My social life had been spanked, so here I was two years out of a relationship sitting by myself at a licenced restaurant on the waterfront sipping a Riesling waiting for my half dozen Thai oysters to come. The Riesling was not that great, but I am not complaining, more an observation of what was turning out to be a mediocre lifestyle. I had a rickety table that was fixed with a folded beer coaster, at least that was the easy part to rectify, the rest will be more difficult, but I reckon I am up for the challenge.

I had taken on a mortgage three years earlier on a three year fixed interest loan, my loan was about to mature in another four months, so I was saving hard to roll the mortgage over for another three years to align with my proposed retirement date. My plan was to pay half the mortgage off in three years leaving three years at the half mortgage. I had made some nice moves, I purchased the property just before the property boom and interest rate hikes.

I had timed my entry into the market perfectly, I had foreseen the interest rate hikes, I expected the rises into my second year, six months into my first year and the rises began – laughing. Then the property boom struck, the rises for townhouses I have noted are not progressive but jump on decade based data and this was the time. The former property owner actually sold for a loss, within a year I saw a 35% property price increase and 65% rent increase in three years.

So was my lack of social life worth it? I believe so, my lack of overseas travel hurts, but I can holiday at home. For my retirement planning, I have another fours of fulltime work, so the mortgage should be closed out with a year to spare and it is time to have fun again. My job is well paid, the people are some of the nastiest people you would ever have the misfortune to work with so I am maximising my time at the place that pays well in the city before I walk out with a sizable retirement benefit.

The property, despite the initial pain, will assist in my retirement plans living part time in the Philippines, Thailand or Vietnam. Yeah, I will be walking out half a year after I turn sixty, I have to work half a year to June 30 for the tax benefits, so that is fine as you are in countdown mode and start to sign out mentally. Yeah, I will be cherishing that time and I am looking forward to the next couple of years. So the boredom I am experiencing now should be returned in the next couple of years as long as I stay healthy.