of my career. We've had some hard times but also some good times, and I exit at a time in which the brewery is in capable hands not only in production but in new enthusiastic ownership. It's a new day dawning for this company and I'm pleased to have been a part of it.

So now I will be packing up and moving to the greater Phoenix, AZ area in a weeks time. I was born there so it's kind of like going back home if you will. Don't have kin there or any friends, but that doesn't present any problems. I'll make new friends in due course. I love a hot and sunny climate so this is right in my wheel house.

OK so enough about me. What are your experiences for those of you here who have retired? The good, the bad, and the ugly? I'll be interested to learn from y'all.


Cheers,

RR
 
I've been retired for many years..During those years I've seen prices go up faster than my income has..My suggestion to those thinking of retirement is don't have too many long term bills.
 
I've been retired for some years myself, but still dabble in lucrative projects here and there, as I like to stay busy and not burn the income too fast. No house payments, vehicles paid off, got rid of credit cards, etc. A simple life is easy to maintain.

Sometimes I miss getting a pizza delivered, fresh sea food, and quick runs to the store for something forgotten while shopping.

I don't miss burglars, sounds of traffic, sirens, air traffic, "rush hour", nosey neighbors, stuff like that....

Sounds like you have plenty of outside interests, this is the time you get to really sink your teeth into them. Enjoy your freedom sir!

:king:
Congratulations! :cheers:
 
Try and stay healthy. Don't run yourself into the ground. But do not just sit around either. Try to always save a few bucks for the unexpected. Something you should have anyway. But it helps to always try and stash a bit for those gotta-have-it purchases.

You will often wonder how you managed to get everything done when you were working.

Try and ignore the worst about social media, the news media, and politics. It's mostly crap.

The generations following us do not want our stuff. They rarely collect anything. So as much as it might break your heart. Get rid of some of that junk we seem to packrat away for when we need it. I, and Cathy, have not been successful doing this. Yet.

Hobbies! Get you some hobbies! I like doing stuff with my hands. If I can keep them busy, I usually stay out of trouble.

Have fun!
 
OK-here is my 2 cents
Make sure that you understand how Medicare works and consider getting supplemental insurance. Medicare negotiates reduced rates, they pay 80% and you are responsible for the difference. I received a new hip and somewhere saw a bill for $35,000. Fortunately, I was covered by both plans. While we can not stop the aging process we can certainly try to slow it down. In other words, take advantage of physicals and check ups and have a regular exercise program. Make sure your financial resources are working for you. Sometimes it maybe helpful to have a financial planner looking over your shoulders. If you have extra time on your hands, it might be fun teaching a course on making beer at home.
 
I am retired from the Army since 2007 but not retired from work I been working in Iraq since 2009 and if the Good Lord allows I'll be here a few more years.

Regards,
Richard
 
A couple of things I can tell you about retirement.  KEEP MOVING! Exercise some everyday even if it is only walking around the block.  The second thing is find something you love to do to keep you busy.  Other than that enjoy every moment of every day.
 
Does surprise medical "retirement" count?

I've been off work for 4 years due to health. Had a procedure done that was supposed to sort things out but nearly killed me instead. The last almost 2 years have been recovery and dealing with "new and exciting" additions to my health problems due to the botched job. I currently spend about half of each month barely able to get around the house and the other half waiting for the next episode.

That said, I'd encourage everyone to put a plan in place for when/if their health or that of a spouse/partner/child goes south. I've heard of too many couples retiring to their dream house/RV/travel lifestyles only to have it fall apart when one or both fall ill. Life can change in an instant. A back-up fund is always a good idea. Wish we had had one, but I never thought I'd have to deal with chronic illness/disability at 46.
 
Carlos":y42hnnk1 said:
Try and stay healthy.  Don't run yourself into the ground.  But do not just sit around either.  Try to always save a few bucks for the unexpected.  Something you should have anyway.  But it helps to always try and stash a bit for those gotta-have-it purchases.

You will often wonder how you managed to get everything done when you were working.  

Try and ignore the worst about social media, the news media, and politics.  It's mostly crap.

The generations following us do not want our stuff.  They rarely collect anything.  So as much as it might break your heart.  Get rid of some of that junk we seem to packrat away for when we need it.  I, and Cathy, have not been successful doing this.  Yet.

Hobbies!  Get you some hobbies!  I like doing stuff with my hands.  If I can keep them busy, I usually stay out of trouble.

Have fun!  
Click to expand...
Wise words, Carlos, they really resonated with me.

I 'retired' from RAF 2 years ago but alas still need to work. Nonetheless, although I'm still working, after 27 years in the Service it still came as a quite a shock.

I'm at my worst when I believe I have nothing to do. I'm at my best when I have routine, something to look forward to, engage in regular physical training, eat well, sleep well and have a project on the go. Volunteering in the community (in my case Scouting) is also a healthy pursuit; keeps one's sense of community and prevents one from becoming isolated.


