December 8, 2020

Cheap Adventures

Girl Looking At Map
Photo by Nick Seagrave on Unsplash

When we think of adventure we think of an African safari or searching for gold in the Amazon rainforest.  But little adventures are all around us.  Do not let a lack of funds keep you from being a little adventurous.  Here are some examples.

Visit a New State Park

Almost every state has an assortment of state parks and many are unknown gems.  There is probably one not too far away.  Check out your states online state park site and find a little adventure.  I live in Pennsylvania and while I’ve visited a number of the parks visiting them all would be a cool goal.

Visit a New Town

You could do your research and find an interesting place to visit.  Or if you’re really adventurous just pull out your road atlas and point to a random town not too far away and go.  See what you can find by accident and exploration.

Hike a New Trail

Like state parks there are probably more hiking trails around than you realize.  This is true even around cities.  Give them a try.  If it has been a while since you hiked stick to those rated easy or moderate.  The length isn’t as important as getting out in nature somewhere new.

Start a New Hobby

Maybe make the hobby something you know almost nothing about.  That’s what makes it an adventure.  You might even keep a journal of what you are learning.

Take a Flight or Train to a New City

OK, this one takes a little money.  I’m not talking about going 2000 miles away.  Just somewhere you haven’t been to before.  Bonus if you stay overnight.  Play tourist and get some postcards!

Take an Unknown Road

For most of my career I’ve had long driving commutes.  You know how you pass a road occasionally and wonder where it goes?  If you’re still working leave a half hour early tomorrow and check out where the road goes.  If you are retired go back and check out that road you always wondered about.

Write an Article on an Unknown Subject

I like to write.  Writing about a subject you know absolutely nothing about is challenging and can be an adventure.  It forces you to do some research and learn something entirely new.

Research an Exotic Location

OK, so maybe you can’t visit your exotic location right now because of cost.  But you can research it and plan.  What would you do if you were visiting for a week?  What would you do if you were moving there for 6 months?  Bonus if you open a savings account and start saving some dollars toward the adventure.

Write to a Stranger (blogger, famous or admired person)

It can be anyone you are curious about.  You may never receive a reply but try to think of something to say that would actually be of value to the person.  You might even be surprised.  There are stories of very famous people replying to ordinary folks like us!

Give $20 to a Homeless Person in Person

Don’t give just a dollar to that homeless person you pass in the street.  Make it $20 or something unexpected.  The way you feel will be an adventure.

Work in a Soup Kitchen or Food Bank

This one will also give you a great feeling.  Give it a try.

Some adventures do take a lot of money.  But many are more of an imagination thing.  Give it some thought and make your own adventures.

Filed Under: Hobbies, Things To Do, Travel, Volunteering Leave a Comment
February 3, 2017

Over 60 and ready to kick butt…

Senior Politician

“The times they are a changing.”  Bob Dylan was right and it applies to older folks today.  Never in history have older people been ready to kick butt in all kinds of ways.  Let’s look at why.

The Grey wave

Today’s older folks will not be sitting in the rocking chair – unless it’s while listening to rock music!  They are planning on 20+ years of butt kicking in many ways.  You hear lots about the Baby Boomer generation and how they are going to break the Social Security and Medicare system.  But what about the positive aspects?

Political Clout

Older people are voting in record numbers and they pay attention.  When our representatives do something stupid they give them hell!

A little money and maybe a lot more time

It’s amazing what can be accomplished with a little money and some time.  Some 60+ people are hitting the peak of their earning years and they are not in a big hurry to quit.  Not only can they make a contribution to their employers, they also have some extra money because kids are grown and hopefully most debts are paid off.

Others have just a little money from Social Security and savings but a lot of time.  And all that time can be invested in myriad ways.  Think starting a business, volunteering, or helping young people.

So how can you join the “Kick Butt” demographic?

