Back and Forth, Back and Forth

I'm SO on the fence about retirement. On one hand, if it were totally up to me, I'd already have my papers in.

DH is more focused on having our income replaced before leaving. If not, at least having a much bigger pile of cash in our TSA (Teachers' Savings Account - a special type of investment available only for Teachers and a few other nonprofit employees).

So, the Back and Forth.

Today, I'm planning to work on taxes. By the middle of the week, I hope to have them done, and have updated a list of what we owe. On the trip to Cleveland, then, we can talk about how to manage the transition to debt-free (if we agree on the basic premise), and have a clear understanding of how much of each of our paychecks to dedicate to that process.

I COULD do another year, but I'm more inclined to commit myself only to until the end of the calendar year (2017) - at that point, if I decide I've had it, replacing me at a semester change would be less of a problem. A lot depends on how the administration handles discipline and academic rigor issues. If their decisions make my job that difficult, it might be reasonable to gracefully retire, leaving that position to be filled by someone younger and more able to handle the chaos.

Later in the day:

We spent some time talking, and we are more on the same page than I had assumed. DH has heard of the Snowball Method, and agrees that it has real potential for us to retire debt.

One idea he suggested is: if he continues working and brings in money over and above our needs, that's his to decide how to spend. I think that's fair. I already planned to use any money I brought in from blogging/writing books on my own hobbies/plans.

The best part of our discussion? Both of us realizing that we actually had more than we needed, without dipping into our savings, to pay for our regular bills, as long as we tackled that consumer debt. That means that we don't need to push ourselves to work after retirement, but can take on interesting or occasional jobs as we see fit.