Rock Your Retirement Show

This is the last part of our continuing saga of moving to a 55 and older community. During episode 3 of our podcast, we talked about our newfound community. My husband Les and I finally bought a new house and are moving into it. But as excited as we are about moving to a new house, there are also some things that stress us about moving. That gives us mixed feelings about it.

That is why in this episode, we discussed having those mixed feelings towards moving to a new community. Are we really going to move in or are we having second thoughts about it?

Not Looking Forward?

Moving is one of the top stressors that a person can experience in a lifetime. While moving is so stressful, it can be exciting too. As a result of those stresses, we for one are not looking forward to moving to a new place/community. We became attached to San Diego because it's not just a place, it is already part of us.

Mixed Feelings

It is going to be a culture shock for us to move to South Carolina from San Diego. San Diego is a pretty nice place and our friends are here. Yes, our family is near the new community that we are moving in but we don't need to see them very often, 2 weeks in a year is good enough.

It is a lifestyle change for us, moving to a new place that is. We have been having a lot of nervousness and kept thinking about what have done because it's just scary.

Risking the Business

Another thing that we are concerned about when moving is our business. I get a lot of referrals from business associates, people that are in the senior community. So I don't know if those referrals are going to slow down now that I'm not in San Diego.

Even though the majority of my business is done over the phone. And although I give an option to people of meeting with me in person or meeting with me over the phone, 90-95% of the people would rather just take care of it over the phone. And of course, the different time zones would be an issue too.

Adapting to a New Environment

A friend of mine was trying to talk me out of moving because he was saying that I should be concerned about the healthcare situation. And if I get sick enough it would be a 2-hour drive to get to a hospital like Charleston. There are hospitals nearby but that's just for normal checkups.

However, I'm looking forward to being able to go to the art center and paint, or go and make pottery but it is scary because we don't know anybody besides our family. We are having second thoughts, but it's kind of like wedding jitters.

Packing and Unpacking

The main thing that worries us is the move itself. The whole process is so overwhelming giving us that mixed feeling. Before we weren't moving much stuff as we are moving now. And also now we are moving across the country. We have to pack the boxes better than what we did before. We could get somebody else to do the packing but we'll lose control on what goes where. You don't know where your things will wound up inside those boxes.

Les is an Engineer, and when we move 10 years ago to where we live now. He kept a list of every single item that was in the box and numbered it. And then put that list on a spreadsheet. Those boxes (about 20) are still in our garage that's not completely unpacked yet.

And another thing is that we are moving to a house that has less square footage and therefore having less storage. So that becomes an issue too on what will we take or what don't we take. But we know somebody who specializes in downsizing, she was one of the first people on the show. They also help get rid of stuff. We don't know yet how to get rid of our stuff.

This is It

To all the listeners, we feel for you, when you retire, when you move.

This is part 3 of our 4 part podcast series. On the last episode, we talked about what happened during our community tour. So in this episode, My husband Les and I will continue talking about our quest for finding the perfect 55 and older community.

Furthermore, we will finally reveal our decision on what community we chose to live in! What do we like about it, and why did we choose that community?

Finally, We Are Home

After the long search for a proper 55 plus community, we finally found our home and it is in a Del Webb community. There are instances that it is scary when moving to a new community because it simply is “New” to you but nonetheless, it is pretty exciting as well as you will see what new opportunities and activities await.

Why Were We Drawn to This Community/Home

For us, there are a lot of reasons why we chose to live in a Del Webb community but the main reason why we were so drawn into it is that of the activities. Being in a 55 and older community you need to have activities so as to uplift you and make your everyday stay as fun as possible and this community has a lot of activities to choose from.

The other thing about this community is that it's a nice looking community. It is well maintained with beautiful landscaping and the surrounding area was nice and just as we've talked on our first episode, our family is close to us. Most importantly, Del Webb knows what they are doing. That is why it's safe to say, “We Are Home.”

It is quite different from living in California. It's definitely not as clustered. When you drive down the road in South Carolina, all you see are trees!

About Our New Home

We wound up buying a new home which we bought from somebody else (not from the builder). What's good about this is that you don't need to spend much time, energy and money to furnish your new home. It can be easier and faster for you to relocate quickly and can save you money, sometimes thousands of dollars. This house that we bought doesn't really need anything more.

