I’d say my days are loosely structured. I have my list of domestic projects to keep me busy, but probably not enough and sometimes it’s hard to get up the motivation, especially in recent months where sciatica has rather dominated my perceptions: but doing the necessary exercises to try and loosen it up is creating a new structure for the day, albeit not one I’d have chosen.
I did do some volunteering, but then the organisation concerned changed its way of doing things and the only opportunities were some way away. I’ve also done some online volunteering, recording for Librivox, but, again, that’s entirely a matter of what one feels like doing from time to time, so you have to motivate yourself to it.
Now that I think it’s going to be more possible to get out and about, there’ll be some more travel on the horizon (I do home exchanges, which cuts costs), and it’s time to look out some more volunteering opportunities.
And then there are so many books to read, and online debates to keep up with…
Not sure if I fit 100% to the OP’s specs. in 2007 I retired after 25 years full time in law enforcement. I took a part-time patrol position with another agency to maintain my certification. But by both union contract and state regs I can only work so many hours per year. so I can go a while without pulling a shift.
I also had a successful gun dealership but I’ve sold my interest to my brother. So while my name is still on the federal license I don’t have much to do with it anymore. I also stopped doing the security/PI/consulting work I used to do a lot of.
So other than working 4 shifts every other week I don’t do anything work wise.
It was harder for my wife to get used to it. (she doesn’t work). Having me around all the time drove her nuts at first.
My pension is good. We have no debt except for a car payment. Our house is paid off. We sold most of our investment real estate, and relatives are starting to die and leave us good chunks of money and property, so we’re pretty well off. Tax wise I can’t touch any of my IRA’s for another 4 years but it’s a significant amount in there. Our 3 kids are all grown in their 30’s and married.
We’ve been traveling even more than before. In December alone we went to Florida, New Orleans, and Las Vegas. In November we were in Brazil and hiked through the rain forest.
We only stay in Wisconsin because we now have a couple of grandchildren. When my in-laws kick we’ll inherit homes in Florida and plan on moving into one of them.
Being retired in the Summer is great. We go to lots of concerts, ride the Harley, play a little golf. Travel quite a bit. Winters are a drag.
The wife actually started talking about us getting an RV and going on extended road trips. Never really was an RV guy but haven’t ruled it out.
I’m not typical at all. I took early retirement on the last day of the 2nd millenium (my personal calendar includes a year 0, so that was 1999-12-31). I was a university professor and my job included research, teaching, and committee work. I was happy to abandon the last, less than totally happy about not teaching any more (although overjoyed at not having to do any more marking) and fully intending to continue research. Since I need only a pencil and paper for that, I did it mostly at home anyway. Now I do it all at home and go to my office (now shared with another retiree) only on the days I have my seminar (Tuesdays). I do also occasionally chair a PhD final exam, being a so-called pro-dean, maybe a half dozen times a year.
My wife was a free-lance translator who kept on working for several years after I retired, but she worked exclusively from home; I had to learn to keep out of her office when she was working, but she retired maybe 10 years ago. But our relationship has not changed.
So I get up, do my morning exercises (a half hour), have breakfast, examine my email and write replies when necessary, then read either SDMB or Facebook, the latter to keep up with my grandchildren. Then, depending on my mood, I will read a magazine (New Yorker, NY Review of Books, Scientific American, American Scientist) or do some mathematics. I am technical editor of an online journal, but over the years the authors have gotten more computer literate and I have less and less to do on that. Later today, I will mix a bread to bake tomorrow. I do some minor cooking although my wife does most of it. Next Tuesday I will begin a lecture series in my seminar on some of my older research that has lately become more interesting to computer scientists. So I keep busy.
Good read. I have probably about 2 mos. to go. They know I’m leaving, but no one’s asked for an exact date. I will give them the 2 week notice.
But I’m being careful of the money, naturally, and 2 empty apts. in my rental “empire” :rolleyes: (I have 5 units, some measly empire) have thrown me off. One needs a complete rehab, probably about $5K. Luckily, my skilled labor is free (I live with him), but still, a chunk of change. But I want to watch out for the “oh just another couple of paychecks before I go”- after 25 yrs. I have a good salary, which is hard to leave.
I intend getting a part time job, something to keep me busy and giving me somewhere to go when I want to basically. After years of struggling with deadlines that the people here consider mild suggestions, I want something mundane and something I won’t take home with me every night. To that end, I’ve been applying the last 2 weeks. I’d like to volunteer again somewhere, I am a trained hospice volunteer, although I’d need the refresher, or something with rescue animals.
