Reminiscing

 

When I was in high school (graduated 1966), my parents wanted me to attend college more than I wanted to attend college.

Not wanting to get into a losing argument with them, I simply followed their urging which I did not take as advice but as an ultimatum.

I attended a small four-year college in North Carolina and two and half years later, I left college and enlisted in the military, instead of getting drafted and being sent to Vietnam.

That decision was one of the best decisions I made in hindsight...  I hated the military so bad, that I could not wait to leave and return to college.  The GI Bill, because of being a Vietnam veteran, completely paid for my last two years of college and all of my graduate school except for $500.

I completed SIX YEARS of higher education, was awarded two degrees and have NO SCHOOL DEBT.

It is for this reason that my choice to leave college and enter the military was a good one.

After working for 45 years in several jobs, none of which offered a pension program, I retired in 2015 relying only on Social Security & Medicare & my savings to pay my monthly expenses until my life ends whenever that happens.

I am not wealthy nor am I poor; I consider myself to be in the lower middle class and my wife and I are living comfortably, wanting for nothing, in East Tennessee.

Fortunately, my wife and I, have the desire to live a simple lifestyle which includes paying our bills, going out to dinner once or twice a week, going on two weeklong vacations each year and buying whatever clothes we think we need or paying all of our out-of-pocket medical expenses.

We buy year old vehicles that have been leased with low mileage.  They are almost new cars with a full warranty.  Our vehicles are ONLY Toyotas because of the quality and resale value.

Neither my wife nor I smoke cigarettes, use illegal drugs, or drink alcohol to relax or enjoy our vacations.  We eat healthy foods only, which does not include red meats, fried foods, or sugars.  We used to walk 1-2 miles a day, seven days a week, but other medical conditions have prevented us from doing that regularly.

We are not ROLE MODELS.  We are simply two senior citizens who have decided to live a certain way and feel very comfortable with that decision.  As mentioned, we want for nothing and have savings to last us until we die, leaving the remainder for our children.

WE PLANNED FOR THIS TO HAPPEN AND MADE SURE WE EXECUTED THAT PLAN...