To not really want to work anymore?

[caranconnor]

I am 50 and although I have enjoyed working in the past, I would prefer never to work again. I feel I have done enough. It is not an option, I have to work for another 17 years. But anyone else feel like this?

Yup.

And @smilingontheinside - divorce your mean git & get half?

I am 32 and feel the same m. I only have one child (6) but have had to work bloody hard to break even after childcare, and even harder to make a profit when he was small.

Advice to anybody younger than me, if you are good at your job please keep trying, it takes some bloody determination, my current aspirations are to semi retire by 50 (sorry OP) and work on some boards as a NED.

Feels miles away, but so did feeding myself on 28k a year with 12k childcare costs...

I'm 56 and work part time. I don't know how anyone my age copes with full time work unless you are a lot fitter then me. I think menopause has a big impact- I am so much more tired since reaching 50.

Anyone my age, when we started work we expected to retire at 60, not at 67 and there was a lot said when I was at college early 80's that with technology we would be retiring even earlier in our 50's!! In fact during the 1980'a and 90's there was a lot of incentive for people in local authority service to be able to take early retirement. My parents, both teachers retired not much older than I am now.

That said I agree to some extent with the poster who spoke of someone's world narrowing following early retirement and there are some studies around continuing working as long as possible improving the chance of healthy old age, reduced risk of dementia. I think this must only apply if a person enjoys their work and maybe only works a couple of days a week.

I work 5 hours a day, 4 days a week and even after only working 5 hours (plus commute) I am too tired to do much else with the rest of my day.

Also agree that the cold and dark makes things worse.

*TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince

Margot, there’s a massive massive difference between mid 40’s and mid 50’s. It’s huge,*

I totally get that. So all I can hope for is my health stays OK. My Parents had me really young so the age difference isn't massive. They are both retired, recently and it's time for them.

It is scary but I am shocked that people my age and younger are fed up of working. I really enjoy it. One of my best friends is younger than me has had to give up work due to health problems and she hates not working.

@NotOnYourSmelly don't talk such bollocks.

I'm rubbish at bolding quotes.

@SlightlyBonkersQFA there was resistance, yes, especially from my line manager (who has now also gone part time. Go figure). However it was at the point of I go part time or leave, so they gave me part time.

I do take home more than 80%. In fact I lost only about a sixth of my income, mainly because it took me under a tax bracket. I too spent hours with a pay calculator and spreadsheets.

Going four days really was the best thing.

Retiredandlovingit I am divorcing him although he had told me I'm getting absolutely zilch, silly man

In theory, I like my job. It’s interesting, it matches my skills, it’s socially useful, it benefits people, I’m good at it, it’s OK paid, about the national average. But it is stressful and I work full time with no part time option and no chance of home working. Including the commute I work 60 hours a week. That is too much. But the fear of not working, of not being employed after redundancy, is worse.

I burnt out teaching after 33 years full time in state secondaries and had to take early retirement with a 25 per cent reduction in my pension. After six years I still have another three to go to collect my state pension and I am paying £70 a month class three NI to top it up to nearly the full amount as teachers were opted out of proper contributions.

Cash is tight. I don’t have the heating on until late afternoon and I have biscuits and cereal for breakfast and lunch. I don’t eat out or go on flashy holidays. But I feel free and happy. The first day of my retirement was something like ecstatic and I am now contented though always somewhat worried about finances. I have not regretted retiring for a single second.

Op has not 'disappeared' she is probably exhausted and asleep, a case in point per se.

I'm 49, work part time. I'm worried that my job will become redundant due to AI which is very likely due to the nature of the job and I think it will be very hard to find something else in my 50s.

I'm perimenopausal with brain fog and a terrible memory, but not feeling particularly tired. Don't do any exercise though.

I don't think I can work until 67. Our plan is to sell the house, buy a small flat here, and go and live somewhere abroad that is cheap and hot. But no idea if it will actually happen as we imagine it.

DCs are teens and quite independent, I feel for those of you with young children at this age, so hard.

Even though so many of us feel we can't go on and just want to stop, we do just keep on going because there's no other choice.

But it makes me feel less alone knowing there's others out there who feel this way, and not every 50 something is superwoman as the media would have you believe.

We are being worked to the bone by the corporates, with huge job insecurity, low wages, stripped down worker's rights, unable to afford to live let alone pay substantially into a pension.

If Dickens was around now he could just rehash some of his work to bring it up to date but the story would be the same.

I keep dreaming about winning the Lottery, but the stupid thing is that I don't even know how to play it.

I teach in a college three days a week and work from home the other two and I'm exhausted a lot of the time. I'm 39.

It's s the evening class that kills me, that and the morning commute.

Pension is rubbish, started paying into a private one but probably too late.

This thread has been enlightening. The recession made life a lot harder for employees and many of us are a lot worse off. I haven't had a pay rise for 12 years.

Another problem is, it doesn't end with your working hours - you get home and you've still got all the housework and household administration to do. Do you exhaust yourself trying to get it done in the evening, or do you ruin your weekend with it? Decisions, decisions.

I like my job; I'm good at it. I really like training younger colleagues. I get a buzz out making a difference to peoples lives. I do think working part -time made a huge difference. It does take courage to change jobs or try something new.

kitten housework is full on here, both evenings and weekends. Not to mention helping the kids with their reading and homework. Plus pets to look after. I want off the treadmill.

46, love my job and my salary abs never want to quit working!

Have times changed so much compared to previous generations? I'm led to believe that typically one wage (usually the man's) used to keep a family whilst typically the woman stayed home and looked after the house/kids. Maybe I've got this wrong, and someone could correct me if I have, but isnt this how things once were?

Now you can have a two parent family, both parents pulling in an income and still feel like it's a struggle to get by. Have things really changed so much?

I'm not saying women shouldn't work or men should be the sole providers, that's not what I'm getting at. I'm trying to understand how (if what I'm saying is correct) things have changed so much. Cost of living is ridiculous, house prices are over inflated.

I'm 41 and can't retire until I'm 68.... I totally feel you!

I think you're right, Soen. It was much more common 40 - 50 years ago for a wife to be either a housewife, or to work very, very part-time.

Rising house prices and the change in status and availability of social housing are responsible for this. A typical mortgage is no longer affordable on one salary. People who would have lived in a good quality council house in years past are now paying a fortune to rent the same house privately because it was sold off in the right to buy era.

I agree. House prices have changed the dynamics. I also think that as hardly anyone has a good final salary pension have changed options. What annoys me is there is nothing I can do to guarantee a good pension. It doesn't matter how much I put in I have no way making sure that it will be enough.

I've had a few years off as a sahm, then another couple volunteering. I'm now working 4 days a week and really enjoying it. I can see me working past retirement age.

Started buying lottery tickets in the hope I can give up working and just work with horses or ponies or dogs or cats ...you get the idea.
Fingers crossed!

I’m 67, not in brilliant health..thank god I don’t have to work.
I really feel for waspi women who thought they were going to get their pension long before that.
I do worry that at age 38 my son is just starting a 4 year nursing course

I really hope what’s happening in the nhs doesn’t knock the stuffing out of him

I find it quite amusing that my children both do /will do something to do with health
My daughter is a trained homeopath and my son will be a theatre nurse.