tumbleweed the extended australia trip

[Davros]

NDIS Digger, you may find some diamonds amongst the rock.

Keep on trucking.

[Davros]

Actually Cranked, not to put too finer a point on it but you are 20 years my senior. Is there anything you would have done differently from your mid forties onwards? You seem to have sorted things out well. Not a trick question, I always ask people this question so to reflect and plan.

[Cranked]

Seriously Davros, my greatest regret is that I spent too much of my time working and feel that I wasted all the best years of my life. That's easy to say but I haven't seriously thought of a way to avoid it. Anything illegal is not a solution because I'd rather be working than be in jail. Also anything that goes against my moral imperatives is also not on as I've learnt that I will be miserable if I break that moral code.

Basic strategy though is to earn money where you get paid the most and spend it where it goes the furthest, so work in Oz but spend it in asia.

You ask what to do from your mid forties onwards. My only advice is to retire as soon as you can and go and live in asia. I was earning about $100k (working about 9 months a year) and did not realise that we could live happily and well on about $40,000/year, maybe even $30,000. So in retrospect I would use all my savings and super to give me an income up until I got the age pension. Owning a home is good, as you can rent it out to augment your super/savings, and its still there if you have to move back from asia for whatever reason

[Beerfan]

What, what?!, I thought after 40 Aussie men started drinking regularly at the local bowlo while punting on the horses every Friday and Saturday? With the odd fishing trip/boozathon thrown in with the boys?.

[Davros]

Thanks Cranked appreciate that advice. I have just sold a house so need to think of next move. Prob buy a 2/3 bedder apartment on Northern Beaches, rent it out, get the kid lets through school, travel as you say and possibly rent the flat out for 6 months of the year and contract the other until I can retire full time.

[Cranked]

Thanks Cranked appreciate that advice. I have just sold a house so need to think of next move. Prob buy a 2/3 bedder apartment on Northern Beaches, rent it out, get the kid lets through school, travel as you say and possibly rent the flat out for 6 months of the year and contract the other until I can retire full time.

Way to go. I could have retired 10-15 years ago but it was sort of easier to just keep working, plus, I had no idea I could exist quite happily on a hugely reduced income. The other option is to move to a cheap country town with good access to surf like steve or shaun. I haven't tried that. There's a chance I would get bored. There's bucketloads of stuff going on in Indonesia and you can travel in Indo for almost nothing and cheap as chips for the rest of SE Asia

[Drailed]

Fair balls Digger, best of luck.

Honestly mate, being on this bus going from pillar to post.... Is it possibly making things worse?

Nah mate. Its actually helped a hell of a lot in a strange sort of way for many reasons. Whilst we were renting we were caught in a cycle of continually moving houses every six months. It screwed both kids up. They never got settled into a bedroom before we were moving again. Either the house sold or the rent went up so much we had to move. Now they have there own beds that will never get sold out on them. I will never quite understand how people with aspergers think but this point means so much to both our kids. They can stick things on the windows or walls without fear of the consequences.

The main disadvantage to us has been getting medical help for Noah. This has become an issue for him this year only and that is why we are now stopped at Kenilworth till we get it sorted. It could take another six months, or longer, if that is the case so be it.

As for schooling we found the system failed our kids unfortunately. The best thing we could do for them was to home school them and this is what we do. Our oldest is thriving on this, while Noah is struggling. With his meltdowns he would struggle even more in school. We are considering pulling up stumps as Noah may now need more support than what we can give him. If that is the case we will head to Warnambool and look for somewhere to rent and enter the rental cycle once more.

Time will tell, we will be guided by what we believe is best for our kids for their futures rather than what we want to do. Ideally I would love to go back to work, live in a house, surf at isolated reefs and beaches down south, earn some coin, maybe even buy a few luxuries for us. Though at this time my kids need me more at home.

There are so many other reasons to keep moving, though we are always aware that one day it may change without notice.

I know I cant really answer that question Drailed without really going a hell of a lot deeper than what I have, and I dont really want to do that.

So moving from pillar to post, seeing Australia, learning natural history, experiencing life to the fullest for our kids, it defiantly aint making it worse, but right now maybe, just maybe, it aint making it better either.

