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On and off I have had thoughts about voluntarily reducing my employment from full time to part time. I have child support obligations through the end of 2024 but could probably consider reducing my hours in early 2025. Cutting back hours would allow me to spend a lot more time at my cabin property. I would lose my ability to accrue any more vacation (PTO) time. It would also require significant spending restrictions.

A big benefit of spending time at the cabin property is that I usually don't spend a lot of money on firearm stuff like I do when I am home. That could help offset the increased fuel expenses that I would incur traveling back and forth. Ideally I would like to cut my hours back from 40hrs to 24hrs a week. This would give me a lot more four night wknds to visit the property.

Has anybody else done this before retirement? Did you regret it?
 
Visit a financial planner and review the effect it will have on your .gov contribution.
A CFP will consider my situation a lost cause either way. I have to decide whether I want to enjoy the property more now while I am younger or wait until I start collecting social security. Either way I will be working until death.

A person who is happy with delayed gratification might live like they are only making income for a 24hr work week and then save the rest so they would not have to work until death. I know myself well enough to know that delayed gratification is not a trait I possess. Saving money is also not something that I will do with any regularity. For the most part if I earn it, I spend it. My guess is, that is something a financial planner won't have a solution for.

After having all that stuff stolen I am thinking I might have to embrace a minimalist lifestyle. If I had to live full time at the cabin property and moved all my firearm stuff and other belongings there it would make another break in very painful.
Maybe cutting my hours back and learning to live on less would help me transition to living on social security income. That will be my sole source of income if I ever quit working.

Edit: This couple was living off a few hundred dollars a month. That makes me wonder why I am taking home $2600 a month and don't have the amount of nature time they do.

 
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Everyone's financials & such are different, so honestly can't say what someone else can or can't survive on.

However I will mention take care in a choice of going fulltime to part time, depending upon what benefits may be lost, or what benefits may become more costly.

Health insurance being a big one, for most folks, if you have it as a full-time benefit now. Run the numbers on your out of pocket costs if you were to go part-time.

We also have a retirement matching plan, which would decrease % matched wise, should we go part-time or consulting, along with a marked increased to out of pocket liability insurance.

It may be more worthwhile to look into some type of alternate hours, if possible. To reduce the number of days worked, while still maintaining full-time benefits. Depends if such will work for your employer, and for you all...
 
I retired at 59 1/2 from the BLM. Cashed out my retirement and built the ammo business with the money. I knew this was what I was going to do after retiring but didn't know I would retire early. I'd been buying guns and loading for them all a long but once I decided this was what I wanted to do for the last couple years of working all the overtime went to buying guns to use as test fixtures and developing loads for them. I'm not offering this as a road map for your retirement, only what worked for me. The takeaway should be that you can start planing now for your future. One thing if you want to spend more time in your off grid cabin you might look to things you can do there to make a supplemental income. Little streams of money from different scores can add up to a reasonable cash flow if you pay attention.
 
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Just went to 24 hours a week recently, after reaching full retirement age. Between that and retirement benefits, VA, medical, and an $850 all inclusive rent (electricity, water, basic cable) things are pretty comfy. Stocking up on ammo, looking to trade up into a better, paid for, vehicle soon.
When it feels right I'll quit work entirely, but not for a couple of years.
 
I cut my hours from 40 to 24, Buddy allowed me to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday only for 2 1/2 years right up until Covid, wife carries the Medical so it worked out well.

Financially I got way ahead during this part time work stint, paid off some "stupid" items like a car loan, motorcycle loan and a credit card, Now I am back to full time this year and 100% goes to the mortgage.

It was awesome, I added on a new large bathroom to my house on my days off.

I really miss the extra time to get things done around the house or take care of dentist appointments etc...

Food and fuel have went up for us at least $600 per month since then so not sure If I will be able to do it again.

Hopefully only three more years to work anyways.
 
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We're all just trading our time for money. How well we do that depends on who/what we satisfy along the way. Good luck in finding that golden moment.
 
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Being quite active in the RV/fulltimer/boondocker/minimalist community, I can say that living on $315 a month doesn't come cheap. ;)

There is typically a lot of initial expenses that go into reaching that level of minimalist living accompanied by severe sacrifice of what most consider basic needs. Even then, her boast is only the very basic of "nut shell" expenses and does not actually include all incurred costs averaged on a montly basis. Just looking at that clip, there are a ton of reoccuring costs she isn't divulging. Like cooking fuel, waste dumping, BLM usage permit fees at the least, vehicle insurance, health insurance, routine vehicle and other systems maintanence, regular replacement expenses like tires, battery's, disposables like TP, cleaning supplies, laundry, cooking condiments, other stuff like clothing, grooming, and the list goes on.

Some of that can be mitigated. Like if you are using a composting toilet and dump your compost in the wild (typically illegal in their situation) or in trash bins (questionable practice and often illegal). Doing "cat hole" dumping. Very bad form and often illegal. Relying on public wifi. Blacktop camping in wally world parking lots. I can go on and on here too.

