Enjoying Retirement
Discussion
Can't wait for retirement, not because I hate my job, although I am definitely counting the days now, but because there are so many other tings I'd rather be doing than working 5 days a week.
Will definitely retire by Sep 2024 at the latest, so not too long now.
Sunday afternoon I was trying not to think about the week ahead. Work is really busy and I have been feeling stressed about some of the tasks I have coming up. Had a great weekend out in the Capri for a visit to a car breakfast meet, did some stuff in the garden, spent time relaxing with Mrs J4 and then on Sunday evening took the dog for a walk in the woods and gave myself a bit of a talking to regarding work.
So far this week it's going well, but I'd still rather be retired and doing something else.........
j4r4lly said:
Can't wait for retirement, not because I hate my job, although I am definitely counting the days now, but because there are so many other tings I'd rather be doing than working 5 days a week.
Will definitely retire by Sep 2024 at the latest, so not too long now.
Sunday afternoon I was trying not to think about the week ahead. Work is really busy and I have been feeling stressed about some of the tasks I have coming up. Had a great weekend out in the Capri for a visit to a car breakfast meet, did some stuff in the garden, spent time relaxing with Mrs J4 and then on Sunday evening took the dog for a walk in the woods and gave myself a bit of a talking to regarding work.
So far this week it's going well, but I'd still rather be retired and doing something else.........
Do you mean you had to drum up some enthusiasm for work or tell yourself to chill over it ?Will definitely retire by Sep 2024 at the latest, so not too long now.
Sunday afternoon I was trying not to think about the week ahead. Work is really busy and I have been feeling stressed about some of the tasks I have coming up. Had a great weekend out in the Capri for a visit to a car breakfast meet, did some stuff in the garden, spent time relaxing with Mrs J4 and then on Sunday evening took the dog for a walk in the woods and gave myself a bit of a talking to regarding work.
So far this week it's going well, but I'd still rather be retired and doing something else.........
craig1912 said:
Does not have to be paid work. I do 2/3 days a week volunteering. Paid work means commitment and I wanted flexibility to decide if I “worked” today or not.
Volunteers keep this Country running in a great many ways.Bank Holiday weekend will find me assessing a couple of DofE teams.
Many people have caring duties, or help at schools, or drive older people around to hospital appointments etc: there is a wealth of ways to “give something back”.
Monkeylegend said:
Yep just having a leisurely breakfast then taking the dogs out for a walk, then who knows what the day holds.
Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
That’s very pre-2020 !Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
60
Work from home, no commute
Leisurely breakfast & took the dogs for a walk first thing
5 mile run, bit of diy
Got the work done
All by 1600
37 days leave & paid as much as an MP
Might as well continue to make hay, while the sun shines
Life sucks
Maybe i’ll switch to a 4 day week, to reduce the higher rate tax.
James6112 said:
Monkeylegend said:
Yep just having a leisurely breakfast then taking the dogs out for a walk, then who knows what the day holds.
Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
That’s very pre-2020 !Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
60
Work from home, no commute
Leisurely breakfast & took the dogs for a walk first thing
5 mile run, bit of diy
Got the work done
All by 1600
37 days leave & paid as much as an MP
Might as well continue to make hay, while the sun shines
Life sucks
Maybe i’ll switch to a 4 day week, to reduce the higher rate tax.
I don't even think about how much an MP earns, mine is all gifted.
When the sun shines I go to the coast, sunbath in the garden, have a couple of beers if I am not out in the Porsche, cut the grass and put the brown bin out, and make sure the neighbours have put theirs out.
The pleasure is endless.
Monkeylegend said:
James6112 said:
Monkeylegend said:
Yep just having a leisurely breakfast then taking the dogs out for a walk, then who knows what the day holds.
Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
That’s very pre-2020 !Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
60
Work from home, no commute
Leisurely breakfast & took the dogs for a walk first thing
5 mile run, bit of diy
Got the work done
All by 1600
37 days leave & paid as much as an MP
Might as well continue to make hay, while the sun shines
Life sucks
Maybe i’ll switch to a 4 day week, to reduce the higher rate tax.
