How Do You Afford This Addiction?

[bigfurmn]

Just messing with ya .

Just saying this hobby ain't cheap! Appearantly I am.

 

[DougE]

When I was working , I never took out of house money to buy my toys .

Nobody with the sense the Good Lord gave to a goat would, either.

 

[JIMSMOKES]

Raised in automotive tech. Been a manufacturing technician for 31 years.

 

[Fueling Around]

I am a tired Engineer. Tired of corporate life after 25 years.
I've been working on a farm raising wheat, soybeans, and sugar beets for the past 17 years.
I reach SSI retirement age this year so I will start drawing my Fed benefits (they are NOT entitlements) and start tapping my 401Ks.
I'll keep working summers on the farm for a couple more years

...
In April of 2019 was hired on at the Naval Reactors Facility.
...

I think we brushed on that you worked at "The Site" in a thread when I said my brother lived on the south side of Warm River.

 

[DougE]

I reach SSI retirement age this year so I will start drawing my Fed benefits (they are NOT entitlements)

I never had the option to stop FICA deductions from being taken out of my paycheck each week, so I don't see collecting a monthly Social Security check (or SSDI check) as an entitlement.

 

[jcam222]

I spent 35 years in the plastics industry focused on plastic colorants and additives for the automotive market. The first half of those years was in manufacturing and IT and the second half was on the commercial side split between account manager and then commercial team manager. Now retired and happy about that 99% of the time.

 

[chopsaw]

Nobody with the sense the Good Lord gave to a goat would, either.

Whatever that's supposed to mean .

 

[JLinza]

Started working at age 12... ( not counting the family farm work). But real jobs...Spent 8 years working for Colorado DOC as a Sargent, until that got bad. Now I'm a plant operations supervisor for a hospital. Always hated when I hear people say " there are no jobs out there"... I think there are plenty of jobs for people that "want" to work

 

[DougE]

Whatever that's supposed to mean .

You said you never took out of house money to buy toys and I agreed that nobody with the sense the Good Lord gave to a goat would, either. Pretty straightforward.

 

[Fueling Around]

I never had the option to stop FICA deductions from being taken out of my paycheck each week, so I don't see collecting a monthly Social Security check (or SSDI check) as an entitlement.

We the people have paid into FICA as well as our employers our entire working careers.
I am quoting our Federal politicians that refer to SSI as "entitlement". They need to be reminded to look in the mirror before they use that comment on those that actually paid (pay) into the system.

 

[seenred]

Retired public school educator here. For 31 years, I spent time as a High School Science teacher, an assistant HS football coach, a HS head basketball coach, Athletic Director, HS Assistant Principal, HS Principal, and finally a District Director of Special Education and Alternative Education. Retired for good in 2021. I'm lucky to have a decent state teacher's retirement pension. I also have a decent nest egg in a 403(b) plan...and I've been fortunate enough to not need to touch it yet. Hoping to leave it be until the wife can retire too in 3 years (She's also a career public school teacher).

Don't really consider my smoker building as a "side hustle", because I don't really do it to make a profit...just enjoy it and do it for the fun of creating something. So far, I've been lucky enough to sell my pits for what I've invested in them...which continues to fund the next project.

Red

 

[seenred]

21 years in the U.S. ARMY. 2 years with a large Police Department (2500+ officers) in Special Operations and Special Investigations... the joined the Dept. Of the Army as a civilian.

Thank you for your service, Sir!

Red

 

[DougE]

We the people have paid into FICA as well as our employers our entire working careers.
I am quoting our Federal politicians that refer to SSI as "entitlement". They need to be reminded to look in the mirror before they use that comment on those that actually paid (pay) into the system.

I'd tell you the words I'd use to remind them of who of us has paid in, but being as this site is family friendly, I won't tell you how I really feel lol.

 

[dsk]

I have a small fortune. I started with a large one. (Old joke.)

 

[uncle eddie]

I am a geotechnical (foundation) engineer/business owner. 18 months to go until part-time semi-retired. I doubt I have worked with ifitsdeadsmokeit before, but I do a LOT of bridges, walls, buildings, lots of grain structures (bins/elevators) cell towers, etc. etc. If it is connected to the ground, I have probably worked on something similar.

You can't see what I do for a living if I do my job right (foundations are buried).

 

[forktender]

35+ yrs as both a union plumber, and Fitter on San Francisco high rises, a major fall resulting in a spinal injury took me out earlier than I expected, so I retired and collect my pension now.

 

[dons2346]

Got the draft notice before my senior year of college so I joined the Navy. Did my 4 years, got a job at Hughes Aircraft then went the Dept of Navy working my way from a GS-7 to GS-13. Retired at 53 1/2 years after 30 years service in 1999.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Cant tell ya.

Tell Marty though.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I have been retired for a couple years now and am loving every minute of it. Before that I spent 34 years working for one of the top 3 letter federal agencies as an IT Specialist.

Worked on computers, servers, networks, cabling, cell phones and more. I was mobile so had a company vehicle and worked several different sites.

At the end management made changes that really killed it for many of us but offered an early retirement around the same time. I wasted no time in taking them up on it.

 

[yankee2bbq]

How do I afford this addiction?
Simple, we (my family and I) don’t go out to eat.