We did downsize on our new home, we're going from a 3500 square foot house to 2400. Eventually, this will help us to intentionally pare down our belongings. Also, we will have open areas that will be great for entertaining. In other words, it's just happier to downsize-rather than the other way around.

The New Place (Likes and Dislikes)

Likes:

* First, we like the area.

* Secondly, the house itself.

* Del Webb community.

* Everyone has been very friendly.

* Cheaper gas price.

* And not everything is retirement.

Dislikes:

* Similar houses and relatively close together. But you can do something to make your house noticeable.

* Not health conscious. That is why when you're in a restaurant you should always ask what's in the menu.

* Culture change

* The words used are different and there are towns and areas with different pronunciations. For instance, they use plantation instead of a community. But we can cope up with it.

Although we will miss our 99 Cents Only store, El Pollo Loco, Jack in the Box, and Costco (which is about 2 hours away), we are moving into the Del Webb community most importantly because of the retirement lifestyle. We could have bought a cheaper home in this area, but it's not just the house we are looking for. We are looking for the lifestyle of being in a 55 and older community.

After a long community search, this certainly will be our new home. And if you have ever moved to a 55 plus community ...

This is part 2 of our continued community search for the 55 plus and better. In our last episode, we discussed things to compare when looking for a community to live in. In this episode, my husband Les and I are on location and just finishing up our 3-day stay at a Del Webb in South Carolina. We will be discussing our stay, our community tour, the house that we stayed at, and our likes and dislikes.

We will also talk about the community, and how a 55 plus community can help you do more of what you love.

Explore Del Webb

Usually, Del Webb communities offer day and night passes. During your stay, their friendly ambassadors will do a community tour and will guide you through pieces of information about the community. Our community tour took us 4 hours but it was very helpful. During the stay, you can meet residents, do the community tour, explore the houses and clubhouses, the amenities, and enjoy everything you need inside a Del Webb community.

The Two Sections in the Community Tour

Del Webb has been around for a long time and usually, communities have two sections which comprise a newer and an older section. The older section of any community will have mature trees, mature landscaping and of course more mature people.

Most ambassadors have been occupying the newer section because they have formed a group of friends from the ones who bought new too. We also had the same experience when we moved to the community where we lived now. Everybody moved in together, we all wanted to meet each other, we had parties together and the neighborhood sort of formed a click. But the downside is when the time comes that the people who moved in together started leaving that's the time when the click just broke apart.

The Del Webb Community

The 4-hour community tour was divided into 2 parts. The tour of the community itself was in the first 2 hours. The Del Webb community has a ton of features including 3 clubhouses, 3 outdoor pools, 2 indoor pools, a baseball field, and a tennis court. There are also sections for the art room, pottery room, and photography, more than 1 golf course, and a community garden! The last 2 hours of the coummunity tour was mostly just dinner.

The Actual House

The house that we lived in was very nice although it is not the house that we actually considered. It's a brand new house with an open floor plan, although they do lock off the second bedroom. It's nicely decorated, comfortable with a nice internet.

There's just a couple of things that I disliked. The master bedroom shower is so open that it is cold and the rain shower is not good. Also, I wasn't a big fan of the self-closing doors. It feels like there is pressure when you open it and it's almost like pulling against you.

The Community Itself (Likes and Dislikes)

Likes:

* Open floor plans

* Most of the bedrooms have a separation between master and guest bedrooms giving you more privacy when having guests.

* It's beautifully landscaped and just looks good when you come in.

Dislikes:

* Cookie-cutter nature, everything looks alike. You'll get lost because one street looks like the other street,

* The house in the newer section are close together, they are just 10 feet apart.

* Their lagoons have alligators.

* And there are snakes too!

The Clubs

Adult communities are renowned for having a vibrant and social atmosphere where residents can come together and share similar interests.

What's great about active adult communities, is that they cater to the demands of boomers by providing clubs designed around their lifestyle. This community has over 50 clubs for you to stay, as active as you like.

And that's what we've learned about Sun City.

We are back! Having been on hiatus for the past month. Most of you may know, but for those who haven't yet, Les and I have moved to South Carolina. During the process, we have recorded a series of episodes, and this one is the first in that series. It is about, “What to compare for a 55 and older community search.”

