Any threads for retired folks?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Not seeing it, so here we go.

Many of the folks on the SDMB are older. So this is for us, or anyone that wants to ask.

Myself, retired in December after 33 years at the last job. But I was working since I was 11yo. I’m 65 now. My wife retired a few months before me.

We sold our nice mountain house for a bigger house in suburbia. That’s a huge change, but we really like it.

What do we do? I’m busier than ever. So is my wife. We play chess every day. And also darts and cribbage. We walk our dogs, we ride bikes. My wife right now is playing Pickle Ball. I just started that.

Oh, my wife wanted to learn how to shoot, so I got her going. She and I now have our CCW certificates. We will target shoot once or twice a month.

I’m taking a pastels class here in a couple of weeks. We are working on a garden. I started to try to grow MJ indoors. Totaly legal.

2

Why get a bigger house? Why not downsize when you moved?

The bigger the house the more work to maintain it.

3

Yeah, I don’t get the whole “old people need to be warehoused in teeny tiny spaces” philosophy.

I have lived in teeny tiny spaces my whole life. Why shouldn’t retired people get a craft room, or a garden, or a game room or whatever? Why can’t retired people have a nice life?

4

Most retired people lived in a house raising children. Since you no longer have the children living with you you need less space.

5

A lot of the people on this board are retired. Before I retired I asked my former boss what is was like. He said “I wake up every morning with nothing to do, and by the end of the day I can’t get it all done.”

6

Me too. For one thing, you’re both home all day every day, and some space is needed so you’re not right on top of each other.

We both retired in 2023. We work on our garden of potted flowers and herbs, travel, I cook more elaborate dishes now that I have the time for it, he maintains the cars and the plumbing, and we take better care of the housekeeping than we could when we worked.

7

My first retirement was July 2011 after 37+ years of Federal service. That was followed by a series of part time/short term/temp/miscellaneous jobs which officially ended just before COVID hit, a month before I turned 66. Then I did several years of babysitting the grandkids till each in turn was old enough for preschool. That was followed by a year of caring for my MIL while she was in Hospice care at our house till she died in Dec 2024.

At the risk of jinxing it all, we are well and truly retired now. The last year or so has been spent working on our boat, some DIY, some handled by the boat yard personnel. We’re almost done with the major systems - the last biggie is replacing the water tubing, holding tank, water pump, and faucets/shower heads. With luck, we’ll do some cruising around the Chesapeake Bay this summer as we continue to upgrade miscellaneous bits, and maybe next year we’ll head to Maine.

Apart from futzing on the boat, I like messing in the yard, tho I haven’t the endurance I used to have. We’re also finally going to get my kiln hooked up again so I can play in clay some more. My husband has a big woodshop/metal shop in the back yard where he designs and makes stuff for the boat and for the house. Our granddaughter asked him yesterday if he’d help her build a birdhouse, so that’s on the agenda.

The other thing I really enjoy (spousal unit not so much) is going on cruises. In the last 3 years, we’ve been to Antarctica on one cruise and to the Arctic on another. And in January, we’re doing a full transit of the Panama Canal, from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale. We did the Caribbean once, but meh. I’d love to do a transPacific cruise.

When we get in chill mode, I knit and he likes streaming videos. And we’ll occasionally do stuff with the grandspawn. Or do nothing. Whatevs…

8

I love being retired. It gave me time to focus on my health and longevity. I want to live long enough to meet my great grandchild, assuming I have one someday. Soon after I retired I lost 40 pounds and have kept it off for three years. I power-walk 10 miles a day and eat a healthy plant-based, whole-food diet with plenty of seafood, veggies, and fruit, and I feel better than I have in years. I have plenty of time to cook and to keep my 2,180 sf house clean (I live alone), and walk my dog three times a day. I go to the neighborhood coffee club three times a week to swap stories and have made many friends in the town I moved to two years ago. I love hiking in the woods of Montana and meet new people hiking almost every day. Retirement has been the best thing to happen to me… so far.

9

Aside from having more space for various activities (indoor and outdoor) there’s something to be said for spreading out so that you can have more privacy.

Not every retired couple wants to live in a little bungalow or condo in a crowded development where you’re constantly bumping into starry decreps. Or even relatively larger quarters where activities center around things like playing pickleball or synchronized golf cart maneuvers with fellow fossils (see: The Villages in Florida).

There are actually quite a few threads for the aging set on the Dope, largely dealing with finances, moving to places that don’t really want you, and what joint or organ hurts today.

