Retirement is ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-)

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floridacatlover
Posts: 8038
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Retirement is ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-)

Post by floridacatlover »

Rinty, enjoy your visit to the National Trust property today.

I retired at 55 and have never been sorry. I was able to care for mom in ways I would not have been able to do if I had been working.

Now I can spend my days as I like. I do enjoy a lot of stay-at-home things but must admit that I get depressed if I stay home alone too much. So I like to get out each day. I am fortunate that I don’t feel financial pressures. I think that retirement will be more difficult for the younger generation due to fewer pensions, job instability and higher healthcare costs which I believe are coming. If I had to give one recommendation to younger people it would be buy a house or condo and pay it off as soon as possible.
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LWolfT
Posts: 2707
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:46 am

Re: Retirement is ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-)

Post by LWolfT »

Well, as for being semi-retired :D I very much enjoy not having to spend 9-10 hours of my day somewhere else. I've told folks that while the $ I make at this particular contract job isn't a lot, it's a job I can fit into my life instead of the other way around.
CG, I'm like you ... I have plenty of things to keep me occupied around the house, though I'm trying to make an effort to be a bit more social ;) Though I have noticed that the day-to-day stuff tends to take over.
I suspect that DH will want to work at some job/youth baseball for as long as possible ... that's fine with me, as I like having a chunk of time to myself
LogicsHere
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Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:49 am

Re: Retirement is ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-)

Post by LogicsHere »

I don't think I gave much thought to what retirement was beyond the fact that I wouldn't have to go to work any more and not worry about getting to work in the winter with the snow and ice.

I was forced into retirement by my employer for lack of work, but it did happen at the time when my Mom started needed the most care, so I too was able to look after my mother much better than I could have had I continued to work.

But I've been retired almost 3-1/2 years now and I LOVE it. I am not the homemaker type so I created a schedule for housecleaning tasks that allow me to spend on average no more than 1 hour a day. I do cook a bit more for myself although not fancy and besides my diet doesn't do fancy very well.

I have plenty of things I enjoy (reading and while not like COlonial Girl, I have read about 6 books this summer, enjoy doing Sudoku puzzles, logic problems, playing various games on the site called Pogo Games and have found a couple of online casino games that I'm having fun with as well). I am trying to do a minimum of 20-30 minutes of exercise a day. I joined a coloring group which starts again next week (was off for the summer), joined a senior citizens group and participate 2 to 3 times a month in a program sponsored by the local hospital. I'm still having a bit of a time building a "social circle"; the one friend I do have hasn't had time for me in the last 2-3 months. But I am starting to get to know a few more people and am getting more comfortable with them so things are changing.

But I wouldn't trade retirement for anything. I earned it.
NoisyPorkchop
Posts: 183
Joined: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:59 pm
Location: In the middle of the Willamette Valley, Oregon.

Re: Retirement is ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-)

Post by NoisyPorkchop »

I still have quite a few years until retirement (17 years, 4 months..but who's counting :lol: ) but I lurk on a couple of retirement-type forums because I want to glean information for when that time comes. The most frequent thing I see on the forums are retiree's talking about having "something" to retire to, i.e., hobbies, interests and activities that will keep you busy and active that fit your lifestyle. I read that gone are the days of just sitting in a rocking chair and watching TV or going a round of golf. The retiree's that seem most happy are ones that have something going on in their life such as gardening, volunteering, travel, interaction with others. Oh, that and a compatible partner. Heard that one is a biggie too. Luckily I have a husband I am super compatible with and we get along very well. The unhappy ones I read about are folks that were too tied into their jobs/careers and found they had no real identity beyond their careers and retirement is such a shock to their system, those who didn't plan properly or well enough with retirement funds and are trying to get by day to day with the little they get from SS alone and the folks who have a litany of health problems that limit what they can do or even want to do because of illness.

It's kinda funny; when you are a youngster living at home you can't wait to get out into the world, then as a young adult you can't wait for your "dream" job or "dream" spouse to start a family with, then as you age you can't wait for retirement, lol.

I just hope that DH and I are in good enough health to want to go out and do some things together such as travel and whatnot. I want my garden and plants to tend to also. I have so many interests that I doubt I will be bored. He has a pension and I have my 403b retirement; house is paid for, cars paid for. We have a few things we want to save up for such as doing more work on the house and to buy a small travel trailer. I think the concept of retirement is what you want to do. To fashion your days into what you would like them to be. I think that is a great thing to be able to do after years of toil in the workplace.
Quilter51
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Joined: Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:04 pm

Re: Retirement is ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-)

Post by Quilter51 »

Three best things about retirement..
No alarm clock, no weekend errand and being able to do everything off hours/off season. Nothing like the SR discount movie at 11 am Tuesday.

Personally I quit work to care for hubby. Always thought I could go back to work when I was emotionally ready. Fought the obvious opposite for a few years and then embraced it. I do work part time on occasion when I feel like it and have a few scheduled things to get me out of the house.

As I just told my 60 year old sister in law, the people I see struggle the most is those whose entire social lives are connected to work and other parents and I worry about her being one of those people.
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Mrscreative
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:06 pm

Re: Retirement is ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-)

Post by Mrscreative »

For me, retirement has given me the opportunity to do a lot of things I want, when I want. Although I did find the past winter months a little long, I now have a new hobby of genealogy which will no doubt fill a lot of time. I cross country ski and even tried down hill skiing last winter after a 26 year hiatus! I am still very physically active so run, bike, hike and garden during the warmer months. I enjoy maintaining my home to a high degree and can't stand too much clutter or dirt. So just keeping the house clean takes up quite a bit of time. I love to read and have taken up sewing and knitting to fill some time. Also love photography and recently organized years worth of photos - at least to the year! I've also been sorting through old photos I received after my father passed. I attend a retirement explorer group which runs roughly the same as a school year schedule. Dh and I have a membership at our local university gym in the winter months where I can continue my running on an indoor running track and do some light weight work on their resistance machines. We don't have any grand babies yet but this is something I look forward to. I love to travel and find new experiences and a change of scenery to be very invigorating - my dh not so much! He finds it stressful! Cooking and baking from scratch is also something I enjoy. I almost feel like a university student again!
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