If you're late 50s/early 60s and semi retired/retired

[ifonly4]

If you've taken early retirement/cut back hours from say 57 onwards, what does your week look like? No way, do either of us want to go back to full-time working, but I sometimes feel I want something more and DH says he's bored sometimes (I'm not).

The last week, we've:

Sat: DH gym, me walk around local nature reserve. Watched a joint sport we follow, which sometimes involves events we can take part in in person.

Sunday - my one day of work. DH local hill walk

Monday - Clubbercise for me/gardening later, DH gym and painting shed

Tuesday, Plates for me, then later a bike ride stopping off for coffee. DH met friend for coffee, then did a volunteering activity (which he wants to give up).

Wednesday - I met a friend for coffee. DH short walk. Played games with DH in afternoon, then he made scones.

Today - we're taking a sandwich and going on a walk - probably be out 3/4 hours. No doubt, DH will entice me into a pub or cafe along the way.

Tomorrow - Clubbercise, will probably drop DH off in town where he's having drinks with friends - I often pop in to have a catch up (we all get on really well), but go off for coffee on my own/a potter around town.

Inbetween, I do the housework/love reading - my book is literally at my side at all times. DH will do one the odd practical household thing, go off for a walk on his own, is trying to self teach himself a language. Different weeks, we'll be seeing different friends, or do a couples thing.

my Dh retired at 55. I finished my contract a couple of months after and didn't look for a new one and we had a year of being together and loved it! Our days sounded like yours apart from more travelling. After a year he got persuaded back to work by an old colleague...and to be honest in hindsight it was too young to retire really. I haven't gone back and go to Pilates every day 😂

I'm 65, took retirement from the day job in November.

My weeks don't have any pattern but this is how I spend an average day
because it's pretty much the same every day.
Wake up about 7.30, cup of tea, bring the dog in bed with me. Sit with my laptop (I'm an author so supposedly writing but I do whatever word count I'm allocating myself for the morning then noodle on MN, Facebook etc)
10.30, out for a run with the dog. We put in between four and five miles so it takes us roughly an hour.
11.30 45 minutes on the exercise bike, followed by 30 minutes Pilates
1pm, dog out for another walk (she's a bit relentless)
1.30 cup of coffee, sit with laptop, answer emails, chat to people, promo work etc.
2.30 housework
2.35 (I hate housework) any other chores that need doing, garden, shopping, food prep for the week (I live very rurally so shopping can take a couple of hours - a whole day if I go into the nearest city)
4pm Dog out again
4.30 Feed the dog, sort out my own food (I eat once a day), so cooking and prepping and all that.
5.30pm Eat dinner.
6.30 Walk the dog again, tidy the house, wash up, put a load of washing on, sort out the post (My post comes late)
7.30pm Put dog to bed. Sit down with current WIP for another 1 or 2k words, or editing.
9pm reading until I go to sleep.

Sometimes there's more internet noodling, sometimes I'm out all day doing a Big Shop. Sometimes I take the dog for an all day walk on the moors or pop over to visit a friend or an offspring who's on a day off. So it varies, but this is the basic day pattern.

I took early retirement at 53, moved to France and am now 58.

Monday, fed the cats, did the shopping whilst my OH hoovered the house and cleaned, did 2-3 hours of revision of my French civic exam, made lunch which is usually our main meal of the day, did some weeding and pottery, watched some French TV at 6pm and then a couple of episodes of Mayor of Easttown or as I call it Nightmare in Easttown.
Tuesday, fed the cats, 2-3 hours of revision, made lunch, did some more weeding, planting and pottery and then the usual TV schedule
Wednesday, documented on my Feral Cat thread but after feeding the cats, spent the day on one with a poorly paw. Then the usual TV schedule interspaced with my French revision. I would have been going to a friends house to do pottery if not for the cat.
Today, fed the cats, cleaned the downstairs and moved the poorly cat's area about, rearranged an appt for this afternoon, my OH will be making tea as the appt is during our usual lunch time. So this afternoon will be cat appt, food and who knows depending on what is wrong with his paw.
Tomorrow the usual cat, revision, pizza for lunch, some pottery and tv stuff.
Saturday the usual and my OH is doing a 10k so I'll be driving him and a friend there, will do next weeks shop, and revision on an app whilst I wait.
Sunday, he is doing another 10km the nutter, so depending on the cat situation I might go and visit a museum whilst they run but I might stay behind and do some gardening and pottery.

Whilst I garden, do pottery or cook I listen to podcasts, or put a record on or just listen to the birds and usual rural France noises.

I came here for some down time, but I do go to monthly groups, I have friends who I meet for coffee, we eat out every now and then, have appointments, exams, paperwork which I am more than happy to take a break from. We go to gigs if there is anyone playing we like. We go to the odd city to museums or galleries. The time even when we do very little goes far too fast for me to be honest.

