did you go back 'home' when you retired?

15 years ago

after 25 years dh still wants to go back "home" when we retire, i don't really want to but i have no terribly strong feelings about it,

we both want to get away from the city (we live a in 'burb in houston)

cost of living would be a bit more there (but the annual income average is much less than we should have)

we don't like the climate here-hot steamy with mosquitoes most of the year (heat goes away, mosquitoes don't really)

our kids and friends are here/we also have family there

what do you think????

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Comments (7)

hilltop_gw
15 years ago
I'd ask him to list the things that make him want to go back: then see if those things are really there or just his longing for the way things used to be. Sometimes we tend to glorify the good things & forget about the bad.

You don't mention the size of the city where he wants to move. Does it still have the amenities, entertainment sources, restaurants, etc. that you both like? What are some of the issues facing the community?

We live in a small town where many have moved away; however they keep their home (or parents home when they die) so that they have a place to stay when they come back to visit or can someday move back. But the world they knew it as is no longer reality. The businesses have changed (or gone), the friends & family they knew are no longer around, people don't neighbor like they used to, etc.

I'd test the waters before committing. Go back & stay for a month or so. If you want to get out of the city, make a list of the features you'ld really like in your new place and see if his hometown can provide those things.
zippity1
Original Author
15 years ago
hilltop, thanks for all the good advice, it sounds like the thoughts i had that i couldn't quite formulate into reasonable questions--for some reason
the area we're thinking of back to is northwest arkansas
and i do worry about it being pretty cold three months out of the year (i'm sure that sounds wimpy to a person from nebraska)

i could mention going back and staying for a month and see what kind of response i get!!
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socks
15 years ago
Do you mind moving away from your kids? Do the kids have an opinion about this? Will you be missing grandchildren? Will your kids come to see you? Is it an easy drive or flight to get to NW Ark? I guess you can see that moving away from family would be the problem for me, but maybe not for you.

It could be a good change for you, though. A chance to reorganize your lives and set yourselves up for a pleasant retirement. Getting to know a new area, new housing, new friends could be fun.
bill_h
15 years ago
no way! the place i grew up in was only slightly less crappy than the place i live now. and the weather is cold in both.
zippity1
Original Author
15 years ago
oh bill-i'd love to be in a cold place now, it's 97 in the shade and summer lasts through october here

i would miss my kids, but dh promises we can come back at least 4 times a year and keep a travel trailer at a reservoir near here/near them

one daughter would come to see us, one will probably disown us

i lean towards staying in the area, he leans towards leaving it

we both dislike the houston climate immensely!

he's a goal setter, i'm an impulsive person-i'm sure he's been planning this for twenty five years!!
bill_h
15 years ago
97 i would love it, wife and i are freezing here in mich. only got up to 88 today, plus here you only get about 4 weeks of good hot weather. rest of its warm or freezing, want to trade?
zippity1
Original Author
15 years ago
bill, we gotta work two more years then the trade is on

where in michigan am i going????

did you go back 'home' when you retired?

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did you go back 'home' when you retired?

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