There are a few perks to being unemployed

[Sheepdog1968]

Almost all of my firearms have been cleaned.

I did some volunteer work at the local range because I had free time and they gave me some tokens to shoot trap.

I sent off a box of gun accessories that work fine but didn't appeal to me to Numrich and they sent me $200.

I organized my ammo for an emergency requiring leaving the home. I used a five gallon bright orange Home Depot bucket and inside there is a cloth grocery bag with the really important stuff if we need to go even lighter. The key stuff is pre loaded into magazines as well.

I put colored paper price tags attached by a little string to the priority firearms in case I'm not home so it's easy for the wife to know what to take if she has time to only grab a few. We've talked about it in the past but it's easier if all she needs to do is look for the tags.

I wanted to trade my XD 9 mm and 45 ACP for Glock 30 SFs so I can consolidate down to one brand of self defense firearms. I've got that up on a CA based gun forum. Once those are done I will do my 1911 for either another Glock 30 SF or 21SF. Also posted to trade the Mossberg 930SPX for a 590A1.

Saw optometrist to get a check up and revised prescription and sent my safety shooting glasses in for new lenses.

Went to Thunder Ranch and took Urban Rifle. Very good class. Clint is even better in person than the excellent videos. I will be back.

More organizing of gun stuff in progress. Ultimately I'm happy how unemployment is going and job openings are there so I don't think it will take too much time to find work. All of these little things I've bee wanting to do for some time.

 

[Manny]

Time well spent. Great attitude, hope the unemployment issue is resolved to your satisfaction in a timely manner.

 

[g.willikers]

It's good practice for being retired.

 

[cfullgraf]

Yes, good practice for retirement.

Since i retired, I do not know when I had time to work.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Lol. True. I am quite confident that I would enjoy retirement. About a year and a half ago I had a paid two month vacation, I remodeled the garage (had done the kitchen first two years prior when we bought the home to make my wife happy) to get it ready for lots of gun tinkering. A friend of the family wants to buy my old 1990 mustang (great shape and perfect for a show car). The money from that will be parlayed into wood working tools. That will be the other hobby. I'm looking forward to taking woodworking classes to learn the basics. Mostly want to focus on hand tools but will have a few basic machine tools for the bigger grunt jobs.

If all goes well with woodworking I'd like to expand into wood carving gun stocks and maybe engraving work for firearms.

The fun job in retirement will be teaching a college chemistry class each semester. I really enjoy teaching and it's a hoot being around the 20 year olds. I started teaching now one night a week at my almamater just to confirm I like it.

 

[ku4hx]

Yes, good practice for retirement.

Since i retired, I do not know when I had time to work.

Like I keep telling my still-working friends. 24 hours in a day is not enough time to do all the nothing I want to do.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Retirement is only enjoyable if you have MONEY.

Not rich, just enough coming in to be able to go out and about.

It does cost $ to do things.

Deaf

 

[Bigdog57]

Yep, I can commiserate! Been retired since last July. I had visions of every other day at the range. I find I am lucky to find the time to get there once every two weeks! Between being a home owner, and caring for my elderly mother, I am working more now than when I 'worked'....... :banghead:

 

[BullRunBear]

"Retirement is only enjoyable if you have MONEY.

Not rich, just enough coming in to be able to go out and about."

Very true, Deaf. When the wife and I knew retirement was approaching we calculated what the reduced income would be, erring on the low side. We then lived for a year on that reduced amount and banked the remainder. Turns out we could do just fine on the retirement income. It helps that our tastes and interests aren't extravagant or expensive.

If it's made a difference in my shooting, I've become more interested in muzzle loading and modern single shot guns. Slower, more focused shooting, less cost for ammo, even a more enjoyable pace (Lee Loader kits and single stage press) for reloading. And there has been more time to introduce newcomers to different aspects of the hobby, which I love doing.

Jeff

 

[Garrobo]

Unemployment

I lived on unemployment for many years. I'd try to work in the winters and get a layoff around May and then spend the good weather doing what I liked to do and draw it out. In Ohio the unemployment paid you around one half of a paycheck for 26 weeks and when the economy went South you could sometimes get an extension or two. I loved it. I have been single most of my life because I didn't want the responsibility of raising rug rats so my expenses weren't that high in the first place. Plus I made pretty high wages as a union construction electrician and I didn't really go into debt that much. My first house was paid off by the time I was about 30 years old and usually the only thing that I went in debt for was a fancy new pickup about every three of four years so I didn't have any real money worries. I believe that unemployment checks have prolonged my health and years because it helped me not have a lot of stress since I always had a financial fall back. I have seen a lot of guys lose their health from stress, worry and over-work and for some, because of it, drinking, doing dope which sometimes led to suicide, to forget about it. I have been retired now for 14 years and it sort of reminds me of those days when I was collecting the checks. Long live unemployment.

 

[Reloadron]

Hopefully the unemployment will just be a short term thing. While the break is nice I am sure eventually the lost income will figure into things. Yeah, I would say, when the time comes, you will adjust to retirement just fine.

Ron

 

[CoalTrain49]

Working isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, the pay checks are nice, but you just spend the money on junk you don't need. When I retired I found out I could live on half my income and have a darned good time doing it. We spend our winters in the SW and travel when and where we want. I'm amazed at all the stuff I collected when I was working. Now I need to sell it because I don't have the time I thought I would to use it.

Good luck in your job search I guess.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I started saving for retirement literally when I was 21. My grandparrents who lived next to me got married during the Great Depression and their incomes needed to support six other family members who were out of work. That influenced me growing up. I should be ok when retirement comes. There won't be any world travels but my modest interests and hobbies should fit my budget. I hope to be shooting several times a week during retirement.

The only thing is that the industry I'm in pays reasonably well but it's also fairly stressful. I'm trying to see if there is a way I can find a position I like that pays well that has less stress. Yes, the holy grail, i know. Probably next to it is the fountain of youth.

 

[Nanook]

Yes, good practice for retirement.

Since i retired, I do not know when I had time to work.

I understand completely. I retired last July, and I'm loving every minute of it. Every day is Saturday.

The thing is, just for the heck of it, I haven't been shooting that much. Other things filled my time; my mother was very sick, and my wife's family out in AZ had some issues.

I heartily recommend retirement to anybody on the fence.

 

[22-rimfire]

Glad to hear that you are spending your unemployment time usefully. Honestly, it really sucks not to have a regular paycheck unless your periodic paychecks are so large that it doesn't matter.

Everything takes money. It is the grease that allows everything to roll including the shooting hobby whether it be buying new firearms, ammunition, accessories, or reloading.

 

[g.willikers]

Yeah, ya' gotta' really rethink priorities after retirement.
There's plenty of shooting opportunities to be had, but it requires a different approach.
Like not hanging on to all the stuff from other hobbies an old guy can no longer do.
Sell it, sell it all.
Now there's more money for shooting.
We're never too old for shooting.
No more indiscriminate lead slinging, either.
A more focused way of shooting will cut way down on the ammo needed, without short changing the experience.