Home for the 55 and Older Community

Today, I together with my husband Les discussed how to find homes for the 55 and older community. There are certain aspects that you need when looking for houses at these certain ages. We will guide you on those during this podcast episode. In today's episode, we will compare different scenarios on what should be considered when buying a house for you because relocating constantly could be tiring and exhausting for you especially when reaching that certain age that you want this to be the house that you want to live in for the rest of your life.

What is a 55 Plus Community?

A 55 plus community is a type of location that is designed to accommodate people that are at least 55 years old or older. When you are doing a community search, the atmosphere, layout, and amenities are meant to provide for the needs of this age group, rather than young families. Those areas may have specific stipulations on who can live within the community with the goal of keeping the residents in this upper age limit.

What Should You Take Note When Looking for a House?

Looking for a house for a 55 plus community may vary greatly from community to community. There are things that you should take note of when doing a community search. It is good to take into consideration that the house that you are looking for should be near gas stations, grocery store, home depot, post office, hospital, gym, airport, assisted living community and a dog park (if you are fond of pets). Your house should also be near your friends or relatives, near a major city and public transportation (like a train, bus, or Uber).

Important Considerations When Doing Community Search

As you research locations and community amenities, consider other aspects like the pricing or cost of a house. How much does the house cost? The type of community you will live in, size of the accommodations, and the location plays an important role in this. You should also consider the prices of gasoline, organic free-range chicken eggs (if you like eating healthy), average cost of dinner in a restaurant, electricity and gas cost, insurance (which is a major expense), water or sewer, cable and internet, Home Owners Association, property and income tax rate, fees for your exercise classes, and if your hobbies can be found near the community. These are some important considerations when you're doing a community search.

Questions

When searching for a new house location and their local amenities, you should also take into consideration other aspects like:

* If you are buying a property that has a view will that view be guaranteed?

* Does it have a community garden?

* Will they take care of your yard for you?

* The need for approval from the Home Owners Association to change the inside and outside of the house.

* How old is the community? Because the newer the community the younger the occupants are.

* Are they planning to build more homes?

* The ratio of houses to a clubhouse.

* What is the length of time your grandchildren and guests are allowed to visit?

* The rules for parking?

* Services (handyman, laundry, and others).

* How can you be on the Home Owners Association board or how would you get to them?

* Is the community that you will move to gated?

* Do you own the land or does the Home Owners Association own it?

* Who owns the clubhouse? The Home Owners Association or builder?

Things to Review

Lastly, also consider these things before moving into your new house.

HERE'S THE LIST OF THE TOP 10 MOST DOWNLOADED PODCAST IN 2018

* Episode 135 – Downsize your Home and your Life by Kathy Gottberg* Episode 141 – Retire Early and Travel Part 1 by Keith and Tina Paul* Episode 117 – Finding Meaning and Purpose in Retirement by Fritz Gilbert* Episode 143 – Tips for a Great Retirement Experience by Randy Gardner* Episode 116 – Six Pillars of Retirement by Kathe Kline* Episode 142 – Retire Early and Travel Part 2 by Keith and Tina Paul* Episode 123 – Longevity and Staying Young by Judy Gaman* Episode 121 – How Seasonal Jobs can Help you Rock Your Retirement by Kelcy Fowler and Matt Moore* Episode 138 – Men and Women in Retirement by Dr. Sara Yogev* Episode 129 – Clever Life Hacks to Improve Health by Kathe Kline

Les and Kathe: Corny Jokes

Corny Jokes for Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas everyone! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! Les is with me today and we will read corny jokes!

Here are some corny jokes for this holiday season. If you have a 10-year-old kid, you can invite them to listen to this episode. They'll find it hilarious (or not!) LOL

We'll resume normal programming next year.

SOURCE:

We FAILED to keep a record of where on the internet these jokes came from.  If they came from your site, we thank you and apologize at the same time.

Do you need to downsize your home? What about downsizing your life? Why are these things beneficial as we retire?

We are re-releasing our episode about downsizing. Our guest is Kathy Gottberg, a published author of six books along with numerous magazine articles. On her blog, SMARTliving365.com, Kathy explores ideas and experiences to help create a sustainable, meaningful, happy and rewarding life for herself and others.

