I was a sheet metal worker for 10 years back in the early 90's- and I'll be 55 next December. That means I can start drawing my pension. I could wait until I'm 60 and get more money every month, but I'll be able to draw from this pension for the rest of my life, so it's not like I'll get less money overall if I draw from it sooner rather than later. The monthly payments wont be enough to completely retire on - but it's more than enough to pay the mortgage.


I'm thinking about buying a 2 year old car and then just saving the rest- maybe travel more often - it will be nice to have the extra cushion in finances.