Aibu Retiring at 55 - 30 years of idleness?

I'm 58 and although at the moment I dislike my part time job and I'd love to be able to retire, I probably could, but I need money to fund my craft, garden and other wants and not necessary needs. I also hate exercise, walking, no desire for a dog or "going for coffee". I'm quite anti social so wouldn't be meeting up with friends every week or monthly either.

Oh my days! You sound amazing! What a brilliant life you have. You really are something special, loved hearing about your day. You definitely are superior to your rubbish friends.

Happy now?

My DH did. He was made redundant and took early retirement because he had a great pension.

Working doesn't necessarily make you more interesting! I've just retired at 56 from a profession that I never really liked, that has caused me physical and mental health problems and that ruined all the time off I did have with stress. I would do anything but talk about work outside of work. Now I have time. Time to explore the local area, time to travel, time to watch spring unfold and learn about wildlife. I am learning about history, going to learn another language, take up piano playing again. I walk loads, have more time and head space for my husband, adult daughters, neighbours, family and friends. I will do some volunteering but need to decompress from work before making another regular commitment.

Honestly, if you love your work and colleagues then keep working, but there's a whole other world and life out there and I wanted to experience that before getting too old or developing health problems. At least 3 friends have passed away in the past couple of years in their mid 50s to early 60s and several others have life-limiting conditions.

We don't have millions saved, but we have enough to last to state pension age and live carefully and on a budget.

Currently in Spain. Yesterday my DH and I found out that I am eligible for residency through him.
I am fully planning my retirement now. I'm 62 soon and have worked bloody hard all my life so bring it on.

I retired at 60.
Firstly, I'm not idle... I'm just not in paid employment.
Secondly, I think it's very dangerous to assume I'll live into my mid 80s, and the longevity of parents is irrelevant. We all have friends who died in their 50s and 60s, so if I only have a few years left, then I want to enjoy them!

I agree with you, OP. I'm sure early retirement can be terrible for the brain and cognition, if not kept sufficiently active. How many crosswords would I need to do etc to keep the old brain in top condition?😵‍💫😅

Seriously though, my DH is 56 and I'm sure he'd love early retirement but we have 3 DC, two of whom are primary school age, and our pension pot isn't really big enough at all 😬

Also really confused about what's weird about a gardener gardening every day.

Husband just about to "retire" at 55 as he is absolutely broken by 30 years of teaching but he has started up a private business and getting into home tuition. His father took early retirement at 5 from teaching and did sit on his backside for over 30 years..Quite jealous being able to go at 55 as my pension doesn't kick in for years.

I think it depends on the person and what you do.

My FIL retired at 50 then basically did very little. He aged about 10 years almost overnight. Suddenly his work was small and his only social life was a couple of hours at the pub on a Friday. He became quite right wing. It was mad to watch!

I retired 2 years and I’m having a great time! I’m never bored now - but I was bored at work plenty of times!

Who cares if you find them boring? They're not living their life for you. I find the idea that you have to be busy doing big things or working all the time incredibly tedious but so what? It's none of my business.

My mum was mostly a SAHM and das retired at 55. So did both of my uncles. All of then aree in their 80s now.
They are certainly not bored. Mum gets up at 5.am.and watches her favourite TV programmes for an hour and half then it's on with her day. Dad gets up a bit later but they have day trips, meet friends go away every other two weeks for a week at a time from April to October. Dad follows his favourite sports team and also loves cycling.
Mum always says boring people make themselves bored, there's always something interesting to do if you want to find it.

I wish I had that opportunity retirement seems a long way off at the moment!!

Would it be unfair of me to say you sound like a rather dull London stereotype who has spent their life on a public sector/NGO treadmill and needs that identity to feel fulfilled?

Yes, because it would make me as judgmental as you!

Live and let live.

If that's all you do when you're not at work, I can see why the idea of retirement bothers you.

But, as is obvious from your list of things your deficient friends could be doing but are not, you already know that there is plenty to be done in the world outside one's paid job. A lot of people do not like their jobs and have never been defined by them.