My DH is semi-retired but does all the housework and laundry. That takes up a lot of time TBH! In between he reads and potters.

Can you shift some of the housework onto your DH?!

Honestly I’m not surprised you’re bored. All my 55-70 friends (though not me - working and no plans to stop) are massively busy with involvement in certain activities and associations that give their brain a little bit more of a workout and challenge - be it teaching disabled kids to ride, running a charity, leaning into a hobby and getting really good at it, volunteering at a local museum doing tours etc. None could just potter. The trick is ensuring it doesn’t start to feel like ft work.

Depends what you want /need but it sounds like you’re already finding it dull. Imagine your past two weeks on repeat for another 30/40 yrs and now see if you want to shake it up?!

We are in this demographic and taking early retirement towards end of the year, I don’t think you do much other than exercise, what do you do with the rest of your time?

for me the plan is yes, exercise, but also plan a couple of days out a week, lunch in London, wander round a stately home , go to museums, art galleries, movies, plays etc
long weekends away, either Europe or uk, book cheap flights and hotel, once a month disappear off for 4 days,
garden, we have a large garden so should allocate one day a week to it.
see friends and family

I think if all you really do is exercise read and watch telly it would be very easy to get bored,

Tbh, it does sound very dull indeed. Would you consider part time work or volunteering?

One of my sisters is retired but she keeps really busy. She is the type that never sits still. She goes to the gym every day, is a magistrate and sits on school appeal panels. She is the chair of her village recreation committee. She’s hoping to become a local councillor this year too.

58 here... left work 6 weeks ago and am still figuring things out .
Mondays and Tuesdays... grandkids ..get one to school, have the baby all day... do toddler groups /park. Do housework if she actually naps. DS2 walks the dog in the morning and dog walker in the afternoon. Play squash in the evening.

Wednesday..walk dog, laundry. Escape to my allotment for a few hours, walk the dog again.. some weeks with friends.

Thursday rinse and repeat, and a game of squash. Do the bathrooms and any other weekly clean. Do the shopping.

Friday dog... chill, squash, dog.

Weekends, Dh kayaks, I do food prep. We are planning a new kitchen so have been shopping for ideas.

Sundays I have squash coaching, DH takes DS2 to rugby. I cook, read, allotment.
Sounds boring but I'm actually pretty well occupied!
I have just done my Canine First Aid course, insurance and dbs and am taking on my first few dogs as a walker, and cat sitting also. I'm not ruling out a different job but was burned out from 20 years in Education

My allotment takes up a lot of time in spring and summer, and dog walking fits around that nicely. Dh is still working long hours but plans to cut back soon. We don't have the money for fancy holidays or going away (also have dog and adult son with disabilities that we can't just leave)

We will do what you do, but add in bowls about 5 times a week for him, and a craft hobby that also has a weekly meeting, a monthly meeting, and a fortnightly meeting for a different but related hobby for me.
We have a huge garden and grow fruit and veg, have a greenhouse. We still have elderly parents who need some help, say one a day a week each.
We are also considering volunteering but not sure yet. We need to actually retire but we have Plans.
You need to add in more regular meetings. Try bowls or golf if you’d prefer a bigger non voluntary commitment. Or a rambling club.

Retired at 56 and moved to France.
Renovated two houses, one of which I rent out. Hoping to do a third.
I do exactly what I feel like when I get up and it’s often weather dependent.
Long walk every day with my dog and sometimes friends.
It’s very sociable here and I have a good mixture of French and immigrant friends. Eat at other people’s houses once or twice a week and often reciprocate, so I spend a lot of time cooking. Often bump into complete strangers out walking and get invitations to events, lots of cultural stuff and concerns going on, food festivals etc in the summer, and I love à brocante.
Visit local towns for markets, shopping, just for a change of scene.
Go to Paris quite regularly as the trains are brilliant and cheap if you book in advance.
The first year I had far too many visitors but now it tends to be very close friends and family or people stopping off on their way south.

I’m never bored, bad weather hobbies are genealogy, cinema, reading.

It’s a very privileged life but the crap still happens, bereavements, major illness etc but I’ve never been so happy.

Volunteer? I think we all need purpose in life, including when we retire.

59 here and semi retired in Mallorca. I play pádel a few times a week, go to a conversational Spanish class one night, do pilates and strength training most days, lots of walking and feeding a couple of feral cat colonies, I belong to a book group that meets up once a month too. A fair bit of work in the garden and with the pool most days plus daily meditation and lots of reading in the sun. Very little cleaning as it’s mainly dusty here! I also have friends I meet up with for walks and wine and I often go to the beach all year around. Most definitely not bored!

Sounds a bit too boring....maybe you've retired too early?!

I think that very much depends on your personality. I have one sibling who worked till their late sixties and is bored senseless. Now volunteering for local community groups doing for free what she used to get paid for. The other has activities scheduled every day, U3A and craft type stuff, her purpose in life is making stuff!

