Enjoying Retirement
Discussion
mart 63 said:
Lovely day in the Costa Blanca today, 30c. Started the morning off walking the dog around the park,then played snooker till 12. When i got back we had sorano and water melon for lunch by the pool.
The wife had a couple of hours sunbathing, so I went on the guitar and manged to get through Wish you were here, without any mistakes, very happy.
I'm going to cook chicken chow mein for tea in a bit, then we are taking the dog for a walk around the golf course. Will probably stop at one of the bars around there for a cold beer.
Happy retirement
Definitely living the dream Mart. The wife had a couple of hours sunbathing, so I went on the guitar and manged to get through Wish you were here, without any mistakes, very happy.
I'm going to cook chicken chow mein for tea in a bit, then we are taking the dog for a walk around the golf course. Will probably stop at one of the bars around there for a cold beer.
Happy retirement
Cooking will be one of my retirement adventures when I have the time. It’s exactly what my father did when he quit work.
I see myself preparing a light lunch with a glass of white on the go for the wife and I after a nice round of golf followed by a walk with the dog.
Simple pleasures but hugely rewarding and relaxing.
Monkeylegend said:
Somebody once said to me that the best two things about retirement are your last day at work and your first day in retirement.
Obviously as I’m yet to experience this I’ll wait see how i feel. I guess if you enjoy your job and redundancy is forced on you or other factors dictate you need to retire you might feel a little like you’re not ready so I do understand this.
I’m sure for everyone there is always some niggling doubts that creep in when you’ve actually pulled the plug on the routine you’ve known for some 40 years .
mikeiow said:
There is something a little unhinged about getting out of a perfectly functional plan in the air, eh!
I did 3 static line jumps back in my student days….great fun, but the landings got worse each time: nothing major, but from absolutely brilliant to ‘ooh, that jolted a bit’.
This was in the early 80s….winter came, & the rules meant I’d have needed to do another course to continue…..so I didn’t…..& haven’t felt the need to do any more!
Pal of mine had one booked two weekends back but the weather meant it was cancelled.
It’s on his bucket list but I can’t say it’s on mine!
OldSkoolRS said:
Good on you to those who are up for parachuting as it's something I couldn't do. Still trying to work up the courage to go up our scaffolding to replace a damaged cable on our TV aerial while the solar install is going on. 
Off to view and hopefully buy the Mito this morning, so long as it's all as expected. Just waiting to let the M25 traffic ease off a bit (if it ever does of course!). Nice start to the week.
Lovely hope the drive back is great . Off to view and hopefully buy the Mito this morning, so long as it's all as expected. Just waiting to let the M25 traffic ease off a bit (if it ever does of course!). Nice start to the week.
Weather seems to finally be turning .
Couldn’t help but think at the station this morning how lovely it would be taking the dog out for a lovely early walk with shorts on .
Golf course was closed Saturday due to flooding so I could have played today !
Ecosseven said:
Hello folks.
I’ve been reading this thread since the start and it’s honestly one of the best on PH!
I’ve just turned 48 so a good few years away from retirement. In my head it was always decades away and not something I gave a lot of thought to until relatively recently. However, reading this thread has encouraged me to look at the numbers and I was pleasantly surprised. Assuming I stay in my current job I’m hoping that I can have the OPTION to retire somewhere between 55 and 58. I don’t know how I will feel when I get to this age – I might be desperate to retire or I might be happy to keep going if I’m still enjoying my job. A guess a lot will depend on my health and energy levels. My partner has a decent job in the public sector and whilst she won’t get the gold plated final salary pension that some of her colleagues will enjoy she should still get a decent work pension. We don’t have kids and the house is paid for so we are currently putting more into our pensions whilst still enjoying the odd nice meal out and some nice holidays.
One thing that has changed over the years is the desire to own bigger and better things as my income increased. When I was young I changed my car every year and was always saving for the next big thing. Now I’m happy with my modest fleet (Seat Leon and MX-5), I have no interest in supercars, fancy watches and our current home suits our needs perfectly – We are content with our current standard of living and that is a great place to be in my opinion.
My dad always worked hard and did everything he possible could to help my mum, my sister and I. He retired at 65 and died at 68 from cancer. I’ve also seen too many colleagues work on and on and then pass away far too young. As the thread title says - I’m hoping I can enjoy my retirement when it comes.
