Quick question; what do you do (or did you do) for a career?

Swedishchef said:

All that to say I raise my hat to you buddy, it's not easy. Lots of work! way to go!

Click to expand...

Thanks man! I am soo glad that we made the choice for me to be a stay at home dad! One year when we were doing our taxes and we got the statement from the child care and it was $32k for 2 kids! We then decided that I should stay home with the kids instead of paying them that much! Then 2 weeks into being a stay at home dad my wife received a very sizable raise. So it was almost like we got 2 raises within a month!

Flatbedford said:

Post some pictures of that '78 Loadstar!

Click to expand...

I originally bought this truck to transport one of my other trucks on the bed but have decided that it will be better to pull a trailer with the truck on it instead.
I am working on getting some bed sides figured out so then I can make some huge hauls of scrounges or from the tree service i've been helping out.

Here is the day that I picked it up and ready to bring it home.

"Having a 400,000 house is not a requirement". Unfortunately here on LI the areas with houses in that price range are the only areas that are safe and have good schools.

Missed this thread somehow. Property management - day job and Newspaper, Magazine, and periodical delivery overnights which is my play money. Day job is the family business which started early in the 80's. Dad met a Realtor through a friend after complaining about his investments. Now it grew to 70 units. My brother, dad and I are the maintenance team, rental collection specialist, etc. My sister is the paper pusher and I also take on anything office work that require a computer since being 34 I grew up around computers and my sister 52 refuses to learn. Hours can be long, schedule can be unknown and time off is a difficult task.

Swedishchef said:

Scols: I understand. I guess I should have mentioned that houses in my area are around $250 000.

What a difference between small towns and bigger areas..."safe and have good schools" is not something we worry too much about in Canada other than Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.

You could always move somewhere else, no?

Click to expand...

I misspoke a bit. I forgot about some towns on the north fork of LI. Theres some nice places that can be had up there in the high 200's or low 3's. But for me being a commercial fisherman,I need to be somewhat close to a port with good infrastructure,meaning fuel,ice,boat haulout facilities,and fish packing docks so I can get my catch to NYC.This means Montauk which is in the high priced Hamptons. I live about a half hour from there so the commute is fine, but if I lived further away my 14-18 hour days would get longer so I pay the higher price for a home.Besides the schools are good and the quality of life is too.

Excavating, a small company started by my grandfather 80 years ago. It's just my dad, uncle and myself, which makes me the laborer, equipment operator, mechanic, welder, etc, etc. We mostly install septic systems, dig foundations, and underground utilities, plow snow in the winter. Most of my firewood is collected from job sites. loading wood with an excavator with a thumb is quite a luxury

I used to talk about my main employee in this way "If the world ended in a nuclear Holocaust, he could rebuild the entire world close to what it is within a few decades with just the tools in his garage and his capabilities".....

I think we see 1000X that here on Hearth.com! Wow, talk about both capabilities and diversity!

My resume is looking pretty weak in comparison...luckily, I was good at making money. That part is simple "buy it for a dime, sell it for a dollar and pocket your 10% profit" or something like that!

Swedishchef said:

Pfft. Everyone seems to be riding the freedom 75 train and no longer the freedome 55 train.

I have an amazing pension (2% of my wage per year service plus after 25 years the pension is indexed with inflation) but I will likely work until I am 65. I could retire with a full pension at 58. By the time I retire a loaf of bread will cost $7. lol

Click to expand...

I suggest moving at at 58.
Something happens to the body and mind right about there.....and that gives you some time before it REALLY goes down to do something else.

That is, unless you truly look forward each day (at that point) to getting up each morning and slipping into the uniform.

Swedishchef said:

ay we all get together to try and save mankind.

A

Click to expand...

Daksy will make us up some howitzers which we can mount on Scotty's locomotives in order to bring the fight to those Mad Max Characters threatening our new way of life.

Swedishchef said:

Land Rover? Very nice. DId you have the chance to own one?

Click to expand...

Actually i have owned several. Ranging from 1993 back to the one I currently own. a 1971 series 2A. looks like it should be on safari! Tyre on the hood and all.

I'm a Supervisor of Buildings, Grounds and Operations for public school district here in NJ.

My wife and I also own a Heating and Air Conditioning company.

Lastly, I'm a Dad, 4 kids, a dog, 2 cats and 2 pigmy goats...

Great thread!

webbie said:

I suggest moving at at 58.
Something happens to the body and mind right about there.....and that gives you some time before it REALLY goes down to do something else.

That is, unless you truly look forward each day (at that point) to getting up each morning and slipping into the uniform.

Click to expand...

My brother made the move at 57, and never looked back....no regrets...enjoying life

I run an appliance parts store.September will be my 19th year in the business. Before that I was a Jarhead.

Swedishchef said:

I will have to wait and see what life brings me. I am 25 years away from that. That's almost the entire amount of time I have been in this world - ahead of me! Ok, gotta stop thinking about it. Happy thought...happy thought!

Click to expand...

Shoot, we have about the same amount of time left. Depressing some days. I try not to think about it. I was born to be retired; I know that's my real calling in life.

Danno77 said:

I was born to be retired; I know that's my real calling in life.

Click to expand...

Me too! I could get so much more done if I didn't have to spend all this time at work!

I'm an engineer. Mechanical. For the last 4 years I've been a testing engineer for a company that makes lightweight shelters and containers, mostly for the military. It sounds like a great job, crashing and breaking stuff... But i can't stand it. If i got fired i wouldn't be at all upset, and this is coming from somebody building a house, so a paycheck is important. I'm not sure if its the job or the company i despise. I mean,i know i don't like the company and i wonder how it stays in business, but still.. Anyway, I'm ranting on the internet, which is like kissing your cousin. It may feel good at the time, but you wouldn't want to tell anybody about it.