Is retirement all it's cracked up to be?

[madroid]

If you have actually retired, are you enjoying it?

All things being equal, without, for example, health problems are you actually enjoying your free time? What do you do? What does your day look like?

I imagine there's a 'honeymoon' period where you relish not having to get up to go to work, catch up with all sorts of things... but then what? What have you got into?

That sounded a bit immodest but I mean it more as seeing myself as important in my own right way.

I retired 4 months ago.

I do a small self employed job, takes about 1.5 days a week, so perhaps I'm not technically retired.

I'm still in the "catching up" period. We've had a weeks holiday chilling. Now I'm on second holiday in UK visiting family who I've not had time to see for ages. I also spend a lot more time with my Dad because we lost Mum last year. I'm also cooking more as I'm home and hubby used to do it as he finishes at 4.30 and I used to finish at 5. Plus I picked up an injury two months ago which is taking a while to repair and it's curtailing what I can do quite a bit.

I've plans to do more self care - swimming, walking, yoga etc but not had much chance yet!

And interesting thread in all those answers is that you need money.

I suspect you might have a different outlook if you only survive on basic state pension. No city breaks, travel etc…

Retirement planning is important. Financial planning is only one side of the coin.

My gang, bar two, are either stressed out from work or happily retired. The 'bar two' are having to work longer because of divorce.

Camper van sounds great. My poor dad was sick in retirement. But it must be nice no tied to set times or rushing back to offices. We have dog so he gets us out too.

God I hope it is! I'm counting down the days 6 years really. I love my job but hate the politics and drama llamas.

I was a teacher - every day trying to make young oeople’s lives better. Sometimes putting them above my own children’s needs

Now my sense of purpose is to make each day in the rest of my life count. Partly out of respect to my friends who never lived to see retirement.

As I said I am involved in a charity. But it is finally my time.

My holidays were cheap ones. Very very early cheap season in Greece (April) and on holiday now is shared with family in and air b and b .

I do agree on SP only it wouldn't be possible but being more flexible you can pick cheapest dates etc because of flexibility. For example, we looked at the whole of April for holiday costs and picked the cheapest date. That was something we couldn't do when we had to ask for time off from employers.

Interesting. My mum who is 78 claims to be very busy, meeting friends, gardening, painting walls, endless church activities.
I plan to do not that much.

I have a horse I ride, a dog I walk and a garden. Very busy!

I retired at 60 five years ago. I downsized and did up my new house as a project and to give me a sense of purpose. Then two grandchildren came along. I look after them two days a week. I made it clear that I wouldn't do full weeks. To be honest, my DD and sil wouldn't have wanted that either. The pandemic showed me I was absolutely fine with my own company. Yes, I have a couple of hobbies but the rest of the time is mine to do what I fancy. I worked bloody hard for many years and I exist on a small occupational pension until I get my state pension next year, so I don't have oodles of cash nor many holidays. But it beats working. I don't need a job to give me purpose or to define me.

Money , health and expectations are the big things here

I know some who are having a good time, lots of holidays, see friends, nice lunches etc - but they've all got cash and health on their side

you relish not having to get up to go to work,

This is no honeymoon period, it never gets old. A bit like dreaming you forgot your homework then realising you left school 45 years ago.
DH retired at 57 when DC were 11 and 9 and has never regretted it for a second.

I went very part time at 55 and retired at 58. The big thing is money, if money is short then it's going to curtail what you do. Secondly health. I am 65 now and have had a lot of health issues hit me over the last five years - breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis being just two. It's the main cloud on my retirement, however I remain upbeat and as fit and active as possible.
At first I did a lot of volunteering but have scaled that back now (education appeals tribunal, school governor, mobile library).

What does your day look like?
My days are usually
Up around 8.30, leisurely breakfast.
9.30 some kind of activity. Either Pilates, gym or a craft group. I'm currently learning to quilt.
Lunch
2pm -walking for about an hour. I live in a village surrounded by fields and so pleanty of paths and tracks.
3pm - gardening in summer, indoor stuff in winter.
5pm relax with the paper before cooking dinner.

Some days I meet a friend for coffee or lunch.
Spare time I bake, crochet, read and sew.
DH and I get a weekend away about every 6 weeks and have plenty of holidays. Our parents are all dead so the caring for elderly relative period has now ended.

I have DC in their 20s and they come home to visit. One who lives nearby will drop in for dinner, the other who lives some distance away will do a weekend every few weeks or base himself here to WFH for a few days.

DH is less active socially than me but always was. He's fitter and healthier than me and enjoys hobbies at home.

Retired at 57.
As a PP said there is a bit of a honeymoon period which allows you to adjust to not having to get up early but then retirement really starts!
Got myself a little PT job (twice a week) which gives a sense of routine without interfering with anything we may want to do however I think this was just to make me feel I am still doing something useful (while getting paid for it) and will probably drop it soon.
Go away in our motorhome but can go mid-week when it is quieter.
Potter in the garden and OH has his workshop where he tinkers with various projects.
So far we are not missing the daily grind at all.

Embrace retirement and make as much of it as you can.