Get your health in order as much as possible

Health is probably the biggest determination of your degree of involvement.  You hear of many people staying very active into their 80s and 90s.  The key is reasonable health.  Minor health issues you can ignore and just keep going but serious health issues can put you out of the game or end your life prematurely.

Start a business where money isn’t the only goal

This is a big trend these days.  Instead of hanging up their work clothes some are putting on a whole new set.  Many times money is a secondary goal.  They are doing work they love and money is just a side benefit.

Start an organization for a cause

The world has so many problems that need to be solved.  Instead of waiting for somebody else to solve them why not start an organization to solve it yourself.

Use your experience and maturity

This is an area where older folks have a real advantage.  Older people have seen it all before.  Nothing surprises them and they don’t panic.  In my career managing programmers I’ve always tried to maintain a mixture of age groups.  I like older people because when everybody else is panicking they just keep trudging along to solve the problem.

Associate with people of all age groups

Don’t hang around all older retired people.  There is nothing wrong with them, just have an assortment of friends and acquaintances.  You can’t help young people if you don’t ever see any.  Choose your company carefully.  You want to associate with people that are doing stuff, not sitting on their butts.

So how will you kick butt?

Filed Under: Business, General, Money Stuff, Personal Development, Things To Do, Volunteering Leave a Comment
February 12, 2016

Maybe you shouldn’t retire

Retired Guy ThinkingSociety traditionally has said you should retire at 65 (or some other age.) But how dare society tell you that! Only you know what is best for you.

Many of the most successful people in the world never retire

Some of the financial titans you read about every day seem to never really retire. You see them running companies and dispensing advice well into their 80s and even their 90s. Many of them are mentally sharp and sought after by the media for their thoughts.

You see the same in politics and academia. Jimmy Carter really hit his stride after his presidency was over. Many college professors continue their research well after the traditional retirement age.

What will you do?

Let’s not even think about retiring until we know what we’re going to do with ourselves! You don’t have to plan every minute but basic questions like where will I live and how will I spend my days need to be answered.

How is your health?

You can look at this question from a couple different angles. If your health is good you may want to retire to take advantage of that fact while you can. If your health isn’t so good you may want to retire to enjoy yourself before it gets worse. Or you may decide to keep working to keep health insurance in force until any health problems are resolved. Only you know the answer for your personal situation.

How about partial retirement?

For those that can’t stomach the idea of retirement a “partial retirement” may be the answer. This seems to be getting more popular. And it’s not always for financial reasons. A partial retirement may allow you to try new things while still keeping the social connections of your old job. And the income from working may fund some new ideas.

A variation on partial retirement might be “mini retirements.” I first read about mini retirements in “The Four Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferris. While the author promotes mini retirements for any age I think they work well for those that are on the fence regarding retirement. The basic idea to take an extended mini retirement with the full intention of going back to work. This allows you to try some new things without fully committing to permanent retirement and all that it means.

What if money wasn’t a consideration?

It may help to temporarily forget about money when deciding about retirement. Obviously money is always a consideration, but first think about whether the idea makes sense. Money has a way of clouding the decision making process. So first decide if retirement for you works as a concept, and then work at fitting your budget to your retirement plans. There are lots of ways to do that and other articles in this blog talk about it.

Volunteer Work

While we’re on the subject of money, what if you really don’t need to continue working for financial reasons? Volunteering may be the answer to put your life skills to work, keep you busy and mentally sharp, and provide great social interaction. The right volunteer work might just be the best job you ever had that you don’t get paid for!

Some people end up loving retirement that never thought they would

We have all heard these stories and I really do believe them. Many of us will do anything to prevent change. Retirement is definitely one of those big life changes. Once over the hump of indecision you may just find retirement really is for you!

Will life be more exciting and fulfilling with or without retirement?

I guess that is the central question. Maybe it’s time to get out that pad and pencil and start listing those pros and cons. And don’t forget to include your spouse in your deliberations!

Until next time…

Filed Under: Personal Development, Things To Do, Volunteering, Work Leave a Comment