What Are You Hoping To Do In Retirement?

[lovestea]

Ok, there will be financial constraints, some really serious ones for some of us. But, what are you hoping for and what is realistic when you give up work?
A lot of people work well beyond retirement age now for a better lifestyle or for essentials. How do you see yours panning out? Off at 60? 65? Beyond?
Do you have a passion that you soooooo want to follow in retirement? Can you afford to do it?
Love to know what others think and want.

Just found this thread and saw I’d posted 2 years ago. In the end I took a low stress , low pay part time job, and have done that for 2 years. Contract changing for worse, so might leave this year. I’ve just rented a couple of rooms out to short term lodgers for useful extra income. I’ll be 62 if his year, DP 65 and he has some health issues.

I've been retired 2 1/2 years now. I am so happy, I do not miss working in a toxic atmosphere with difficult colleagues not pulling their weight. Now I volunteer, garden, walk, do yoga, go out for coffee, sit in the sunshine and just feel happy. A huge boulder rolled off my shoulders when I left work.

This thread has reappeared in my watch list - no idea of last post date (I'm on the app) so hope I'm not resurrecting a zombie thread!

I'm 57 at the end of the year, single with 21yoDS at home. 8 years left in mortgage although I moved to a cheaper house and knocked £30k off it as part of my financial plan.

I have a small LG pension I could take now, a personal pension with about £300k in it and am paying into my work scheme (I work FT).

I am knackered. We had some family health issues followed by a bereavement last year which knocked me for 6. Ever since then my dreams of retirement have got stronger.

I have a small blog and am hoping to expand into an online business to generate some money. I know if I carry in working for a few years I would have a comfortable retirement but I'd like to retire now, have a few months off and then work part time somewhere doing a job where I can go home at the end of the day and forget about it. I would love to go travelling but think that would seriously cut into my funds. Like a pp said I would love to continue to learn in my retirement, volunteer somewhere and keep my mind occupied. I'd also read more, do more exercise, and meet friends.

If I didn't have a mortgage I would be almost certainly retired now!!

I'm going at the end of September after 37 years at the same large corporate. I'll be 56. I hate my job after decades of loving it. I've applied for a volunteering job working directly with my favourite animals and have been accepted subject to references which should come through any day.

I'm using the period between now and end of September to add some structure to my retired week with wonderful things for me, before everyone else fills those days doing asking me to do things for them.

With elderly parents and animals of my own and ridiculously high standards around the home and garden I'm already wondering if I will have any time left as it is.

DH & I are now in it. 12 months in.
Well sort of. Semi retired.
And what are we doing? Muddling though. Bit lost actually, especially DH.
Was hoping for some sort of revelation by now, but havent had one.
He wats to travel. I dont.[he has been away in total, two months at least, out of the last 12].
But to my mind, travel is no long term answer.

I am confused about his energy levels too. Cant work out if he is being rather lazy, a bit ill, or lost energy in general.

Great thread. Im 50. Its a long time away. My poor dad had a massive stroke so no retirement really. I just hope I can enjoy life a bit. Dog or a pet are great agree they get you out. Im not sure re retirement days long.

how lovely to hear this!!
I retired in Jan 42 years NHs
I am so so happy especially on Sundays when I do not have to dread Mondays
I have a nice DH and DC an elderly mother
So i'm really just wasting time at the moment.
have had lots of trips already this year and hope to more if health and finances allow

8 years left at work, I plan to retire early, so I'll be 58.
We plan to buy a motorhome and travel for months at a time. We have several dogs so want to get puppy passports and go to Europe for a few months.

I retired yesterday (still have to wait for my state pension) . Feeling unsettled but determined to get fitter as I have become quite sedate in the last few years .

Congratulations sparkley on the 1st day of retirement !
Getting fitter sounds very sensible as a key thing to focus on

@BookWorm45 thank you. I have made a good start as I've signed up to a fitness class aimed at the "older adult" which starts in September. I'm aching already 😅

Congrats @sparkleystuff

one more academic year and that’s it for me. I enjoyed the end of term this year and it will be even better next year 🥂

The final year is always the best as you can dream and plan your future.i it's a feel good thing.