10

I’d have downsized by 300-400 square feet, but my lovely wife wanted more interior space and a smaller yard, so that’s what we have. Tiny yard; our bedroom with big, not-well-designed bathroom suite; a study each; a guest room. We may eventually have two small condos or flats in different regions and rotate between them.

11

I retired last June, but have been working as a substitute teacher 3 or 4 times a week. I pick and choose where and when I work, and won’t work at a school more than 10 minutes away. Most are more like 5 minutes away. It was a pain that it took so long for pension payments to begin, and they also messed up our health insurance and had to refund a good chunk of money to us. My wife has her massage practice, or we might consider moving somewhere cheaper. Our house a a decent size for a couple that gets occasional visits from kids and their SOs, although having three levels may be an issue at some point.

12

My wife and I both retired in 2009 at age 62. We had a nice condo in Anchorage with a killer view of the Chugach Mountains. I also had family there (older brother and sister and their siblings). But we had only moved back there in 1998, so had not invested in the toys that Alaskans love in retirement. So we sold the place at a profit and set off on a six-month road trip to decide where to live, finally settling in Portland, OR.

We downsized from a 2000sf place to a 1400sf Craftsman home and I was able to set up a woodworking shop in the one-car garage. The wife’s passion for gardening was fulfilled, as was my desire to take guitar lessons. We had our RV and we traveled extensively up and down the coast, all over the Southwest, and throughout Oregon.

Then, though we loved Portland, we came to the realization that having no family there was a major drawback as we approached our 75th birthdays. Who helps us if we are disabled or there is an emergency? Covid showed us that we were pretty much on our own when things went south. Friends can only do so much, and they have no obligation for extended support.

So we unloaded as much stuff as possible, signed a lease on a retirement apartment in a building in Minneapolis that is specifically designed for 55+ folks (not a long-term care place), and sold our house for a ridiculous profit. Drove the RV and car out here and sold the former. The money from the house sale, combined with retirement incomes and SSA income allow us to live very comfortably in our 1000sf apartment in the city. My kids and our niece are 40 minutes away by car and we see them quite often. Our days aren’t very busy without the garden and my shop, but that’s okay as we now approach the big 8-0. We don’t care about travel since we spent most of our lives moving and traveling to places most people will never see. We don’t engage in 99% of the “activities” that are common in a facility like this, preferring each other’s company, but it’s good to know that any response to a serious problem will be met with immediate attention by the staff here.

And in the end, there will - barring some unimagined calamity - be enough money left in the bank for our heirs to get a decent chunk of cash.

13

Both Mrs. Cretin and I retired 21 years ago at age 59 (her) and 55 (me). Married 36 years at the time, child-free by choice. She’d been in her career for over 30 years (architectural design), I’d been 32 years as a full-time Piano Technician. We were both already burning out when ear problems appeared (that would eventually deafen me), so we decided to retire while still at our peaks (leave 'em asking for more). We were well off enough with an adequate nest egg.
It took us about 15 minutes to adjust to a life of perpetual Saturdays, we’ve had no problems with having enough to do, and spend idle time reading voraciously. And unlike Mrs.C I’ve refined the fine art of reclining & whining. I play to my strengths.

14

As said by a few people, we want more space because we are home more. Love my wife, and we spend a lot of time together, but we are not attached at the hip.

I needed to carve out a place for my office (I was still working when we moved, I took over a bedroom).

We also have two dedicated guest rooms that get used.

What was important is we wanted single floor living. We use the basement quite a bit, but we could just live on the main floor if we needed to.

I’m still kinda stunned at how busy we are. It’s very nice when I find a day that I have nothing really planned. Today we go to the Sportsmans Warehouse to shop, and maybe the garden center. It’s time to get going on the garden. I may start some plants indoors.

15

Wife and I retired at ~62, like some here. But it was staggered to match our ages and time-in-work-force. So I retired a few years before her, intending to spend that time in solo trips around the US in RV (and maybe boat).

Covid changed that, so the first big “retirement” trip was after wife retired. She views corporate life the same as I, as was glad to exit the cubicle world. We have plenty of money, and are both hostile to any suggestion of returning (we’ve both been contacted with offers).

Our travels are mostly in the RV, sometimes wandering the US for a month or two. Last year was the mountains west (Montana, Idaho, etc.). Before that was the Smoky Mountains and Outer Banks. Not sure where we’ll go this year.

I guess it’s unfortunate, but I’ve hated being driven out of bed on someone else’s schedule since kindergarten, and have never enjoyed going to work anywhere. It’s now our time, our schedule, our choices.

