[Help] Retirement

[C17BHA]

I retired in April 2017 and I have not regretted it for one instance.
There are loads of things to do and the only time I've felt frustrated is when the weather is awful and you can't go anywhere.
Bit of advice I was given before I retired is always have something you know you need to do the following day when you go to bed. This avoids waking up and thinking...what shall I do today and not knowing. It definitely works.

 

[Bulldog]

Then my work here is done

Thanks Tom. I have just sent a couple of enquiries to old employers, pretty sure there was no pension in those days but worth a try anyway

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Thanks Tom. I have just sent a couple of enquiries to old employers, pretty sure there was no pension in those days but worth a try anyway

Absolutely worth the ask. Which of us can honestly recall what we signed up for or what was coming out of our pay packet, whether contributory or otherwise, 20 or 30 years ago? It costs nothing to ask, and it might just make a serious difference to your retirement plans. Very best of luck!

 

[BLOCK F]

Does anyone have advice on day to day good and bad points on reaching retirement .... asking for a friend

I don't mean financial, stuff like social isolation, laziness, boredom

Don't get in the habit of drinking too much too often, just because you don't have to get up and go to work the next day!

 

[Bulldog]

Don't get in the habit of drinking too much too often, just because you don't have to get up and go to work the next day!

Spot on. A retired friend of mine says beer o'clock gets earlier and earlier so be careful, unless that's what you want of course

 

[GT49er]

Thanks Tom. I have just sent a couple of enquiries to old employers, pretty sure there was no pension in those days but worth a try anyway

Quite often, if you didn't stay long in the job, you got a lump sum repayment of your pension contributions at the time - that happened a couple of times to me. I did track down one pension for a few months work in the early 70s though - it was converted (I know there's a technical word for this, but I don't remember it) to a one-off lump sum of £35 - and the taxman took 20% of that!

In terms of advice, assuming you were in a Mon-Fri 9-5 type job, don't allow yourself to treat each day as \ Saturday for more than a couple of weeks!

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

I often think that if I didn’t work I wouldn’t appreciate days I am not working if that makes sense. Big fear of boredom and lack of purpose once retired.

 

[GT49er]

Error.

 

[clippedgull]

I took early retirement and I miss having Bank Holidays off

 

[LamieRobertson]

Unfortunately something i’ll probably won’t be able to do until i keel over...if anyone remembers a yellow pages advert with a guy mowing the grass..that’ll be me .. hopefully not just yet

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I often think that if I didn’t work I wouldn’t appreciate days I am not working if that makes sense. Big fear of boredom and lack of purpose once retired.

I'm always alarmed at how many people put off retirement because they fear they wouldn't knoe what to do with their days. Sake! I've got a near-60 year old brother who works in air traffic control who still won't make the jump into retirement. Keeps saying oh if I only work one more year I'll make so much extra thousand pounds and add n pounds to my pension. See that so often. Its like people are scared to retire in case their life suddenly ceases to have meaning. **** that for a game of soldiers.

 

[father_and_son]

Unfortunately something i’ll probably won’t be able to do until i keel over...if anyone remembers a yellow pages advert with a guy mowing the grass..that’ll be me .. hopefully not just yet

? I just remember JR Hartley hunting down every copy of his own book because he wanted to increase it's value by limiting availability and drip feeding copies on to the market via ebay at extortionate prices. [It is of course possible I read too much into that particular advert!] Oh yeah.... and the one about the bloke buying a bike for his kid!

 

[southstandandy]

I'm lucky to have retired earlier this year at 48 due to property investments made over the last 20 years.

Thought I might get bored but when you own a home there's always plenty to do.

Garden, decorating, lots more time to do the things I like to do such as football, cinema, playing sports, going walking, and travelling to Europe for long weekends now and again.

Have also signed up to do some voluntary work which is really fulfilling and gives me another perspective on life.

I really thought I'd get bored quickly but I am now busier than when I was working. In my view there is always plenty to do as long as you are reasonably active. Even try finding a new hobby - photography, walking group, volunteering etc, there's definitely plenty to do.

 

[boik]

I took early retirement at 55. When people ask how I spend my time I just tell them that the stuff I did at weekends I now do 7 days a week. Been retired 5 years now and not been bored yet.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Looking to retire in a month, or it might be a few gap years if the cash don't stretch, do sod all now so shouldn't be a great leap.