It's really not hard to understand if you actually WANT to understand rather than do a stealth boast about what a busy interesting bee you are.

@ForCosyLion DH and I do have defined benefits pensions but a big chunk of our income is from our investments.This has been ongoing for both of us from before we knew each other. I started investing, small from very young after a lecture on the evils of the stock market by a very left wing militant labour supporting teacher. Who remembers militant labour? They most famous was Derek Hatton, Trotskyite turned property developer, you couldn’t make it up. I hadn’t even heard of the stock market at 14, I just thought well sounds like free money to me. There have been losses obviously but overall a very good return.

YABU to police what other people do with their time. I plan to retire around mid-fifties and certainly won’t be joining any boards or taking on advisory roles 🥱 🥱 I’ll carry on my volunteering, which is one morning a week, but the rest of my time will be chilling out, spending time with DH, spending time with kids and (hopefully) grandkids, seeing friends and holidays.

Really not trying to be ruse OP but do you actually know how to relax and have fun?

Everything you list that you do is either a responsibility or achievement that you've worked for so how do you like to switch off? Do you ever switch off? Finding yourself outside of the path life puts you on is a skill that takes work. Maybe your friends could be more purposeful, sure, but equally they may be adjusting and resting before focusing their energy.

I have some friends that, when i ask them how they are, talk to me about the detail of their jobs and their working relationships, and others who talk to me about their latest trips out, craft projects, plans for the house and garden, tell funny stories, host bbqs. I definitely prefer the latter but if that isn't your vibe then by all means keep going.

Life doesn't have to mean being purposeful to offer contentment.

I retired at 60 last year but I started to dislike my job and sitting all day was giving me health issues. I love the freedom, the extra time and I'm now doing loads of exercise and I'm a stone lighter. If I had loved my job maybe I would have worked on or gone part time but I've no regrets.

Yes. On all the HRT, highest oestrogen, ferritin over 100, b12 is fine.

I've just had a ton of injuries incl. Achilles insertional tendinitis and now brutal bone spurs and plantar fascitis, plus prolapse surgeries, which have failed and left me in a worse state. Hence I had to stop running and can't get on a bike ever 😂

Menopause wrecked me early before I even realised what it was.

Just be you think their lives are meaningless, pointless, boring it doesn't follow that is the case. I retired early brc8i had enough of being shouted at by customers , doing a stressful job where I couldn't find answers for everybody, and working hard but not touching the sides of the work. And then having members of the public telling me that I was doing nothing all day. Now retired, I have some days when I'm busy, some when I'm not. I can read a book for hours if I want, yes, I potter in the garden, take myself off to a local attraction if I want, I can decide on the day what I want to do. And I also care for my 2 disabled children. Don't judge other people's retirement by your standards. Lots of us are making up for lost time.

Not sure my circle will be retiring at 55, I’m in my 40’s and have a few friends in their 50’s who certainly won’t be retiring anytime soon, simply because they cannot afford to…
I think it comes down to the job you do, I have quite a physically demanding job, I wouldn’t want to do it until I was 65- 70 and I doubt I could. I have family members in trades, after 30 years on building sites, crawling through cavities etc I doubt they want to continue for longer then they have to either.
My Dad retired in his mid 60’s, now in his mid 70’s, he’s not a traveller but is always busy. DIY, gardening and helping his older siblings with jobs or his children that need him to help with projects etc
He started as an apprentice at 15 and worked all the way through until he retired. His world may seem small to you but he’s a really interesting, knowledgeable person who people certainly enjoy spending time with.

Have you thought about HRT that sounds like a huge reduction in exercise and energy.

Exactly this.

I don’t mind doing some work but it is the 9 to 6pm every day and the limited holidays I don’t like. Basically would be good to have a bit more freedom.

I think I'll have a year or two of not doing much when I retire, time to decompress after decades of having to be at work at certain times. I liked pottering around during furlough and felt mentally recharged because not much was expected of me during that time. Just because your friends aren't doing much now, doesn't mean they won't travel, volunteer, etc at some point in the next 30 years.