My issue now is whether to sell the one property I have, a duplex, that is mortgaged and which I bought stupid in 2006. I won’t take much out of it I guess, after cap. gains certainly, but I basically just break even on it every month after expenses. And it’s the one I’m going to have to spend all the money on. But it is income and tax writeoff. And there’s equity and hope for growth. And another building needs a roof, shit. See what I mean about being careful not to fall into the 1 more paycheck trap?
I want to read, stay up late, sleep late, see my mother more often (Alzheimers), have lunch with friends and relatives, go see relatives out of state without the omigod what’s going to go wrong while I’m gone, and 600+ emails to wade thru when I get back, I want to CLEAN MY DAMN HOUSE, not the lick and promise I’ve done for so many years, get control of my yard, and basically just have time to actually think about some things I need to or want to do, without my brain being taken over by balancing work, and family and work and relationships, and work and me time etc. ad nauseam. (why does auto correct highlight “nauseam?”)
ThelmaLou… We’re within three years of calling it quits, and I’m devouring threads, websites, and other forms of advice to try and prepare. I’m surprised by how big the change really seems now that I’m actually in sight of it. I started working full time in 1975, and it’s hard to imagine not trudging in to work… forever.
As part of my questions, I started this thread on the subject about 3 years ago. Maybe some of the answers will be useful.
I’ve found a few blogs/sites where people shared their experiences after retiring. I found them pretty interesting, and occasionally profound (ymmv).
This couple bills themselves as the Trouser rollers, and although a lot of it is travelogue, I enjoyed some of their musings on growing old and continuing to learn through it all.
This couple elected to travel to many (maybe most) of the nation’s lakes and waterways for over a decade (he’s a retired geologist), and tell their stories in Halcyon Days. More travelogue than self-reflection, but still interesting (I think they had a healthy budget for this stuff).
PBS has a website called Next Avenue for folks “of a certain age” that I find interesting as well.
This writer is going it alone and has a website/blog on retiring early and on a very limited budget. Again, it’s not for most folks, but I enjoy reading his observations (and out of the box money-saving schemes). I enjoyed wandering thru the “best posts” tab.
I realize not all of this may be relevant to the OP (or the board at large), but I offer them as interesting and different takes on retiring. Best of luck as you go on “permanent maturity leave.”
My thanks, ThelmaLou for starting this thread; I’ve put in my paperwork to retire 30 April after 34.5 years. I was going to go for 35, but every time I crunched the numbers, even using the most conservative ones, it comes up that I can make as much (and maybe even more) in retirement than I do on the job, so let’s say my work motivation is…diminished.
I worry about what I will do, because I do not have any major hobbies or other interests, outside of reading (re-reading my entire library could probably take out 5-6 years) and travel, which I plan to do a lot of. Being single means not having to adjust to being home full-time with another person, and as others here have said (and as I witnessed with my Mom and Dad), that will be an adjustment.
I’m thinking about joining a gym or the YMCA, but I worry that I won’t be dedicated to it; I’d like to do some work or volunteer, but it has to be something that will capture my attention, and I really don’t know what that is yet.
So yeah, I am happy about retirement, have some plans, but it is still a mystery (and hopefully, an adventure) that I am still wondering about.
I’m not working at the moment but one thing that is a god-send is a seven-day clock. It’s like a normal round clock but has an additional hand which shows the day of the week. I was given it when I was working shifts to keep me straight, but now I’m not working it’s just as useful.
Background: I finished my job at age 51 and went into semi-retirement in which I continued to work for the same company, but on a contract basis. Over about 21 months the amount of work dwindled to zero. Having a glide path into retirement helped. My wife worked 20 - 25 hours a week, and continues to do so.
After 18 months of being fully retired, my former company asked me to handle some things form 3 months while they hired someone new. That lasted two years, then I became fully retired again.
Our youngest child is a junior in high school, so for now we still live in the 'burbs. When he goes to college, we will move to our retirement place, where the activities and scenery are much better.
Given that, answering the questions:
No. I no longer set an alarm, but I still wake up between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., and then I get up. I did miss the work itself. Even though I did not particularly like my job, I found I missed doing something important. I had been one of the people running the company for 15 years, and when I left I found that I missed the challenge.
