Yep it has been a long career.I have gone from punched cards on the old IBM 370 to laptops. A lot of IT knowledge is going down the drain as we dinosaurs exit for greener pastures.
Regarding expenses, my pension check covers all my fixed expenses plus an extra $150 left over. I figure that I will need a $1000 a month for beer, golf, dining, medical expenses, sporting events, beer, gas, beer and what ever is not covered as a fixed expense.
I will draw from my company 401K which will allow me non penalized withdrawls because I am over 55. At age 59 1/2, I will start drawing on my IRAs. I also have an AMERIPRISE annuity (I know.. don't throw barbs at me) coming available at age 65.
I have no debt other than credit cards which I pay off each month.
I do something a little wierd with my paycheck. I have figured out the monthly costs for all my annual, quarterly and semi-annual bills. I put away money each month in subaccounts that represents my bills. So when the bill comes up, I will have the money in hand. One could make the argument that squirreling away for example the real estate tax of two payments each year for $3500 is not putting your money to work in the best way. However, I have peace of mine that the money is there. I could earn a little more with money market accounts or short term bonds but it is easy doing all of this in my credit union savings accounts which do earn a small interest rate.
I also use subaccounts for expected purchases down the road. For example, I get mulch for the yard every two years. I put away $15 a month for that.
I downloaded an app that keep track of expenses during the month offfset from an initial balance. I do this on the fly for cash stuff. I input my credit card expenses from QUICKEN afterwards. This is for expenses not covered by my pension and subaccounts. As I get closer to the $1000 budget for the month, I can have the option of avoiding some discretionary spending. As a reward to myself, any money left over at the end of the month goes to one of my VANGUARD accounts.
Large payment such as vacations will come from other savings that are not part of this.
This is my plan for expenses after July 10th.