Since turning 60, Kathy has become increasingly interested in ideas around positive aging and retirement. Learn more about rightsizing and why downsizing doesn’t have to be a downgrade in this episode.

On today’s show we discuss:

* Rightsizing vs. downsizing

* Why rightsizing is so beneficial as we age and retire

* How to rightsize

What is rightsizing?

Anything you have in your life requires energy, time and effort to maintain. The beauty of rightsizing is it allows you to choose what’s important to you. Use your time, energy and resources on the things you value most.

You can rightsize just about anything in your life. Rightsizing is about getting rid of the things that don’t really matter and focusing on the things that do.

The key with rightsizing is it’s individual. It will be different for everyone.

Areas you might need to rightsize:

* Old habits

* Toxic Habits

* Your current job

Advice for rightsizing:

* Do it with a loved one

* Get away and get quiet

* Find resources to help you

How to downsize your home? Ask yourself these questions.

* What are the top 10 things that are most important to me for the rest of my life?

* Do I need it?

* Can I rent it?

* Can I borrow it?

Kathy firmly believes that if you take the time and effort to downsize your home and rightsize your life, then you will be better prepared to retire and better prepared to make all the choices and decisions in your life that will make you happier and more purposeful.

Kathy’s Books:

Positive Aging: A SMART Living 365 Guide to Thriving and Wellbeing at any Age (2017)

Rightsizing: A SMART Living 365 Guide to Reinventing Retirement Simple

SMART & Happy: A SMART Living 365 Guide to a Sustainable & Meaningful Life (2014)

Finding Grace—A Transformational Journey (2013)

The Complete Guide To Selling Your Own Home in California (2008)

The Findhorn Book of Practical Spirituality (2003)

Links:

SMARTliving365.com

Twitter – @gottgreen

Email – [email protected]

How to Deal with Social Loneliness after Retirement

Dealing with social loneliness after retirement is very difficult if you do not have people who cheer you up or support you or inspire you. Janelle Anderson is with us on this fourth episode of co-hosting the show and we will be talking about how to deal with social loneliness after retirement. This is also applicable pre-retirement!

Janelle works with women as a Certified Professional Coach through her business, Emerging Life Coaching. She typically works with women who are transitioning into a new season in life, whether that is from the “busy mother raising children season” to an “empty nest” season or from “busy career life” to the season of retired life. Janelle helps them discover a new game to play and who they truly want to be in this “third act of life.” Her work with clients includes one-on-one private coaching sessions, as well as coaching groups, workshops, and personal development classes.

Nourish your relationship

People are building relationships at work but they do not nourish that relationship outside of work. After retirement, that relationship dies and now you're alone. It may lead to intense loneliness. Loneliness can cause a lot of problems like isolation, depression, and early death.

The Harvard Men Study

There was a study called the “Harvard Men Study” where they follow 268 men from their 30s to 70s to see how successful or happy they were. They wanted to see what are the characteristics of those who are happier and more successful in life compared to those who don't. The one that came to the top is called “love-full stop”. In other words, it is love (personal relationships and connections).

Start looking for new friends to defeat social loneliness!

If you don't have relationships now, you should take a look or make a list! Relationships that feed your soul, nourish you, support you, those are the ones you should be looking for. Church, joining clubs, classes are good places to find relationships. For the ones you currently have, ask yourself if you are nourishing that relationship. Are you still doing activities together outside of work? If not, then it may be a good time to start that now. Make time for your friends.

Here are some ideas where you can meet new people

One good place/website to meet people in your area is Meetup.com. I met so many of my best friends in Meetup. You can create a meetup group (with a fee, if you're the host) or you can just join existing groups.

In Janelle's case, her church started a dinner fellowship. She became close with a couple of couples because of that. What's good about it is that you cannot choose who you're going to be grouped with. They will be the one to choose it. It's really cool because you get to meet new people.

Spend time with your friends

You do not have to go out with your friends every single day. You may go out one a week or once a month and catch up. Take turns in being the host. Janelle's daughter does “neighborhood dinner” where she invites some of her neighbors so that she could get to know them.

Meet new people by volunteering

Volunteering is another great way to find relationships. There are 3 places I found where you can volunteer if you haven't volunteered before.

