Did anyone else have a "fuck it, I'm retiring" moment?

[MrsMoastyToasty]

I'm in my late 50s, mortgage paid off, have worked since the age of 18. I'm so close to jacking my job my job in .

I'm so jealous, I am not there yet but desperately want to step back and work less

Yep, me, and I leave next month. However I do get my state pension next year, but I simply can’t be arsed with my job any more . Counting the days.

The driving force has been that I got a payrise just before Christmas and now that my hourly rate is higher I can work less hours for a similar take home pay to what I was on pre pay increase.

I did. I hadn’t really thought seriously about retiring but my dad being diagnosed with lung cancer pretty much coincided with my 65th birthday. He wanted to stay at home and was having just palliative care so I took time off to care for him, albeit with input from carers and Hospice at Home. He died after three months and I had the fuck it moment and retired there and then. Part of my decision was the requirement to revalidate to keep my nursing registration and I just couldn’t be bothered to jump through all the bureaucratic hoops. Although I had a great job which I loved it isn’t a decision I’ve ever regretted.

I was 54, and completely and utterly fed up with teaching so I looked at how much my pension would be if I took it at 55 and just went for it. No kids or mortgage to worry about. Best decision ever!

Just come back to this thread to say I retired from corporate life on December 31st aged 60.

I have a little project rumbling along but no more toxic arses to deal with. No more 'new' male boses just me and a few friends looking to help with safety for women and girls.

And just to say I'm happier everyday. Skint atm but very much the right decision.

I have told my employer I want to retire.They have asked me to help them to recruit my replacement .Shortlist completed and interviews in 2 weeks,which I am on the interviews panel. I should give 3 months notice,but the interviews etc will be all completed in 8 weeks,since i informed them,which takes it to the end of March.
I would like to go before 3rd April(Tax year)
My question is can I just say I want to go,without working 3 months notice,bearing in mind i have assisted them in recruiting my replacement.
Hopefully won't need a reference again unless I need a little part time job to supplement pension.
I suppose my question is-
Has anyone just walked, knowing its their last ever Job without working their notice period?

I asked my last job to release me early, it was a similar amount of time and they were fine about it. My Manager wrote to HR and said that they supported my early date. I would just ask, see what they say and like you say, you can always just walk, what can they do if you don't need a reference ever again.

I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this without my employer's agreement. A contract is a contract.

So have you already given your formal notice, or just let them know you wish to retire? Surely if you’ve already given notice and you’ve still got a few weeks of interviews it’s not really that long until your time is up?
Im in the planning stages of getting the hell out of the daily grind, but having to wait for some financial stuff to sort (unfortunately that’s all out of my hands). In as much as I can’t wait to go, I’m loathing the possibility of having to train a replacement, if they can get someone in before I go. I’ve been here an eternity and a lot if it is…..well….you just know it or you don’t. Whilst most is regular day to day, month to month routine…there’s a lot that is just “known”.
having to train someone just makes everything slow, intense and generally just a pain in the arse. I know my anxiety and blood pressure will be over the roof. Quietly I’m just hoping there won’t be much of a cross over…I’ll be happy to be contactable (within reason) for a while after I’ve gone….just for general help etc.
dreading it……

Well, I came back from holiday yesterday and realised I’ve just don’t want to do this stuff any more. My inbox is full of emails. I don’t want to open, Work. I don’t want to do. It is time.

I have run the numbers etc and I am going on my 61st birthday next year. It gives me 16 months to get my pensions sorted, start my business back up and find my courage to actually do it. Also to save some extra money, to have a bigger buffer and holiday fund.

16 months isn’t too long to wait after 40 odd years of working.

Congrats! I'm on countdown too.

Exactly the same scenario and time it happened for me too! No regrets …

Do you think managers know that some employees are near the end of their careers, can afford to retire so push them out ?

Yes, a fortnight ago. Definitely a lunch time fuck it what am I doing here putting up with this utter BS moment. I have three days left to go at the beginning of term and I’m free… although I’ve already lined up a part time 3 day job, as going from 6 days a week to nothing felt a little too scary. But I’m already thinking I don’t have time to work as I’ve lined up so many other things to do including volunteering.

Most days! I'm 57 next week, have to hang in until 60 for my NHS pension, but after 35 years I'm done in my head.
3 years seems like a really long time some days.

Possibly! I had worked very hard and loved my job for 20 years and found her behaviour very hurtful and unreasonable… then I received some inheritance so my mind was made up! 😀

Wow gingercat we are twins. Best of luck.

Just read the whole thread from start to finish in about an hour. I am exactly at this point. I was planning to go next year, August time, but yesterday spent about 2 hrs going back over all my numbers and have brought it forward to Christmas this year. Totally fed up with work, bored of the same ole same ole. I'll be 57 when I go, can't wait to give my 3mths notice and sit back and wait. I have so much i want to do, and can't wait to get started. The company I work for has not really changed, but I have. My patience for BS has worn out and i'm just fed up with a groundhog day life of boredom. I have a DB pension of about £23k and will buy a fixed term annuity using my SIPP to see me through to SP age. OH will be going at the same time, so we will have a pretty splendid Christmas. I've been saving hard for the past 8 years, salting away about 35-40% of my salary every month in preparation of this fuck it moment, and it's nearly here!

@HUSKYPAL congratulations then on your impending retirement!

Sadly I can’t retire yet, but I am certainly reducing down my work days. Hopefully that will keep me going for a bit longer, along with some changes that I’m going to have to insist on in terms of my role -to expand it out and let me do something actually interesting for awhile.

I do understand what you mean however about just feeling done with it, if this doesn’t work, I’m at least going to have to find a whole new job.

Sadly same here! I have 7 years on mortgage to go and 3 kids about to go through uni in the next few years! I worry about losing my job but equally can access my pension now. I’m on track to have a good pension pot if I could stick it out to my 60s!

As of 2pm today, I’m retired!!

Congratulations!

Best of luck - keep us posted!