Pull the Plug

On By CariIn Daily Prompts

How do you want to retire?

A question I think about often…

If my calculations are right (and they almost always are), I have a little over 11 years and 4 months before I can retire. And oh buddy, will I be ready.

The answer to this question is simple – I want to retire with no mortgage, no car payments, no debt other than the recurring monthly bills. I want to retire comfortably enough that if I get a wild hair up my ass to traverse to Europe for a couple of weeks, so be it. My family currently lives with a certain air of frugality in order to accomplish this – if we don’t have the cash for smaller purchases ($5K and under), we don’t buy it. We pay off credit cards twice a month. We sell items we no longer need. We put our heads together and accomplish our own home projects. We meal plan. We shop around for deals.

Granted, the 11 year and 4 month date is my minimum retirement age (MRA). My husband will have another five years before he will meet his MRA. I may decide to keep working until he is able to retire, or more likely, I will retire and spend five glorious years gardening and visiting kids/grandkids and writing and reading and traveling. Alone. ‘Cause damnit, I deserve it.

My husband said I love my job too much to retire. He thinks I will pull the plug, then come back as a contractor. Something about “dedication” and “sense of accomplishment” and the fact that I will be too bored with all of the time on my hands.

TBD.

It’s the 19th of the month, and this is my first blog post of the month. I’ve participated in a timed writing contest and journaled to work through some life stressors, but I haven’t felt the pull to create. Something about getting back on a laptop after spending 45+ hours on one for work hasn’t been too appealing. Also, life in general has been a bit trying lately and has needed my full attention. Thanks for being patient with me, my dear readers.

~Cari~

3 thoughts on “Pull the Plug”

  1. You and me both, Cari! I hope to do so in four years. I pay extra on my mortgage so that it will be paid in 3-1/2 years (but who’s counting? Actually, I am.) I have to pay contractors to do the work in and around my house so that cuts into the budget but I attempt to replace what I spend. I don’t love my job so that’s not a problem. The only real problem is the see-sawing of the economy aka stock market. I’ve already met my minimum retirement age and over the years, I’ve watched as other friends and relatives older and younger than me retire. I can’t wait until it’s my turn.

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    Reply

      1. I’m trying to! But you know that unexpected things can happen, as we saw with the pandemic. But things would be a lot easier to handle without a mortgage! Like you, I just want to have my monthly bills, such as electricity, gas, etc., and those that occur once a year, like property taxes.

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