Lurking a long time

[counting]

As the subject line says I've been around for a year or two. Early retirement has been on my mind since I first walked in the government doors in my early twenties. Now, if my calculations are right we're 30 months away from walking back out those same doors. Both DH and I work for the government and both our pensions are defined benefit. That means rather than a guaranteed pension we get a pot of money rather like an RSP here in Canada.

We plan to retire on June 30, 2009. At that time we'll be eligible for the pension or "pot of money". We can take it out as a lump and invest it wherever we want or get an annuity etc. Bad thing is, there is only one pot, no indexing. So, to be safe, we'll let it sit and accrue. We'll be 49 when we retire and plan to live on our savings, $200,000 at the time of ER, not including the equity in our house which will be about $150,000, for at least 4.5 years. Cost of living for us in Canada is about $55,000. But, if everything goes right, we'll be living in Lake Chapala, Mexico and doing alot of extended travelling. At the end of 4 years our pension should have grown at the average 8% it's doing now, to over $1 mil. Hopefully, that should be enough.

Hello to you all and thank you for all the advice you have given me over the last year or two. I have second-guessed the ER numbers so frequently and many of your posts have given me the confidence that I may be fretting unnecessarily.

 

[Trek]

Sounds like a great plan! Lots of expats down there so you'll have a huge social network. Welcome to the boards.

 

[Nords]

Welcome to the board, counting!

Starting off here FI, it'll be interesting to see how the next 30 months affect you guys... emotionally as well as financially!

 

[Billy]

Hi Counting!

Congratulations on your discipline and moving towards your retirement dreams.

If you are interested in Chapala, Mexico, take a look at our Chapala Travel and Information site: http://www.retireearlylifestyle.com/chapala_travel_information.htm

You might find it useful. It's a great place to be, and an easy place to live.

Be well,

Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

 

[counting]

Welcome to the board, counting!

Starting off here FI, it'll be interesting to see how the next 30 months affect you guys... emotionally as well as financially!

It doesn't seem real right now. Spent so many years thinking about it, planning, dreaming. It's difficult to maintain any interest in the job. But at the same time there's moments of panic at what lies ahead and alot of excitement too. With the end in sight it's time to start streamlining stuff, finances, etc. etc. etc. And doubts if this is really doable but guessing that's natural.

 

[counting]

Hi Counting!

Congratulations on your discipline and moving towards your retirement dreams.

If you are interested in Chapala, Mexico, take a look at our Chapala Travel and Information site: http://www.retireearlylifestyle.com/chapala_travel_information.htm

You might find it useful. It's a great place to be, and an easy place to live.

Be well,

Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

Hi Akaisha

Read your entire website. Found it sometime last year and keep returning. You guys are an inspiration. We've had our eye on Chapala for a long time but only recently found your site. Enjoyed reading about your travels especially your long stays in Thailand. One of my favorite places in the world. Thanks for your tip on the throw away housing. I think that's what you called it. Maybe I have that wrong. Anyway, another option we had never considered.

 

[Billy]

Oh that's great, Counting! We're happy that our experience and tips have been helpful to you. And we thank you for your kind words.

The piece you referred to was called 'Worry-Free' Housing http://www.retireearlylifestyle.com/a_a_communities.htm -- but I can see where one could think of it as 'throw away' The pressure of it is so much less... it's a very good option for those who are interested.

Stay in touch and let us know how you are doing with the streamlining of your lifestyle and 'stuff'. A good book to read to help you in this would be Clear Your clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston. Once you get started, you can really get into it! I get inspired every time I hear her tapes or read her books. I ask myself "What do I need all this stuff for?" 8)

Be well,
Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

 

[counting]

Oh that's great, Counting! We're happy that our experience and tips have been helpful to you. And we thank you for your kind words.

The piece you referred to was called 'Worry-Free' Housing http://www.retireearlylifestyle.com/a_a_communities.htm -- but I can see where one could think of it as 'throw away' The pressure of it is so much less... it's a very good option for those who are interested.

Stay in touch and let us know how you are doing with the streamlining of your lifestyle and 'stuff'. A good book to read to help you in this would be Clear Your clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston. Once you get started, you can really get into it! I get inspired every time I hear her tapes or read her books. I ask myself "What do I need all this stuff for?" 8)

Be well,
Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

Thanks, I'll definitely check that book out. Beginning to declutter but not on as big a scale as I would like. Mostly don't know where to start. Done the yearly small scale cleanout but there's still too much. And some of it has emotional attachment, pictures and things, and then some of it has been sitting around for so long you forget its even there. I know when we are travelling the amount you need is so little. Why this collection mode as soon as you settle in one place? FIRE aside probably should have decluttered a long time ago. But definitely like to be streamlined and ready to go by the time freedom day arrives!

 

[Billy]

Hi Counting,

I don’t want to ‘hijack’ this thread, but I think things like ‘de-cluttering’ and ‘choosing simplicity’ really fits in well with FIRE.

The above book I mentioned has become a mainstay for me. (It also comes in audio version so when I take my walks in the morning I can listen to her wisdom and be reminded.)

When we FIRE’d in 1991 (I wish I had that book then!) the hardest objects to get rid of for me were the ones with emotional attachments. And I don’t mean ‘movie ticket stubs from high school’… I had love letters from my Father to his family when he was in the army in WWII, and letters from my Grandfather telling of his early years in America. I had my Great Aunt- to myGrandmother- to my Mother- to me china (a set of 12 for crying out loud) that I wasn’t about to ditch.

The point I’m trying to make is that all of this is an internal journey. The objects with emotional attachment are the hardest to let go of.

We did store some items for over a year and each time we returned to visit family, we got rid of more and more things. As it turns out, I still have all those love letters, and I pared down the heirloom china to a full set of 6 - the miscellaneous pieces I gifted to my best girlfriends. (I call it my “Grandmother’s China Girlfriend Club”) When any of us use those pieces we think of each other and the whole ‘women’s role, women in life’ thing.

Funny, each time we return from a long trip in Asia, I somehow find another 8 garbage bags of stuff to dump.

I think - for me at least- having both sides of the coin has been fascinating. Being the Perpetual Traveler allows me to rely on myself, and on not needing a lot which I really like. Coming home allows me to have a home and settle in. I think we collect stuff for lots of reasons from insecurity (I might need that someday) to ‘gee I hate to waste that rubber band….’

That book will help, I’m sure! Don’t be too hard on yourself!

Be well,
Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

 

[txdakini]

[Thanks, I'll definitely check that book out. Beginning to declutter but not on as big a scale as I would like. Mostly don't know where to start. Done the yearly small scale cleanout but there's still too much.]

I recently decluttered/reorganized my whole house. The way I started was very small. I picked one room, one drawer. Each day, I did one small area. One drawer or one shelf. One wall, one box, or one surface top. At the end of four months, my entire house was done. That may seem like a long time, but I was never exhausted or sick of doing it because it was done in very small chunks. Of course, the harder part is determining what to get rid of. As the years go by, it gets easier for me to let go of stuff.

One funny story (or maybe sad depending on how you look at it)...I held on to my son's baby things for 35 years. When he was thirty five, I boxed everything up and gave it to him so he could have his own keepsakes. The next time he had a garage sale, they were all there out on the table for a quarter or so. I had to laugh and ask myself...what was I thinking holding on to all that stuff? Sometimes I think we assume that our children will feel the same way we do about memories and keepsakes. Probably should ask them!

 

[73ss454]

The kids may someday feel the same way as you do about the keepsakes. You may have to wait till they are about 55 or so before the stuff is important again.