What to do in retirement

[Retirementsoon]

I am estranged from my large family. I don’t have a lot of friends. I feel like retiring soon. What’s the best way to enjoy this? I have quite a lot of money luckily.

As previous posters have said, there is much that you could fill your time with. But remember to leave some space where you have nothing planned that you can be spontaneous, even if it is staying in with a cup of coffee. For me, this is the real liberation, not the commitments of volunteering or art classes.

What do you do at the weekends op?

Volunteering is not compulsory! Don’t think you have to unless you find something you enjoy that suits you in terms of time commitment etc. I read, travel, go to the gym, socialise with friends, do photography, brush up on languages.

I retired a couple of years ago, and spent about a year beforehand analysing what really mattered to me, and what I wanted out of the remaining years of my life, and then put everything in place to make it possible - moved to a city, joined cultural organisations and culled my property and lifestyle.

I get up late, have a leisurely hour with coffee and pottering, then spend the morning doing something vaguely intellectual. Most afternoons I go to the gym for a couple of hours, then theatre, concert or cinema most evenings. I eat when I get home, and then watch TV while I eat, and go to bed late. I do a local pub quiz weekly, and joined a couple of organisations that have regular evening meetings. I go out for dinner once a fortnight with a supper club. There are loads of cheap and free things where I live, so it’s all do-able on my pension.

I have a consultancy role which takes up the odd week here and there, go and visit friends or family occasionally, and sometimes just do a day of walking and thinking/exploring, or a day of batch cooking. I spent my career doing nice stuff for other people, so don’t feel any urge to volunteer now.

I am healthier, more content and much less stressed than I have ever been, and life is very, very good.

When I retire I plan to spaff all my money travelling.

Although that probably wont be for another 20 years or so.

Conservation work in south America

Join a choir maybe. There are many like rock choir where you don't need to read music or even sing that well

Is that some kind of x-rated wizardry?

If you like animals get a dog, will make walks a lot more sociable and will give you a focus.

Activism

I'm planning to retire in 4-5 years. I already have plans

Volunteering - local food bank and local wildlife trust (starting this one next month)
More exercise
More travel
Lunches and coffees out
Doing all my jobs on weekdays (shopping, etc) when it's less busy, and going to the butchers, grocers,etc, rather than just the supermarket
Seeing more of my friends (and my DH)
Short UK trips (weekdays and not school holidays)
Not getting up at 7am regularly
Gardening
Generally pottling about rather than rushing to fit things in.

Cannot bloody wait. I'll have done 38/39 years in the NHS when I hang up my diet sheets. I'm ready!

This is definitely interesting! I am also learning Spanish which would be useful there.

What a lovely post. That sounds like a sane, healthy and wonderfully fun retirement. Are you in London? What are the vaguely intellectual things you do in the mornings?

For volunteering our local alpine association has people hike the routes to help mark then out, make sure the signs are still visible and help record the routes for Walking Apps nowadays . Quite nice is your into walks as it gives each walk a purpose. Usually your paired up so you would have company. I’m sure the uk has similar.

Sounds amazing 😊

London, yes.

I sometimes do online or in person academic lectures, read quite a bit, sometimes do the Guardian or Private Eye cryptic crossword, do the written bits of consultancy stuff or head down to the British Library reading room to research something I’ve come across - a bit like Googling but slower and with reliable information.

What other skills do you have other than your IT job?

Volunteering encompasses many different things...

If you love animals - guide dog puppy raising/fostering older dogs in training/walking dogs at a shelter/walking dogs for people who are unwell/elderly via cinnamon trust
If you have good practical skills - we have a repair cafe twice a month run by volunteers who will repair household items/sew up holes in clothes
If you like children local schools have volunteers to listen to kids read
If you like the arts, smaller theatres have volunteers who help out with shows - painting scenery/making costumes/selling tickets

There are volunteering opportunities everywhere and I've made more friends through that than anywhere else. Think about what you have to offer - you could get a lot out of it.

Do not do any voluntary work until you have been retired for a few years. You are just escaping from compulsory hours and tasks. Voluntary works put you under the same obligation. Sometimes more so, because the obligation to colleagues and the organisation.

Also, don’t over-plan, far better to let each day happen as it will. When I first retired I Marie Kondo’d my whole house. One day I tipped out all of my rollers and sorted them into sizes. I have been retired for 20 years and did a final Kondo on the rollers yesterday. I binned the lot.

The first 10 years of my retirement were marred by 3 very demanding relatives. When the last one died, when I was 70, I fulfilled a life long ambition and got a dog. I have since loved every minute of the freedom retirement brings me. Don’t allow yourself to be pressured by others into doing what you don’t want.

I tried to volunteer at the local care home but they said I had to pay for my own DBS and go in the same day each week. I didn't feel very welcome.

That is well observed. There are cost involved in employing volunteers. Checks, insurance and staff time in supervision. Some organisations definitely treat volunteers as a nuisance. There is a lot of work involved in volunteering that some people don’t realise. Not least is making sure you are providing a value for money and helpful service. Getting on with existing staff, who may resent you is not always easy either.

I'd love to learn to sing! Where would you begin though, finding singing lessons?

@Abracadabra12345 I just googled adult singing lessons near me - quite a few came up!

I'm planning to retire in a few years. My plans are mainly sewing and allotment gardening. So an indoor hobby and an outdoor hobby.

My local adult education service holds regular singing sessions.

and my friend sings with https://rockchoir.com/

Join your local U3A.