1. VolunteerMatch.org – they'll send you volunteer gigs near your zip code

2. UnitedWay.org

3. Points of Light.

Creating Life Balance after Retirement

What to do with all the time you have after retirement? Janelle Anderson co-hosts another episode and we'll be talking about Creating Life Balance after Retirement.

Janelle Anderson has always had a deep desire to help people develop their true potential and live from their true selves. Her career began in education as an elementary and middle school teacher, but after teaching GED preparation classes, she discovered her true passion was to work with adults. Over the years, she realized that her greatest satisfaction came from working with women, especially those in their mid-life years. Janelle loves to help them emerge into the fullest glory of who they are – to grow into their true beauty and live fearlessly, confidently and authentically.

A transition from working to retirement

Most people especially those who worked in an office are used to having a schedule. They are working from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM for how many years. Suddenly, it's time for retirement. You have all the time in the world where you do not have a schedule to follow. What are you going to do?

You may have a list of what to do after you retire but after doing all those things, what's next? You can do volunteering and help in your community. If this is not what you desire then you have to figure out what are the things that will make you happy. One example is learning how to play the tuba.

Creating your own schedule

You may create a schedule of the things that you will be doing now that you have all the free time. Example, tennis every Monday. You can also not follow your created schedule!

Create short-term goals every week. It really does feel good whenever you're crossing out all the things that you have done. Janelle has this planner where she creates her schedule for the things that she will be doing for the week. You may check it here: PLANNER

Learn to slow down

Now that you have your list. Never rush or feel pressured in doing all of them, you need to enjoy every moment while doing it. Enjoy every minute of it. Eat your lunch and enjoy every single bit of the food on your plate. Do deep breathing exercises before you do something. This will help you slow down.

Creating Life Balance

You should schedule FUN things. Things that excite you, make you happy, and not think of as a task that needs to be followed. This will make you enjoy your retirement. Doing stress-free things also have positive effects on our health. Take note of this because this is one of the most important things in creating life balance after retirement.

Let us know what you think of this episode, “Creating Life Balance after Retirement”, in the comment section!

* Episode 1 – Living in the Present Moment

* Episode 2 – The Cure for the What If

 

Connect with Janelle Anderson

* Facebook Groups

* Emerging Life for Women 40+

* Emerging Life Coaching

* Website – https://www.emerginglifecoaching.com/

* E-mail: [email protected]

 

The Cure for the What If

Janelle Anderson co-hosts another podcast episode and today, we'll be talking about “The Cure for the What If”.

Most of the time, we are thinking, “What could go wrong?”. By thinking about this all the time, we might pass a lot of great opportunities. In today's episode, Janelle and I will be talking about the cure for this.

Fear of the Future

Fear of the future is a problem, but remember that the future is not real because it hasn't happened yet. Any transition might be a fear for most of us because we might be thinking, “What could go wrong?”. It's like crossing a bridge.

What might be on the other side of the bridge? What if there's an earthquake while you're crossing it?

How will you retire if you're always thinking about what could go wrong? Instead of thinking about this, how about focusing on things that could make you happy when you retire? Nobody can anticipate all the unknown. Janelle thinks that we are afraid of the unknown because people want to be in control.

Small Actions Matter 

Small actions are much better than a big one. It will make you feel better. For example, like Janelle, she's thinking about cleaning her house but she just managed to clean one room. It made her feel great!

There's a book called “Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe The World“, it's about making your bed perfect every morning. Making something perfect when you start your day will make you feel so much better for the entire day. Taking action is the key to curing the fear of what if. Fear keeps us from taking actions. It makes us have reasons or excuses for doing what we really want. 

Overcome your Fear of What If

Face your fear. It's just like riding a bicycle, how will you learn how to ride it if you don't overcome the fear of falling down? Fear paralyzes us. It's not about what's happening to us, it's about how we're looking at what's going to happen to us. All of us doesn't know what's going to happen in the future. Always think that whatever happens in the future, we can handle it. It's about acceptance and living in the moment.

Go ahead and step up and do whatever you want to do!

Connect with Janelle Anderson:

* Emerging Life Coaching

* [email protected]

Click here for the first episode with Janelle Anderson!