And that’s where I differ from most retirees. Not making a judgement or value call on either, but my days are empty, relaxed, and filled with the kind of unplanned laziness common in my childhood summers. Occasionally there’s some type of doctor visit, and I usually don’t even schedule those (just walk-in). The rest? Today I might continue binge-watching Babylon 5, or take the dog to the park, or wander through the tech-ish Youtube channels I follow. I’ve got some ribs thawing in the fridge, so I might run the smoker this afternoon. Or maybe tomorrow. Not sure which, I’ll do whatever appeals at the time.

I’ve recently returned from 10 days of lounging on the beach with my toes in the sand. The only thing that drove me out of my chair was my dog bringing me her ball. No plans or schedules - lay in the sun with a beer, play with the dog, or read from my latest book (The Aeronaut’s Windlass).

I’ve done my part, so have happily checked out of the world. I don’t watch the news, have no obligation to participate any more, and in these last few years I selfishly enjoy my own wishes and inclinations. It is a second childhood, and one that was long overdue.

Occasionally I’ll allow some “busy” in my life - helping a close relative, but that’s as far as my obligations reach. The world had me for 62 years, and will have to manage without me from now on. I’m sure it will be fine. :slightly_smiling_face:

16

Another factor is the upkeep. We bought a sprawling ranch house on a 1 1/2 acre plot of land 20 years ago to raise our kids. I envisioned my boys playing pick-up football games in our enormous yard. That never happened, but we did have some epic frisbee-throwing sessions.

I love our house and our piece of land, but now that we’re empty nesters growing older and creakier, the house and yard are just too much to maintain for much longer. Sometime in the not-too-distant future we’ll probably get a smaller place on a much smaller piece of land. Maybe a detached condo so that I don’t have to chainsaw any fallen trees or cut a single blade of grass anymore.

17

I hear ya. Sounds like we both got ‘out’ and had a pretty good landing. I worry for a few people in my life that are struggling to get out. Two are my best friends and I’m doing what I can to help them.

My grandfather built a 240 lot mobile home park back when I was pre-teen. Guess who got sent to work every weekend. Mostly landscaping, but also installing gas lines to the slabs for mobile homes to hook into. I’m very good at threading pipe.

It was a thrill when I started getting paid. $1 an hour. I was rich for an 11 year old in 1971.

I’ve checked out too. I only work for me and my Wife. I’ll do anything for a friend though. My wife might volunteer at a horse rescue (she was on the equestrian team in college). I’ve spent many, many hours on tractors, so I would be in for that. Running a shovel, not so much (bad back).

In August we are taking one of our last big trips - Iceland, British Isles and Norway.

18

I highly recommend the American Southwest, if you haven’t already done so. We spent two months there in all and still didn’t see all there is to see. Utah alone is a wonderland.

19

Don’t miss cutting trees down anymore. Though the bonfires where nice. I gave my brand-freaking new Stihl chainsaw away. What am I gonna do with that in suburbia?

Heh, I remember myself in my home office in sweat pants and my wife coming for help. Tree had fallen across the driveway. My (old) chainsaw would not start (crank shaft broke, great timing). I did have a rather dull axe though. 5am, in the snow. I didn’t so much cut that tree as beat it apart.

We went from 2 acres of Pine trees, rocks and steep, steep slopes. To an nice gentle 1/3 of an acre. My wife and I easily mow it with a battery mower (thing is great).

We do miss the mountains. My wife called it the illusion of seclusion. But the snow. My god the amount of snow…

20

Regarding house size, I’ve given that a lot of thought. We’re in a ranch house over a basement - just over 1600 sq ft per level - in a semi-rural neighborhood of 3 acre lots. Most of our property is wooded, so no huge landscaping to deal with. The only other thing is the 1300 sq ft workshop my husband had built in the yard a few years back.

I really like our house and neighborhood. But the place is 50 years old and changes we’ve made over the years need attention again (like the replacement windows and the back deck.) We’ve got a well which was redrilled 16 years ago - no telling if it’ll need to be done again. And, of course, the usual maintenance that never goes away. We’ve discussed adding a stair lift to the basement since the laundry room is there, plus we have a really nice family room with a fireplace that we’ve been using a lot with the grands.

Still, I’ve given thought to what I might do if my husband dies before I do. I can’t stomach the thought of an apartment or a condo. I wouldn’t mind having my daughter and her family move in, but they’re slobs and I couldn’t live with such disarray. I suppose I could swap houses with them (theirs is lots smaller) but I prefer my neighborhood to their HOA. And there’s the matter of his workshop. I suppose the only solution is for me to die first.

Happy thought, that.

For now, we’ll hold the fort.