I'm going to sell up and buy a camper van and use the money to travel Europe
I'll also give my children their inheritance so I can see them spend it
And I'll just live in a camper van in my later years
(This is if my health allows me to drive)

I have had two primary cancers and two lots of vicious treatment, the first was grim ,anyway I only worked fifteen hours a week, I could see the accountant edging me out and the desire to say poke it was overwhelming, but I sat it out through lockdown and then they made me redundant, which suited me down to the ground as I was going back from furlough to ask for eight hours and if they had said no (I strongly suspect they would have done) I would have walked. They blinked first.

So I retired at 56, DH retires in a month.

We have his final salary, his state pension, the twenty year savings pot and my sizeable inheritance.

We plan to do lots of city breaks and more holidays at the drop of a hat, more golf for him and probably renewing gym membership for me.

We have spent thirty four years being sensible, it will take some adjusting to start spending.

DS21 keeps offering to help us spend it.😂

We will need to ring fence some money to get him on the housing ladder.

I am very aware that cancer could come knocking again for me at some point in the future, so we will spend but spend wisely.

Fabulous to reread this thread which I posted on last year. Then I was toying with the idea of downsizing, now its a definite plan. House to go on the market next year after spacing it up and DC moving out.

I intend to help DC get on the property ladder; continue working part time; borrow DCs dog for walks.

Currently feel I'm not doing as much with my life as I could - see a couple of friends and have a hobby but need to find other things that grab my interest; get me out and make me feel alive.

Semi Retired at 52. Partner and I sold our individual properties in London for combined £1.75 m this year.
million ( we'd both been on property ladder since our early twenties.)both bought in the early 90s.
We've sold both and bought a four bed by the seaside.
We will both work on his business. Part time. But have a lovely property and two BTL.

i am actually now retired!!! 60 and have had a wonderful 8 months .
But i am definitely getting lazier things i easily did in an hour now take me all day. because i guess there's no pressure to get them done.
So as september always feels like a reset month to me i'm going to start various things and would be grateful for any suggestions.
i used to love drawing and painting hate exercise but realise it has to start happening.
i don't have many friends TBH have never really had time and my husband is still working full time, they're going to have to push him out the door to get rid of him !! So i am on my own a lot.
if i'm
not careful i'll just end up even fatter!!

@terfenerf do you like swimming? I’m a rubbish swimmer but I go at least 3 times a week, lots of semi/fully retired people there. I’m one of those sad breast stroke head out of the water swimmers, but it’s actually become addictive.
Also what about joining a language class? We are hoping to go to Italy next year so
im going to try and learn some basic phrases.

I'm 59 and hope to go at 62. Ds will be 18and off to uni or whatever he does.

I'm going to take six months off and bumble around. Then I'll take a view. If I have loads of energy and empty nest syndrome, I may train as a foster carer.

Or I may just enjoy myself, learn to sail, tidy my garden, grow more fruit & veg. Help out at the primary school. Drink mandarin daiquiris 😀

I’m amazed that no one has said ‘looking after my grandchildren’, as that seems to be the expectation of a lot of Mumsnetters of their parents or in-laws.
I look after mine regularly now I have retired, and am actually reluctant to travel as much as I thought I would, as it would as I know it puts my kids out. I do, however feel privileged to be so involved in my grandchildren’s lives. My own choice then.

i don't have any grandchildren yet!!
I can see how that would have a huge impact on day to day life. I might prefer working!!!
yes re swimming i'm going to see if i can go tomorrow

@ThreeKneeRepeater if my kids have kids same age as me my grandkids will be 20+ by the time I retire 😂

I had to wait a long time for mine! 🤣

DH retired a while ago, and I was made redundant on furlough about twelve months ago and we looked at the numbers and went nah, not worth the effort, so I have been waiting patiently in the wings, we are both boggled by how you slowly or quickly you can take things, today we had agreed that DH would drive me over to Guildford (too much hassle parking and the park and ride I normally use has been suspended due to too many people WFH anyway I digress....

We had a coffee and said we will go in a minute, then we picked up a crossword and left the house two hours later than planned, but it so doesn't matter.

DH's current project is researching golf clubs to join, he has now decided that he is going to road test as many as possible between now and spring and then make a decision, that is a long time to have to look interested and ask the right questions.