WOW- I feel WAYYYYYYYYY better about my Coach now!!!!!!

"I realise I can not keep up with folks on vacation, so I don't even try,"
I hear ya on that. I spend way more, eat out way more, do a lot more moving around when I have visitors. I've been "accused" of staying in my yard "too much" - but that's because it always costs when you leave the yard, lol. Its all a balancing act. A lot of my friends that come down at this point have been down several times and are totally cool with doing and being without Les and I in tow.

As far as personal little things we all splurge on (aside from our vacations of course), that's the joy of life...if you love your manis and pedis, go for it and go for it as much as you can! Spoil yourself with Coach of LV bags or in my case tonnage of make up and party dresses.

Funny Wit and I are talking about our "retirement" being our homes - in the last two weeks I had my big ceiling fan break as well as my hot water heater. It took reading this thread over again to let me appreciate home-ownership instead of cursing it, lol.

The way I look at it is - to pay for my hot water heater I need to book just one job. So that's what I'm going to do!

well then lol.....

Ras. Macy also said this "We have always saved 10-15 percent of what we earn." They've been together for years now.

Ahhhhh yes, thank you Ras for finding words to describe our plan--- Burden On The System. Gee, now when anyone asks what our retirement plan is I'll just say- B.O.T.S. Has a pretty little ring to it, eh? I'll go into great detail to describe our BOTS plan. I'll talk about alllllllll the years we paid into our little BOTS plan. I'll also discuss how we were always more than happy for our tax dollars to go to entitlement programs because we would never want to see anyone go without when we have enough to get by. WOW

"Also, not planning puts more burden on our system.

Done with this one. Good luck with your non-plans........... "

I totally and completey RESENT that statement, never mind your judgement about the no-plan option. I don't know where you are from Ras, what your life experience is but I'm with Sophie - been working my arse off for 30+ years, 23 of which has been in building and maintaining my own business. I'm not an oil company or a millionaire so I pay my due in taxes and yes, I prefer to see that money go to education, health and welfare systems, the so called "entitlement" programs because I am, well - a socialist I guess (tee hee).

I can tell you this though - my grandfather had a plan. Saved for their retirement. Invested. Worked 6 days a week 12 hours a day...until that is he dropped dead 1 year before he planned to retirement. What planning, huh?

In the past 10 years I've lost friends both suddenly and to long hard illnesses, all of whom were under 60 years old, all of whom were still working. No one PLANS to croak in a car accident. No one PLANS to get cancer and die 18 months later after an expensive and lingering illness. If I've learned nothing else in this life its that nothing is guaranteed, no one has a "pass" to live long and prosper, especially in this economic climate. Hey - prior to 2008 I had it all "planned" - gonna buy property in JA, gonna retire there in 2023, putting $$ into an IRA, saving a little as I can...oh well! I actually dropped the idea of buying land in JA a few years back for several reasons, money for it being only a small reason (and possibly surmountable) reason.

Nothing has come "easy" for me in this life, nor will it. I saved and put my own down payment down on my house. I saved and borrowed to renovate the thing. I work hard, I play hard - I'm not irresponsible with money but I don't let money speak for my lifestyle or make my decisions for me.

My only plan, as stated before, is the valuable piece of real estate I own in one of the most desireable markets in the country.

But I guess what I really want to know is how I or anyone will be a "burden on the system" without a savings account, IRA or corporate 401K? By collecting Social Security? By going on Medicare? Really????? I've paid into both since I'm 18 years old and even if there are only pennies left, I'm taking it. IT'S MINE (thus, "entitlement" program. You bet we are entitled to that shit. We paid for it.)

Really Ras, I'm surprised. You seemed like such a smart guy.

question for macy or anyone else who might know:

"6. I churn credit cards for the sign up bonus but don't carry a balance. My last trip to Hawaii was booked on points. Chase Sapphire 50K bonus points each, personal and business card. That was $1, 350 towards travel. Citibank was 75K points for Citi Premier and citi checking. That's was almost $1000 toward travel. "

I now try and charge almost absolutely nothing other than a here or there internet purchase on my credit cards. I do remember though, when my daughters first started college, my (then) boss who had a PhD in Genetics told me again and again and again to initially charge their tuition on a credit card, and then pay the amount I had planned to pay the college on the first initial billing. I never listened to her, and then for subsequent years watched her take her entire family of four to exotic places like India, some islands off of Vietnam, and to the Swiss Alps, all compliments of free points on her credit cards. I need all of this explained to me. For sure it sounds like a good deal. I imagine I could charge a credit card with my property & school tax bills, my yearly heating bill (oil heat) and other big ticket things on a credit card and get points that I could use for travel???

I usually fly to JA on US Air and usually get upgraded to first class while checking in, sometimes from US to JA, and pretty much all of the time from JA to US. I have found that there is a pretty small difference.

Also, I want to point out that I get really much better deals if I go to JA on Dec. 27 or 28 instead of 12/24, 12/25 or 12/26. Also President's week the air goes WAY up. As it does in the summer time, I usually can't get a decent price until August. August in JA no longer thrills me, my last couple of times there it was SO humid I felt like leaving immediately upon my arrival. There are all the Independence Day celebrations and concerts island wide. And there are always the November/early December / April /May cheap airfares offered. Tuesdays seems to be the best day to book online as far as the cheapest offerings.

