# Theoretically thinking .



## mmcmdl (Apr 10, 2021)

I'm retired as of tomorrow night as I turn 62 on Thursday and don't have to return to work until Thursday . So , my plan is to retire , and don't let work know about it . Rather just notch it down a bit !


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## mikey (Apr 10, 2021)

Wait ... what? Does this mean you are retiring as of tomorrow night but retirement will only last until Thursday or do you plan to permanently retire and not let work know about it until Thursday? In either case, glad you're taking some time off, Dave!


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## mmcmdl (Apr 10, 2021)

No Mike , I'm retiring in my mind only . I'm set financially to go but I'll continue until it's not fun any longer . I do plan on changing shifts and leaving my floor position for better work .


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## mikey (Apr 10, 2021)

Oh, okay, I was just fixing to seriously celebrate this momentous occasion but we can wait ...


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## mmcmdl (Apr 10, 2021)

It won't be long if they p*** me off . I'll be strictly doing PMs so I won't have to deal with the operators any longer . Just give me a job , and I'll complete it . No BS .  ( basicly what I was hired for 3.5 years ago )


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## savarin (Apr 10, 2021)

Its an awesome feeling when the point that you dont care when you walk out is just waiting for the moment.
I found a lot of the hassles just floated away as I didnt have to worry about them any more.
Have fun.


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## mmcmdl (Apr 10, 2021)

It is a great feeling !   The only bad feeling is knowing my wife will have to work until she's 92 YO to support me .


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## graham-xrf (Apr 10, 2021)

mmcmdl said:


> No Mike , I'm retiring in my mind only . I'm set financially to go but I'll continue until it's not fun any longer . I do plan on changing shifts and leaving my floor position for better work .


I delayed mine for way too long. It had the effect of increasing the retirement benefit payout.  I had reached the "relatively secure" point anyway, and I was doing like you, a retirement in the mind only.  The COVID thing bounced me into retirement proper, the senior's "coming out" if you will.  @savarin  is right about the feeling!

It was on this HM forum, somebody said one can find oneself with more money than time, even if there is not much of either!
If what you do is so much fun you would be doing it anyway, that is just great. For many folk, the job is not like that!


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## Uglydog (Apr 10, 2021)

Congratulations.
For me It was a difficult decision as it involves not only finances but also wrestling with our personal identity.
I sincerely hope your adventure goes as you envision it!

Daryl
MN


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## .LMS. (Apr 10, 2021)

Uglydog said:


> For me It was a difficult decision as it involves not only finances but also wrestling with our personal identity.



Good point on the identity.  My wife, a medical professional, struggled with that.  Covid was the final straw and she did retire, but her work was such a big part of her life.   

I'm counting the days (maybe a year and a half), and while I was fulfilled in my career for many years, lately I'm going through the motions (competently though), and won't miss it one iota.


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## higgite (Apr 10, 2021)

I worked with quite a few hands over the years who retired but failed to let the boss, or the payroll office, know.   

Tom


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## Downunder Bob (Apr 10, 2021)

I guess most of the members here will not have a problem when they retire because they already have a hobby. In my experience the people who struggle when they retire are the ones who don't have a hobby.

I know that without a hobby or two I'd go round the bend very quickly.


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## Alcap (Apr 10, 2021)

mmcmdl said:


> No Mike , I'm retiring in my mind only . I'm set financially to go but I'll continue until it's not fun any longer . I do plan on changing shifts and leaving my floor position for better work .


I’m guessing if your this close to thinking/wanting to retire it you won’t be working much longer lol I had a great job bosses people I worked with . Was thinking of waiting a few more years. After figuring out not paying SS , state income tax (Pa) union dues etc . I was working for much more . As much as we all like money , all the money in the world won’t buy you yesterday . I ended up going this past Oct


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## C-Bag (Apr 10, 2021)

My wife was very conflicted about retirement because she just couldn’t figure out what to do with herself. But when she was off for 6wks for a hip replacement and saw firsthand how busy I am and saw how much we could get done and enjoy our time together she’s had a change of heart. She’s counting the days now and the main goal now is to pay off the house to bring our overhead as low as possible. We are both looking fwd to her waving bye bye to the salt mines.


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## MrWhoopee (Apr 10, 2021)

I didn't intend to retire, I just sold the business without a thought as to what came next.  It took someone else pointing it out for me to realize that I was, in fact, retired. I've just been winging it for the last 20 years. It's funny, I worry much less now that I have minimal income than I did when I was rolling in it. When you don't have a house or car payment, it doesn't take that much.


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## matthewsx (Apr 10, 2021)

Dave, 

Best of luck in your retirement (or not) whatever it might be....

For me I'm still too young because I can't get Medicare for ~10 more years (4 for my wife) and the $1800/mo we were paying for our health insurance last year before I got my regular job is just too much. 

Before that when I was an independent contractor I figured I'd work well into my 70's because I liked the work and I got to travel, all while making decent money only working 10-15 weeks/yr. Now that I'm doing a 9 to 5 type job I've found myself fantasizing about being able to retire early. I think we have the assets but health insurance is the biggie and I'm starting to envy our friends in countries where everyone gets health care regardless of employment status.

When my dad retired in 2000 I thought he wouldn't last but a few years without his work since it was such a big part of his identity. But he started traveling, fishing, getting more involved in family, community and church. Ultimately he had a pretty decent retirement until he couldn't live by himself in 2014. Even then he spent his last years with my sister and her family and enjoyed what he still could.

