It's Time.

[Hooter]

   I just fully retired about 3 months ago after 28 yrs as a road sgt cop, and 35 years in the fire service. Last 21 in the fire service as chief. I miss the guys and the "chase" terribly, but time to move on.

   I have found that I need to cut back on some things, (monthly bills) so some things have to go. Some of which I hate to part with. I have 3 bikes in the garage all in great shape. But, I've decided 2 have to go in order to get where I want to go.

   The first is an 08 Harley Electra Glide with 25,600 on the clock. It's a full dress and nice bike. The second is my Tourer. 36,000 miles and is of the teal and black denomination. Just to mention the third, which I won't sell, is a 96 Harley Springer. (I said Harley twice)

   I like a full dressed bike. My goal once the bikes are gone is to stay out of my savings account and pay some minor things off. Once things are rearranged buy an I/S. I want to stay with a Valkyrie. This may sound stupid to some but my life style is changing and I'm trying to eliminate some monthly expense without using saved money. Insurance alone will be a big improvement.

[Gavin_Sons]

Harleys bring more money than valkyries. Sell both harleys and keep the valk. Better ride anyway. Then when it's time to buy the IS sell the tourer after you get the IS home. You may decide to keep both.

[SpidyJ]

Gavin has the plan.....

[The emperor has no clothes]

If you love your Springer and are attached to it, don't sell it. You will regret it the rest of your life. 

[Hooter]

   Gavin: that's the plan, Harley first, already in progress. Then the Tourer. I buy the I/S and use the extra money to take care of some nuisance bills. I want to get down to 2 bikes and one will be the Springer.  The I/S is a perfect bike for me. Like Meathead  said, I love the Springer.  I brought that back from the dead. Took me one long Michigan winter.

   Once I sell the Harley then I will the Tourer.  If the Tourer doesn't sell, oh well, but I hate to see it set.

[Jess from VA]

Before I retired, I sold three bikes (but kept two). I had also bought most of the last few expensive things I wanted in the last couple years before retirement, while I still had an income.

Cut all non necessary expenses (esp monthly ones).  Refinanced a 70K balance on home (only 6 left on a 15yr note), to a new 30 year, to cut the payment in half (yeah you get killed with interest on that half sized payment, but it's all a cash flow problem).  And that made me able to live on a small pension for five years, until SS kicked in at 62, without touching my savings.  Then (with a doubled cash flow from SS), I bit the tax bullet and paid off the home from 401K.  (I could not have paid the home off from 401K as soon as I retired without the dreaded 10% penalty until 59.5)  

There's always a good plan, you just have to find what works for you.  

My first five years of (pre-SS) retirement were (will be) my poorest post-retirement years.   It was fine, and it set the tone for a frugal but financially sound life with no job income.  Firing the job, which I no longer loved at all, was the best thing that ever happened to me.

The $4K a year real estate tax sucks a BIG one. 

[Hooter]

You have stated what I've been trying to do over the past year. Bikes are paid for, my truck is paid for. Other than that I have a minor credit card payment, and I owe a little on my house. Other than monthly house hold bills that's about it. I wanted to pay my house off for the past couple of years but my CPA has advised me against it for tax reasons. I did refinance a year ago comparable to what you did.

 It's just taking some time to get my head around not working, I have never not. I still get up at 5:00 am  and my wife ask me why? Hard habit to break . This is new and still kinda weird.

[Jess from VA]

You have stated what I've been trying to do over the past year. Bikes are paid for, my truck is paid for. Other than that I have a minor credit card payment, and I owe a little on my house. Other than monthly house hold bills that's about it. I wanted to pay my house off for the past couple of years but my CPA has advised me against it for tax reasons. I did refinance a year ago comparable to what you did.

 It's just taking some time to get my head around not working, I have never not. I still get up at 5:00 am  and my wife ask me why? Hard habit to break . This is new and still kinda weird.

'

Yeah, I'd been getting up at 0440 to be at my desk at 0530 for years, and always an early riser.  It took me about two years to bleed the stress, routine and type A crap off.  I started attacking jobs around the house that had been on hold, working my ass off.  Then I realized... I'm home every day (not just weekends), I can put in a good half day, and all this crap will be done in no time.  Now, 6 years in, the pendulum has swung the other way, and I've become kind of lazy and complacent.  I still do what I need to, but don't sweat much of anything.  Which, when you think about it, it the whole idea of retirement.

I've gained about 15lbs over what I was when working.  I'm not eating more, probably less, but the lazy life and slowed metabolism will do that.  I don't give one damn about it.  Probably the single best thing about retirement besides stress relief, is going to bed whenever you feel like it, and sleeping like a rock for as long as you want.  I think I spent 40 years lucky to get 6 good hours a night.  Another heretofore sinful pleasure is taking naps in the middle of the day whenever I feel like it (like when it's 95* outside).

[cookiedough]

naps are good, too bad we can't get away with it at work on the job usually.

I think 25 minute power naps at work should be a consideration?

I sometimes on weekends take a nice 1 hour nap mid-day or later and find them nice to take as long as not too late in the day and then screws up your nightly normal sleeping not able to sleep all night or hard to get to sleep.

My neighbors pushing 70, or above slightly,  just sold their house and had an auction a few days ago selling all their personal non essential belongings.  they are moving very soon if not already today to a retirement community in Arizona year round, nice!  I will miss his swearing and cussing at minor stuff in his garage every year just yelling to himself  very loudly 'god _amn it'  sort of funny. 

sort of nice most of my immediate neighbors are never around weekends and near retirment age pushing 60ish.   One has grandkids they visit weekends away and the other is rich and has a fancy 30' trihull pontoon on the mississippi river they go to every weekend with a nice little, yet fancy, 1/2 a house there as well shipped in.  Besides my weird very private neighbors across the street have only said hi 2-3 times in past 10+ years since they are NEVER outside,  I am the youngest in mid 40's   Sort of odd still to be one of the youngens I guess?

[Hooter]

   I live on a paved road 3 miles north of town. This is in the sticks in this neck of the woods. Just far enough out of town for everyone to throw all their McDonald's and Burger King  garbage in my yard.
 
   My closest neighbor is a guy I've known most of my life and is across the road 600' south of me. So it's pretty quiet except for traffic. I have 378 acres and I hunt. Bow season is just around the corner and I love to deer hunt.

   I'm still playing bass in a classic rock band and have done this for years. Band is busy so that is a good thing. 3 things I enjoy most are playing music, hunting and riding. So I keep busy. In fact, how did I ever find time to work?

   The most time consuming chore around the house is mowing. I mow roughly 2.5 acres and most is around apple and pear trees. Did I say I hate mowing?! It cuts into my very, newly found busy schedule, but I will adjust.   Ive noticed in the past week that my wife must be washing my jeans in really hot water unlike the past. Now, what do I have to do today?

Cookie: I'm really starting to like naps.