Comments on: Adventures at Midlife: The Rich Are Different http://midlifebloggers.com/2008/07/06/adventures-at-midlife-the-rich-are-different/ Making The Most of MidLife--Together Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:56:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Judith http://midlifebloggers.com/2008/07/06/adventures-at-midlife-the-rich-are-different/comment-page-1/#comment-259 Judith Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:55:56 +0000 http://midlifebloggers.com/?p=47#comment-259 Scary is right. My folks lived into their mid 80's. Dad never had more than a middle class income but they lived within their means and along with two good pensions they lived very comfortably right up to the end. I can't say the same for my future. At 50, my husband (56) has sever coronary artery disease (no option for bypass/all arteries are too far gone) and can no longer work. I have a part-time with no medical insurance. That's the truly frightening part. I'm looking into going back to school to improve my employment prospects. I live as healthy a life-style as I can and am desperately searching for a job with benefits - but as it stands right now, we are one illness or accident away from poverty. Simplifying and downsizing is high on our list as is defining the good life. Many of the plans we had for mid-life and beyond are falling by the wayside, but we're learning to enjoy life one day at a time. I read and hear of others our age having to move back in with retired parents to make ends meet. Who'd have thought? My folks are gone and I can only be grateful they left me enough to pay the mortgage, or we'd be in foreclosure by now. Scary is right. My folks lived into their mid 80′s. Dad never had more than a middle class income but they lived within their means and along with two good pensions they lived very comfortably right up to the end.

I can’t say the same for my future. At 50, my husband (56) has sever coronary artery disease (no option for bypass/all arteries are too far gone) and can no longer work. I have a part-time with no medical insurance. That’s the truly frightening part. I’m looking into going back to school to improve my employment prospects. I live as healthy a life-style as I can and am desperately searching for a job with benefits – but as it stands right now, we are one illness or accident away from poverty.

Simplifying and downsizing is high on our list as is defining the good life. Many of the plans we had for mid-life and beyond are falling by the wayside, but we’re learning to enjoy life one day at a time.

I read and hear of others our age having to move back in with retired parents to make ends meet. Who’d have thought? My folks are gone and I can only be grateful they left me enough to pay the mortgage, or we’d be in foreclosure by now.

]]> By: Allison http://midlifebloggers.com/2008/07/06/adventures-at-midlife-the-rich-are-different/comment-page-1/#comment-194 Allison Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:32:06 +0000 http://midlifebloggers.com/?p=47#comment-194 Ms Meta, Great post, love it! It IS scary this question of how we're all going to support ourselves in our old age. Especially since most of us can expect to live a long time. Money DOES make everything easier, but I'm with you. Honestly even if I had a bazillion dollars, I want a simple life where I love the few things I have. My one pair of Italian shoes (that I wear until there is nothing left of them), the ability to buy fresh flowers occasionally, eat well and travel occasionally. I think there are ways to live well on much less. I published an article on WomenBloom about co-housing that talks about ways to live well by downsizing and sharing shelter costs, maybe even things like cars etc. And, Ms G over at http://www.Derfwadmanor.blogspot.com was joking about having a Women's Colony basically a co-housing variation on a theme. It's an idea worth exploring: http://womenbloom.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=179&Itemid=64 Ms Meta,

Great post, love it! It IS scary this question of how we’re all going to support ourselves in our old age. Especially since most of us can expect to live a long time.

Money DOES make everything easier, but I’m with you. Honestly even if I had a bazillion dollars, I want a simple life where I love the few things I have. My one pair of Italian shoes (that I wear until there is nothing left of them), the ability to buy fresh flowers occasionally, eat well and travel occasionally.

I think there are ways to live well on much less.

I published an article on WomenBloom about co-housing that talks about ways to live well by downsizing and sharing shelter costs, maybe even things like cars etc. And, Ms G over at http://www.Derfwadmanor.blogspot.com was joking about having a Women’s Colony basically a co-housing variation on a theme. It’s an idea worth exploring:
http://womenbloom.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=179&Itemid=64

