The Best Ready Meals

[Macca]

You can't do it forever but you've got to make hay while the sun shines. Plus not having a job and not having any money can be more stressful than doing a 50 hour week but not having to worry about money because of it.

[Marco]

You can't do it forever but you've got to make hay while the sun shines.

Absolutely, and I've been there, as you know. The situation I'm in and enjoying now didn't just fall into my lap...

However, if folk were happier with simpler lives and less material possessions, the necessity to work to pay for it would subsequently reduce, and with it the associated stress. It's a simple equation

I was utterly astounded when I read recently that 'your friend and mine, over the road', at the age of 70 is paying a mortgage of £1600 a month!!! That's utter MADNESS

At that age, if you've been at all lucky and/or successful in life, you should be mortgage and debt free, living a stress-free existence of sun and Sangria!



Marco.

[Joe]

You can't do it forever but you've got to make hay while the sun shines. Plus not having a job and not having any money can be more stressful than doing a 50 hour week but not having to worry about money because of it.

It depends. really. When I was last unemployed, for about 6 months in my early 20s, I was happy as Larry. No money, but also no responsibilities, apart from rolling up at the dole office every other week to sign a form. My outgoings were almost nil; I spent very little on food, and back then the idea of forking out a couple of quid for a coffee would have seemed laughable.

I'm not in the slightest bit 'driven', and it was only the acquisition of responsibilities (mortgage, wife and two children) that got me out of bed in the morning. Other people can't abide being idle, and will work until they (literally in some cases) drop.

[Marco]

It's not a case of being idle though, Joe. It's a case of having other interests/hobbies in your life other than work, so that when you retire, you've got other things to do, which fills that void.

And therein lies the problem... If your life revolves around work (often without you realising it), then once the work stops, you don't know what to do with yourself!

You should really try and get yourself into a position, where you work as hard as is necessary (that's also the time to work stupidly long hours), early in life, so that you can retire at a reasonable age (no older than 65), thus allowing you to sit back and ENJOY the fruits of your labours, and most importantly, spend time with your loved ones.

This 'working 'till you drop' nonsense really needs to be sorted out, but the problem is the whole system/structure now is geared towards folk working longer than ever, and then being strangled in a mountain of debt until they die!

Marco.

[walpurgis]

It's not a case of being idle though, Joe. It's a case of having other interests/hobbies in your life other than work, so that when you retire, you've got other things to do which fills that void.

Marco.

Damn right Marco. Dunno how I ever found the time for a job. Being retired is a full time occupation.

[Joe]

It's not a case of being idle though, Joe. It's a case of having other interests/hobbies in your life other than work, so that when you retire, you've got other things to do which fills that void.

And therein lies the problem... If your life revolves around work (often without you realising it), then once the work stops, you don't know what to do with yourself!

You should really try and get yourself into a position, where you work as hard as is necessary (that's also the time to work stupidly long hours), early in life, so that you can retire at a reasonable age (no older than 65), thus allowing you to sit back and ENJOY the fruits of your labours, and most importantly, spend time with your loved ones.

This 'working 'till you drop' nonsense really needs to be sorted out.

Marco.

Personally, I retired four years ago and paid off the mortgage at the same time. I'm also quite happy being idle. 'Dolce far niente', as some folks say.

[Marco]

Lol... Well, that's cool. However, the problem is work is such an integral part of some people's lives that they simply don't *know* anything else, including how to enjoy themselves!

In essence, they've completely lost focus on what life should be all about.

Marco.

[Macca]

It depends. really. When I was last unemployed, for about 6 months in my early 20s, I was happy as Larry. No money, but also no responsibilities, apart from rolling up at the dole office every other week to sign a form. My outgoings were almost nil; I spent very little on food, and back then the idea of forking out a couple of quid for a coffee would have seemed laughable.

I'm not in the slightest bit 'driven', and it was only the acquisition of responsibilities (mortgage, wife and two children) that got me out of bed in the morning. Other people can't abide being idle, and will work until they (literally in some cases) drop.

I was also unemployed in my early twenties and it was a great time in my life. There was literally no work, not even manual labouring so no need to feel guilty about 'dossing'. Nothing to lose, nothing I had to do except sign on once a fortnight. Got used to having no money, discovered ways to work around it. On the minus side I did sometimes worry about the future; you can't go on like that forever. Once I had a mortgage that was it, I had to stay in work. Fortunately by then there was work, I was always able to get something and keep paying it despite being made redundant twice. If I'd been stuck on the dole then I would have lost the house, that would all have been a bit grim.