Where do you want to retire?

I'd have a serious look at Sun Peaks. I've taken my family there the past 2 years (they'd never skied before). Slopes are uncrowded, and there are top to bottom green and blue runs on each of the 3 peaks. Accom is cheap (compared to Whistler) and it's ski-in/out.

Last year we got return airfares from Perth for ~$1500, (currently ~$1,800, I'm planning for next year already)

 

I don't see myself ever formally "retiring" (unless out of my control). But would love to spend my days out at Gunning, NSW with a bunch of rescue animals, my partner and near my family <3.

 

Wish had inexpensive tastes like that. Would shave off years of my retirement target. I could probably do something like that right now.

 

Wishing is not required. All that is required is a change of perspective to see how little you really need to be happy, in retirement or otherwise.

 

Not necessarily.. for many of us, there's also the change in perspective required from our partner/wife/husband. That often proves the most tricky...

 

Agree. Often these offhand comments about reducing household budgets and future wants lack context - people simply assume others are splurging or striving for lofty, blow it up in your face Kanye West goals etc - and that's not the case at all.

But I suppose, some can settle for subsistence level living - guess that's their prerogative. That's not why I'm in this caper.

 

Sydney will always be my base -expect I will be out of town 3-6 months of the year though. I will never "sell up" and do a sea/ tree change.

 

A house on the Isle of Skye in Scotland plus an apartment in Seville Spain would do me nicely

 

And saying that subsistence level living is the goal of these offhanded commenters is equally as off the mark. Comfort and happiness can be achieved for very little extra outlay over basic subsistence costs. We literally live like kings compared to people from a century ago, but most now feel they need even more to just subsist. A change of mindset can make all the diiference to your perceived happiness level with what you currently have and can have in future.

 

I agree with Charlie:-

“All I want to know is where I'm going to die so I'll never go there.”
― Charles T. Munger, Life Is Short And So Is This Book

 

So I ended up with 12.5 and not 100, but its all about quality not quantity.

 

Sadly not inexpensive at all . While we don't personally have tastes for luxury goods (our car isn't even working at the moment haha), our rescue brood is $$. Our current dogs/cats (strays etc) have had many random bills of $4000 for emergency surgery, cost an additional $60-100 a week on the grocery bill minimum and cause several thousand dollars each time vaccinations etc come up. And we don't go without currently - we have things that aren't working/renos we'd like to do etc but we always have healthy food, non-designer but nice clothes for work and we buy our morning coffees .

When we move onto the land our goals are a touch loftier - we want to rescue cows/pigs/chickens etc. Given the conditions they're kept in on some farms, this leaves the medical bill pretty sky high.

At the moment we're up to paying down the land we've bought and planning a build for the future (plus paying the rates/weeding bills etc for that land in the meantime), as well as paying down PPOR mortgage ...

Difficult thing is my work goals don't always align to max earning potential that would possibly make these longer-term goals easier. EG am studying economics to further my journalism which is increasing my HECS bill (and reducing earning potential while studying - have had to quit lucrative sideline work I really enjoyed to fit time in for studying).


Maybe half the battle is realising that some of your goals won't happen - and picking those that are most important to focus on.

 

Pft none of you have any imagination! I'd like to be continuously changing where I live as I lazily circumnavigate Australia and then the world. Nothing extravagent. Just 60 feet or so of motorsailer with a slow revving diesel getting around the NM per litre.
Friends and family flying in for adventures and to share costs. PPOR rented out. No caravan park bills!

 

I want to retire in the house I currently live in.

This is a great source of angst with my wife.

 

You can live near Hervey Bay, and still get the waves. Places like Rainbow beach has surf.... 45 mins to gympie, 1 hr to Maryborough, 1.5hrs to Hervey bay, otherwise there are some really nice spots between rainbow beach to hervey bay, otherwise try agnes waters/1770. calm and surf beaches up there. agnes waters is or was fairly expensive. HB has a high crime rate. Check out crime statistics, the other little towns in between are quiet little beach side communities. Great if u just want to go out in your boat and fish, or go for a golf at the local course. Just remember shops are not open til all hours of the night, and the community is mostly focused on 9am to 5pm week days to get anything done!.

also if you go beach side around here, make sure you check out the area first, specailly at dusk/dawn. midges can be quite problematic in some areas.

 

I love the idea of cheap travel, getting food and accomadation for less then $100 a day, which is around 36K spend per year of retirement. Cruises do good deals so you can get good bargains there that includes food. Travelling to cheaper countries like bali, vietnam etc. buying a caravan or bigger boat to travel around australia. I intend to rent out PPOR to start with, and pretty much sell everything and travel for a few years. after that i guess it depends on your health and if you find that ideal place to retire too.

 

My hubby wants to retire to there too. Too far from home for me though. I'd be happy to do 12 week stints

 

Ha! My wife would like a bigger house in the same suburb in the next 5-6 years or so...

I'd be happy to retire where I am, or let PPOR become IP and just house-sit/travel around the world.. not that I'll be retiring in the next 5-6 years.. at least 13 years away for me.
Maybe longer if I find a job that I actually like..

 

Nice, though boats come with their own run of maintenance problems too.. you do have marina fees instead of caravan parks..
Personally, I'd like something like a HANSE 575', might have to settle for the occasional bare-boat charter though..

 

I believe I have mentioned to Kierank that his Gold Coast waterfront apartment will require a house-sitter when he visits his family in Melbourne.

Who else wants a house-sitter? Any of you expats?