For the younger members on this forum, each and every $1,000 you contribute to an IRA each year will reduce your taxable income, so your hard earned dollars stay with you instead of being contributed to the Federal Government. For those of you giving to charity, get a receipt.. it is tax deductable.

It seems like quite a few of you own your own homes with no mortgage (me too).. but I really and truly love my home "my biggest equity also".. and I don't want to give it up. Years down the line there is always the reverse mortgage business.

And as Rastagirl777 pointed out, many friends died early on with the sudden onset of cancer, a heart attack, an unforseen accident... In my area, Levon Helm of The Band just died & I know it wasn't in his retirement plan... I had a friend Beth in the late 1960's early 1970's and those times were a TRIP in itself. We used to have FUN going to concerts all over and going here and going there. It was disconcerting to read her obituary recently.

For any of you who work for a company that matches your ira contribution, be diligent on taking them up on their offer! Another method that I have found works as far as my daily living expenses is shopping at WALMARTS. I do clip coupons and usually save about $15 per shopping. I do stock up though (I have a large shelving area /pantry type of situation) in my basement. I have lots of laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, shampoo, conditioner, juice, toilet paper, paper towels, canned soups, canned tomatoes, moisturizers like Vaseline Intensive Care and so on, all purchased with $1 to $2 coupons. I buy potatoes there and go to different places for meat, fish and produce.

I'm not so good at going to various gas stations for cheaper prices & go to the one on the nearest corner to where I live. It seems I spend A LOT of money on gas -- I drive my old car to and from work 2 x per day (coming home at lunch time) to walk my dog. Then on the weekends I drive my newer car to and from my older daughters home to babysit.

I come from a family of immigrants to the US, my mother grew up during WW II in Penarth South Wales. She was actually drafted when she was 17 years old and was trained as an electrician on the Spitfire, my father's family was from the Hague, Holland. My mother is actually one of those kinds of people who has dollars under her mattress. And she just turned 88 just I am going to have to deal with the mattress situation.

Thanks Debra for your comments. For us it truly is all about balance. We put away a decent percentage of what we make but at the same time look forward to enjoying anything from a weekend camping to a 2 week vacation in the caribbean. In the next few years we will be travelling to Europe in the summer as my wife (and her Parents) have close friends in Denmark and these people have been pushing us to come visit. My wife has travelled all over Europe but I have never been there so this trip is one I look forward to. As well, I have always wanted to see Alaska, and this one is on our long term schedule, maybe in 5 years or so. As Rosie (my wife) is a teacher these trips will work out well as they will take place in the summer time. It is because of her job that we cannot travel south in the winter for more than a couple weeks at a time. But at the same time a teacher with her level of education and yrs of experience in Saskatchewan means that she makes a very good salary which ensures we don't really have to worry about paying our bills on time. We both work for a living though, so as much as we bank a decent amount every month, we will still need to keep our jobs until we are both around 60 at the least, maybe she will quit younger than me. Most likely I will quit working in my trade around 60 then work part time in something that I have previous experience in, perhaps as a fishing guide at one of the many trophy lakes up north.

~ Debra ~ wrote:You can be rich in life.....without money! It is all about your LIVETY! Lively up yourself, Mon...

''

Livity!!!!

There are no guarantees in life, all you have is your own self integrity to be rich in and life going on around you.

"I usually fly to JA on US Air and usually get upgraded to first class while checking in, sometimes from US to JA, and pretty much all of the time from JA to US. I have found that there is a pretty small difference. "

That's because you are flying on US Air, lol.

Really - that was a joke so please do not take offense! First Class is something I treat myself to when flying for pleasure. I fly on airlines such as American (my go to frequent flyer airline) and Air France where the difference between first class and coach is pretty huge. Its the sweet reward for the 30,000+ miles flying all over the country for work, mostly in coach (sometimes if I can in First). Call it my "mani-pedi" - its important to me. I fly so often comfort and ease is a huge bonus.

I come and go about living in JA for more than 3 months. Right now its impossible because of work...my hope always was that as years go by my physical presence would not be required as much on job site as I can and do work from home in Jamaica. I even proved to myself this winter that I can do a business trip from JA and back with no trouble.

I know at this time I don't want to buy anything in Jamaica (see above)...and the reality is my bucket list of other places I want to go and see is growing as I get older. As had been said before, the best laid plans often go fornaught - so the best plan is a flexible one in my opinion - that and not putting off what it is your heart really wants, be it an extended stay in Jamaica, trekking the Himalayas or starting an Emu Farm...

Life is short. Trip hard. That's my "plan" and I know it doesn't burden anyone.

hey Macy, my Mother's side was from Denmark. I used to have a lady on the rock, she was about 6 inches tall...wonder what happened to her. She must of got left behind when I moved to Jamaica.... .

I have been Very Rich, rasied upper Middle class, been borderline poor, all in one lifetime. Money does not matter to me, unless my heart is clean, and likewise for my social friends. It is not money that is evil, it is how people "think" and what they are willing to do to get it.

I'd rather be right where I am, than sell my soul to the devil, for fortune and fame.

Jah Live!