Someday Is Here

Rachel and I live comfortably now, but it didn’t happen by accident. For most of my adult life, I lived simply—sometimes inconveniently so—and saved steadily. At the time, it felt normal. Only looking back do I see how much those quiet choices shaped the life we have today.

We married in our 60s, in a house I had inherited and was still fixing up. I remember hugging her upstairs and whispering, “If you marry me, we can have a wonderful life together.” I believed it because we were already aligned. We’d lived very similar lives—frugal, practical, and well below our means.

Older cars. Smaller homes. Nothing fancy, but everything taken care of. I didn’t think of it as a sacrifice. It was just how I lived.

If I had to describe my pre-retirement life in a few words, I’d say it was small, inconvenient, and lacking. That pretty much sums up the condo I lived in for most of my adult life. One bedroom. No washer or dryer. Third floor. Underground garage. Forget something in the car and you really felt it. At the time, though, it just felt normal.

Keeping things simple made it easier to save, even though I never had a big salary. Looking back, that mattered far more than how much money I made.

Today, Rachel and I live much more comfortably. There’s no need to save for “someday” anymore. Someday is here. These days, we’re happy to spend money if it makes life easier. We fly business class because it’s kinder to aging bodies. We eat out more so cooking doesn’t feel like work. We hire a handyman so I don’t have to crawl under sinks or wrestle with plumbing.

When we travel—and we travel quite a bit now—we stay at four- and five-star hotels. Not because we need luxury, but because comfort matters more than it used to. Being well-rested makes the whole trip better.

Still, I sometimes feel guilty about the life we live. I have friends who are struggling, both financially and health-wise. One close friend spends most of his time caring for his wife. We talk often. When he called while Rachel and I were in Paris, I didn’t mention where we were. I remembered how hard it was when I was caring for my mother and saw others enjoying retirement.

That experience taught me to be more discreet. I don’t post travel photos on social media or bring up our trips in conversation. The only people who know when we’re away are the neighbor who keeps an eye on the house and my sister and brother-in-law.

From time to time, I think about how we ended up here. A few things stand out. Good health, for one. Years of exercising and trying to eat reasonably seem to have paid off. Owning our home mortgage-free kept our fixed costs low. And while we never earned big salaries, we also avoided money pits—no second homes, no boats, nothing that quietly drains cash.

Whatever extra money we had went into the stock market. We didn’t try to be clever. We just stayed consistent. Over time, that added up and gave us options.

I know a lot of people are worried right now. Prices are higher, jobs feel less secure, and businesses are cutting back. Seeing that only reinforces what I’ve come to believe: keeping life simple, expenses low, and savings steady doesn’t just make retirement possible—it makes life a little easier at every stage.

Rachel and I are not exchanging gifts this Christmas. We already have the best gift an older couple can have—that is each other.

Happy Holidays to everyone!