For background: I came from a poor family with a history of substance abuse problems. I lifted myself out of my family situation by attending and graduating college, but in order to do so I had to take on a combination of student loan and credit card debt, most of which I am still paying off despite having a decent tech industry income. No one ever taught me to save, so I had to learn budgeting and finance management on my own while I was in college. I didn't start really saving until a couple of years ago when things sort of stabilized.
Currently I am able to save about 5% of my income for retirement with a match from my employer. However, every "retirement calculator" that I use basically says I will fall well short of replacing most of my income in retirement, even if I assume Social Security will fill in a portion (which is uncertain to me). I also don't currently own my own home and that also feels like a very far off prospect if not an impossibility.
> Thought about moving somewhere were this is not a problem?
I have considered moving to a cheaper area, but unfortunately that means no longer being near some family connections so it's not a simple decision. My current job also adjusts salaries based on regional cost of living, so I'd have to factor that into the equation.
> I am one of the people who never wants to retire
Honestly, this is also a factor for me. I am very fortunate that I like the work that I do and work is, for better or worse, where I get most of my social interactions. I have some hobbies but none of them make me feel as engaged as when I am solving a technical challenge or working on a high-level business problem.
My spouse and I also joke that we might kill each other if we're both just puttering around the house without anything "productive" to do.