Well, "fun costs", no matter who is paying for it! For us, we are doing financially "ok", but there are retired Seniors out there that get a very nice pension income, along with SS and have no problems having fun. "Fun" things can definitely be expensive.
My daughter and son in law plan on retiring when they are about 55 and have been saving for that since day one in a retirement fund and other savings. They put a large amount per month aside. They will be getting the top amt when it comes to SS, but that won't really be a source for too much for them. Both know what amt they need to Enjoy the standard of living they are used to and have stuck with that plan. They would really actually like to retire in Maui but who knows. They still have two boys to put thru college. 8 yrs each at a cost of about $45,000 a year. That's a lot. I'm rounding it off to about 1 million dollars because I counted the second 4 years at $45,000 also and graduate school is usually more plus by the time the 12 yr old is ready prices will probably be higher. They may get some help with scholarships but not enough. They also started a college fund for the boys when they were born. Ok, went off track there, Cody...sorry.
The most fun and even free bit of fun is a game I previously posted about: Toe Ketch. Yes, normally it's free to play and can involve 2, 3, 4, players or you can just sit and play by yourself. The object is to sit in a circle and wait until somebody's big toe moves and then try to "ketch" it! Load's of fun!! Note if you will, that I said "normally" it's fun but one time it cost me big time. A buddy and I were playing and when I saw his toe move I swooped down and grabbed his big toe and pulled it and him out of his chair. Not only did I break his toe but he suffered a concussion when his head hit the floor. He went to the hospital and they fixed him up but he had to miss work for about 3 weeks so he sued me. I lost the case because the judge was from up north and never heard of toe ketch and thought I was just a mean person. So, long story short, I had to pay his bills, the money he lost by not working and to make matters worse, he was my bosses nephew so I got fired and to add insult to injury an illegal Mexican got my job. Then, jobless and out of cash and since I wasn't able to pay my bills, my girlfriend and her dog left me and sued me for palimony which I lost also. Again, I think the judge was biased because the judge was a she judge. I told the judge that I couldn't see why I had to pay palmoney because she wasn't really a pal and she wasn't really worth any money for what she really was. She got red in the face, put me in jail for contempt and fined me $2000.00 and awarded my X half my paycheck for the next 5 years provided I got out of jail and found a job. I obviously did get out of jail but that's when I decided to move to Mexico and take some Mexicans job making $3.00 a week which I gladly sent my X a whopping buck and a half. Yeah, having fun can indeed be expensive........
That's more fun than I can handle, Bobby! There are a few cheap fun things to do though all joking aside. I always liked going on a picnic. Or a nice hike. Or you may know someone with a nice boat. We knew someone with a yacht and he'd invite us sometimes. Also knew someone with a pontoon, also got invited. You gotta pick friends that have boats. I'm looking for someone that has an RV now...that will be fun.
One thing for sure, some retired Seniors, when they were younger, didn't think about saving money for "fun things" when they got older. I know I sure didn't, because I just made a enough salary to survive on and I changed jobs way to much. Then, there are those that have enough ambition to get a major degree and then a great paying job when they are young. They save, or invest, part of their money for "old age" and "have it made". There are different financial situations where end up with a nice amount of money for retirement.
This is true. Everybody is different. Some don't have an extra cent to save through no fault of their own. Some have it and don't save. Some have it and do save it. There's just so many factors that go into it. Then there's the chance of something happening and everything that was saved for your retirement loses value Or you die early.
Don't know about "no fault of their own" statement. As for me, it was my fault for not getting the education I needed to get the better salary. Also done a few stupid things to get fired from a couple of jobs. Luckily, both managers wrote "Laid-Off" on the Separation paperwork, so I could get UI benefits. Funny how some people will stay on one job for years, no matter what hours they might have to work, how much they may have to travel, put up with their boss or co-workers, etc. Today, to have those finances for the "fun things" when younger or older/retired, for some jobs it takes a major degree and GOOD LOOKS! Yep, those two things can take a person far in life with plenty of financial back-up,
I don't know about the good looks but a good personality helps. Getting a good education helps as long as you pick a field that pays well and also is needed. You pick a degree in something that won't get you a good job, you'll be making minimum wage and trying to pay off student loans.
My wife says her boss could be a model (looks) and she has a Masters in Business. Even in our bank, their are both young men and women that have at least a Bachelors, and believe me, they are good-looking young adults. On all three, CNN, HLN and even The Weather Channel has men/women with high degree's and very good-looks. I looked up Sigorney Weaver's (actress) education and she has degree's from both Stanford and Yale....wow!
Well yes, people on TV usually look good. So do models but for a dentist or doctor it doesn't matter. My daughter is pretty but not all dentists are. My Son in law isn't that great looking and people age, in some fields like movies or TV that's a problem but not in dentistry or some other fields. There are plenty of people that have degrees from prestigious universities that aren't great looking and they've done well.
Well, like the old saying goes, "Looks are in the eyes of the beholder". My wife's Portfolio for being a Movie/Ad Extra contained Glamour Shot Photo's of her taken by a pro-photographer. He took some darn good shots of her that the Agency that hired her grabbed. I've seen doctor's and nurses at our local hospital that definitely had that "Hot" look and they are all degreed. The looks of today, that wasn't so much there in the 60's and 70's jobs. But, anyway......
Well yes, you have to have a degree to be a dr or nurse but there are just as many plain looking ones as there are hot ones. Even some actors and actresses aren't great looking. I'm past the point of caring how someone looks, personality, integrity, etc are much more important. Also being a hard worker. Looks fade so you better have a back up plan.
I guess so. There are many very rich and successful people in the world that aren't good looking at all though. I was always considered pretty and I'm still good looking for my age and still have a good body but there's only so much you can do with that. I mostly got a lot of attention from men which sometimes was an advantage working but sometimes became a problem. I'm not bragging and only mention it because that's where this post has gone. Being constantly hit on at work gets tedious. This was before sexual harassment laws.