Navigating senior years.

KARNUT · May 13, 2025

1 hour ago, customboss said:

Congrats on all loss of weight. I’m trying.

I tried them all. Weight Watchers works. At least for me.

customboss · May 13, 2025

2 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

I tried them all. Weight Watchers works. At least for me.

I’m 262 and gotta drop this by 50 lbs.

KARNUT · May 13, 2025

9 minutes ago, customboss said:

I’m 262 and gotta drop this by 50 lbs.

My problem was low blood sugar enhanced by blood pressure medication. I would get angry,feeling sick and weak. I’d be in a tractor working and munching candy. It took a while to learn that just because you eat a lot at lunch you’re still going to be hungry by two. My days were long. Dark to Dark in the tractor then drive up to 100 miles home. Weight Watchers showed me where the calories were. It changed my life.

customboss · May 13, 2025

7 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

My problem was low blood sugar enhanced by blood pressure medication. I would get angry,feeling sick and weak. I’d be in a tractor working and munching candy. It took a while to learn that just because you eat a lot at lunch you’re still going to be hungry by two. My days were long. Dark to Dark in the tractor then drive up to 100 miles home. Weight Watchers showed me where the calories were. It changed my life.

Thx. My caretaker and partner sux as a cook. The reason I got together with her initially had nothing to do with food! LOL. Now that doesn’t matter sadly.

KARNUT · May 13, 2025

6 minutes ago, customboss said:

Thx. My caretaker and partner sux as a cook. The reason I got together with her initially had nothing to do with food! LOL. Now that doesn’t matter sadly.

The diet is based on points. I make my own breakfast and lunch. I get 40 points. Eggs are free. But butter is 3 points. Use cooking spray is free. I try to stay around 5-7 for breakfast package hash browns are free unless you use butter. Bread is 2-4 depending on the type. Jelly is 3 points. Coffee is free. Creamer can be up to 7 as low as 1. So if I want eggs and hash browns with butter that’s just 3 points. Cheese can be 2-7 points. I get Caso cheese from Sam’s it’s 2. Lunch I stay under 10. Unless we’re having fish for dinner. Fish is free. So I’ll eat more at lunch. Chicken white meat is free, no skin. Lean meat is low, vegetables free. After noon snacking I get frozen fruit in a bag. Cherries are great frozen. A bag of strawberries and bananas frozen makes great smoothies. I just add water. Granola bars are 4 points. Egg beaters sometimes for lunch free with cheese 2 points, bacon 1 point per slice. There’s a ton of stuff you can mix and match so you don’t feel like it’s a diet. I use to put ketchup on everything or salad dressing bad. Now I use pace. I buy a bag of turkey sausage crumbles for my eggs 2 points. Check it out. You’d be surprised.

Donstar · May 14, 2025

On Sunday, I took my wife for a drive to a local tourist town for a walk on the beach. We are striving to, "Move more, eat less". Unfortunately, Mother's Day found us moving and eating more! My truck started to sound loud during the trip and I found the noise to be the engine fan roaring. Yesterday I took it to our local GM dealership and it was determined to be the thermostat. The cost of repair was quoted to be approximately $800 (Canadian) if they used genuine GM parts but closer to $600 if I waited overnight for parts from Napa. This has been an unusually expensive month for us so I opted for the less expensive option. Did I make the right decision? They haven't started on the replacement yet and I could change my mind. I can't figure out how there could be such a significant saving just on the part! The young lady at the service counter did a great job of telling me what I wanted to hear in a voice I suspect is reserved for her geriatric customers. I know I can get informed and honest counsel here.

Donstar · May 15, 2025

It turns out that I misunderstood and that an OEM thermostat was less expensive than the aftermarket! I'm fine with factory parts. However, delivery has been a problem and I'm still without my truck! We've shared my wife's Yaris for the past couple of days which has helped support my case to remain a two vehicle couple! It is rare that we both need to drive separately but we have different tastes in vehicles. She likes small, easy to drive and practical! I'd be comfortable with a one ton 4X4 diesel dually as a grocery getter! Our compromise finds her accepting a small SUV and I'm at a base model 1/2 ton! Fifty years of living together has me realizing I need to take care of my current truck if I hope to have a pickup in my future! The new small pickups (ie: Maverick) seem like a logical compromise but are currently viewed as a lose, lose rather than a win, win.

customboss · May 15, 2025

4 hours ago, Donstar said:

It turns out that I misunderstood and that an OEM thermostat was less expensive than the aftermarket! I'm fine with factory parts. However, delivery has been a problem and I'm still without my truck! We've shared my wife's Yaris for the past couple of days which has helped support my case to remain a two vehicle couple! It is rare that we both need to drive separately but we have different tastes in vehicles. She likes small, easy to drive and practical! I'd be comfortable with a one ton 4X4 diesel dually as a grocery getter! Our compromise finds her accepting a small SUV and I'm at a base model 1/2 ton! Fifty years of living together has me realizing I need to take care of my current truck if I hope to have a pickup in my future! The new small pickups (ie: Maverick) seem like a logical compromise but are currently viewed as a lose, lose rather than a win, win.

You can still drive that’s great. My J20 is being restored a bit locally once done I’ll just drive drunk up here on our private roads! 3rd gear is like automatic except on takeoff. Jeannie drives me on public roads.

