[daacon]

So do you have a 5,10,15,20 year plan ? I will put the caveat that this is somewhat realistic. Let's assume there are no lottery wins and it is more or less what you do indeed plan to do at some point. A "bucket list" if you like

My Top 3

Visit every continent
Spend my winters in a warm climate
Retire

[GoremanX]

nope. Besides "move to Vermont in the next couple years", I have no real plan. There might be kids involved, or maybe not. I'm quite happy with my life the way it is, and other than making sure I can keep it that way for as long as possible, I have no plans.

[little laker]

I one day plan on saving enough $ to buy that wining lotto ticket

There might be kids involved, or maybe not. I'm quite happy with my life the way it is, and other than making sure I can keep it that way for as long as possible, I have no plans.

For some reason I want one kid, and my girlfriend wants 3
If things work out with her we'll have to talk... and possibly agree somewhere in the middle

[RioRico]

1. Maintain residence here (in Sierra Nevadas between Sacramento CA and Carson City NV) near inlaws until death. Might be 5 years, or 15. Then move away.

2. Might move to Carson City (if my kids move from SanFran to Tahoe) or maybe to Santa Fe NM area. Somewhere high with clean air, flat bike paths, vistas, etc.

3. Meanwhile, build real studio spaces for our arts (photography, painting, music). Even if we just stuff some old trailers in amongst the cedar trees. That's cheap.

4. Continue spending 4-7 months per year on the road. More drives to Central America, tenting in the mountainous USA west, a roll around Alaska and Yukon.

5. Avoid airplanes as much as possible. Flying is great. Commercial flight sucks.

6. OK, if the next inheritance is large enough, think about ultralight flyers.

7. A round-the-world dirigible flight would be nice too. We're in no hurry.

8. I want to become a cyborg. Nothing fancy, just a neural connexion to wireless networks, improved audiovisual systems, titanium-reinforced skeleton, etc.

[daacon]

nope. Besides "move to Vermont in the next couple years", I have no real plan. There might be kids involved, or maybe not. I'm quite happy with my life the way it is, and other than making sure I can keep it that way for as long as possible, I have no plans.

I would diagree in that having no plan is a plan

I <snip> For some reason I want one kid, and my girlfriend wants 3
<snip>

It's good you think you have some say in this Stu

<snip>
5. Avoid airplanes as much as possible. Flying is great. Commercial flight sucks.
.

I agree

<snip>
6. OK, if the next inheritance is large enough, think about ultralight flyers.
.

HaHa whom do you plan ok taking out ?

<snip>
8. I want to become a cyborg. Nothing fancy, just a neural connexion to wireless networks, improved audiovisual systems, titanium-reinforced skeleton, etc.

[Parallax]

My plan is to someday tie a snowblower to the top of my truck and drive south. I plan to keep driving until I find someplace where people stare and point at it because they don't know what it is.

[little laker]

My plan is to someday tie a snowblower to the top of my truck and drive south. I plan to keep driving until I find someplace where people stare and point at it because they don't know what it is.

That's Texas, and California, however they know what snow is now. If you bring that snowblower along, and they find out what it is they'll put you right to work the next time they see any white on the ground

[tokyoso]

buy more lenses ...

[Ratmagiclady]

Heehee. Well, the plan's got a few contingencies involved: most of them in the next year or two: assuming more or less status quo in the country, it goes something like: keep getting the health in as good of shape as possible, have a somewhat-portable photo sideline up and running, then sweetie follows the career, somewhere we can be reasonably-free, get married, settle down somewhere, where I'll hopefully find something that I can keep up with to supplement the household income.

Find a little niche in some community somewhere, work on some more-sustainable lifestyle stuff, probably involving a workshop for me, ...see what develops for tribe.

Longer-term plans involve putting together a photodoc or two, perhaps writing some books, (...I'm starting to feel like I might have the concentration for that, again. )

Basically, we're going to find someplace to make home. That's the important part.

Maybe emigrate or go homesteading if things get too weird.

Maybe we'll see you in Vermont, Goreman. Maybe trade Parallax something for his snowblower along the way.

[GoremanX]

Maybe we'll see you in Vermont, Goreman. Maybe trade Parallax something for his snowblower along the way.

I'll tell you what, Northern Vermont is the awesomest place to live free and get along with everyone. Being right near a decent-sized University means people are totally open-minded and a vast diversity of people are here 9 months out of the year. They even embrace my Quebecness, which is rare.

[Mallee Boy]

My plan is to someday tie a snowblower to the top of my truck and drive south. I plan to keep driving until I find someplace where people stare and point at it because they don't know what it is.

Over here Jim.....you'll be quite a celebrity.....before we put you in the white coat with straps and cart you off to the padded room

Dave ?....whats with the deep meaningful questions ?? geez...now I gotta think!

[daacon]

<snip>
Dave ?....whats with the deep meaningful questions ?? geez...now I gotta think!

I have been sober for a couple weeks now

[RioRico]

My plan is to someday tie a snowblower to the top of my truck and drive south. I plan to keep driving until I find someplace where people stare and point at it because they don't know what it is.

My historic 2nd home in a quaint (bizarre) lively ex-mining town in southern Arizona, 10 minutes from Mexico, is now for sale (google TOLAND ADOBE BISBEE ARIZONA) for a very reasonable price. Now is the season that refugees from Sask, Quebec, Vermont, the Dakotas etc thrive there. And it's not too hot in summer, being at 5500 feet. Forget the snow-blower; bring sandals and cameras. It's a terrific place to poke lenses everywhere, one of the most photogenic locales I know of this side of Zacatecas or Taxco or Antigua Guatemala. When you roll thru Bisbee's TIME TUNNEL, you know you're not in Kansas anymore.

http://bisbee.klaxo.net

[Mallee Boy]

AAhhhhh.....Mexico....now I understand.

Somehow I think you know what my answers would be anyway.

[reeftool]

I HAD a plan. Four years ago when my daughter started college I had re-financed my house and paid off everything. I chose to go with a 15 year mortgage with the aim to have it paid down enough by age 65 that I could pay it off with my 401k. I had planned on paying my daughters college tuition with overtime which I was regularily getting. The first year started off fine.

Mid summer year 2, I had an emergency surgery for intestinal blockage which kept me out of work 2 months. Yes, I do have disability insurance. I kept all the bills paid but no more. Refrigeration repair is my job and missing a summers worth of overtime hurt bad. Normally, I make 8-10K in overtime from May to September. Then oil started rising and the price increases and the budget went to hell. It went to $1200 for a tank of fuel oil which my aging furnace gobbled up every 6 weeks. My daughters tuition went up considerably, mostly due to room and board expenses. She was getting $25k a year in finincial aid and I was kicking the remainder on parents loans. Year 1 was $13k, year 2 it went to $17k, year 3, $20k and this year it was $21k. We all know what happened to our 401k's. Mine did fairly well. It has made back all that it lost but made nothing over the past 3 years.

Plan B. Cash in the 401k this summer and pay things off again. I'm old enough to do this without the penalty. Start saving again. Overtime is now a thing of the past. The company will hire an outside vendor for $90 an hour rather then pay a mechanic an hour of overtime. It makes no sense to me but I don't have "management skills". I have a lot of equity in the house. I could refinance again. I would rather not. With the house paid off, I can live real cheap. My daughter will be paying off much of the student loans, assuming she can get a job after she graduates in May. Another question mark. I did replace the furnace.