I don't want to work anymore!

[ettieb]

I'm 55 and have been working since I was 16 apart from a couple of years off when my son was little. I'm so over working. I don't hate my job.. I've worked there a long time... with lovely people.. my boss is great and I can choose whether I work from home or go into the office or a bit of both.. so I know I'm very lucky but I just want freedom to do what I want when I want. It doesn't help that a lot of my friends are retired and do lovely things which I want to join in with. I can't believe I've got to do this for another 12 years... there are no options for me financially to go part time. We are on holiday at the moment in Devon.. nothing fancy.. just a caravan and cooking for ourselves mostly as we can't really afford to eat out... but I'm as happy as Larry... just knitting.. doing crosswords.. generally bimbling around doing my own thing. I just think I wanted to moan!

I'm in my 30s and have been saying for a decade that I want to retire. The majority of the human race (capitalist society) has really got it wrong imo. Why do I have to spend 8 hours a day in an office with people I don't enjoy spending time with, plus commute, when I have a wonderful family I love at home who I only get to spend two days a week with, if that. And there's no money left for holidays these days anyway, I work for us to be able to survive in this system. It's depressing so I try not to think about it :(

I've worked 4 days for a while and like that. If you could cut down to 4 days would that help op?

Retired from Nhs at 55, paid in the max since age 22,when I also started a FSVC pension . despite earning well I only bought the size house I needed rather than stretching myself. Also To be fair I live in rural Scotland house prices are 40% of what they are in London. so was mortgage free in my mid forties at that point what I previously paid to mortgage I put 75%into savings and 25%into holidays house repairs etc

Nah, life is for the living!

I’m 60 and took VR from a job I enjoyed (and a company I’d worked for for years) earlier this year. I’ve done some work since leaving - potentially got a bit more lined up but keen not to over commit. Don’t have a mortgage, DC has left uni and is earning. DH younger still works. Could take private pension early next year. For me it’s about striking a balance and getting a good hybrid life - I really enjoy keeping fit/swimming etc so want to prioritise that. Consider myself lucky to be in this position not that I ever thought I would be doing it yet …

I want to retire. I’m 40. No chance for years, got a mortgage to pay & two kids in infant school. So tired. Feel older than I am. I don’t think I’ll make it to retirement age

Only boring people get bored. And who is funding these studies into the perils of early retirement anyway? Find a way to take back your life in any way you can!

I can't wait to retire and I'm only mid 40s. I imagine that as I get older I will become even less tolerant of office politics etc 😬

I could quite happily move down to the south west once the children have finished uni and potter, dog walk, etc. It's the dream.

You have made a good point re the studies into early retirement 😄... aren't the same people desperately trying to get retired people back to work (to plug the gaps left by all the people who don't want/aren't allowed to work here anymore)?

Hi OP, I could have written your opening paragraph!
I'm 56 in a very busy and demanding fulltime public sector job.
The two days WFH are a godsend.
I hate sharing an office (used to have my own) although colleagues are lovely.
The earliest I can leave is at 58 which is about 18 months away and I've already told my boss I'm jacking it in! Saying it out loud made it real and triggered such excitement in me and I'm mentally toying with so many ideas. I'm very sporty and never get bored. Would love to get a small place in France or Spain to spend the winter months.
I will adjust my spending and outgoings because the very thought of being FREE of the workplace will be worth it.

I'm 58 at the end of the year, have worked since I was 16 apart from a few weeks between jobs and 6 month's maternity leave- and I am knackered. I was a single mum for 9 years too.

I downsized my mortgage a couple of years ago moving to a house in a cheaper area and I now have a small mortgage which I could pay off if I really wanted to - however I have a new hobby of frequent holidays which need paying for so I've resigned myself to working for at least another couple of years. But i definitely want to retire at 60. I reduced my hours and do a four day week and that has made a difference to my quality of life.

I've had a couple of family members die in late 50s/early 60s recently and that, together with lockdown has made me question this life of working until we drop. Life is for living. And I would never get bored - so many plans!!

I'm 56 and have had a few months off a couple of times in the last few years, whilst in-between jobs.
I've loved the time off but I've been ready to go back to work again afterwards.
I have, however, sworn I will only carry on doing any particular job for as long as I enjoy it.

