how do you have so much time to post online? =)

I would see a psychologist or better yet a counselor. Life is short and things happen which bring the important stuff into perspective. You have been thru the unthinkable type of challenges you posted about (as have I) so you well understand this. Some people process grief thru working non stop which we know is not healthy or sustainable. Not sure this is you or not, but it has been me in the past.

I punch in my 40 hours and call it good. I see too many workaholics burn themselves out chasing the dollar, and I work in sales which attracts this kind of type A hard charger personality. Many functional alcoholics too work in sales and self medicate - I dont drink a drop.

Yotetrap30 it's 57 not 59 July 1st 2036 last day at work will be 3rd week of May I will have 5 weeks of vacation
And take it the 5 weeks before I officially retire. And I will put it this way. I make in a year what it would take me 2 if not for the ot. I don't need 1/3rd of my income to live on soon I will only need 1/4 So I'm able to pay things off reducing the amount of cash I need even further. Sure I could not work the ot and In 5 years be in the same spot I was 2 years ago or in the next year only have utilities taxes and insurance. That means I will need even less money. So I can still invest at a high rate and work less. Maybe invest in solar and reduce bills further. Yep there is about 3 to 5 years of missing out. Few are willing to trap their spending, drive old vehicles, and put in the hours with a goal in mind. Many will be jealous and are now of the options I have and will have. But they are not willing to drive a 27 year old vehicle, watch their spending or put in the hours. Yes I'm proud that I am on that will. I'm also well aware of the cost, and that's what's getting to me. Heck I drove home this morning and am going back to work tonight 5 hrs of driving because my wife need some help with the kids. She didn't ask me to infact told me not to but I did because I needed to be home and take care of it. So 5 hrs of driving for 6 hrs home then 5 2.5 hrs back home at 3am in the morning. Only working 8 hrs tonight since in maxed out on hours.

Point is the crazy ot plan is to be temporarily yet I do wonder if I will have problems cutting back to only working a few of my days off month. With my schedule I only have to work 14 days out of 28 and I have 4 weeks vacation. So technically I only have to work about 5 months a year and get 7 days in a roll off each month, 2 3 days off and one one day off. Or I can double that amount of money and get the big ticket things done and have the ability to quit the job any time I want in a and take a lower paying job closer to home and live comfortably on the lower income in a few years. Or just quit working my days off just 16s when in at work and keep adding to my pension still make double the pay of jobs around here and live comfortably. But I will still be away but only 3 or 4 days at a time.
It's nice to have a lot of options not many do. Scaling back will be tough for me but will be necessary. May not even hit it as hard as I was planning the next few months. I realized a few weeks back it's not normal for your response to someone saying your working to much to be "well I only worked 80 hrs this week" and be serious since that's less than 96 and you took a day or two off and think 80 hrs is cutting back. Going by people's reactions I figured out thats not a normal mind set.

Basically all that rambling just to say I started out with the plan 2 December's ago to start to work a day or 2 off a month or week and 16 every day it was offered when I was there to get things done. Then I some how only take 6 days or so off a month and it's got out of control. The closer I get the worse I become. I realize it's a behavior pattern that needs correction. I Gere up poor started out poor and never want to go back.

you work 2.5 hours ONE WAY from home? That sounds exhausting

Please educate me. What job allows one to work 58% of the hours in a week?

apparently, his union is looking out for him...

In 2036 your boys will be out of the house, and you'll be wishing you had this time back. I understand the pressures of a single income. I've got four kids myself. I worked a lot of hours when they were little to be able to allow the wife to stay home. I don't regret that, but I didn't do it so I could have more or retire earlier. I do wish it hadn't been necessary so I could have spent more time at home.

To my view, it looks like you need to rearrange your priorities, when I read your views on things work is the top thing in every paragraph !

That to me it is OCD, or spectrum for an easier wording, take a look at how much time you spend with family compared to your work ethic. Is it comparable, I doubt it, no one I know would be upset if they did not work 90 hours a week, in this day and age, might have been different many moons ago !

One day you will wake up and it will be to late to enjoy the time with the family, the kids will be grown and gone the wife wore out from you being away so much, is that all worth the effort to say, well we are free of debt, when all you did is increase the one debt you now will never be free of !!

Yup


They get 37.5 hours a week, I am salary so don’t get this overtime you are talking about .

I do work a few hours here and there over during the busy season, but I get those hours off later.



I wouldn’t miss my kids growing up or time with my wife for anything. No job is worth that. Just remember, if you die tomorrow, your employer will replace you and keep on moving. Your family won’t be able to do the same.

Gotta get your priorities straight.