I don't even think about how much an MP earns, mine is all gifted.
When the sun shines I go to the coast, sunbath in the garden, have a couple of beers if I am not out in the Porsche, cut the grass and put the brown bin out, and make sure the neighbours have put theirs out.
The pleasure is endless.
t that you now believe is important. Louis Balfour said:
Monkeylegend said:
James6112 said:
Monkeylegend said:
Yep just having a leisurely breakfast then taking the dogs out for a walk, then who knows what the day holds.
Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
That’s very pre-2020 !Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
60
Work from home, no commute
Leisurely breakfast & took the dogs for a walk first thing
5 mile run, bit of diy
Got the work done
All by 1600
37 days leave & paid as much as an MP
Might as well continue to make hay, while the sun shines
Life sucks
Maybe i’ll switch to a 4 day week, to reduce the higher rate tax.
I don't even think about how much an MP earns, mine is all gifted.
When the sun shines I go to the coast, sunbath in the garden, have a couple of beers if I am not out in the Porsche, cut the grass and put the brown bin out, and make sure the neighbours have put theirs out.
The pleasure is endless.
t that you now believe is important. 
Did you actually believe all that s
t I just posted.Monkeylegend said:
I get 365 days leave 3 years out of 4, work from home, no commute, do a bit of diy, 30 mile drive in the Fezza, get my private and state pension, worry about how I will find the time to spend it all, get free prescriptions, winter fuel allowance, bus pass, my the list is endless.
I don't even think about how much an MP earns, mine is all gifted.
When the sun shines I go to the coast, sunbath in the garden, have a couple of beers if I am not out in the Porsche, cut the grass and put the brown bin out, and make sure the neighbours have put theirs out.
The pleasure is endless.
About time you updated your garage on PH I don't even think about how much an MP earns, mine is all gifted.
When the sun shines I go to the coast, sunbath in the garden, have a couple of beers if I am not out in the Porsche, cut the grass and put the brown bin out, and make sure the neighbours have put theirs out.
The pleasure is endless.
Overcast this morning, so I've just cleaned and hoovered the swimming pool. Playing snooker 10 till 12, then got a friend calling around this afternoon to set up some extra wifi nodes i bought. He is probably bringing his wife with him, who is partial to a glass of white rioja.
Not sure how the afternoon will pan out.
Not sure how the afternoon will pan out.
Monkeylegend said:
Louis Balfour said:
Monkeylegend said:
James6112 said:
Monkeylegend said:
Yep just having a leisurely breakfast then taking the dogs out for a walk, then who knows what the day holds.
Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
That’s very pre-2020 !Bit of gardening I think, the brown bin gets emptied tomorrow so need to fill it up with grass cuttings to get my moneys worth, while all the workers are stuck on the motorway network protesting on our behalf about the price of a litre of petrol.
Life sucks sometimes
60
Work from home, no commute
Leisurely breakfast & took the dogs for a walk first thing
5 mile run, bit of diy
Got the work done
All by 1600
37 days leave & paid as much as an MP
Might as well continue to make hay, while the sun shines
Life sucks
Maybe i’ll switch to a 4 day week, to reduce the higher rate tax.
I don't even think about how much an MP earns, mine is all gifted.
When the sun shines I go to the coast, sunbath in the garden, have a couple of beers if I am not out in the Porsche, cut the grass and put the brown bin out, and make sure the neighbours have put theirs out.
The pleasure is endless.
t that you now believe is important. Did you actually believe all that s
t I just posted.Lady Balfour is case in point. I can be in the office, talking to the bank manager for example, and she will interrupt me for my opinion about which colour of Farrow and Ball we should use to re-paint the downstairs toilet.
I'm not sure I want to ever retire after looking up synonyms: retreat, surrender, withdraw, regress.... 
Hoping to finish 'work' in the near-ish future, but starting to think about what to do when the time comes.
