How Do You Picture Your Ideal Retirement?

[SuzeOFan]

Sitting here (on a slow day at work) pondering some big questions in life....

Even though I'm still a young girl in my early 40's (shhh!) I've only just started giving my retirement any *serious* consideration. I've started asking myself things like, 'How long do I want to have to work?, 'Where do I want to live? What kind of house and lifestyle do I want? Do I want to live close to my kids and grandkids? Will anything much change (besides my age??)

I'd love to hear other people's ideas of what they see as their IDEAL retirement.

[Ima saver]

I haven't worked in 16 years, so I guess I am in my ideal retirement! I really like this area and am not that serious in moving any further than the next state.

[SuzeOFan]

I'm dreaming of a huge white RV (with cool racing stripes of course and maybe a tow vehicle behind) sporting every modern ammenity known to man....

:

With Florida as my homebase....and travel on my mind.
Palmtrees swaying in the breeze (no hurricanes thank you!)
a clear blue-green ocean... and blinding white sandy beaches....

For a little while anyway...!

Then I'd probably get tired of palmtrees and beaches and go visit the grandkids in Pennsylvania. We'd take them on week long camping trips to some fun camping resort with an amusement park nearby....

My Ideal Retirement plan: To spoil my kids - and be the perfect grandparent!

[Crystallas]

I have no ideal retirement. I love working, and hope that I can work until Im too weak to do so.

[Fern]

Here are the main differences between my life now and in retirement:

1. In retirement I will continue working part time (freelance) because i have an established client base, it's easy and enjoyable and a little extra $$ will make a big difference once i'm on a fixed income.

2. The mortgage will be paid off, so monthly expenses will be a bit lower, tho not as much as you'd might expect because more $$ will be spent on travel and pursuing hobbies to a greater exttent than now possible.


3. Healthcare becomes more of an issue as you get older, and i've heard estimates that you should budget for an extra $100,000 to cover healthcosts (not including long term care) in a 30 year retirement.

Other than that, i don't expect life in retirement to be much different.

4. I'd like to leave the northeast for the mid Atlantic area, NC/VA due to better quality of life, cheaper real estate and cost of living and milder winters.

[Ima saver]

My dream use to be like my in laws, to buy a big RV and travel all over the U.S. Well, when I moved here I lived in a travel trailer for almost a year in 1984. In 1995, we moved out of the house and into a bigger travel trailer while we built a new house. We spent 15 months in the travel trailer.
If someone gave me a $100,000 RV, I would not want it. No more camping out for me again, ever!!
I guess that is why I like living in a big house now!

[cicy33]

Ideal retirement: The bills are able to be paid every month and I have a little left to go SHOPPING!!! Amazingly though my favorite way to shop is for groceries. Probably cuz there are no coupons for clothes.