I'm very excited for you Rande. Lots of opportunity here. You appear to have a blank canvas that would benefit from a touch of colour. I wonder what colours you'll choose????
 
Lost my health after getting bit by fire ants 4 years ago at age 58, within 3 months was the equivalent of a 90 year old thus having to quit work. Went 5 months with zero income, savings all gone, went on disability income. Now on SS income, and have no extra money each month. Everyone has a different story. I'm not very happy being in a powerchair, hobbies are all gone, thus suffering from severe depression, very low available energy to get me through the day. :x

It could be much worse, so my advice is to do all the things you want to do now while you have your health and money, as it can all end very, very quickly, when you least expect it. .
 
hobie1dog":fqq9zdam said:
Lost my health after getting bit by fire ants 4 years ago at age 58, within 3 months was the equivalent of a 90 year old thus having to quit work. Went 5 months with zero income, savings all gone, went on disability income. Now on SS income, and have no extra money each month. Everyone has a different story. I'm not very happy being in a powerchair,  hobbies are all gone, thus suffering from severe depression, very low available energy to get me through the day. :x

It could be much worse, so my advice is to do all the things you want to do now while you have your health and money, as it can all end very, very quickly, when you least expect it. .
Click to expand...
That's very distressing to learn hobie. Never heard of fire ants creating this serious of a condition. Was it an allergic reaction?

In any case hang in there and get some treatment for the depression if you haven't already. My cousin suffered from chronic depression and he just withdrew and wasted away. But the fact that you are on here regularly tells me you're still seeking human interaction which is a good thing. Hope you can  find some relief from this going forward.

And your advice about doing the things one wants while one is still able is not wasted on me. As a recently retired Brit mate of mine said "beyond a certain point saving for a rainy day ceases to be rational".


Stick":fqq9zdam said:
I'm very excited for you Rande. Lots of opportunity here. You appear to have a blank canvas that would benefit from a touch of colour. I wonder what colours you'll choose????
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Quite right Squire, well spotted. Need to expand the set of interests beyond beer and music going forward.

Now that brewing no longer occupies my focus (a very odd concept I might add), and knowing that I cannot play my guitar all day it's time to look into new pastures.

I do plan to keep myself active physically. The HOA I now belong to in Sun City has whole loads of activities available with my membership. These include swimming pools, tennis courts, workout/gym training, bowling, golf, and much more. Just need to get my ID card once I'm living there and get involved.

I also will be looking into getting a recumbent bike for tooling around. I can see using it for general exercise as well as short trips to the grocery store or even the local brewpub! Summat like this if you're not familiar-

shopping


Frankly I detest riding on a standard 2 wheel bicycle and find it uncomfortable beyond measure. Yes, I used them as my primary mode of transportation before I got my drivers license but have hated them ever since. Nothing about them appeals one little bit.

Yet this concept has some appeal. It allows me a comfortable riding position rather than perched on that hard little seat and hunched over into a position I find uncomfortable in short order. Yes I'll have to try one out first before committing. And the issue of being much closer to the pavement with regard to visibility/safety and 4-wheeled motorists is not lost on me.

To that end I'd be wearing one of those yellow/orange day-glow vests as well as flying the tall flags that these users seem to do. Not a guarantee of course, but better than not doing it. Anyways, it seems like something to look into and is a healthy pastime.

Beyond that, one of the first things I'll be doing after getting settled will be to look for some other local musicians as I've already stated that I want to get back into playing live. For these past 28 yrs I've been primarily doing a recording studio thing, and in all that time have only played live 3 times.

And this was coming from a group I was in for 8-odd years before my move to the Pac NW where we played out 1-3 times/wk. So I do miss the live interaction. And it will also serve to network with new friends.

So that's a shout out to all you BoB'ers in the greater Phoenix area who are musicians. I'd love to hear from you. Otherwise I'll be trolling the local Craigslist and posting ads on the BB at Sam Ash!

And yes of course I'll be looking to hook up with the pipe enthusiasts in the greater Phoenix area. Just pm me info.

Enough for now....

:elephant:


Cheers,

RR
 
Down to short strokes now and all going to plan-

Picking up the 20' U-Haul and car trailer Tue afternoon. Will be doing the load-out first thing Wed. I'll get a ride to the motel at Sea Tac for my flight Thurs.

The driver/co-driver will drive straight through to AZ, only stopping for gas and meals. They should arrive just after me and we'll off-load.

After returning the equipment the drivers will fly back to Sea Tac and I'll start unpacking.

So I'll be off-line at some point Tue and will hopefully have 'net connection sometime later in the week.

Here's to a helluva adventure.............

:pirat:



Cheers,

RR
 
I retired two years ago from 32 years (combined) service to the Government between the Navy and Federal Law Enforcement. I'm working part time 3 days a week for the Sheriff now.

Next May, my Bride retires and we will be heading to Florida (Heaven's Waiting Room) to live out our dream in the sun playing golf and roping gators.

 
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