I've always enjoyed beach holidays, but I think they may lose their allure if I can go pretty much any time with nothing to escape/break from. I think some form of voluntary work/role may be on the cards though I have no idea what...
Hoping to finish 'work' in the near-ish future, but starting to think about what to do when the time comes.
I've always enjoyed beach holidays, but I think they may lose their allure if I can go pretty much any time with nothing to escape/break from. I think some form of voluntary work/role may be on the cards though I have no idea what...
Phil. said:
Monkeylegend said:
I get 365 days leave 3 years out of 4, work from home, no commute, do a bit of diy, 30 mile drive in the Fezza, get my private and state pension, worry about how I will find the time to spend it all, get free prescriptions, winter fuel allowance, bus pass, my the list is endless.
I don't even think about how much an MP earns, mine is all gifted.
When the sun shines I go to the coast, sunbath in the garden, have a couple of beers if I am not out in the Porsche, cut the grass and put the brown bin out, and make sure the neighbours have put theirs out.
The pleasure is endless.
About time you updated your garage on PH I don't even think about how much an MP earns, mine is all gifted.
When the sun shines I go to the coast, sunbath in the garden, have a couple of beers if I am not out in the Porsche, cut the grass and put the brown bin out, and make sure the neighbours have put theirs out.
The pleasure is endless.
Thought it would be obvious I was just spouting nonsense. I mean, a Fezza and a Porsche on a state pension.
On a serious note, the freedom retirement gives you to indulge in inane activities is difficult to put a value on.
The brown bin bit is true though.
Louis Balfour said:
No, but it is an observation about people who retire whilst their brain is still active.
Lady Balfour is case in point. I can be in the office, talking to the bank manager for example, and she will interrupt me for my opinion about which colour of Farrow and Ball we should use to re-paint the downstairs toilet.
On a serious note, I retired from a quite successful career in a busy, very demanding very rewarding, corporate environment and off the back of selling my own successful business which was totally people orientated.Lady Balfour is case in point. I can be in the office, talking to the bank manager for example, and she will interrupt me for my opinion about which colour of Farrow and Ball we should use to re-paint the downstairs toilet.
To go from that on a Friday evening to nothing on a Monday morning is something that those who are wishing away their working lives should be wary of.
The feeling of no longer being in demand, of losing all the personal contact, the phone no longer ringing, can be very negative, which is why you should try and have some semblance of a short term plan for retirement.
Also the guilt of sitting at home, not earning anymore is a reality. It took me a couple of year to readjust to what is a dramatic change in lifestyle, and as much as I was looking forward to retirement, it was quite difficult for me to get to the point of total relaxation.
So please forgive me if thinking about brown bins and other such trivia seems silly, but it helps you to understand and accept the transition, and more importantly know when you have finally made it
The last big company I worked for ran a 6 month pre retirement course for employees to help them understand and have an appreciation of the hidden impact of retirement, more commonly known as how to avoid getting in the way of the missus and disrupting her lifestyle and freedom.
That might sound amusing but is a real issue to consider. Many relationships flounder when the husband suddenly spends all day at home doing nothing apart from being there and annoying the wife.
Also most thought as soon as they retired they would no longer have to deal with tax returns etc, and it came as quite a shock to them to realise that this was not necessarily the case.
But having said that I love it.
I posted earlier in this thread that retirement takes a little bit of prior consideration if you want to enjoy it and as others have since confirmed this is very true.
I had visions of motorcycling all summer and fannying on with my retirement car and generally having a blast.
Well, this is my first summer with such time on my hands and I am already getting a little bored. It's also quite difficult to try and readjust to 'not getting sucked in' to just spending money all day every day because of that boredom.
For many retirement brings a reduction to income so avoiding the temptation to overspend (just because you now have all this leisure time) also needs thinking about.
I got up this morning and it's peeing down sp no motorcycling, no car polishing and I ain't walking the dog until it stops raining.
So what to do?