Those of you retiring in your 50s, do you mind me asking how you worked out how much you needed and (if you've already taken the plunge) whether you think you got it right? It seems such a long time to plan for with so much that can change.

Oh dear.

I'm not talking about myself but you do realise some people have obstacles in their lives.

Mental or physical illness. Children with extra needs. Financial problems through no fault of their own. Also, lots more reasons.

Everyone who has early retirement though. Enjoy!

I'm very lucky I work part time. I love pottering about

Four or five years out from my eventual retirement, DH and I had a 6 month trial of living on just the amount I was projected to get from my occupational pension if I retired at 55. This gave us practical information on which to base our decisions. Another useful thing I did was to find out from my parents how much their retirement income was, because I could see the lifestyle they were able to fund and it gave me a reference point.

That’s a good idea, we did something similar when ttc (living on salary minus nursery fees)

I get what you're saying @serena7 that 55 seems young but it has surprised me how much more tired I am in my fifties.

I've worked full time for 33 years with a 5 month maternity leave and spent the last 8 years as a single parent. It feels like the tiredness and burden of work, both paid and domestic are cumulative.

So yes, your generation will probably have to work longer but it's not fair to say the OP can't complain when you haven't actually put the years in yet.

Firstly you can get good predictions from your pension provider about your projected pension if you are in public sector and over 50and started working there before 2008-2010 your normal pension age is probably 60 so if you take it at 60there Willbe no deduction check mccleod ruling. You can also see how much the deduction is for each year you take it early. Then work out how much you need to live on. Bearing in mind most costs are down less commuting less work clothes housing probably paid off. Some costs like heating will rise. Then allow an amount for things like new cars boilers etc willing be setting aside your lump sum or a commitment to saving a certain percentage of income for this. Will retirement mean downsizing and after expenses of moving how much capital will it adf to the pot.

Whether you can afford to retire depends on your projected spending needs being less than projected income. If they are not you have to decide whether a early more frugal retirement if that is what you want or whether you want to work longer and save as much as possible to enable you to retire sooner

This is where I am, mid 50s, recently started a new job and feel physically and mentally exhausted.

I know I need to take time to exercise, look after myself, do positive, enjoyable things but all I can manage is to drag myself through the week, collapse at the weekend and start again on Monday.

It's hitting hard at the moment. I would love to go down to 3 days a week but it's not an option by any reckoning.

I keep starting off daydreams of selling the house and downsizing and then screech to a halt because actually that would only help for a short while and the house is all I have.

I'm 33 and feel this way!! Haha

It is shit though. I'm friends with a lot of people in work who are getting close to retirement age and they are all very depressed. They just want to relax and enjoy their lives after decades of working, yet most of them are having to go part time because they can't afford to retire fully.

It's really sad to see, and it's really not fair that people have to slog their guts out most of their life and only have a few years off to enjoy their lives.

I don’t think that’s so true in your 20’s and 30’s though. You may hate your current job but that’s not the same. You also know there are choices in careers, study, working overseas etc.
Its different in your 50’s. You’ve possibly done a career to death if you found one you liked. Study or retraining is fine but you’ve still got to compete with younger people for the work. You’ve increasingly got friends with more time and money who aren’t working to do stuff with.
Everyones attitude to life has shifted by 50. You aren’t so defined by your work but how you look and feel. And it’s actually true that even if you were fit healthy and young looking at say 45 it can quite quickly fall apart in your 50’s. You can’t take any of it coming naturally anymore.

I don't have a stressful job, enjoy it and really like my colleagues so as long as I make time to enjoy the time I'm not at work I'm really happy to carry on working. My DH doesn't like his job (it's more stressful and he earns a lot more money) .

Our mortgage is paid off so I can see him going part-time in the years leading up to retirement which would suit us fine as long as he did more at home.

He's off Friday (more holidays) but I'm not and it will be nice that he will sort the campervan out and tidy the house whilst I work. Then he can pick me up and off we go.

As I've said we can't retire early so just making sure we do enjoy life whilst we can now we have no young children.

I retired at 65 and I haven't had time to get bored yet! I help out with GC, do my hobbies. DH still works though and I don't think will ever fully retire

I do understand as although I loved my job and my colleagues I had had enough of dragging myself out of bed - even when WFH, I really begrudged it.