I think my obsession with early retirement must have started at an early age when I couldn’t wait for Summer break. I can’t believe that May is already over and it was my children’s last day of school yesterday (and the last day of work for my teacher wife!) So now my whole house (minus me) will be able to sleep in, relax all day, play in the sun, and repeat each day for the next three months.
I remember how much I used to look forward to those days as a kid. It really didn’t matter much what you had planned. You just knew that you weren’t really required to do a whole lot of anything. But what’s interesting is that within that giant lack of responsibility I took a lot of pride in finding projects to occupy my time. Especially starting in my teenage years, that meant a lot of playing my guitar and taking on a lot of part-time work.
As an adult, I of course haven’t had the summer off in years. And boy do I miss it. From time to time my wife and I will watch those house-hunter type shows where a retired couple will go looking for property on a tropical beach somewhere. We look on in envy and dream about how our lives will become a permanent summer vacation someday. Only time will tell if our money design and planning will pay off.
Blog News:
Like I mentioned last week, I really didn’t have a lot of posts planned this week. To my regular readers, I apologize. I actually have two full weeks worth back in the hopper and ready to go. See – taking a break really is nice!
Blogs You Should Check Out:
In case you missed them, here are a few great stories you should check out this weekend:
- Financially Integrated – My Dividend Income Journey
- Club Thrifty – Freelancing is Making Me Fat
- Frugal Rules – Retirement Planning and Saving For College: Can They Co-exist?
- Eyes on the Dollar – Employee Horror Stories
- Mom and Dad Money – Teaching My Son Basic Money Skills
- Modest Money – E*Trade Review – Detailed Breakdown of ETRADE
Carnivals & Mentions:
My Money Design was featured on the following sites this week:
Thanks to everyone for linking to my site and enjoying my posts. I really appreciate your support and hope you continue to visit!
Posts This Week:
Image courtesy of eCards
Matt Becker says
Thanks for the shout out! Hope you get to enjoy some of your family’s down time as well. Our son is 14 months old so this is the first summer we can really take him to the beach. He’s loving it. It’s been a lot of fun so far. Enjoy the weekend!
MMD says
Is there anything happier than a toddler at the beach for the first time? I love how excited they get when the waves cycle in and out, and they try to catch them.
Michelle says
I’ve been dreaming of early retirement a lot lately as well. I miss my summers! I haven’t had a summer off since before high school, so it would be nice to experience that again.
MMD says
Same here! I kind of ruined my Summers once I started working because I kept taking on more and more hours at my part-time job. And then I took summer college classes. Even after all this time I still miss it …
John S @ Frugal Rules says
Thanks so much for the mention MMD, I really appreciate it! Hope you’re able to get some downtime with the family this summer. I took the weekend off last weekend, now I am paying for it, Lol!
MMD says
You’re welcome John! If our pool ever clears up properly, we’ll be out there all the time!
Integrator says
Ah yes, those hot summer days for school break. Takes me back to the days of backyard cricket in Australia 🙂
Thanks for the mention!
MMD says
You’re welcome! I think all of us can take a trip back to happier times when the Summer equaled unlimited freedom.
[email protected] says
I have a special needs 13 year old and his final day of school is on the 2nd of June . He has been talking about summer for months because he loves sleeping in and eating breakfast for lunch. On the flip side, he really seems to love going to school because they take lots of field trips. I can never figure this one out.
MMD says
It can be a little bit of struggle – my kids love sleeping in and being lazy, but then they quickly realize that they miss their friends.
Budget and the Beach says
Oh man I miss those days too! I also get extremely jealous watching those House Hunters International shows. Hope you enjoy the summer, despite the fact that you have to work like the rest of us! lol! 🙂
MMD says
Each summer I just remind myself how I’m one summer closer to joining my wife in infinite summer vacation. The more I save, the closer I am to this goal.
Jeremy Norton says
Hope you’ll enjoy your summer. I am so excited to have fun in the beach with my little kids.
MMD says
Thanks Jeremy. I’m hoping we spend a little time near the beach as well.