Have you put your relationship with your Savior first? Are you seeking His kingdom or yours? Are you building His kingdom or yours? If I asked your children if they desired dad home more - what would they say? I in no way am being critical of you but only you can answer those questions for yourself.
I am only a few years older than you and the Lord has slowed me down as I learn more and more to Seek His Kingdom first.........then these things shall be added unto you. Priorities change and our concern shifts to others as we become more eternal minded. I have never once met an old wise man who desired to work more in his younger years or even be more wealthy. Never once.

TRUTH!!

Pretty much any continuous operation. Anything crewed for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Usually with only a few days down over the course of a year for scheduled maintenance etc. Seldom ever shut down for holidays. Not that long ago a large percentage of US manufacturing fit the profile. Now adays not so much.

AND, at least in my experience, a facility typically has to be pretty understaffed to necessitate that level of overtime IF it is widespread and virtually a daily occurence. Possible that Providence just happens to work all the OT that was declined by others as there are always some vacations, sick time etc to cover and most places unionized like his have some form of voluntary OT distribution prior to forcing staff to work hours. But most fully staffed employment models also factor in "spare" staff to cover for those normal daily events.

Most of the places I have been involved with wouldnt consider widespread OT at widespread levels to be a sustainable business model as it drags on the bottom line over time. But it is a common short term practice when you dont know which way the economic winds are going to blow so you dont want to crew up and then be forced to lay right off within a short period.

There is another scenario when the business/industry happens to be in a special situation where it is essentially taking advantage of the market place at a level which allows it to pay the high cost of OT beyond the short term. I dont follow manufacturing trends so closely these days but I think aluminum has been in a pretty good place in recent years so that may be the business model which they are currently running---until the pendulum swings the other way. And it always does

to the OP: it's not providing for your family when you die that's driving you. you could achieve that with a good life insurance policy.

it's something else...

Good advice here! I have 6 daughters and was pushing for a divorce with my work attitude. Started pulling back in before wife had no choice. I realize now how work becomes a easy excuse for not wanting to go a band concert, family reunion, high school athletic event, etc.. My adult kids have no college debt and the younger two are set for the same. But I am guessing a little better dad would be an easy exchange for a monthly payment! Money can not buy everything but i am looking from my situation. Not judging.

I understand all of that, but what employer would allow double shifts days continuously for months on end?

An Ol Blistah of a women ...will definitely keep you at work..

I wonder the same thing myself.

yea, I wonder about the culture of the facility and how it got where its at, whats driving it. First place I worked was like that so just makes me wonder

I knew you were infatuated with making $$ and talking about it from the first 10 seconds up until the 1/2 hour mark of our phone conversation a few months ago.

Kinda like talking to a vegan.
A Traditional bowhunter.
An Architect.
They let you KNOW about themselves right off the bat. Lol.
Grandpa told me when I was a young kid...., never discuss your finances with anyone other then your spouse/ banker/ accountant.
You have made it a horrible habit of discussing that topic on this forum.
Fine to have goals and applaud your efforts but but like Liberalism, it's appears to be taking over your life.
I can imagine you don't have many pals as few would want to listen to your endless babble about making $$$

I don't mean all that to sound negative (but kindda).
Your obsession is only gonna get worse if you keep up the pace you're going.
Take some time for yourself and family.

To answer a few questions. I have so much time to post on line because my plant has mutipal processes. I do my part them wait tell its my turn again. When things are in time in sink running well I may have an hour or two of waiting. When they are not I am busy. But being fast and efficient I always have some down time. You won't see me on line when I'm at home.

This place alway has had tons of OT since it was built back in the 60s . Before I hired in 112 hrs a week was worked by a lot of guys. Had a couple guys get killed in a crash on the way home after several 16s and they made a 64 hr rule limit.

Of course they would make exceptions when they wanted to. ( just like being able to work 38hrs when bad weather came in with paid 8 hrs break every 16hrs all ot) Then several years after I hired in to avoid forcing so much they allowed up to 72hrs but only if it got to the point they were going to force someone. Then they went to 72 any time then 80. We were sold off Maybe that's when we went to 80 I can't remember. But eventually it went to to 96. Meeting don't count so going to a safety meeting or 15 min pre shift you can get over 96.