]]> By: Susanna http://midlifebloggers.com/2008/07/06/adventures-at-midlife-the-rich-are-different/comment-page-1/#comment-192 Susanna Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:17:49 +0000 http://midlifebloggers.com/?p=47#comment-192 This is something I struggle with. I want to quit my job and focus on my other interests, some of which are income-producing. My main concern is affording health care. And learning to live on less again. We were low-income for years but not poor. We ate fresh from our farm--real butter and whipped cream, strawberries, honey from our bees, heated with wood, and enjoyed the privacy afforded by 80 acres in deep country. Now I'm older and I wonder if I can do it again. Back then, we didn't have health insurance and didn't worry about it. 20 years later, it's higher on my list of must-haves. I have 5 years before I can draw social Security, and my 401K is enough to pay off everything we owe (I know, that's supposed to be a bad idea but I'm more scared of having bills in retirement than I am of being low-income), and still have a little--but not a lot--left over. Have I become security-crazed by 15 years of a steady income? or just more sensible? I'm never sure of the answer to that. This is something I struggle with. I want to quit my job and focus on my other interests, some of which are income-producing. My main concern is affording health care. And learning to live on less again. We were low-income for years but not poor. We ate fresh from our farm–real butter and whipped cream, strawberries, honey from our bees, heated with wood, and enjoyed the privacy afforded by 80 acres in deep country.

Now I’m older and I wonder if I can do it again. Back then, we didn’t have health insurance and didn’t worry about it. 20 years later, it’s higher on my list of must-haves. I have 5 years before I can draw social Security, and my 401K is enough to pay off everything we owe (I know, that’s supposed to be a bad idea but I’m more scared of having bills in retirement than I am of being low-income), and still have a little–but not a lot–left over.

Have I become security-crazed by 15 years of a steady income? or just more sensible? I’m never sure of the answer to that.

]]> By: msmeta http://midlifebloggers.com/2008/07/06/adventures-at-midlife-the-rich-are-different/comment-page-1/#comment-170 msmeta Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:31:31 +0000 http://midlifebloggers.com/?p=47#comment-170 Thanks all for the comments. There was a time, Rhea, when I would have laughed at the Alpo reference, but I remember an Ann Landers column about seniors eating catfood that shocked me. People really do resort to such things. I also read an article over the weekend that claimed that 40 percent of people age 45-55 have $25,000 or less saved toward retirement! While I still believe that we can still be happy even if we have to downsize, I'm afraid some of us will be downsizing to nearly nothing. Thanks all for the comments. There was a time, Rhea, when I would have laughed at the Alpo reference, but I remember an Ann Landers column about seniors eating catfood that shocked me. People really do resort to such things. I also read an article over the weekend that claimed that 40 percent of people age 45-55 have $25,000 or less saved toward retirement! While I still believe that we can still be happy even if we have to downsize, I’m afraid some of us will be downsizing to nearly nothing.

]]> By: Rhea http://midlifebloggers.com/2008/07/06/adventures-at-midlife-the-rich-are-different/comment-page-1/#comment-169 Rhea Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:33:11 +0000 http://midlifebloggers.com/?p=47#comment-169 Money makes everything easier. I hope I have enough to survive old age without restoring to Alpo. Money makes everything easier. I hope I have enough to survive old age without restoring to Alpo.

]]> By: Becky Lane http://midlifebloggers.com/2008/07/06/adventures-at-midlife-the-rich-are-different/comment-page-1/#comment-168 Becky Lane Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:50:27 +0000 http://midlifebloggers.com/?p=47#comment-168 Going to live in a third world country for a while helps too. Our kids really dropped the "poor me" attitude, once they saw how most of the world lives. But be forewarned, they might not "fit in" quite as well, after shifting to a global way of thinking. Going to live in a third world country for a while helps too. Our kids really dropped the “poor me” attitude, once they saw how most of the world lives. But be forewarned, they might not “fit in” quite as well, after shifting to a global way of thinking.

]]> By: merlotmom http://midlifebloggers.com/2008/07/06/adventures-at-midlife-the-rich-are-different/comment-page-1/#comment-165 merlotmom Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:12:09 +0000 http://midlifebloggers.com/?p=47#comment-165 excellent post, ms meta. sometimes it's difficult not to get caught up in the privilege tailspin, but someone once told me - think of yourself as if you're on the freeway, stay in your lane and don't mind the other cars that pass you. that helps me. excellent post, ms meta. sometimes it’s difficult not to get caught up in the privilege tailspin, but someone once told me – think of yourself as if you’re on the freeway, stay in your lane and don’t mind the other cars that pass you. that helps me.

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