Donstar · May 16, 2025

Yes, I am driving and believe/hope I am good for several more years. I do keep an eye on mobility scooters as a way to lessen the fear of losing the privilege of a driver's license. My mom had one for outdoors and one for indoors. We live in an urban neighborhood with a heavy focus on accessibility. Bike lanes and pedestrian pathways make driving for basic outings less essential. My father voluntarily quit driving when he knew it was time. Later, when he was confined to a hospital bed in the later weeks of stage 4, he was asked to surrender his license. He was devastated and I was mad as hell!

KARNUT · May 16, 2025

I don’t see an end in driving yet. I still drive great distances. I went from long distance driving 33 hour marathon. At forty to splitting the distance to now 8 hours max. Have the wife along lower my mph average to 50 mph because of stopping. Truth be told I need to stretch my legs. Even though I live in the country there’s towns all around me. With deliveries and driving services. I don’t need to drive if I don’t want to. I still enjoy it without intimidation.

garagerog · May 16, 2025

In our age group I think we were all taught to save for retirement for the usual reasons, maintaining our current lifestyle, medical expenses, blow the kids inheritance or pass it along to build family wealth,etc. Inflation wasn't really a thing then, but then the 80's taught us while we were still in our working years we needed to incorporate that into our retirement plans too. But I was caught flat-footed on one item. I grew up on a farm 15 miles from the nearest parts counter and hardware store, so DIY was a necessity, more often with baling wire than I would like to admit. It never dawned on me that I would be dependent on others for the most basic of household and vehicle maintenance and the expense that entails. But thanks to arthritis in the knees and spine I'm now dependent on a yard guy, plumbers, mechanics, and assorted other money grubbers. But what really rankles me even after collecting big bucks is that half the time they can't get it right, I had transmission service on my p/u a couple of weeks ago at the Chev dealer only to find out it's overfilled by a couple of quarts, so rather than take it back and bitc* I'll just vacuum extract it via the dipstick tube. Kinda makes sense now why GM has done away with the dipstick tube, the average Joe can't/won't check techs's work and there goes your tranny right after the warranty period. Anyhow not all is lost, it does ease the pain in the back when I have to bend over for these jokers, a PT with a model of the spine showed me why.

Edited May 16, 2025 by garagerog

customboss · May 16, 2025

39 minutes ago, garagerog said:

In our age group I think we were all taught to save for retirement for the usual reasons, maintaining our current lifestyle, medical expenses, blow the kids inheritance or pass it along to build family wealth,etc. Inflation wasn't really a thing then, but then the 80's taught us while we were still in our working years we needed to incorporate that into our retirement plans too. But I was caught flat-footed on one item. I grew up on a farm 15 miles from the nearest parts counter and hardware store, so DIY was a necessity, more often with baling wire than I would like to admit. It never dawned on me that I would be dependent on others for the most basic of household and vehicle maintenance and the expense that entails. But thanks to arthritis in the knees and spine I'm now dependent on a yard guy, plumbers, mechanics, and assorted other money grubbers. But what really rankles me even after collecting big bucks is that half the time they can't get it right, I had transmission service on my p/u a couple of weeks ago at the Chev dealer only to find out it's overfilled by a couple of quarts, so rather than take it back and bitc* I'll just vacuum extract it via the dipstick tube. Kinda makes sense now why GM has done away with the dipstick tube, the average Joe can't/won't check techs's work and there goes your tranny right after the warranty period. Anyhow not all is lost, it does ease the pain in the back when I have to bend over for these jokers, a PT with a model of the spine showed me why.

Oh brother I feel ya!

Donstar · May 17, 2025

Well said, Roger! I like the part I use to hear that you won't need as much money during retirement. You won't need work related clothing, tools, transportation etc. Also, your kids will be financially independent. You may see some savings here but any money saved won't cover the new budget surprises! Twice in the past week I've come across two acquaintances who are older than me and still on the job. Neither tried to tell me that they're working as a choice. Retirement planning is a must and the earlier you start, the better. I am not a great example but glad I did enough pre-planning to be comfortable.

KARNUT · May 17, 2025

It seemed simple enough for us. We both grew up in a time when wives stayed home and raised the kids. We lived modestly with a house that was big enough. Once the kids were in all day school my wife decided to go to work. My wife is pretty smart and had high paying jobs. We used her funds to pay off the house early then we upgraded. Most of her cars were CPO. Only two were bought new. One we still have. Once we paid off the house we’re in now we built our retirement home on the back of the property that’s being rented out. I doubt we’ll move there. Our social security covers the nut the rent house covers the play. The IRA we started in our early 40s will probably never be touched. Our savings continues to grow. My hobbies with cars were self sufficient because I turned wrenches. I have insurance protection for the unseen. Being realistic in expectations and enjoying the simple things in life are keys to happiness. Excepting your partner for themselves is the key for a long and happy relationship. If you don’t like the way something is being done, do it yourself. The only thing that can effect my kids inheritance is if one of us loses our mind. And needs long term care. We passed on that long term care insurance. We figured we could handle that ourselves. We don’t feel so invincible now. For people who planned for everything we missed that one. So far it’s been a good ride. We didn’t do anything unusual. We talked and planned.