It was also a strange feeling to adjust to my career being over. I had never been focused on my career. I only worked for two companies and never did things to improve my resume. But it was odd to have a thought about a work-related item, including how I could do something different and better, and then realize it does not matter - I am never going to do that again.
Get up between 6 and 7. Spend maybe an hour and a half reading the newspaper and Internet sites while downing two large mugs of tea. Hit the treadmill for 45 - 60 minutes. Have breakfast (reverse the order of the last two if running late). Then typically either play bridge or golf. When we move, also add long walks and/or bike rides into the mix.
I had not played bridge for 25 years. I did find that when I was fully retired, there seemed to be an awful lot of empty hours, so I definitely needed something to occupy myself.
Late afternoon, do the grocery shopping every 2 - 3 days. Plan meals. Cocktail hour at 6. Cook dinner with varying amounts of help from my wife (the busier she has been with work, the less I let her do). As she still works, I do most of the cooking, shopping & laundry.
Cooking is “together time” though. When not helping cook, my wife will sit in the kitchen with a glass of wine and we talk about things while I cook (and have my own glass of wine).
Yes - see treadmill comment above. I calculate I should have lost 40lbs in weight per year, but somehow I am the same weight as when I did not exercise. I suspect the reason is related to the cocktail hour and glass of wine comments above.
Not really. I do maintain a web site for a school activity. When we move, I expect to get involved in something environmental.
Retirement in the suburbs can be somewhat boring, but fortunately that is only short term. We already own our retirement home (in the Georgia low country), which is currently used for weekends and vacations, so we know what life will be like there - and that far exceeds expectations. Alternatively, I could see living in the middle of a cosmopolitan city to be fun.
No new vistas yet, just lots more time spent doing things we enjoy. I have not watched any daytime TV.
My wife and I are fortunate in that we do a lot of things together, for example the majority of the times we play golf, it is with each other. We hike and cycle together. So for us, being able to spend a lot more time together is a boon. I know that for some couples, that is not the case and the newly retired spouse suddenly being around the house all day can drive the other one nuts. So it is good to have some activities with your own friends, and the ideal amount will vary by couple.
I can definitely relate to this one. After almost 40 years of keeping my eyes open and ear to the ground regarding my career field (fund raising), now when things pop up in the news that might have led to letters, phone calls, making contact, strategizing… just to let it go. Weird.
I heard on the radio today that a guy who was a big help to the organization I just left is being honored at a luncheon later in the month. My first thought was, “We need to write him a letter congratulating him, maybe buy a table at the luncheon…” then immediately shut it down. Weird.
I went from working 40+ hours/week to working 3 hours per week a few years ago.
(If it helps, I live in the UK.)
Was it hard to adjust your physical/mental rhythms to NOT getting up and going to work every day?
No - but I’ve been very lucky in having had jobs I enjoy (e.g. teaching chess, roleplaying and computer games )
How do you structure your days now–strictly or loosely? Discuss.
Loosely. I generally have about a couple of hours of ‘timetabled’ things to do daily. I can fit in the fun stuff around that.
Have you increased your exercise/activity? Do you volunteer somewhere regularly?
I do need to take more exercise (I am a bit lazy. :o )
I don’t volunteer, but instead took up teaching bridge to fellow retirees. (I’ve done a lot of teaching, but never bridge.)
How has retirement exceeded or fallen short of your expectations?
Retirement is great for me.
I suppose I’m a bit obsessive about planning ahead - for example when I went for a job interview aged 22, I asked about the company pension scheme. :eek:
So I’ve paid off the mortgage, have a decent pension plus some savings and can afford the occasional treat. I’ve visited Vegas and am going on my first cruise later this year.
Has retirement opened new vistas of self-discovery and adventure… or do you find yourself still in your pajamas binge-watching House Hunters at 3:00 in the afternoon?
As mentioned above, I spend lots of time planning and writing handouts for my bridge students. Because it’s not for a career, I enjoy the challenge.
I also play quite a bit of computer games, but not obsessively. I always break for food, for example!
I do have an occasional day in pyjamas, but I don’t watch ‘random’ TV.
I subscribe to an online sports channel and buy DVDs of series (e.g. Marvel’s Agents of Shield; Dark Matter; Sherlock.) I think there’s a big difference when binge-watching a well-written series (especially as you can replay stuff to catch the plot twists and also see the ‘extras’.
If you live with someone, how has retirement affected your relationship?
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