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?

I hope you don't mind me asking - but what kind of job did you or your DH do to get a pension sufficient to enable that lifestyle? Or did you have investments/inheritance money? It sounds amazing.

I worry about being able to afford to retire. I'm in my 40s at the moment, still paying a mortgage off and between companies getting less and less generous with their private pension schemes, and the SP age threatening to move back again, I don't feel positive about being able to do it.

I'm very envious of those who could go at 55. At the moment I don't think I'd want to stop work completely, but it would be lovely to be able to drop to 2 days a week and have more time to do the things I enjoy (walking, gardening, volunteering). The weekends feel like such a squeeze.

I cannot wait until I retire, but learning lessons from my parents and in laws I feel I should have a plan otherwise I feel like I could easily slip into watching daytime TV all day! I also think money and good health are important. I am looking forward to - spending lots of time cooking proper meals, visiting lots of new places (with or without DH - there are certain countries I would love to visit and he doesn’t want to, life is short so I’ll just leave him at home 😂), hobbies, doing more volunteering at my church, reading etc etc. I plan to fund all this by downsizing to release equity in the house and saving now. Currently in the rat race of 2 young children, expensive nursery fees and both working full time so retirement sounds like a dream and I cannot wait!

According to this study, better to retire early or late rather than on time, in terms of mortality. Strange.

jech.bmj.com/content/74/5/473

I hope you don't mind me asking - but what kind of job did you or your DH do to get a pension sufficient to enable that lifestyle? Or did you have investments/inheritance money? It sounds amazing
My DH worked in IT in a bank, he retired on almost 200k per year. His pension funds the majority of our lifestyle.

My DH is retired at 65 - he does DIY , taxis teenager to and from his after school activities - tbh he only retired recently and during this time had a parents house to sort out following their death.
I only work part time - on the 2 full days I have off we tend to spend one doing gardening/chores etc and the other for lunch out /visiting a garden/daytime cinema etc .

I'm 10 years younger and can see myself retiring in next 5 years. Having been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year I want to do quite a lot more travel etc wise

I like reading these threads for ideas about what to do in retirement. The meet and greet stuff sounds good. But a lot of the rest you can still do while working. Partial retirement feels like a good option to wind down and still earn a little extra.

Sorry, is his pension income £200k per year? This is not remotely typical for most pensioners.

Sounds idyllic. Planning on retiring by age 55, 4 years to go. And take off across Europe in DPs camper van.

Sorry, is his pension income £200k per year? This is not remotely typical for most pensioners
No it’s not .

Christ I can't wait. Only another 20-25 years to go!!!

I retired early moved to a smaller house/different area to free up capital to invest to do so. We have a rental property and dh retired as well and done up a second one. Neither of us have ever been big earners but we are bith savers and decided to cash on when covid hit and trt a different lufe. Now that's done we are loving it. The gardens never looked better the dogs and us are fitter and healthier than we've been in years and we can do regular grandchildcare. Luckily my investments have paid off as my private pension is worth diddly squat and the government stole the pension I should get at 60. But you cut your cloth to your choices.

Definitely want a camper van now 😂

We had a VW t6.1 fitted out for us after lockdown ended. It's beautiful. We are off to Scotland in it tomorrow. Its brilliant fun.The best thing is that when the weather is amazing you can just go. If its rubbish you can stay at home and do something else.Retirement gives you the freedom to just go.

I’m amazed at how many people on here retired in their 50s. I worked in the NHS until eligible for my state pension. I miss working but it was right to go when I did.
My days are filled with going to the gym, caring for grandchildren on a regular and ad hoc basis, various hobbies and clubs and seeing friends. I’ve never put TV on during the day. Although I’ve been retired a few years now it’s still a novelty

I took early retirement from the NHS.I've got something on most days.
I do 5 gym classes,2 gym sessions and play tennis twice every week.
I meet up with friends for coffee or lunch,go for long(5-6 miles) walks and spend as much time with my grandchild as possible.I've got a couple of upcycling projects on the go.I'm teaching myself to crochet.
I don't have time to be bored

DH and I retired last November and after spending the first month or so muttering I can’t believe it , we’re really enjoying ourselves !

We’ve been to the Canary Islands twice for some winter sun , bought a do me up house that we’re doing up , have joined the local historic garden and go there once a week , take a picnic with us

Were helping DS and DIL move in a couple of weeks , we would not have been able to do that easily if we were both still working

Ive learnt to crochet , ready for my one day hopefully grandchildrens baby blankets and DH is going sea fishing at least once a week

the weather is fabulous at the moment , so that makes things easier , lots of gardening and walking , the wet winter was a bit grim

we’re loving retirement 👍

@Crikeyalmighty Sorry just seen your question. No im married, 2nd time for me and 1st time for DH. He owned his own home outright when we met and i had a small mortgage remaining on mine. We sold up and bought a house together, paid off my mortgage and so are able to live mortgage free. DH was financially successful in his own right before we met and doesnt have any kids (i have 2 but they are adults and dont live with us). DH has a large circle of friends and is very sociable whereas im a lot more introverted and enjoy my own company so, whilst we do lots of things together, we are equally happy to do our own things and it works really well for us.

