I hate to shop so it’s a good thing Bill does it. He always makes a list and uses coupons when he remembers to give them to the cashier, usually he forgets unless I’m there to remind him. He has his favorite store which everyone calls the ghetto Giant because he’s always shopped there and knows his way around. They built a brand new one about 2 miles from our house, but he hates it even though they have a better deli and better selection of meat and seafood and salad bar plus everything the other one doesn’t.
Most of us are creatures of habit and don’t really like change, he’s been working the same job for over forty years, but it’s really stressing him out the past few years and he’s really looking forward to retirement. Last week he told me he was definitely going to retire when he turns 62 in December and I said great, but now he’s afraid we can’t survive on Social Security and his company doesn’t have a retirement package. He makes more in one week than he will draw for the whole month when he retires.
I personally would rather see him unstressed without much money than stressed and sick with money to spend when he feels like it. Which brings me back to shopping, every Sunday he makes his trip to the store and always spends at least 80 dollars and sometimes more which amazes me because there’s not much there when he brings it home plus the bonus card always knocks the prices down and they always have the buy one get one free on certain items plus for every 100 you spend you get money off their gas prices.
Usually we end up getting 50 cents off a gallon and since gas prices have gone back up over two dollars that’s a big savings. Most people are on a budget and so are we, but when he retires it will be even more strict. Bill’s favorite food is a pot of beans, potatoes and greens with corn bread and since we both grew up in the south that was more or less a staple for us poor folks. We were talking about what we would want for our last meal and of course he said beans for myself I will have a 2 inch steak cooked Pittsburgh rare, burnt on the outside and rare in the center.
I usually cook him a pot of pinto beans every week or every other and today is his bean day and he will eat them till he feels miserable. My brother is strange because without me telling him which week or day I’m cooking beans he always shows up on that day because he loves beans just like Bill and I think he must smell them from 10 blocks away it’s uncanny. This morning he called to ask when I’d cut his hair and I told him Thursday so he then asked me what I was doing and I said cooking and of course he wanted to know what, needless to say he’ll be here at 4 to eat.
Since the big talk these days is all about red meat killing you if I’m gonna die anyways then I’ll go after I eat my red meat. Of course when retirement gets here I can see that we will be eating a lot of beans and potatoes which is fine and I’ll probably make a garden and learn to can food. I seldom ever buy new clothes I prefer thrift stores and consignment shops because I’m frugal and besides you can find good clothes for half the price, big deal I’m not too proud I just make sure I wash them good. I’m not that fond of beans, but I’ll survive on anything if Bill is happier. I guess I better start stocking up on Beano.
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When I started this blog I put it in the mixed bag category then changed it to women’s interest because I’m quite sure men really don’t care what I blog about. Of course there are several other categories that I could list it, but I really don’t think it matters. If they had a senior lifestyle I would probably list it there, because many older couples are deciding to live together without that legal piece of paper because of economical and other reasons. We had planned on getting married 6 years ago, but for various reasons have decided against it for now.
Older people have many worries just like everyone else. We worry if we’ll be able to survive when retirement comes, will there be enough money, will Social Security benefits be there for those of us that worked all our lives, but at menial jobs that have no retirement benefits and had to live from week to week. Health is a big issue for us of course because for those that didn’t practise healthy living we tend to start falling apart and even if we did practise healthy living habits various illnesses still seem to befall us.
I always hate to read the obits because my friends seem to be dying left and right, Bill on the other hand does read it and keeps me informed. Depression seems to run rampant amongst many older seniors that aren’t active or have something to look forward to. I’ve mentioned before that other than Bill’s keen interest in motorcycles and riding I’m not sure how he will fill his leisure time and he worries about not being able to ride, that’s his biggest fear so we’ve been considering a trike. I know I would feel much safer on 3 wheels.
What happens when we get too old to drive and can barely walk, are we forgotten and discarded because we have become a burden? Not all families are loving and helpful to their parents or elders, but some do try to take care of them and it does get very stressful for all concerned. At some point inevitably the nursing home option comes into play, I do not want to go to a nursing home I’d rather be dead. If anything ever happens to Bill I will be totally alone and very lonely, but there will be no other man in my life for companionship or otherwise.
Bill has told his children that if he goes before me he wants me to live here till I die and I’m quite sure that wouldn’t be very long without him. If he doesn’t make that will before something happens I could very well find myself out on the street which is something else that bothers me. When we are young we tend to live for the moment and put old age on the back burner, but it creeps up before you know it. I could probably live on the street, but I’m not sure how long I would survive and still I wouldn’t want to go to a nursing home.
