Anyone ever retire before they had enough savings to comfortably do so? I'm at the point that where I'd be happy to severely downsize and change my lifestyle to be able to retire. I'm not to the point of "living in a van down by the river" but sharing a trailer with my wife and a roommate that could pay some rent? Maybe. Unfortunately my wife and I are not on the same page. She would like to retire but sees working as a lesser of 2 evils.
We are both in our early 50's and do have some savings and a pension but to be able to make ends meet for our early retirement it would require withdrawing principle down to zero until SS kicks in. Scary thought but not as depressing as working until 65 or 70 (for me anyway). SS combined with a 11-12K pension per year doesn't pay much but it looks like many of you are living on less (despite having substantial savings) and living happy and comfortable lives.
Alternatively, I'd like to separate our finances, live super frugally and save my ass off for a year or 2 and use that for my retirement (with some part time income) while paying my half of the bills. However, separating finances would be complicated and my wife has an emotional response to finances that would probably make it awkward.
I may do a detailed case study in the future but not at this time.
Sorry, but sharing a trailer with a wife and a roommate is pretty dang cheap. Can't blame your wife for not thinking that's a great idea...
You have some savings, great! You have some fat to trim from your budget, great! Start trimming fat from your own spending and see where that gets you. Like others have said, start looking for a job that can cover the expenses (at the lower rate as you spend less, but spend less first), and work someplace you can tolerate but still pay the bills.
But getting on the same page, or at least getting your wife to think positively about your page, is key to your marriage. I would talk about how awesome it would be to spend less and enjoy life more, rather than about how much you hate work and want to retire.
Good luck!