So, I guess what I'm saying is keep working if it makes you happy but realize there's only one thing you can't get any more of in this life. Why they don't make Medicare and Social Security active at the same time in the US continues to baffle me but if your situation allows for full retirement at 62 I say go for it. 

I know you have plenty of other things to do with your time and probably the excavation gig will take off if you want it to. But, one thing I learned in the 16 years I had working for myself is that being in charge of your own time is a true blessing.

John


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## matthewsx (Apr 10, 2021)

Oh, and Happy Birthday


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## projectnut (Apr 10, 2021)

I think you're going to love retirement.  I've been working at it a long time (over 15 years) and can say with some certainty it's far more hassle free than working 60 to 80 hours a week.  My situation was just about the opposite of yours.  I was 57 when I walked away from it all, and have enjoyed being retired as much if not more than working.  I loved my job and enjoyed going to work each and every day.  Each day was a challenge, but in a good way.  Engineering was downsizing, and buyouts were available for those with enough time with the company.

The downsizing was due to the fact that the "new" management didn't want to continue to follow the same path as previous managers.  Over a 50 year period the company had developed outstanding research and engineering organizations.  Between them they developed hundreds of new products and the processing and packaging machinery to put them into the market place.  The new generation of management saw those organizations as overhead, and expenses they could eliminate. 

Rather than develop new products from scratch they thought it would be easier and less expensive to copy and improve on those made by others.  Rather than design and build efficient and innovative machinery it would be easier and less expensive to contract an outside firm to do the work.  That way they would only have engineering expense when a new product came along.  Theoretically if there were no new products in the pipeline they wouldn't need new processes or equipment, and they could replace existing inhouse built machinery with less expensive although less durable and less efficient commercially available equipment.

The ideas looked like winners on paper, but the practicality of the situation was much different.  Contracting with outside firms to design and build new machines raised the cost over 6 times what was being spent to do it inhouse.  When they couldn't handle that expense they went the commercial route.  Then they were purchasing machines that required 40% more labor to operate, needed triple the dollars in repair and replacement parts, and had an overall lifespan of less than half the inhouse built machines they replaced.

With the research and engineering departments decimated they had more or less sealed their fate.  Rather than be a world leaders and innovators they've chosen to be followers.  Income and profits aren't what they were, and it gets harder each day to attract people to a run of the mill company.


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## vtcnc (Apr 10, 2021)

Sigh - only 20 more years for me. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mmcmdl (Apr 10, 2021)

higgite said:


> I worked with quite a few hands over the years who retired but failed to let the boss, or the payroll office, know.


LOL , you got my point !


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## darkzero (Apr 10, 2021)

Happy early birthday, Dave! Mine is exactly 10 days after yours! Surprisingly you are the 1st person I have ever met that has a birthday in April. I did meet a girl named April once, unfortunately that was just about the end of that story.


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## mmcmdl (Apr 10, 2021)

I could imagine if she had my last name ! April March .


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## mmcmdl (Apr 10, 2021)

I'm hooking up the stump grinder onto the Kubota when I get off work in the morning and hanging a shingle out back on the main road . Hoping to pick up a few side jobs where the equipment does the work and NOT ME ! Aiming for a goal of $500 a month to support the effort . I know enough people in the area that I see this as no problem .


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## mmcmdl (Apr 10, 2021)

I'm " sheening " a part tonight , nothing special other than a safety item . I made the other one last Saturday night , maybe Aukai can post a pic later on tonight .  Not covering the floor tonight so it'll be a long , slow 12 hours .


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## Aukai (Apr 11, 2021)

I did not get pinged for a picture? Happy birthday squirt.....Knowledgeable but still a squirt.


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## mmcmdl (Apr 11, 2021)

LOL , Thanks Mike .  I just got done mounting the piece back onto the line . Pic coming .


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## Aukai (Apr 11, 2021)

Here it is...


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## mmcmdl (Apr 11, 2021)

WTH ? You got one too ?  Can't see the the clearance and angled fingers in the pic , but someone got there finger smashed in the bar . I " sheened " them out on a safety work order . ( I love how our managers and operators call machining sheening .


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## savarin (Apr 11, 2021)

Downunder Bob said:


> I guess most of the members here will not have a problem when they retire because they already have a hobby. In my experience the people who struggle when they retire are the ones who don't have a hobby.
> 
> I know that without a hobby or two I'd go round the bend very quickly.


Never have more truer words been spoken.
I retired at 62 (I wanted it to be at 60 but the greedy sociopaths in the world banking system stuffed that) along with 3 others all younger than me.
I tried desperately to get them to think about hobbies to get involved in else they would end up squatting in an arm chair staring blankly at the tv.
One of them reckoned he would be fine going fishing everyday, no other hobbies. He lasted 6 weeks and had to find another job (security guard) That lasted 6 months then he drank himself to the grave, sad but I could see it coming.
The other two  went back to very low paid jobs because they were bored and hate  every minute of it so are drinking more and more and now look way older than myself.
Hobbies that you really enjoy are the answer (note - its plural) and learning new things to keep the brain active is very important.
But as Bob stated those of us on this board wont have that problem.
Stay healthy everyone.


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## Peyton Price 17 (Apr 12, 2021)

vtcnc said:


> Sigh - only 20 more years for me.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


only 5... oh wait I didn't start working yet


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