Some "off grid" setup can be quite costly, as I said though. Solar systems, compact 12v appliances, water treatment systems, portable generators, etc, etc.

IOW, I call B.S.! 😆

Much cheaper than renting an apartment or paying a mortage... yes! Living on pennies, legally, and no form of extra income... extremely difficult and not possible for most anyone.
 
Being quite active in the RV/fulltimer/boondocker/minimalist community, I can say that living on $315 a month doesn't come cheap. ;)

There is typically a lot of initial expenses that go into reaching that level of minimalist living accompanied by severe sacrifice of what most consider basic needs. Even then, her boast is only the very basic of "nut shell" expenses and does not actually include all incurred costs averaged on a montly basis. Just looking at that clip, there are a ton of reoccuring costs she isn't divulging. Like cooking fuel, waste dumping, BLM usage permit fees at the least, vehicle insurance, health insurance, routine vehicle and other systems maintanence, regular replacement expenses like tires, battery's, disposables like TP, cleaning supplies, laundry, cooking condiments, other stuff like clothing, grooming, and the list goes on.

Some of that can be mitigated. Like if you are using a composting toilet and dump your compost in the wild (typically illegal in their situation) or in trash bins (questionable practice and often illegal). Doing "cat hole" dumping. Very bad form and often illegal. Relying on public wifi. Blacktop camping in wally world parking lots. I can go on and on here too.

Some "off grid" setup can be quite costly, as I said though. Solar systems, compact 12v appliances, water treatment systems, portable generators, etc, etc.

IOW, I call B.S.! 😆

Much cheaper than renting an apartment or paying a mortage... yes! Living on pennies, legally, and no form of extra income... extremely difficult and not possible for most anyone.
I had a suspicion.. they have three dogs so their dog food and vet bills are over a few hundred a month.
 
Everyone's financials & such are different, so honestly can't say what someone else can or can't survive on.

However I will mention take care in a choice of going fulltime to part time, depending upon what benefits may be lost, or what benefits may become more costly.

Health insurance being a big one, for most folks, if you have it as a full-time benefit now. Run the numbers on your out of pocket costs if you were to go part-time.

We also have a retirement matching plan, which would decrease % matched wise, should we go part-time or consulting, along with a marked increased to out of pocket liability insurance.

It may be more worthwhile to look into some type of alternate hours, if possible. To reduce the number of days worked, while still maintaining full-time benefits. Depends if such will work for your employer, and for you all...
The one benefit to not having benefits is you can't lose what you don't have. The only benefit my company provides is PTO time. I am currently accumulating PTO time at the maximum rate of three weeks per year. I would lose that benefit if I switched to part time.

My health insurance is provided through my wife's work. I pay her for the upgrade that covered my boys and I.

I feel like I could get by on less if I didn't buy so much unneeded items (especially firearm related stuff.

I could try living on the amount of income that a 24 hour work week would provide and see if it is even close to doable. It definitely wouldn't leave any room for more firearm related spending.

I could make a request to work four 10hr shifts and rely on PTO and holidays to get more 4 night weekends at the property


Every trip down there, I always wish I could stay longer. It's a nearly 600 mile round trip and having more time during each visit makes the drive feel more worthwhile.
 
Pick up pop cans on the side of the road and go through garbage, retire early. Apparently there's money in that.
 
Every trip down there, I always wish I could stay longer. It's a nearly 600 mile round trip and having more time during each visit makes the drive feel more worthwhile.
Sounds like what you REALLY need is a decent ultralight aircraft to better enjoy the transit and knock off a block of travel time. Maybe a Rans S-12 Airaile would do nicely to start. 👍

Just sayin.....
 
Pick up pop cans on the side of the road and go through garbage, retire early. Apparently there's money in that.
We donate around a trash bag per week to a paramedic at work. He puts the proceeds into a savings for their grandkids. Worthwhile.

Otherwise honestly not worth our time, even if using the bag drop service.
 
Everyone has different circumstances and challenges in their own lives.

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And, Good Luck.

Aloha, Mark
 
Pick up pop cans on the side of the road and go through garbage, retire early. Apparently there's money in that.
RE : I saw an old lady going through the garbage cans the other day and thought to myself.....

She could have gone to the range and picked up the brass (and steel cases) off of the ground. Mind you.....if she had permission to be there from the range. Probably, faster at making money that way. And the range will get a cleaning too. Win, win!

Aloha, Mark

PS......min wage is in most places $15 an hour (in some places and jobs they are offering even more). Yeah.....it's a far cry from what I was being paid before I retired. Thank You Brandon....higher wages and for the higher inflation too.
 
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RE : I saw an old lady going through the cans the other day and thought to myself.....

She could have gone to the range and picked up the brass (and steel cases) off of the ground. Mind you.....if she had permission to be there from the range. Probably, faster at making money that way. And the range will get a cleaning too. Win, win!

Aloha, Mark
Maybe there is a little less lead in drink cans :)
 

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