We all have daydreams about what our retirement might look like. Maybe it’s traveling the world, taking up a hobby we’ve never had time for before, or simply being the best grandparents ever.
To achieve those dreams, we usually try to save some money on our own and get a job with a good retirement saving plan.
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But seven best friends in China had bigger plans.
They met 20 years ago when they all got jobs in the same workplace and became pretty much inseparable.
Mostly as a joke, they decided that they’d retire together when they were 60 and live in a big communal house.
Over the years, the joke became more of a plan and now it’s practically a reality.
It started when they stumbled upon a pretty rough property in a small village suburb of Guangzhou. While many people would see it as an eyesore, they saw the bones of their retirement dream.
They pooled their money to purchase the property and renovate it.
Altogether, it cost about $580,000 USD, but the end results are incredible.
The main floor is an open, communal space.
It features floor-to-ceiling windows, plenty of comfy places to hang out, and there’s even a swimming pool in the yard.
But the real showcase is the kitchen.
The cooking area is spacious enough that the seven friends can cook together without being in each other’s way, and the communal table fits all of their extended friends and family.
The upper floors contain private bedroom spaces for each of the ladies.
Just look at the view from those windows? It’s so lush and green!
Imagine waking up to that each morning knowing that you had no obligations and great friends to spend the day with. Bliss.
They even built an outdoor pavilion among the paddies, reached by a bamboo walkway.
It’s a place to drink tea and socialize, which they all love to do.
Again: isn’t that view spectacular?
Of course, their retirement is still a ways off.
The women are currently in their 30s and raising families, but they’ve already started the next stage of their plans.
They are each going to learn a skill that would be useful when living together as old women.
Some will learn to cook large meals, others will focus on traditional Chinese medicine, maintaining a home vegetable garden, or playing music to entertain each other.
They don’t expect to officially move in for another 10-15 years.
One of the women, Jin Du, said, “We’re all independent individuals but we can communicate and rely on each other at the same time.”
I’m totally jealous of their retirement plan, aren’t you?
h/t: MSN
