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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think it's perfectly understandable that a high-paid, child-free couple could retire at 50?

158 replies

LoomyDee · 01/10/2026 08:30

Someone I work with is retiring in a couple of years aged 50.

I have the same plan but I'm only just 40.

We were chatting about it the other day at work, and a couple of people were or acted completely befuddled by the situation. When the lady in question went to the toilet, a couple of people starting up with "But how on earth will she afford it?"

I don't get it.

Surely it's not extraordinarily strange and incomprehensible to realise that a couple with high-paid jobs, a fairly normal lifestyle and no children will be able to retire very early?!

Am I missing something? I've run my own numbers and 50 seems very comfortable but I worry I've completely overlooked something with how incredulous these other colleagues were!

OP posts:

Bjorkdidit · 02/10/2026 15:55

School holidays, low budget, particular and in demand location, pick two.

AnonyMumAuDHD · 02/10/2026 17:17

Of course? If we didn’t have children, I’d have continued working for the last 20+ years bringing in a second income, we’d have saved more money (private schools, private SEN assessments, all that bloody gaming tech, cheaper holidays in term time, music lessons, subsidising uni accommodation/living costs etc), and we’d have owned a smaller property (though possibly more spaniels). My DH would happily have retired at 50.

He’d retire tomorrow, but we have two at university on 4 year courses/planning MAs, so he will have to work until 60.

latetothefisting · 02/10/2026 19:01

LoomyDee · 02/10/2026 14:20

I agree with this. I was called a liar, a chatbot and a man 😮for talking about some financial stuff on here once.

Show quote history

haha same, was also called a liar when I said how I managed to afford my first house! I mean, what on earth would the possible benefit be to fibbing about that via an anonymous user name to random strangers online?!

JoB1kenobi · 02/10/2026 22:52

Having a colleague who planned retirement in July and died yesterday has made me reassess all plans - do what you’ve got to do!

I for one enjoy working and helping and caring - wouldn’t entirely give up work.

I also earn (household) less now than I did childfree and have kids and have had childcare to pay and we manage - still with the odd Florida holiday thrown in. We have debt but not crippling.

live your life the way you want to as long as it hurts no one else.

MooFroo · 02/10/2026 23:32

Shedmistress · 01/10/2026 08:48

I have a step daughter who we helped through university and yet I retired at 53.

I did side hustles, I saved, I owned no fancy handbags or shoes, holidays were modest and we overpaid our mortgage in order to do so.

We didn't just fall into being able to cover our costs, it was 20 years of hard graft from making my own soap and growing my own food and working many long hours to get into a job that gained me a decent income, putting myself through 4 degrees at different levels to get more qualifications and these were not high paying jobs, just mid level paying.

@Shedmistress was it worth it for you and would you it again?

How did 4 degrees still get you in mid level jobs? Did you follow passions or go with what you enjoyed?

Newname26 · 03/10/2026 00:28

CarelessWimper · 02/10/2026 13:00

I don’t believe MN would class us as a high income couple but we have no children and am planning on going part time next year. We could retire fully and live with cheaper holidays but I’m 46 and DH in his 50s so we thought we might do part time or temping type jobs for a bit (assuming we can get them) so the plan is to use that income for bills and holidays and let the investments grow more.

We have pets and nice holidays which we have never been budgeted for but we have never had an expensive car or eaten out much or smoked or had expensive hobbies.

We have just consistently saved into investments and paid the mortgage off about ten years ago. We buy what we can second hand and have always bought fixer upper houses which has helped massively as we will eventually downsize and free up some cash plus it has enabled us to save a fortune in interest and there have been some side hustling to help along the way

You know thats partly why it annoys me that savings are taken into account when it comes to benefits.

People with savings are often very frugal and have chosen to spend very carefully.

I know MN has the mindset that if you have money thats what you should live off, even if you have become too ill to work.

YourAmberExpert · 03/10/2026 01:44

Bjorkdidit · 01/10/2026 08:42

Of course it's possible. Especially if they've invested over the last couple of decades instead of spending every penny they earn on overpriced non essentials. They could now be in the situation where they have a passive income so can afford not to work.

They can live in a smaller house and have probably paid off their mortgage. Plus getting good deals on everything you spend can shave hundreds a month off the cost. And having a modest lifestyle has the double benefit of it costing less, so you need less money to be able to afford it.

The difference in cost between child free, small house, lower bills, basic but sufficient leisure costs, holidays, possessions, hobbies etc and the typical MN lifestyle of a large house near to good schools, £1000+ a month on salmon and blueberries, childcare, music lessons, tutoring, leased electric cars, Ikos holiday, salon colour and treatments, etc etc is thousands a month. Invest even some of that and it could easily build up into a lump sum that will provide a decent basic monthly income by age 50. It's what the FIRE movement is all about.

Edited

Depiction is far from typical of the MN lifestyle frequently illustrated on this site

Nichelette · 03/10/2026 20:30

I definitely think this is possible if you're in good jobs. We're 40/41 with a 3 and 5 year olds. We've spent about 70k on nursery alone (that was with DS1 only going 2 days for 15 months whilst I was on second mat leave). If that 70k (plus other child related expenses) was paid off of our mortgage or into pensions I think we'd be in a pretty good position.

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