Six Months to Go

Today is November 30, and by my calendar that means we have six months until I officially retire.

In the months since we made the decision to retire, we’ve

       1.       Remodeled my “room.”  (Go to Your Room, June 17, 2011) The room has been painted; furniture bought and moved in, curtains and some decorations done. 

       2.       Investigated Health Insurance – both before and after the company’s shift to account-based health care.  (Health Insurance 101, June 10, 2011, and Health Insurance 102, September 30, 2011)

       3.       Bought a fifth wheel (November 20, 2011) and got our first camp hosting job (November 16, 2011).

What’s left to do?

1.            Finish my room.  I hate it when a project stalls, but this particular project has indeed stalled.  I need to move the sewing machine into my room (and Paul’s exercise bike out), and make the valence for the window.  I need to frame the scrapbook pages I made for the walls. 

2.            Look – again – at health insurance options.  My mother told me that she and Dad have a Medicare supplement that cost much less than the $350+ per month my retiree insurance plan quoted.  She gave me the name and contact information for her insurance agent.  And since – no surprise here – the cost of the medical plan for me actually increased, even with the transition to an account based approach, I may want to ask Dan the insurance man if I can do better on the open market.

3.            Buy a laptop.  Once a nerd, always a nerd.  I can’t be too far away from technology. 

4.            This is the biggie – I still need to tell my manager and my co-workers and begin the transition of fourteen years of work to the younger (and hopefully smarter) generation that will follow.  According to the retirement team, I have to officially announce no later than March 3, 2012.