You've got to love the commenter who told me to "Just go bake cookies" if I'd lost the fire of enthusiasm for some parts of my job. (Or go elsewhere, which isn't easy once you're over 60.)
Look, pal, I realize you haven't been paying attention (and why should you?), but the fact that I can't bake cookies right now is one reason why I'm still working. The oven in my ancient gas stove is unreliable and I have been making holiday dinners on the charcoal grill for years now. I need to replace it (the range, not the grill). A nice pilotless range would suit me, so I'll almost certainly have to get a 120V receptacle installed behind it. Since the range sits between two cabinets, I can't cheat with surface-mount the way I did in my last place. It's a tiled wall, too, which makes it a job for a pro. Not because I can't do wiring, but because I can't do a nice, finished job of it. And I don't want to spend weeks cooking with an electric skillet -- I want to get the old stove out and the new one in, all in the same day. That takes money. My fridge is increasingly unhappy these days unless I keep it full, and a size-matched replacement set up the way I prefer (narrow, cabinet-depth, freezer on the bottom; pretty much a UK-standard fridge) leaves very few choices, none cheaper than $1000, American.
The dishwasher's been dead since 2020. I'm really hating that. The water heater is now at least fifteen years old. The washer and dryer were old when I moved in, too. Once I retire and "go bake cookies," there won't be money to replace any of them.
It's a lovely fantasy to think about quitting and spending as much time as I can manage writing, cooking, messing with old radio gear and building furniture. The reality is, it all needs to be paid for -- and before I can spare money for that, I have to get the basic, high-ticket items squared away. I could walk away right now and keep the house and utility payments going until full retirement, while eating regular meals, and maybe save enough back to pay the higher real estate taxes that will kick in once the mortgage is paid off. But there wouldn't be any margin at all.
I worry that there won't be much of me left when I reach retirement. Increasing arthritis is going to slow and limit how much I will be able to do of the things I enjoy. But if I don't get this place squared away first, that will be the least of my worries. At one point in my current job, I spent about a dozen years working for a guy who disliked me, a sentiment I returned. He assigned me crummy tasks whenever he could and never spared a chance to make a wisecrack or criticism at my expense. I got through it. For that matter, so did he, until leaving for other reasons. It's not like I haven't had to bear down and deal with this kind of thing before.
Welcome to the part of middle class where you don't get to just walk away with a golden ticket, where you don't always get to love every part of your job, where you do what you need to do to keep the bills paid, your car running and the basic household appliances working. Isn't it just like that for most people in the middle -- except for the ones working at jobs they simply despise?
I get that. Our fridge is 25 years old, the oven doesn't maintain reliable temperature, the dishwasher is more of a "dish sterilizer). Add to that, the "through the wall" A/C are showing their age and a corner of the garage needs work. We're both retired, so we have to pick our needs.
ReplyDeleteI also worry about my brother. He's in sort of a "gray-collar job"; supposedly management, but he has to go hands-on very frequently. I'm hoping that when he finally retires, he'll have enough left in his physiological tank to enjoy some good years.
Medicare and the supplemental insurance is good. But only if you can get there.
I sympathize about the dishwasher; mine died and is now overflow storage for baking sheets and dishes.
ReplyDeleteYep,Same boat here. What bothers me most is the fact that it hurts to grow old. 66 and loosing muscle tone and unable to do things I did every day before Covid.
ReplyDeleteI certainly understand.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went on disability it put a major crimp in our retirement planning, with only CINCHOUSE working full time.
As we approach her retirement we've been spending money we really would like to have used on other things to do repairs to the house siding, replacing crumbling concrete stairs (front and back) and upgrading electrical. (Oh, and Darlin' Daughter's wedding...fortunately she was thrilled with using my VFW post for the reception)
That was just this year.
But if we don't do it now, it won't be feasible after she retires.
Hang in there
If you don' keep up with the "problems", you will find yourself trapped behind a wall of problems, and still not be able to make the cookies.
ReplyDeleteI can relate. I hadn't realized it until I read your post just now; but I've had more jobs since I turned 60 than I did from 18-60. The job market is not kind to us older workers. And I suspect many of our generation will have to keep working longer than we'd like to be able to afford new appliances or cheaper insurance through work that we could get through the private market, or reliable vehicles.
ReplyDeletePrairiedruid's comment reminded me of the younger of my two aunts. For her last 10 years she lived in an apartment that had a dishwasher - her first. She used it to store Saran Wrap, aluminum foil, and such.
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate. The last time I took a job with a different company was when I was age 52, so I avoided some of those "too old" issues. It has to be tough!
Try not to buy a "Professional Quality" range. I had to buy a 40 inch range to fit the space available, I was not going to cobble up something merely to be able to install a 36 inch range. I was fortunate that I got the only 40 inch home-sized range in America back then.
ReplyDeleteThe hot combo (sorry) is an electric oven for baking, with a gas rangetop for everything else -- and NO pilot lights. I've since moved away from there, and the additional pilot lights are not kind to my sinuses. Because this range doesn't pump out restaurant level BTU's, the kitchen isn't any hotter than before.
BTW, I appreciate your recipes, I've made your Hoppin' John many times.