I do think that this is a very important perspective. As you have seen in your parents' lives, the future is not guaranteed and to keep putting off life's great pleasures until that some hypothetical day is rather sad. And there are plenty of good reasons to work past 65 if you enjoy your work and are able. (After all, Dr Fauci just turned 80. So thankful he didn't retire!)

But...you also have to be realistic. The day will come when you will not be able to work or will not want to work. Modest amounts saved now will be a game changer in the future. Here is my advice (and actually I am a professional, FWIW)...run your numbers. I 100% applaud your philosophy if you have done the math to back it up. Will the "small amounts" that you save now, combined with Social Security and part time income, allow you to live a life that you will enjoy (not necessarily the same life style that you have now)? What is your plan if (and it pains me to say this), you develop an illness as your parents did?

I would never advise anyone to work a job that they hate just for the money. Or live a life of needless penury in order to maximize the pot at the end of the rainbow. But all things in balance... You may find it possible to make changes such that you can save a bit more than "small amounts" and feel good about doing so, based on a realistic vision of the future.