I don’t fight with my wrinkles any more nor do I try to cover my silver and that’s the best part of aging for me and I know Bill will never trade me in for a younger model or at least I hope not. Okay enough of my old age rambling for today I hope I didn’t depress anyone, it’s time to go out and enjoy the sunshine and push those gloomy thoughts away. Since we are living longer I think I’ll do like I did when I was young and start worrying about all that crap when I’m in my 80’s, God willing and the body isn’t worn out by then.
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Aging is inevitable it starts the minute we are born and as we grow we are taught about healthy aging and what we can do to stay healthy by eating right and exercising so we are prepared to love and embrace life to the fullest. We are taught these things, but we don’t always follow through, that of course is why we have so many diets floating around and obese people in our country. With all the stress people endure during their life time we seem to find unhealthy choices to help us cope instead.
Is there really such a thing as aging gracefully and still being able to love life with retirement in view? I know many people start to feel like their usefulness and productive days are now over. It doesn’t have to be a scary transition and even though they may think that this has always been their dream of having the permanent vacation it seems we start worrying about ill health and other aspects of aging. We dream of doing as we please provided the money aspect has been planned for this time period.
Many people find that they don’t like being retired as much as they thought they would and go out and do volunteer work or even get part time jobs. Some older people actually go back to school which is great especially if it’s something they have always dreamed about and can now afford, but just never had the time. There are many adult classes that you can take at your local high school even, learn about computers, take an art appreciation course and learn to paint among a few that are offered.
I’ve been retired for a few years now because Bill gave me that opportunity and personally I love it even though I don’t have the money I had when I worked. I mentioned before that I have been thinking about opening a beauty shop only because I don’t feel productive and at times I feel useless and even start to wonder what good I am. Depression can run rampant among the elderly because we sometimes experience mild impairment of thinking and memory and we’re no longer able to do the things that we were able to do before.
Some of the symptoms of depression for older adults are an expressed feeling of being unworthy and being a bother or a burden, withdrawal from social activities and any decreased activity with no apparent physical cause, loss of interest and pleasure in things we previously enjoyed, loss of weight, loss of appetite, and restlessness. Of course these signs can be seen in any age group not just the elderly so even if someone you know is young and showing these signs you should be alert to them and see how you can help, seek advice from a professional.
Anyone can benefit from being around family and friends who can give security and support and that isn’t exclusive to just the older generation everyone young or old needs this, but often times don’t find it in time. We all want to achieve healthy aging and to be happy and embrace life, it is important to have close relationships with others and participate in regular activities that give meaning and excitement to life. Many things as I’ve mentioned include volunteering, visiting friends, maintaining some form of physical activity and even going back to school, with me learning to ride a bike.
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It would be nice to have a new house with no problems, but at this late stage in our life that would be stupid to take on a mortgage and worry about being homeless in our old age. Bill was so anxious to retire after he turns 62 in December of this year, but now he’s wondering if we can afford it. If he retires at 62 then he is limited to how much he can earn on the side, but if he works till 65 then the limit is lifted and he can earn whatever extra he wants.
I guess that’s a decision he will make next year and knowing him he will probably put it off till he turns 65. As I’ve mentioned before besides his interest in motorcycles I have no clue how he would occupy his time and I know he would be bored. Of course there are lots of things that need work done on around the house, but he isn’t always qualified to do some of them and has to call for expert help from people that know what they’re doing and have the right equipment.
Always a problem with something lately every time we use the washer it leaks or has been backing up unless you stop it half way and Bill was putting off calling Shawn. We finally got our pipes cleaned out Sunday and thankfully the pipes are still good and nothing had to be replaced. Shawn did have to apply some industrial clamps to make sure the pipes were secure though. He just started his own business and told Bill he was concerned of course because of the economy.
Bill has known this young man since he worked for him when he was a teen. Shawn has done work for Bill over the years and always treated him good so Bill always recommends Shawn when people have problems, he helped Bill’s Son not long ago with his furnace. He wasn’t even going to charge Bill for the few hours he put in, but Bill wouldn’t hear of it and insisted on giving him some money. He gave Bill a heck of a good deal when we had the central air put in.
Bill is so good with people and he seems to know a lot of young men that have rode motorcycles with him over the years or worked for him that now have their own businesses which is great for us because we get a cheaper rate. It pays to be nice to people and often times Bill recommends them to others so it’s just good advertising and getting a discount doesn’t hurt either. This house is so old that we always have to have something worked on, but I really don’t think that’s how Bill wants to spend his time.
