Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Peer Pressure

Semi-retirement or build a house?  My co-worker loves to ask me when I am building a house on my property because, of course, I must build a house because it is the only sane thing to do.  Since I am not rich, I must decide whether I want to semi-retire in a few years or take out a $100k loan, build a house and work for another 10 years to pay it off.  I choose the first one.  $100k wouldn't even get me much of a house either because in order to get a bank loan, I have to drill a well which costs $30k.  That would leave $70k for a small 2 bedroom, 1 bath house.  That's a lot of money and years of work for such a small house.  Now, whenever she brings it up (like at lunch today) I try to change the subject.  She is never going to approve of my home, decor, clothes, hair, shoes, etc...   I don't know why some people feel the need to make other people conform to their ideas.  Maybe I have "needs improvement" stamped on my forehead.

No news yet from my handyman or excavator.  My February weekends are pretty much closed anyway.  I expect lots of progress in March.  I have resisted the urge to get more foster dogs.  I don't know how long that will last.  Maybe until tomorrow.  My foster dog, Sassy, got the staples removed from her knee today.  She isn't walking on the leg yet but she isn't supposed to be walking on it for another 4 weeks so I guess that is ok.  Work is very busy but I am hoping to take next Tuesday afternoon off to go visit my dad for his birthday.  I've only used one half day of vacation so far and I had planned to use one day a month so I have extra time to use up.  At least it is something to look forward to next week besides work, work and more work.

8 comments:

Lizzie@her MFW Homeworld said...

She is jealous because all of your options are more interesting than her mediocre life. Those of us who broke free from convention and caring about other people opinions of us are superior beings! lol :)

Dave said...

I agree with Lizzie. Has she also bugged you about not being married or having any kids, too?

About the home itself, am I missing something? You have a rental property which generates income. You also bought a house recently whose mortgage you paying down at an accelerated rate and are living in now. So, unless you are unhappy to be living there and want to live elsewhere, why would you take out another loan to build another house, unless you plan on renting out another property to generate income.

Practical Parsimony said...

You own a house? So, why would she be needling you to buy another? I think she feel bad about herself and sees you as someone she can needle because of the way you react. She is a bully. Tell her you own a house that makes money and are quickly paying off the one in which you live. DO NOT SMILE.

If she has bugged you about not having kids, ask her why it bothers her so much. If she says something about not being married, tell her there is still time but that the subject of husband and kids and her interest puzzles you. If she says she is concerned for you or wants you to be happy, give her a aghast look and just don't respond to her concern and pity.

It seems somehow she has taken it upon herself to make you feel inferior. Start asking questions like "Why did you buy that color shoes?" She wants you to squirm. Make her squirm.

Tone it down if she is your superior...lol.

Daizy said...

Lizzie, she thinks retiring early is absurd too. I don't talk about it to her. She is very conventional in her thinking. One works to a respectable age of 65 or higher and then retires. No thinking outside the box!

Daizy said...

Dave, yes on the not married but no on the kids because she doesn't have any. The house would be for my property where the mobile home is located. She really wants me to get rid of the mobile and build something. I am not in a hurry to get rid of the mobile. She doesn't live near me so it's not like she has to look at it or anything.

Daizy said...

Practical Parsimony, at least she doesn't have kids so she doesn't bug me about that (although she does have opinions on child-rearing for some reason). She isn't my superior but I do have to work with her everyday so we get along in a sisterly kind of way. She does remind me of my older sister who also has certain tastes and opinions that she considers "proper".

Anonymous said...

Hi, Daizy,
After you raise your youngin', pay off the mortgage on your house, and figure out what you want to do with your land, have you ever considered retiring out of the country. This intrigues me! My hubby and I are 44, and are talking seriously of exploring this option. Or rather, I should say "semi-retirement", because my husband actually loves to work. I don't work, but I am good at saving and being frugal (i.e. I try to make my husband's money go as far as possible!).

I think you could possibly live on the rent that your two (eventually) paid off houses would bring, plus your savings, plus maybe rent on your land (or maybe you would like to keep that for yourself as a base in the good ol' USA). And then before you know it, you'll be collecting your retirement and social security: yay, more income!

You are such a good steward of your resources, and so independent and capable, I think if anyone could have a satisfying "rich" retirement out of the country, it would definitely be you! I don't know if you've ever thought about it (or blogged about it) but maybe something to think about, if you haven't already.

-Tessie

Daizy said...

I have thought about it, Tessie. If I found someone who wanted to live abroad with me, I might consider it. For now, I like the familiarity of the US and being closer to family even though I only see them once a year. In college I traveled around Europe for a year. I haven't had the urge to travel to foreign places since.