How is that economically viable for the company to pay out so much ot?
Well my last statement showed their part of my health insurance cost they pay 38k a year I pay $51a week or $2,652 a year. Now figure workers comp, vacations, and all the other cost employers have to pay and that covers a lot of overtime pay VS hiring more people. Not the the full amount I make in ot but a big part of it. They can't force anyone to work ot over 64hrs or more than 2 times in a week. A lot of people don't want any ot and other only work a little now and then. Other work more than I do and make up to 30 k more. I'm not ever going to work that much. We have some tough jobs but the hardest jobs were in the part of the plant they didn't sell of so they are no longer part of the company I now work for. . Each department operates like it's own individual plant and is large enough to be 460 acres under roof plus its own power plant before the sell off. We have some tough jobs but most are easy and we have guys that have over 50 years still working. It's a unicorn job very few like it today. I have mostly Operating heavy equipment the last decade 938 series cats pulling levers and drivein in the ac is not a hard job. Never have to worry about any unexpected expenses there is generally overtime availability not always but 90% or more of the time.

Like I said the plan was to work more ot to get the family to a place where we would be OK financially if I do infact have MS and end up not being able to work in the future. I made a plan to work a little more ot to get there and that snow balled and I'm working much more and became focused on investing along the way. Not only for myself but also the kids have their own brokerage accounts set up for them.

I Had not had any problems for a while probably close to a year , well not enough to concern me like my legs not working right. Only some minor things that reminded me the last week or so. May just be the bulging disk causing the leg numbness or sciatica. I'm not taking the time to schedule a spinal tap to check for MS or more mri's unless something gets bad. It Feels like a back issue and it's minor.

So working a ton to pay everything off, build savings, put in infrastructure on the farm, and invest while I can, so I won't have to struggle and be broke later worst case, or so the farm increases profits, less money is going out a on bills so I I can work a lot less spending much more time at home and still make investments for the future with less hours because I will not need hardly any money to live on. More time at home with the family. Money won't buy happiness but it provides freedom and hives you a ton more options.

Yes, I I know I'm just a selfish Richard head. Sleeping 4 hrs at a time several days a week in a roll. I get that coming from the ladies and how most are wired. But they are seldom responsible for the full financial well being of the family. Feelings and experiences rule the day.


Few seem to be willing to control their spending and willing to make the scrafices short term to set themselves up for long term well being. That's a fact and why the average person doesn't have 1000 buck in the bank to convert an unexpected problem.

I was born poor with single mom that worked 2 and 3 jobs then one with very long days her whole life tell cancer slowed her down. She spent what she made or would be better off now. I think I inherited or learned the working behavior but not the spending. Thinking about switching gears because 1 I'm getting close to why I increased my working hrand 2 because I can see and feel the effects physically and mentally starting to take effect. But being honest with myself I was questioning how well I will be able to cut back since it's kind of became an obsession/ addiction.

The other thing Is to get to the place where I can live comfortably working one of the much lowered paying Jobs close to home if my wife and I decided that's something we want to do vs staying here taking all my days off off still making more money than the local jobs with better and cheaper insurance and having a pension and 401 vs only a 401 at the other places. Basically work 5 months a year at 70k vs 40 hrs 5 days a week at 45 to 50 k paying 3 k more for worse insurance less 401 match and zero pension. Add in I get the pension I have in 12 years makes a hard choice I go back and forth with.

As far as all the religious post I don't have chapter and vers but there are plenty of scripture conserving providing for your family and extended family, not being in debt and a slave to the lender. God provided this job and opportunity to set my household up.

Right now if they shut this plant down we would be just fine, honestly but would require some big changes. Yet knowing that brings a huge amount of piece of mind I didn't have a year ago. It is the just a little more almost
There part I have trouble where the line Is at and enough is enough. Stopping the moving goal post.

At the end of the day it's making a flexible plan with the family. Had great conversations with my wife then the kids when I was home today. Basically trying to figure out the plan and transition period.. still in the works but in progress.


Your all right about time. And I guess that where the thread I made asking what your most valuable asset was came from back whenever that was. Being away from home have been earing at me for quit sometime. The last few years have been tough but After next year the next 40 should be much easier because of them God Willing.

I know I can't wait to get home in the morning eat breakfast with the family pet the dogs and work the bees.

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses and yes even the selfish comments I'm sure there is some truth to it even though I don't see it. Thanks for letting me vent. It helps laying it out and reading people I respect opinions and thoughts.

Wow just look at that book. Wonder how many typos are in that rambling mess. Hmm to proof read later then post or post now and get to work. Well post now.

Edit.

Just to clarify, yes I'm gone a lot but when I'm off work I'm always with the family. Honestly I would bet I spend much more actual time with my kids than most parents do that are home everyday. How is that well because when home I'm always doing everything with them. Yes it's often work/ farm related but teaching and focused. Vs distracted parents at home there but not really there mentally and the kids watching TV and playing video games. And my kids don't get dumped off at school and having other people raising and teaching them. Mom is always home with them and not many kids have that.

Until today, I thought I only knew of one person who at times seemed to be asking for advice or sympathy and would have questions for the others on this site, and then ignored everything he heard. Now I know of two people.