excited,only 6 wks away!

[explorers]

Hi, just discovered this forum, I think I'm going to like it! We (husband and I) are retiring after 30/31 years of teaching and coaching. We are selling our home and getting rid of most of the useless junk we have collected over the years. After putting a small camper on the truck we are "hitting the road" and touring the USA. Our retirement income will be about 1/2 of what our salaries are now but without a house payment/taxes/insurance we think we can make it. We will play it by ear and if we need to work for awhile then we will. Can't wait to get out and DREAM,EXPLORE,DISCOVER !

[Nords]

Welcome to the board, explorers, and congratulations!

[brewer12345]

welcome, explorers. If you haven't already seen it, you might enjoy this site: http://underagedrvers.blogspot.com/

[dumpster56]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explorers Hi, just discovered this forum, I think I'm going to like it! We (husband and I) are retiring after 30/31 years of teaching and coaching. We are selling our home and getting rid of most of the useless junk we have collected over the years. After putting a small camper on the truck we are "hitting the road" and touring the USA. Our retirement income will be about 1/2 of what our salaries are now but without a house payment/taxes/insurance we think we can make it. We will play it by ear and if we need to work for awhile then we will. Can't wait to get out and DREAM,EXPLORE,DISCOVER !

Hey ,

Great idea, I am finishing almost 28 years teaching and coaching and gonna take an early retirement from the public schools here in New Jersey.

Yep about half the take home pay and I too will sell the house and we will buy a home down in the carolinas.

Travel, yes the wife and I will take the paid camry and stay who knows where for a bit.

I am so darn sick of education I cannot wait to get out.

I have spent the past two months making sure my idea of leaving early is the right decision and I feel now that it is.

We are going on a scouting of carolina areas this week spring break, then back and the house will most likely be on the market for sat aprill 22.

It will be nice to be able to price the place 20 grand below other homes that are on the market we are the original owners of a home that has doubled in value in 9 years should be able to clear 275,000 after the sale and can buy a place for 250,000 cash . Hey who knows but a change is needed and as I just turned 50 last week, $hit I am still young and run 10 miles a day, heck I might even work in a running shoe store or REI selling Kayaks!

Good luck guys!!

PS

Having medical insurance paid for is a wonderful thing with my pension and a COLA every 12 months after the first 2 years is another.

Heck I found out all of my unused sick days will add up to 20 grand woopiedy doooo, Heck I should call out sick for a year after I move and get my cardiologist to say I need to stay home Blood pressure and such.. Yea right, I am too honest.

But the extra 20 grand along with another 50 grand and the 33,000 dollar a year pension will do us well with no debt and both kids married and working.

[Under FIRE]

explorers,

Good luck! You guys will do just fine.

BTW, today's my last day of paid servitude. What a feeling .........* * *


newguy88,

You guys have got it made as well. Go ahead, move down south and sell kayaks (if you so desire) and enjoy the rest of your time on earth in good health and happiness.

[dex]

Explorers,
Welcome and good luck.
I have about the same amount of time remaing - I can not wait.

[explorers]

Newguy88, You have it great, the teachers in Oklahoma are not as lucky, or maybe we aren't valued as much here. Retired teachers don't get paid insurance, they will pay 105$ towards our policy (woo-hoo!) For unused sick days I get a whopping $20 a day so I've tried to use most of them up. I think they ought to at least pay us as much as they pay a sub! My husband and I together will get around 4200$ monthly before they take everything out. Our school district gives us a small incentive of 350$ monthly for 4 years so that will help. Our house might sell for 90,000 even though it is on 4 acres in the country in a growing area. We are not buying another house unless we find somewhere,someplace that we fall in love with and not really looking. We want to just be free to go and do whatever and whenever. When we have grandkids we might have to settle down alittle.

You know I have loved my job for most of the 30 years but everyday I say "this will be the last time I will have to put up with ........"(fill in the blank) Yeah, i may work again someday, may have to, but it will be a new experience, a new adventure and I can't wait!

Good luck on your retirment, the sell of your home and the buying of a new home and get out there to DREAM,EXPLORE,DISCOVER!!!!!!!!!

[JonnyM]

As a new addition to the ER Club, I can tell you

You're going to like it from day one. DW and I took that first short trip that at first felt like a Vacation as my mind slowly got around the fact that I didn't have to go back to anything at any particular time. We've really been enjoying the decompression. DW went out 2 years ago, without warning, my exit was much more planned, and I admit it is a weird feeling, but to be sure:

I'm diggin' it!

No need to hurry home, or try to get too much fun into too short a time because of a dreaded upcoming Monday. We did a bit of property perusal, and are planning a longer trip to the North of us to look for possible areas to either buy land for future building of our dream cabin, or at the least find areas in the upper elevations with river frontage to be looked at in more detail later. At this stage our home will be paid off this week, and we'll begin the process of getting it up to snuff so we "would" have the option of going on the Market.

I hear you guys, and feel your pain, that is the waiting game, but the light is there.... Go to The Light!... You two clearly don't have to worry about it being a Diesel Locomotive bearing down, you've got the Pension thing locked up. And just for the record, they don't take out all that much, remember you're cutting your income in half, the tax tables are much kinder to you now.