I know we wanted to travel some when Bill retires, but the way things are looking I don’t know if that is going to be an option. Maybe we’ll be able to take a few trips, but it wont be a steady thing and gas prices are going back up, doesn’t make sense to me since oil is at 38 dollars a barrel now. I was reading some of the posts on MSNBC.com because they have a lot of information like “Crude oil is getting cheaper — so why isn’t gas?” trying to figure this out for myself.
With all the worry about layoffs and losing jobs Bill has been very lucky that the small company he works for is still going when so many large ones are going under. Some of his company’s work can be seen in the Lancaster R&A Magazine and as soon as it comes out online I will supply the link, they just featured a home that was renovated and his company did the precast stone for the exterior. This small company does excellent work so hopefully they will stay in business for awhile.
Bill’s very proud of the work they do, but he still wants to retire after he turns 62. He’s been with that company for over 40 years, but being a small company they really don’t offer a retirement package. So we will have to learn to cut some corners which shouldn’t be hard because we really don’t live beyond our means, we don’t have to have the best or the newest and we always get by, but we will have to find a few alternatives.
All the veterans I have ever known have taken advantage of the help offered through the VA and they should because they deserve all the help they can get for serving their country. I told Bill he should sign up for benefits because they would pay for all those expensive meds for his eyes. When he retires paying for insurance will be very expensive of course I’m not sure what all Medicare and Medicaid covers, but he should still sign up.
Bill’s health insurance rates went up 75 dollars a week at work and the coverage isn’t even all that great anymore. He even has to pay a larger co-pay for doctor visits and more on his meds so it makes no sense. Of course with the economy the way it is I guess everything is on the rise, gas is even going back up. They’re even going to add 10 cents more to cigarette taxes plus raise the state tax to 7 cents instead of 6 here.
I know everyone is worried and unemployment is the highest it has ever been. Everyone is cutting back on everything that was taken for granted in past years. I don’t think there should be a panic epidemic yet, but some people apparently do. I was totally shocked when I heard the news that one family because they lost their jobs killed themselves and their children. That type of desperation I really don’t understand because I do have faith in God that he will provide.
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Bill is planning on retiring at 62 and he will be 61 in December so he is really looking forward to that day even though we have both known people that have died soon after retirement. I worry that he will become bored after awhile and not know what to do with all of that free time because unlike me he’s not interested in the Internet. Right now he’s pretty sure that he wants the life of leisure, but things don’t always turn out the way we dream.
He has been at the same company over 40 years PA Stone. It’s a small company, but they put out some very big jobs which surprised me after touring the small plant and the conditions that they work in. When we are out riding the bike he has pointed out some pretty impressive places and he has so much knowledge, but none of the guys that work under him wants to learn and I really don’t think they care it’s just a job. Bill takes great pride in what he does and I’m very proud of him.
I keep telling him that when he retires that company will go under because no one knows or wants to learn what he knows. I will almost guarantee that they will beg him to come back and if they do and he decides he wants to go back then it will be only part time because that place is killing him and he definitely needs a break from them. All he thinks about is his work and how he can get the job done. I know he gets so stressed with some of the stupid jobs they take.
We are leaving here Sunday morning to see my Son and Grandson and Pappy can’t wait to see Ethan, almost as much as me. The guys at work depend on Bill to do way more than what he should be doing and now their moaning and groaning about this new job that Bill is crafting patterns and molds for so they will have everything they need to run it while he’s away, dollars to donuts = meaning that I’m sure that they will wait till he comes back.
So next week I wont be around a computer so that means I better try to advertise as much as possible so I don’t slip way back to the back of my category where I wont even find me so happy blogging to you all.
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RV’s are for the old more mature people that love homes on wheels so that we can cruise and kick back wherever we please so long as they have a few amenities that we can hook up to. Bill and I love riding bikes, but we also like some comfort and we have been looking at the motorhomes that we can carry our bike and scooter in.
Retirement is a time that should be enjoyed, but with the cost of gas it’s getting harder to travel around in any sort of comfort and see the country the way we want to. If we can find a used RV that will accommodate the bikes then we’ll be happy because we will be saving gas money by using the bikes to sight see when we stop.
Motorhomes have been the seniors ideal way of traveling and viewing the country for many years because it was always economical and even younger people with families have viewed it as an ideal solution for traveling and saving on the vacation hotel and motel bills. Having special time together by camping out a bit has always been viewed as an idyllic family time.
I checked the site above and I will keep my eyes open because we have to keep all our options open when looking for any type of motor vehicle or RV type, especially if we are looking for bargains. Money is limited for some of us while others can afford brand new, which is great, but we prefer spending the money on bikes and the Grandkids. I do sincerely wish everyone a Happy 4th.
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