Old Microbiologist
Recycles dryer sheets
Hi, I retired from the US Army in 1999 after 28 years then continued to work until 2009 and the last 3 years I was a GS-15 in DoD (I was a contractor scientist before that earning more than any GS employee but was forced to take the GS position which I hated more than anything so ended up being a GS-15 step 10 just to get close to my previous contractor salary - I know sounds like I am whining but it really did suck). I hated the smarmy 40 (claims to know everything but no actual experience) year old Colonel I was forced to have as my supervisor so finally bagged it and my wife and I moved to Hungary and haven't regretted it one minute. My stress levels are down to nothing and I believe that moving here has saved our lives. We have a fabulous estate with swimming pool near lake Balaton and live great on the $3,000 a year I get for the Army. The food is excellent quality (no chemicals and everything is more or less organic) We still (unfortunately) own three houses in Virginia in the DC metro area but all are rented and are showing a profit above the mortgage costs so aren't a huge concern yet. That profit we are saving for when it becomes time to sell and we have no rental for those months on the market. So, we live in a completely paid off house in a country with no property taxes and insurance and food are cheap. The only expensive things are utilities and gasoline but really I don't drive the car more than once a week. W have blazing fast 120 MB/s internet and my day is split between gardening, working out, mountain biking or hiking in the nearby National Forest, oil painting, on line gaming or whatever. It is a great life and now we get to travel as much as we want and as Hungary is in the exact geographical center of Europe everything is close enough to drive to for fun. Meeical is very inexpensive and we pay cash for everything then we submit to the Army (TRICARE) for reimbursement which the Feds now only pay 65% so not a great deal. However, things are so cheap and the quality so good I could pay cash for medical regardless. For example I had cataract surgery with a reattachment of my retina for a total cost of $1,200 for one eye. A CT Scan is $125 and an MRI $250. My wife recently fell and went by ambulance to the county hospital for suspected neck fracture and the total bill for everything including trauma room, head/neck X-rays/ neurologist consult was $150. Match that in the US. So, if you are thinking about retiring early then don't discount former Soviet countries such as Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, or Serbia/Croatia. Life here is beautiful and wonderful. Did I mention we live in a wine growing region with excellent Merlots, Reislings and Sauvignon wines at about $2 a bottle?