Going with the Flow

i've lived in broom cupboards for years in auckland, working where the jobs are, to try and get to an early retirement, and get out of the rat race once and for all. not sure exactly when still got years to go. every time i've looked for work outside auckland i wasnt willing to work for the low money i was offered, dunno why nz is like that. its a decision we have to arrive at individually. i want to have something to show for my years of work. it doesnt have to be extravagant, just enough financial stability not to have to worry about working to pay all the bills. mind you there could easily come a day when i say thats it , i'm getting out now regardless...

Wellington is only a little better but at least we have 3 forest parks nearby. Last year I found myself doing the sums and came to the conclusion that if I had to all I have to do to retire is leave Wellington and move somewhere like Oamaru. The difference in house prices would fund my next 10 years till pension sets in including paying my kiwisaver etc. Possible but not desirable. The reason I looked was my job was not looking like a long term prospect and another job within the same company but at a substantially lower pay was being offered. That job had 3 years of certainty and a possibility of more work beyond that. The job I had 6 months ago would of still been there today but even now that group cant see its future beyond 2 months.Something might come up for them I hope it does but I walked any way. Also changed my attitude to work. I like work I like the money and will always do it properly as well as I can but when its over which I now accept as inevitable (in 3+ years) Im out a here a 50% chance of retiring before 60 30% before 58

Oh, I'll never 'retire'. I own four-fifths of bugger all, and don't actually care. Work for a year or two, then don't work for awhile. So on so forth. I guess it's a lot easier for me. I'm the only person I need to feed, clothe and house. And fortunately, I care less and less about owning loads of things, or even clothes for that matter. I don't mind all that much where I lay my head at night. The only thing I really own that is of value to me is my memories, and fortunately they don't take up much room. And should I, by some phenomenal miracle, manage to live long enough to become old, to the point I can no longer adequately look after myself, I shall melt into the wilderness and quite happily feed the circle of life. But one thing that I will not do is suckle at the teet of goodwill. Hence I'm not prepared to just walk away from work responsibilities or civilisation entirely. Besides, I'm no long-term hermit. I like people too much. :)

I was in wellington, but I struggled to get enough regular work there and got sick of the casual nature of work I was doing, always on standby for work so it wasn't like I had more free time to get into the mountains, I had to be available all days of the week to make ends meet. someone offered me work in Auckland so I went to see if I could get more stable work and had little problem so though might as well make hay while the sun shines.

>And should I, by some phenomenal miracle, manage to live long enough to become old, to the point I can no longer adequately look after myself, I shall melt into the wilderness and quite happily feed the circle of life. I kinda like that idea. Theres just something crazy in our genes that makes us want to breed, live long, and build empires.

As kreig says. Nothing wrong with owning "4/5ths of bugger all" as long as you are happy. Id rather be happy and penniless than rich and miserable.

I used to take Krieg's attitude. Work where the tramping was good, work for enough of the time to pay for the next trip. But increasingly (middle age?) I find myself wanting to contribute not just see. On every trip I acquire 'projects' that I'd love to devote time to. Tracks needing cutting, pines needing controlling, areas crying out for intensive predator control. And these projects need time. Not a burst of effort now, but a decades-long commitment. Which for me is 'retirement'. Not stopping working. But stopping doing pointless stuff for money and starting doing worthwhile stuff for love. And that means a change in priorities from working to pay for tommorrow's play, to working to set myself up for that goal. Which I guess answers the earlier question 'what on earth are you doing in Wellington, Pom?'.

I retired at the age of 29 and have never worked for anyone else since! 40 years of 'going with the flow'. I guess I did what you did, Madpom by - "stopping doing pointless stuff for money and starting doing worthwhile stuff for love. " Been a hippy in the Hokianga, a nomad for many years just awandering, and settled in Golden Bay in 2000. I always trusted that I would have ENOUGH money and somehow I always did. I look back now and wonder how on earth I managed but I obviously did. One advantage of being a 'baby boomer' was that the Govt. helped us to get into our first houses. So, ever since I was 23 I have owned a house (but not necessarily been living in it). Mortgage free for the last 40 years. Freedom! Mind you - still not enough time for much tramping. Just back from 4 days up in the Richmond Ranges learning about 'wind chill'. Man, was it cold! Lovely sunny weather but we wore all our winter woolies and staggered across the tops being blown off track frequently.

Interesting thread. Really. I'm fortunate enough to enjoy the work I do; it's an adventure of it's own. But the goal at the end is time on the track. The tricky part will be deciding when.

I love my job. Operations Manager for an outdoor adventure company. What's not to love? But I come from a long line of German gypsies, and get itchy feet all-too-frequently. It's a testament to the greatness of the West Coast that I'm still here after 15 months. And there's just so much of this beautiful country to explore - let alone the world - that I don't want to wake up one day and regret not experiencing more of it. I'm never going to regret not working more. And I've never had a problem getting a job, so why not work less? If I could work 3-4 months of the year and just travel the rest, I would. In fact, that's exactly what I am aiming for. I am in the right industry, and perhaps even the right job. My boss may not be thrilled about only having me seasonally, but I bring a lot to the table. He has to employ seasonal staff over the summer anyway, so it may as well be someone who knows so many aspects of the business. I'll break it to him slowly though. Well after I'm back from the TA. :)