DH is also retired due to ill health. Watches TV most of the day. Will put washing machine and dishwasher on. Persuaded him to hang out the washing and not use the dryer. That's it.
That will not be my life. I would love to retire, but it would be filled with travel, walking, cycling, dog related activities, and hobbies. By the time I can financially afford it, those may be a pipedream. It's depressing.

Pottering around the garden is nice but is the fast track to decline.
😂 Try carrying heavy watering cans, transplanting, weeding, pruning, carting around bags of compost, as DH and I do frequently. Gardening is very healthy exercise. We are both in our seventies and our garden and allotment keep us very busy indeed!

Sounds brilliant

I retired 5 years ago aged 46. Lucky enough to live on savings and investments. I absolutely love it and can honestly say i havent had one day where i am bored. I get up when i want, go to bed when i want, have a long soak in the bath if i want or while away the day reading or watching a box set. Im trying to incorporate more walking as i used to walk back and to to work 6 days a week and i have definitely got lazy. I love being able to do things at the drop of a hat and not have to fit things around work schedules. For example i can meet a friend for a coffee/ lunch whenever they are available. No grandkids yet but i will make sure i am available to help out with childcare if and when needed. I realise i am very, very lucky, however, i could have carried on working and be in a much better financial position by now but ultimately i have decided that time is more important to me than money though i do realise that this is easy to say when you dont have to worry about it.

We are enjoying our retirement - we retired from stressful and busy public sector jobs. The first years were funded by our work pensions, but now our state pensions have also kicked in.

The first years were busy and fulfilling - both volunteering and seeing friends, as well as travelling to see various family members. We moved house to be nearer our daughter, just before the pandemic hit. We downshifted in terms of the garden size, but have a modern detached house which is easier to run than our period cottage. We look after our grandchild a couple of days a week. My husband volunteers and I have plenty of interests and hobbies, particularly growing my own plants and gardening.

We are comfortable, financially, I would say - with our savings and various pensions. We also, fingers crossed, are healthy at the moment too. Life is short, I'm so grateful to have had time and space but most importantly the joy of building a close, loving relationship with our grandchild.

I restarted bellringing so ring Friday evenings, Sunday mornings and twice a month on a Monday morning.

I volunteer with the local Wildlife Trust helping maintain the local nature reserve and have made contact with someone who wants to put a bee route through our town.

I am taking weightlifting and flexibility classes with a strength and conditioning coach twice a week.

I actually look after our garden and have started growing some of our own food. I have been very successful with rhubarb, tomatoes, and basil.

I go to 6 craft sessions a month.

I would like to volunteer as a math TA with the local secondary school but I'm not sure how feasible that is.

Retired at 57, no plans to drop dead any time soon.
the first 6 months were stressful adjusting to 1/2 wage but we’re relaxing.
now 65, busy is staying mentally and physically healthy. Some reading, gardening (produce) and exercise. Trips to see dc (one overseas, two others live 4-8 hours away), visit my mom (90). We too own a lovely camper van (which needs work) but we regularly use it through the Canadian Rockies.
dh, had picked up a major hobby, which draws me in. He’s a bee keeper to 40+ hives, I’m the chief bottle wash and sales manager.
i’m content.

Both DH and I retired at 59, (He 5 years before me). We love it!

We both had incredibly stressful careers which thankfully enabled us to pay off our mortgage, save and make some very lucrative investments as well as having half decent pensions.

Our only adult DC has SLD but lives in a one bedroomed apartment within an excellent managed complex with 24 hour care within a short drive of home and we see her 4/5 times per week.

We can do pretty much whatever we want to do and support our DD in any way necessary. To keep my brain cells active I am learning Japanese and DH does lots of Sudoku. We have had loads of work done to the house which is definitely our forever home. I am always cleaning and love doing domestic chores I struggled to find the time to do when I was working plus we have travelled all over the world and still do so.

We feel truly blessed and hope to live to be 100.😊

Yes yes yes! DH and I retired last year. Mid 50s. Very lucky to be able to do this early. We sail without restrictions on when to get back and travel loads. DH has taken up a new hobby and does voluntary work and we both read and I have more time for my hobbies. We are both learning a language. Not quite sure how we ever had time to work!

After building our business and working together for over 30 years, Covid brought forward our retirement plans. As travel was one of our main goals, Covid also had a pretty negative impact on that. We were just about to start our 'big' trips when I was diagnosed with breast cancer (go for your mammograms!), and although not life threatening, it's been virtually a year to get things sorted. Also our lovely old lab died, which took a massive part of DH's purpose in life. Our kids are in their thirties and single, so no immediately caring plans. Our plans have not turned out as we hoped. All been a bit of a shit show.

BUT, we have realised that making the most of every minute is critical, and are now planning longer trip as well as lots of local trips through the UK. Hopefully we'll be in Scotland for a few weeks over the summer, and Australia/New Zealand in October/November. Can't wait. We are quite prepared to spend more of our money in these years to enjoy our time, rather than saving it it for a more expensive care home.

Problem with these threads is the happy retirees pile in with their U3A, their grandkids, camper vans and hiking holidays. So it would take a brave soul to admit that whilst they do have interests, they would struggle to fill 7 days a week, 365 days a year for years on end.

Lots of retirees find retirement tedious, lonely, unfulfilling. It doesn't make them less well rounded people, just different to those who relish not working.