# I have retired **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943 "2020-09-18T20:12:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/1 "2020-09-18T20:12:10Z")
After over 41 years as a working electrician/fire alarm technician I have finally retired. I don’t really have any hard and fast plans. I plan to up my cooking game quite a bit and there are a few projects around the house I will finally have time to do. It is strange. I was laid off for a couple of months in the winter of 1973, but except for that I have had a job for 53 years ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/2 "2020-09-18T20:21:20Z")
Congrats! How do you plan to spend your time, other than what you mention? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/3 "2020-09-18T20:22:41Z")
I envy you today, man. I hope it’s wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/4 "2020-09-18T20:39:55Z")
**longhair75** -You’re an a recently retired electrician and I’m a soon-to-be-retired electrical engineer. So, next time the lights go out I’m pretty sure that they will blame us. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/5 "2020-09-18T21:23:26Z")
It’s a big adjustment, but I think you’re going to love the freedom. Congrats! ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/6 "2020-09-18T21:30:05Z")
For me, retiring was like getting out of jail. I couldn’t wait. As a person retired for nearly 6 years, I have learned one thing: the peril of having “plenty of time to do that.” When I was working I had to shoehorn all my projects and chores into the weekends, and there was never enough time. Then suddenly there was plenty of time, I don’t have to rush to get this done today, there will be plenty of time tomorrow. Result: lots of things don’t get done, for a very long time. I’m just now cycling through some of that stuff, mostly because Covid has reduced my opportunities for time wasting activities outside the home. Anyway, best of good times to you, I hope you enjoy every minute of it. ---
**Author:** ![Kelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a587f6/32.png) [@Kelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelby)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/7 "2020-09-18T21:47:51Z")
I’ve also recently retired, and it’s more of a challenge than I thought it would be. There’s not the external push to do things any more, which is nice, but that also leaves me feeling inert at times. Some days I need to kick my own ass to get moving. I think have a schedule/calendar of planned things to do will be important. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/8 "2020-09-18T21:49:41Z")
I’m going to be retiring in a few months, so I’m following this discussion with interest. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/9 "2020-09-18T21:57:19Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > After over 41 years as a working electrician/fire alarm technician I have finally retired. I don’t really have any hard and fast plans. I plan to up my cooking game quite a bit and there are a few projects around the house I will finally have time to do. Congrats! I’ve been retired over 4 years now, and have loved every minute of it. I’ve done a lot more cooking also, since before starting when I got home at 7 was going to mean we’d eat at 8 or 9. We usually do 2 or 3 new recipes a week. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2020, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/10 "2020-09-18T21:58:58Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > **longhair75** -You’re an a recently retired electrician and I’m a soon-to-be-retired electrical engineer. > So, next time the lights go out I’m pretty sure that they will blame us. Not blame you - expect you to fix it. I’m a retired computer scientist, and whenever my wife’s computer does something funny I have to fix it. Like tell her for the tenth time how to zip files. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/11 "2020-09-19T00:20:41Z")
Mrs. C and I both retired 15 years ago (me at 54, she at 59). We’d both put 30+ years into our careers and were burning out. Idle time and “nothing to do” has never been a problem for either of us. I say ignore any naysayers, retirement is VASTLY underrated. Edit: And welcome to the “Every Day Is Saturday” club! ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/12 "2020-09-19T01:43:43Z")
I retired 5 years ago. The two things that surprised me are: 1. As others have said, now I have to be far more self-motivated and self-directed to get things done. Before retiring, everything had to be done on the weekends, which set the schedule for me. Now it is all on me. 2. Financial planning. I was quite surprised by this. The month before I retired I had a simple financial plan-save as much as I could for retirement. I didn’t know any of the three key variables needed to plan one’s financial future: what date do you retire, how much do you have to retire on, how long will you live. The day after I retired, two of the 3 unknowns became known. It made a surprisingly big difference in how I plan my financial future. There are all the usual things to think about, but suddenly having 2 out of 3 key variables defined for me was a surprise. Should not have been, I knew all about this before I retired, but all of a sudden they were fixed. Surprise! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/13 "2020-09-19T01:55:44Z")
Congrats! I hope to retire in the next couple years, though considering how things are going at my workplace financially, it might be earlier. I am hoping if that’s the case that The Powers That Be allow us to retire early with our full pension benefits … we are truly living in Interesting Times. ---
**Author:** ![Turki-lurki](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turki-lurki/32/7168_2.png) [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/14 "2020-09-19T03:48:22Z")
Congrats! It’s GREAT. I retired last August. It’s been great.I go fishing enough to avoid getting under my wife’s skin, and really enjoy staying up late reading. Started a new hobby. You will find your own path. Have a blast! ---
**Author:** ![dummygladhands71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/15 "2020-09-19T04:21:45Z")
One of my happy places when I retired was not having to take the first or last doctor or dentist appt. of the day. Yeah, that 10:30A appointment suits me just fine. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/16 "2020-09-19T09:43:38Z")
Congratulations, and I hope it is as pleasant for you as it is for me. I retired in July of last year, and oddly enough my thread title was exactly the same as yours. At first I thought mine had been resurrected for some reason. My overriding rule of retirement is NO scheduling or task plans. I spent ~57 years adhering to someone elses schedule, be it kindergarten, grade school, college, or career. And I will do it no longer – period. If it needs done I’ll get to it eventually, but on my time. Hopefully you can find a medium between projects and relaxation that works for you – I wish you the best. After 53 years of work, you’ve earned it. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![catflea12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@catflea12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catflea12)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/17 "2020-09-19T12:35:39Z")
I retired early ten years ago, so now I travel as I can afford it, took up quilt making, the guitar, and piano. I also do volunteer work with the local Veteran organizations. Life is pure gravy! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/18 "2020-09-19T12:48:18Z")
My little brother retired a few years ago. Anytime I run into someone who asks about him, I mention that he’s currently out of work. They then get in touch with him to express their concern. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/19 "2020-09-19T13:30:15Z")
Congratulations! 86 weeks til I retire. I plan on sleeping for the first month, then do whatever I feel like doing. If that means sitting all day watching bad tv, so be it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943/20 "2020-09-19T13:43:23Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > My little brother retired a few years ago. Anytime I run into someone who asks about him, I mention that he’s currently out of work. **kayaker** , that’s great. Maybe I’ll play that prank on myself when people ask me how I’m doing: “Well, I’m out of work… … … … because I retired!” (I retired on a moment’s notice, and a lot of acquaintences don’t know) … I had a panic attack before I retired; what’ll I do? Will my wife respect me for “quitting” and making half as much when we’ve got a house to pay off? Will I be underfoot and be a slug and get fat? And, coming from generations of Puritan Work Ethic, I certainly did define myself by my profession, and was filled with pride when people asked me what I “do” (teacher)… Well, apparently, that one day of panic got it out of my system. I guess I do believe I have value because of who I _am,_ not what I _do._ Now, I do have to bike every day, to get out of the house so I don’t get underfoot, and to keep from getting fat. And if I’m home and getting in the wife’s way, I’ll just say _“I’ll be out on the porch.”_ Ahhh, the porch… waving at neighbors from a comfy chair, with a stack of vintage comic books and a tall Tiki drink. That’s enough meaning in life for me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-retired/920943.md?page=2)