[Cranked]

And of course the other one is to do what digger is doing. I'm up for that one but Mrs cranked prefers asia

[Davros]

I'm a city boy, and get a kick out of Asia.

[crabmeat thompson]

all things considered, digger you're travelling along nicely. could be so much worse.

a mate's kid with autism is having a really tough time of it. they own their house, but mum & dad work ridiculous hours paying it off. he's being bullied at school, and school isn't supporting him or helping him out. i guess they're challenged by his behaviour like the parents are, and put it in the too hard basket.

point is, they feel trapped. paying off a mind-bending mortgage means they're not around for their son like what they need to be, and he's going from bad to worse. they're talking about selling up, the wife leaving work and renting a tiny apartment just so she can be there for the son more. maybe even homeschool him.

so ... at least you're there for your boy, your wife and your other kids. that's what counts. they don't care about money & living in a house as long as you & your wife are there, they got food in their belly and they're surrounded by love.

[Drailed]

True dat brother Braithy.

[diggerdickson]

all things considered, digger you're travelling along nicely. could be so much worse.

a mate's kid with autism is having a really tough time of it. they own their house, but mum & dad work ridiculous hours paying it off. he's being bullied at school, and school isn't supporting him or helping him out. i guess they're challenged by his behaviour like the parents are, and put it in the too hard basket.

point is, they feel trapped. paying off a mind-bending mortgage means they're not around for their son like what they need to be, and he's going from bad to worse. they're talking about selling up, the wife leaving work and renting a tiny apartment just so she can be there for the son more. maybe even homeschool him.

so ... at least you're there for your boy, your wife and your other kids. that's what counts. they don't care about money & living in a house as long as you & your wife are there, they got food in their belly and they're surrounded by love.

This is just what I needed to hear today mate. Noah had a hour long meltdown yesterday and in the end I lost it. You're reminded me of what I left behind and why. I feel very blessed that we are not "trapped". Today we are searching for somewhere to go for Christmas. I'm thinking berry Showgrounds maybe??

[ctd]

Berry (I assume NSW?) over Christmas is packed. Like traffic jam packed. It can take 20+ min to get back into town if you leave - although some of the new road has just opened, I dont know how much difference that will make when the hordes descend, might be slightly better. But every campground and shop and whatever will be full.

To be honest, you are better off going inland somewhere between Christmas and following 2 weeks. Things calm down around the 2nd week of Jan (still busy but not ridiculous).

Or head quite far south NSW, past Narooma. Or Wollongong is actually pretty quiet at this time (relatively speaking); they all leave to go down the coast as well.

[Drailed]

all things considered, digger you're travelling along nicely. could be so much worse.

a mate's kid with autism is having a really tough time of it. they own their house, but mum & dad work ridiculous hours paying it off. he's being bullied at school, and school isn't supporting him or helping him out. i guess they're challenged by his behaviour like the parents are, and put it in the too hard basket.

point is, they feel trapped. paying off a mind-bending mortgage means they're not around for their son like what they need to be, and he's going from bad to worse. they're talking about selling up, the wife leaving work and renting a tiny apartment just so she can be there for the son more. maybe even homeschool him.

so ... at least you're there for your boy, your wife and your other kids. that's what counts. they don't care about money & living in a house as long as you & your wife are there, they got food in their belly and they're surrounded by love.

This is just what I needed to hear today mate. Noah had a hour long meltdown yesterday and in the end I lost it. You're reminded me of what I left behind and why. I feel very blessed that we are not "trapped". Today we are searching for somewhere to go for Christmas. I'm thinking berry Showgrounds maybe??

far out Digs, sounds tough mate. It's bloody hard enough with two relatively "normal" whatever the fccck that means kids.

[steve shearer]

My wife works in disability support Digger and knows a fair bit about the NDIS....I'll ask her if she thinks there are things that could help your sich out.

[shaunmorrison]

My wife works in disability support Digger and knows a fair bit about the NDIS....I'll ask her if she thinks there are things that could help your sich out.

So put in simpler terms, your on a disability pension and your missus is your carer

[Davros]

Fuck off Shaun you're a fucking annoyance

[Beanpole]

Agreed....after that one.