 

[Since1982]

I retired early (55) last Christmas. I think it is important to have a plan. I have spent time doing diy, spending time with my parents and in laws, I was previously on the board of a charity and I’ve now taken on the role of chair, I’ve got involved in a community building project via the church we attend, I’ve taken more opportunities to play with bands, we have joined the NT and try to visit one of their properties once a week, I go to the gym three times a week. Next week we head to Vietnam for three weeks and I’m also planning a trip to Australia next year using avios points (and finding a way to do this is virtually a full time job!). I take pleasure in doing mundane things that I might have rushed before (cleaning the cars, gardening) knowing I have time. We shop for food more frequently as there is no pressure to do a big weekly shop. And sometimes I just sit and listen to a podcast or watch some TV, I reckon I’ve earned a few hours of down time.

There is lots of other advice on here that rings true, particularly having a plan for the next day and watching the temptation to drink on a school night! Good luck with it.

 

[Lurker]

Does anyone have advice on day to day good and bad points on reaching retirement .... asking for a friend

I don't mean financial, stuff like social isolation, laziness, boredom

I'm a newbie to it, retired just over 12 months ago.
Aside from the financials, it is easily the best career move I have ever made.
I had no plans to retire, I enjoyed my job and I felt the fittest guy on the planet and I was convinced I would find retirement boring.
How wrong was I.

Out of the blue 4 years ago I had a heart attack, so my outlook on life changed completely, and I forced myself to retire while still fit and able ......... and I haven't regretted it for one single second.

I never felt particularly stressed when working, but it's only when you finally retire that you realise that employment comes with an inherent stress level whether you overtly feel it or not, and you will be amazed how great it feels to suddenly be totally stress free (workwise).

I'm fortunate to still have a lovely wife, lots of children and even more grandchildren, so loneliness and social isolation are not factors in my life, but it's true you do need a routine to try and avoid the laziness and boredom issues or you might struggle.

The first decision I made upon retirement was to sell my car.
My wife still works, so her car was sitting in the company carpark all day while I was just using mine for errands etc.

By selling, I gained financially ... plus it gave me a routine because I now get up at 6.30am every day to take her to work, so no lazing in bed.
I have use of the car all day, and I go back and collect her from work in the evening, thus giving me a regular routine. Win, win, win!

The only downside is that I now spend more time on NSC than I ever did before, albeit more lurking than posting, and I get annoyed with myself for doing it, but it is somewhat addictive on here as most people are aware!

 

[pearl]

I retired in April 2017 and I have not regretted it for one instance.
There are loads of things to do and the only time I've felt frustrated is when the weather is awful and you can't go anywhere.
Bit of advice I was given before I retired is always have something you know you need to do the following day when you go to bed. This avoids waking up and thinking...what shall I do today and not knowing. It definitely works.

Thank you. The only weather that stops me going out is ice

 

[East Staffs Gull]

I retired at the end of May. I don’t miss work at all but I like to keep in touch with a couple of former colleagues to stay informed. People say that fully adapting to retirement can take as long as six months. I sometimes feel that I no longer have a purpose and, like Oxy, resent the fact that whenever we got out during the day in midweek we are invariably the youngest people. Amongst my peers I am the first to retire and look forward to the retirement of other friends.

One aspect that has taken me by surprise is that I’ve never slept so badly since I retired. Before retirement I seemed to be able to block out everything and get a good night’s sleep. I’m now constantly waking through the night and lying awake for hours. As a consequence I’m tending to lie in longer than I used to.

I echo the previous advice about keeping the brain active and also having activities to occupy yourself.

Biggest bonus is not worrying about how much I have to drink on any day!

 

[LamieRobertson]

? I just remember JR Hartley hunting down every copy of his own book because he wanted to increase it's value by limiting availability and drip feeding copies on to the market via ebay at extortionate prices. [It is of course possible I read too much into that particular advert!] Oh yeah.... and the one about the bloke buying a bike for his kid!

It’s the one where you look through doors opening on to this garden and the hired help mowing the grass ..then suddenly it’s just the mower moving on it’s own and the person in the house reaching for yellow pages