Thank god I have a 77" Oled with every streaming service known to man but I also feel its perhaps another wasted day that won't look like the ones I dreamed about prior to my actual retirement.
I finished at 54 and now 55 and I'm still going through that period of adjustment.
I had visions of motorcycling all summer and fannying on with my retirement car and generally having a blast.
Well, this is my first summer with such time on my hands and I am already getting a little bored. It's also quite difficult to try and readjust to 'not getting sucked in' to just spending money all day every day because of that boredom.
For many retirement brings a reduction to income so avoiding the temptation to overspend (just because you now have all this leisure time) also needs thinking about.
I got up this morning and it's peeing down sp no motorcycling, no car polishing and I ain't walking the dog until it stops raining.
So what to do?
Thank god I have a 77" Oled with every streaming service known to man but I also feel its perhaps another wasted day that won't look like the ones I dreamed about prior to my actual retirement.
I finished at 54 and now 55 and I'm still going through that period of adjustment.
Longy00000 said:
I posted earlier in this thread that retirement takes a little bit of prior consideration if you want to enjoy it and as others have since confirmed this is very true.
I had visions of motorcycling all summer and fannying on with my retirement car and generally having a blast.
Well, this is my first summer with such time on my hands and I am already getting a little bored. It's also quite difficult to try and readjust to 'not getting sucked in' to just spending money all day every day because of that boredom.
For many retirement brings a reduction to income so avoiding the temptation to overspend (just because you now have all this leisure time) also needs thinking about.
I got up this morning and it's peeing down sp no motorcycling, no car polishing and I ain't walking the dog until it stops raining.
So what to do?
Thank god I have a 77" Oled with every streaming service known to man but I also feel its perhaps another wasted day that won't look like the ones I dreamed about prior to my actual retirement.
I finished at 54 and now 55 and I'm still going through that period of adjustment.
Interesting post .I had visions of motorcycling all summer and fannying on with my retirement car and generally having a blast.
Well, this is my first summer with such time on my hands and I am already getting a little bored. It's also quite difficult to try and readjust to 'not getting sucked in' to just spending money all day every day because of that boredom.
For many retirement brings a reduction to income so avoiding the temptation to overspend (just because you now have all this leisure time) also needs thinking about.
I got up this morning and it's peeing down sp no motorcycling, no car polishing and I ain't walking the dog until it stops raining.
So what to do?
Thank god I have a 77" Oled with every streaming service known to man but I also feel its perhaps another wasted day that won't look like the ones I dreamed about prior to my actual retirement.
I finished at 54 and now 55 and I'm still going through that period of adjustment.
You’re a year head of me . My planned retirement is next year at 55 and yes those miserable days, or winter months, I’ve wondered what I’ll do .
My thinking is indoor jobs to start with along with spending time with the wife , gym, walks can still happen & to a degree golf.
Part time work might also help with the stress of how much the wife spends.
My wife still works and probably will for a few more years yet and this doesn't help.
Neither does the fact I retired quite early but my mates didn't (haven't) so they are largely restricted to weekend fun.
I have gone out and increased my circle of friends and they are largely 10 to 15 years older than I and whilst I don't want to come across as all depressed and negative about retirement as I am certainly not personally I just want others getting close to making the decision to have some proper and realistic expectations about the reality.
Like I said earlier giving it some proper thought beforehand can pay dividends.
For me, my mistake was to concentrate on the financials too much 'could I afford not to work' rather than what I would fill my days with.
Neither does the fact I retired quite early but my mates didn't (haven't) so they are largely restricted to weekend fun.
I have gone out and increased my circle of friends and they are largely 10 to 15 years older than I and whilst I don't want to come across as all depressed and negative about retirement as I am certainly not personally I just want others getting close to making the decision to have some proper and realistic expectations about the reality.
Like I said earlier giving it some proper thought beforehand can pay dividends.
For me, my mistake was to concentrate on the financials too much 'could I afford not to work' rather than what I would fill my days with.
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