I just got back from a visit with my banker. When it comes to finances, and projections for the future, reality bites!
I've been talking about all the thoughts I've had about what I want to do when i retire, but now it's getting to be time to get serious and have a hard, cold look at them.
It would be really nice to just stay where I am and putter in the yard--take the occasional trip to see family, and travel to some exotic destination once a year.
The nice lady at the bank seemed to think that was possible, altho I could tell she was shocked that I won't be getting any retirement benefits from my workplace. So...how could it happen??
A lonnng amortization period, with a small mortgage payment. Sounds good, but stuff happens. I could have a septic system failure (thousands!)...a tree could fall on my house, or another bug could kill several of the remaining trees the pine beetle didn't get, and I'd be paying a logger to cut them down.
Another option is selling my house and buying a mini Wini...fun, adventure! Minimal expense. Sounds great, but it could be lonely. Maybe I could sell my house and rent an apartment, or buy a cheap 4-plex or duplex. A trailer? Hmmm....i'd be just as happy with the mini Wini, i think.
Or...I could renovate my basement, make it into a suite and rent it out. Ms.Banker was really keen on this option. It would mean borrowing some money, after all! Or, I could find the perfect roommate who likes to garden, pays all his/her bills on time, and doesn't leave a mess in the living room. Does such a person exist? Yeah, but that one didn't work out.
I guess marriage is a possibility, altho at my age it seems extremely unlikely, unless as some witty widow in this little town suggested, I find an elderly gentleman who's in need of 'a nurse or a purse.'
Last but most likely, I could continue working. That's a bundle of options to contemplate too. I could try private practice out of my home, or maybe renting an office space a couple of nights a week at YCS, or somewhere else. Really, the more ideas I come up with the more decisions there are to make! I could work as a desk clerk or a grocery clerk, or maybe a library assistant for part of the year, assuming anyone was looking for employees anywhere! Or...who knows what the future holds? My mind is boggled...to be continued.