I’m 40 & I am seriously wanting to retire as soon as circumstances allow. That’ll be when the mortgage is paid off & the youngest turns 18 so another 15 fucking years when I’m 55. I would have no trouble filling my days. I’d be travelling around, walking long distance routes in the UK and seeing the beautiful cities of Europe. I’d love to do a bit of pottering in the garden too

Reading this and am green with envy. I am in my 40s and envisage working for at least another 20+ plus years. That thought alone fills me with dread and depression. The only thing that might be able to enable me to retire earlier - and this sounds awful - is my parents demise and possible inheritance (they have assets worth several millions but they might leave it all to a cat charity for all I know so I have to say ‘possible’).

Several colleagues have told me they don’t want to retire as they worry about boredom and missing the workplace ‘dynamism’. I won’t miss it at all.

I’m planning on going part time when I’m 50 and hopefully staying that way for the next 10 years with a view to full retirement at 60. Dh is nearly 10 years older than me so it would be nice to have some good quality years together before either of us decline (his family have a history of living long but with poor health so hopefully we can achieve this!).
currently 37 so a long way to go but I enjoy my job currently and dh can’t envisage a time where he won’t work or be pottering in some form about in his job (he runs his own business). I’d like to think I’d have some grandchildren by then but also just looking forward to holidays more regularly!

I suppose in a way I’ve retired, I spend much more time at home rather than going all over the world with DH these days. I’ve never really had normal job but it’s nice to not live out of hotels and suitcases most of the year. I spend a lot of time out with friends for lunch or dinner, I do a lot of gardening as well as riding and enjoying being in one place. After years of people dictating schedules across different time zones I like to decide how I spend my time now. I don’t miss being on the road one bit although I do still travel to see DH but that’s on my terms. I doubt DH will ever retire but that’s part and parcel of his career.

I also think that people on this thread are healthy.
Its great to see people being aware of how important it is and to do stuff to protect that.
But if you have health issues, esp if that limits your mobility, then what you can do is very limited.
Then making that time fulfilling etc… is much more challenging.

up with the dogs at 6 in summer, later in winter (when I can get away with it), feed them, cup of tea, back to bed for an hour then walk them. Might have a class or get on with an art project, the garden and greenhouse beckon this time of year too - as does the bindweed.

I might have a shift at the charity I volunteer for, or a trip out to a gallery / museum. Might meet a friend for coffee. I make proper, healthy, meals these days, no more grabbing food on the go.

I got over excited at the start and became a trustee of two local charities, committee meetings etc. Soon discovered that I didn't tolerate fools gladly as I aged and left them to it. Now I just do the bog standard volunteer shifts.

I'm available to help out the adult DC with picking things up, getting deliveries etc as they work f/t.

I'm doing all of the things I never had time to do when I was working f/t and had the dc to get off to school / homework / washing etc. Loving every minute.

We've always had a camper but now we go whenever we feel like it. A few weeks touring Scotland or down to Cornwall to walk parts of the coast path. Or mon - fri local breaks or festivals. Love every minute of it and we manage to survive on little more than our state pensions. If we're not away dp plays sport, I lunch or declutter or visit family. I keep in touch with ex-colleagues and am so glad I was able to retire. Before I was 60 I never gave it a thought but all the years until my state pension kicked in I was dreaming about giving up work.

YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We both had working parents who died young (of inherited cancers) before ever getting to retirement freedom or pensions; so we always planned our finances and lifestyle to retire early. First by reducing working week. Then full time. We're 76 and have been fully retired 20 years. Our children were off the nest/self supporting before we retired; and our parents had been dead for decades; we'd both lost a sibling . We had no debts, no responsibilities; we'd made enough money; free. Never looked back.

We'd both always had many interests outside of work and as work reduced, we expanded the other interests . So there never came a day when we got up with nothing to do.

In the first decade we were both endlessly offered paid short-term projects (related to careers and skillset) and took any we fancied. We moved house, travelled a lot; did a house swap to New Zealand; enjoyed both old and new hobbies and interests. (sports, crafts, poetry, theatre, gardening, animals) . Because of skillsets we're still approached often for voluntary work; some we take some we don't. The rule is, we only take on stuff we love doing.If it stops being enjoyable, we stop. Since official old age we acquired grandchildren (late surprise) and spend as much time with them as we can; absolute joy.

We have both had our parents cancers and survived them; thanks to medical advances in early detection, better treatments, and the fact we're both non smokers (unlike parents) and fitter and stronger because of our lifestyle choices and interests. Because of our own and family medical histories we make a conscious effort to stay well. We're both in active good health now; keeping on top of assorted minor issues of old age with a combination of medication, diet, lifestyle, excercise, checkups etc. We've moved again, downsized to fogey-proof; closer to family and health facilities). We're still planning ahead (new allotment; new rescue dog, more travel).