When did you decide to retire?

First up it should be noted that I could only retire at 41 cause the wife wanted to persue her career so I gave up work to travel as required. Her salary eventually increased as a result but it meant only a single income earner. Investment income went to me.

Retirement funding, around 90%, is from dividends which is mostly LICs in Disc Trust and SMSF so bugger all tax. We only own a handful of direct shares nowadays as they sometimes require work which LICs don't. Although I enjoy reading about investing our LIC / share portfolio looks after itself, essentially set and forget. That's why I spend time on the forum as there's next to nothing to do portfolio wise except when the market tanks and I top up our holdings.

We chose a lifestyle that motivates us to get out of bed of a morning. That is a 1.25 acre property with lots of organic vege / herb gardens, fruit trees and chickens etc. Wife does home brewing, preserving, soap and skin creams plus many other things. Always something to do.

None of it's done to save money as plenty of that on tap but because it's enjoyable and keeps us fit / active.

 

Yup just buy a lifestyle property if you have too much spare time. This was me at 6.30am today - just me, the dog, some indignant bunnies and a tractor that is twice my age

 

Very nice...I am sure you are the envy of many...

 

It looks like we mow our lawn more often than you. The following gives some idea how we occupy our time in early retirement but still have plenty of leisure time for regular breaks away and to enjoy time with wife, friends and home brew on the deck etc. Oh and some time on the forum and reading about investing. Believe me anyone who says retiring early is bad doesn't know what they're talking about.

Some of the vege / fruit gardens netted:


View from one of the decks where home brew meditation sessions take place:


Looking to house from back:


Pool where I have tried unsuccessfully to give the chickens swimming lessons:


Part of orchard: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, apples (3 varieties), peaches (4 varieties), plums (2 varieties), kafiir lime, Tahitian lime, navel orange, pink grapefruit, madarin (2 varieties), pear (2 varieties), Kensington pride mango, custard apple, chocolate pudding fruit, avocado, olives, native figs, mulberry, Mayer lemon. I think that's most of it.



Vege / herb garden close to house:


Entry to front foor surrounded by more edible / productive stuff including lavender, mini bay trees, curry herb, scented geranium, aloe Vera. Space is where something just died.


Garden shed, chook pen and shade house for vege seedlings and coriander etc in the warmer months. Jaboticaba fruit (also fantastic for wine making) tree hedge and dragon fruit.


Add in home brewing, preserving, cheese / sausage making, soap and cosmetics, drying and freezing produce, hobbies plus much more as you can see the theme is a "productive" life style. Wine making is next on the list.

 

@austing ,

Doesn't all of that grass bring on the hay fever?

 

I think you missed a bit..

 

You're my god damn hero. Stand up and respect!

 

Here's my free daily retirement pleasure

 

Bugger, thanks for pointing that out.

Will endeavour to do better next time. I only have a ride on mower, not a tractor like you.

 

Yep retirement looks really boring. Best to stay at work for the next 30 years.

 

@austing your place is amazing. And yes your grass is much more under control than mine. We have 10 acres and I haven't been able to mow that paddock for 3 weeks as the painter is painting the outside of our new house and I didn't want to get red clay dust and green grass mist in his nice white wet paint.
We've had so much rain and sunshine this summer that everything has been growing and I'm slashing every 2 weeks.
I'm looking forward to sitting on my deck and meditating like you

 

Damn impressive looking house you've got. At 10 acres vs our 1.25 acres I think you can be forgiven for not having all your lawn not perfectly mowed.

 

@austing "chocolate pudding fruit"

This can't be a thing surely. Surely!

 

Sure is real. Tastes a bit like chocolate mousse. Proper name of fruit tree is Black Sapote:




A picture off the net, as you can see kids love them as well:

 

Nice @austing.

 

Just realised I forgot to mention that our "final" vege gardens are yet to be setup. That starts shortly. We've only been here a couple of years so it's a work in progress. The house and yard required extensive work.

These two netted enclosures are the current vege / herb gardens. They will remain as is but be more focused on herbs, tomatoes, salad vegetables and Asian greens. The one at the back will be mainly for growing greens for the chooks.


The main final vege gardens with netted tunnel enclosure will be going in front of the jaboticaba fruit tree hedge starting from the shade house and chook pen as per black outlined area. Will probably start on this when it gets a bit cooler in a couple of months time:


Didn't want you to think I've run out of things to do.

Sorry I've taken this thread off topic but thought some might be interested in what us earlier retirees get up to. I know I was prior to retirement. Activities that many retirees think might be wonderful and keep them busy in retirement like travelling (can be expensive), fishing and playing golf can wear thin very quickly for many. You need something to keep you occupied on a "permanent" basis.

 

Sometimes not knowing what you can do opens doors and rewards that knowing full well that to do would never introduce you to

 

OMG This is Amazing! @Simon Hampel Can a tagging/starring feature be added to the site, you think? This is definitely something i would love to tag as my favourites and aspire to!

 

He he, forgot about this thread. I don't think we are anything special. Plenty do this sort of thing in retirement.

In fact an extremely popular blogger / author about such things lives just down the range from us in Landsborough. She shows how this sort of lifestyle can be had relatively cheaply:

Down to Earth

Always looking to keep ourselves doing something productive. Another step up in the home brewing process will be to buy my wife one of these or similar for Xmas:

 

Oh and our girls wanted to say hello to PCers: