I love when a plan comes together....

[wishing4it]

I didn't really think about ER until a few years ago when after I saw a financial planner I realized it could actually happen. I track expenses carefully every year and stick closely to a budget. FireCalc and other calculators say I have a plan with a very good success rate and I would have just continued to build on it but for the fact that my DH lost his job 18 months ago. He can't find another, and he has tried, so we thought.. why not just retire now? I mean, at what point is enough, enough? Then, my employer announced they were going into a merger with another company and I cautiously approached my boss about "volunteering" to go. For the last couple of months, he kept saying it was just wasn't going to happen (he believed his team was too important to suffer any cuts!). In one conversation, he said, "you know you could retire without the severance" and that got me to thinking... "yes, I could". So I've been planning to do just that in the Spring but of course I didn't tell him that. Then yesterday, he told me it was not only possible, but likely I could get that package afterall! I sure don't mind getting a years salary and subsidized healthcare for 18 months as a send off.

So, while I would love to start a countdown, I don't know the actual date, but it will happen within the next two to three months. Then, DH and I will sell our house and just about everything else and hit the road in our RV to travel all over the US and Canada for the first two years. Eventually we will settle down and build our dream home. I'm so excited! Planning really does pay off.

 

[JBmadera]

way to go! best of luck.

 

[REWahoo]

Congrats!

 

[Alan]

Congratulations. Now that you know it is going to happen within the next few months you must be really excited.

 

[Aiming_4_55]

Congrats! That gives you several months to prep the house for the market and downsize your belongings.... what a Xmas gift!

 

[Fireup2020]

Wonderful news! Congratulations!

 

[chris2008]

Congrats! Planning pays off and then you can make use of chances that come your way.

 

[Helen]

Another round of congrats! Your two year plan sounds like a lot of fun! Try not to feel to badly for those of us still stuck in a cube

-helen

 

[Moemg]

Congratulations !

 

[travelover]

Congratulations and well done!

When I was 20 I traveled all over the US and a good bit of Canada. What a wonderful memory that is.

 

[Dennis]

congrats! We Rented out our place until the market Peaked and then Sold it.. ( we retired in 01' and sold in 05') and we got an extra $200k in the process..and ended up All tax free of course..

With the market the way it is now? Maybe you may want to consider doing the same.. I expect Houses going up 5-10%/yr for the next several yrs and that 1st $500k is tax free.. ain't gonna find many muni's, let along reg. bonds with kind of rtn and guarantee..

Ck with your Local RE Agency office for Getting both Decent Renters and let them list the place when the right time comes along and maybe even mge. the rental for you while you "Vagabonds" roam the country..

We did the same Camping, For our 1st 3 yrs.. But Hauled a Trailer and loved it..We had been Campers for previous 30 yrs as a Family, etc.. in a Pop Up Camper.. and finished up at the 1st place we camped after Getting Married as our Last Place we camped ... we now just Rent Mobile Homes..1 for Winter and One For Summers in N. Wi. and In Fla.. otherwise we Fly and take Boat Cruises..

enjoy!

 

[BellBarbara]

Yay for you!

 

[Major Tom]

Congratulations wishing4it. If you think you might be blogging about your RV lifestyle, or posting photos anywhere, do let us know. I'm thinking about the RV life myself and would love to live vicariously through you guys for a while!

 

[wishing4it]

Thank you all so much! We are very excited and looking forward to the day we can both say we've been FIREd. While we have thought about renting our home, we really want to avoid all of that and be free of any ties but I guess alot of it will depend on the market. We've already started to pack some belongings, and identify what will be sold. And then, it's northward to Canada for the summer and across to New England in time to see the fall colors... a new adventure around every corner!

Thanks again everyone. I'll update the post when I know more, guess I'll have to update the projected retirement date in my profile too! 2 years ahead of schedule!

 

[79protons]

Congrats! My wife and I want to do the same thing, except instead of an RV we want to haul our little sailboat around the USA including Alaska. No pensions here, so having to really pump money in the 401K and pray.

How do you plan to "camp" with the RV? Designated RV parks or rough it, or walmart it? I am guessing Canada might be easier to rough it than USA, but have no clue.

 

[REWahoo]

Congrats! My wife and I want to do the same thing, except instead of an RV we want to haul our little sailboat around the USA including Alaska.

You can do both.

Here's a photo of a couple who use their boat as an RV. The boat is out of Chinook, WA and they were overnighting in an RV park in Pensacola, FL.

 

[sn2792]

Congratulations. I set my retirement date and ended up getting a severance package as well. Nice cherry on top of the retirement sundae.

 

[W2R]

Congratulations! Looking forward to your countdown, once you know the exact day. It is great to know that you are so close to your goal.

 

[martyp]

Congratulations! I left work last Friday. The last few months were very interesting. Once I announced I was leaving to everyone I felt a huge wave of relief. I turned over my projects and employees and my biggest problem was finding something productive to do for the last three weeks. I am in day 4 of retirement and couldn't be happier. Sounds like you have a great plan.

 

[DeborahB]

Congratulations! I left work last Friday. The last few months were very interesting. Once I announced I was leaving to everyone I felt a huge wave of relief. I turned over my projects and employees and my biggest problem was finding something productive to do for the last three weeks. I am in day 4 of retirement and couldn't be happier. Sounds like you have a great plan.

Congratulations to YOU! It took me a while to destress. I have not kept up with my work buddies (I thought I would, but no) and would find little to say now that I don't see them daily.

 

[obgyn65]

Congrats !