I’ve considered volunteering but feel I’d be too inconsistent because of family disasters which seem to be happening more frequently.

Not much mental stimulation in your week ?

lots of physical activity is good but to me there is not enough of anything else

so we have meeting up with friends and family and walking and exercise and and sport stuff

and

we both do volunteering for various things related to hobbies mainly.

we are arranging travel adventures - I haven’t been abroad much so this is quite exciting.

and learning music instruments that we didn’t have the money for as kids, and languages for the travel, and growing veggies

and getting on top of the various house jobs that have been neglected over 35 years of working life , although that’s quite slow progress because of everything else

I mean no wonder you are bored. You do less each day than I do and I have a full time job.

I will say it can take a bit of time to find your feet and it looks like you really wanted to focus on exercise and health and possibly getting rid of stress and now that’s under control you can think about a future

We're similar situation, activities similar to yours, but in addition we take and plan for lots of holidays and both do volunteering...you need more variety!!

You have all made me feel exhausted. I reduced to three days late last year, reducing from about 45-50hpw to about 25-28. Professional, complex job.

On Saturdays I wash, sort, put away, have a walk, go to the dry cleaners, still.schmooze round the local shops.

On Sundays pretty similar, often have a family roast, general pottering. Every other Sunday I go to my mother's and stay overnight, returning home Monday afternoon. She's poorly and very old.

Monday mornings: usually admin/paperwork, also for our home in France. Possibly some deep cleaning/cupboard sorting/gardening.

Tuesdays: as Mondays without the admin.

Also catching up with old friends occasionally on Mondays/Tuesdays for coffee/lunch/cinema

Adult dd is still at home 4 nights and her bf often visits. DS and dil are abroad.

DH still working full-time. After 45 years of working, I'm not in the least bit bored. However house is large and garden is half an acre so not quick fixes. Will continue to have a cleaner and gardener.

Oh, and things like the hairdresser, dentist, pilates, etc are easier to fit in and if I go to the hairdresser I combine with a gallery or shopping in town.

Not at all bored and looking forward to retiring completely and spending more time in France and visiting DS and DIL in SA - there will soon be a grandchild. 65.

DH and I both took early retirement.

Most of our week is spent volunteering for our church in one way or another.

We also have a two year old dog who gets lots of walking.

I spend a lot of time cooking.

We are never frantic or stressed about anything.

I’m retiring this year aged 60. My days will be filled with

Hobbies-reading, painting, cooking, and dress making. also redesigning our garden.
Friend's and family meet ups and visits.
Daily exercise- I’m already a member of a gym
Cultural - at least once a month visit London for museums, theatres and just walking around. Also visit local museums, cinema and theatres.
Holidays -one beach holiday a year, one holiday either by train or car, touring in Europe and Uk and some city breaks.
As little housework as possible, Dh is going to be taking half of this on.

I may volunteer but not going to jump into anything for a least a year.
Can’t wait!

wow, you must do over 20,000 steps a day!

What an industrious lot ! Both retired due to health issues . The main thing is that we do the usual just much much slower and leisurely. Even if I was physically able I spent long enough rushing about . Big house so basic upkeep but can also spend mornings just reading . Travelling doesnt appeal as luckily did a lot while younger and more income . We seem to be the house that everyone congregates in and often help out our working DCs with errands etc.

Surprised at how many have retired to France or Spain . Any problems with Brexit or cash exchange rates ?

I was forced to retire at 58 due to serious illness.
It's driven me bonkers. Now 60 and I never want to work for anyone else again.

I get up at 8am (was 5am for forty years). Eat breakfast, answer emails.
Husband does rotation so four days.
I haven't driven much since my operations but I hope to change that. Only one close friend is still working. I see friends locally twice a week. I'm not travelling into London or flying ATM.

However I am behind a new product launch in the autumn. Just too fantastic to say no. However I won't be the boss just the owner. Too old for 80 hour weeks.
I cook three times a week and shop online.
I can't exercise.
I would love to be a volunteer at a country house as I love history.
My husband retires in two years and we're downsizing now. I'm not even having a big garden incase I fall ill again. Well travel a bit and help our son with his project house.

My weeks are similar to yours OP, except I do a language class once a week which I’m out a few hours for with travel and lunch. My exercise is mainly walking (we have a dog) although I do the odd online class. I have a few crafty hobbies I do at home, watch the odd online talk, do puzzles and read loads. I meet with a friend/friends on average once a week, sometimes local, sometimes needing travel. DH and I go away every few weeks (from a couple of days to a few weeks) and I also take trips with friends and visit relatives. Every now and then I’ll do a bit of housework, but DH tends to do the washing and shopping (he goes out daily) as that’s the routine we got into when he retired before me.

Occasionally I think about joining some kind of group or volunteering, but I think I’m away too often to be reliable enough. I spend too long on MN, which annoys me as I have plenty of other things to occupy myself. To others I probably do very little, but I’m not bored.