All the best.
Welcome to the thread and you are correct in that it’s one of the better PH threads. I’ve been reading this thread since the start and it’s honestly one of the best on PH!
I’ve just turned 48 so a good few years away from retirement. In my head it was always decades away and not something I gave a lot of thought to until relatively recently. However, reading this thread has encouraged me to look at the numbers and I was pleasantly surprised. Assuming I stay in my current job I’m hoping that I can have the OPTION to retire somewhere between 55 and 58. I don’t know how I will feel when I get to this age – I might be desperate to retire or I might be happy to keep going if I’m still enjoying my job. A guess a lot will depend on my health and energy levels. My partner has a decent job in the public sector and whilst she won’t get the gold plated final salary pension that some of her colleagues will enjoy she should still get a decent work pension. We don’t have kids and the house is paid for so we are currently putting more into our pensions whilst still enjoying the odd nice meal out and some nice holidays.
One thing that has changed over the years is the desire to own bigger and better things as my income increased. When I was young I changed my car every year and was always saving for the next big thing. Now I’m happy with my modest fleet (Seat Leon and MX-5), I have no interest in supercars, fancy watches and our current home suits our needs perfectly – We are content with our current standard of living and that is a great place to be in my opinion.
My dad always worked hard and did everything he possible could to help my mum, my sister and I. He retired at 65 and died at 68 from cancer. I’ve also seen too many colleagues work on and on and then pass away far too young. As the thread title says - I’m hoping I can enjoy my retirement when it comes.
All the best.
With no kids the chances are retirement may well be closer than you think.
Everyone on here is very helpful and will happy help you towards your goal of retirement.
The final part of your thread is why I started this this in that my father also retired at 65 and passed away at 68 so I’ve always said I’d not make the same mistake.
He’d always worked hard and I feel was seriously short changed with just three years of retirement.
Ecosseven said:
Thanks GT3. I'm trying not to focus on it too much as it's still a few years away yet. On the plus side I mostly enjoy my job and have a good work / life balance. We still want to go on nice holidays and drive nice cars but I now find myself checking my pension statement on a regular basis. I will continue to save as much as I can into my workplace pension whilst tax relief is available. I live in Scotland and the government has just increased higher rate tax to 42% so plenty of incentive to save!
I've set myself a pension savings target by the time I'm 50 so fingers crossed nothing changes in the next couple of years.
At my age ( 55 almost) I’ve lucky enough to own a good number of high end cars and now find myself wanting to focus on stashing cash to find my retirement. I've set myself a pension savings target by the time I'm 50 so fingers crossed nothing changes in the next couple of years.
You’ll find the novelty ( for lots not all) wears off with regards having to have the latest toy but you’ve got a few years to tick all the car boxes so carry on. .
One thing I learned was to own the cars that wouldn’t cost me a load in depreciation that way you can always liquidate the cash if and when you need it.
Keep at it and feel free to ask any questions.
There are many on here that are better versed than I on many aspects of retirement planning .
Black AMG45s said:
Off to look at a Golf R Mk8 at 12.00
Then I will sell my Mk3 RS Focus and Ranger Rover (it needs some work on the it though)
Because I do not need two cars now
Good idea with the golf . Then I will sell my Mk3 RS Focus and Ranger Rover (it needs some work on the it though)
Because I do not need two cars now
Edited by Black AMG45s on Tuesday 18th April 11:04
Likely covers all the bases too.
Cover ground very quickly when you want some fun too
Blue Mk8 Golf R said:
Just an update picked up the Golf R on Friday the weather was not good but good drive home in the wet
The weather was better today had a good drive but the roads were very busy and set up the dashboard setting and turning off all the unneeded gizmos like lane assit
It is very quick and grips well and is fun to drive
The Range Rover is going to the paint shop on wednesday for some work then I will sell it and this will help with savings
Car looks fab and definately the right colour too. I was also thrown by the name change. The weather was better today had a good drive but the roads were very busy and set up the dashboard setting and turning off all the unneeded gizmos like lane assit
It is very quick and grips well and is fun to drive
The Range Rover is going to the paint shop on wednesday for some work then I will sell it and this will help with savings
Edited by Blue Mk8 Golf R on Saturday 22 April 16:42
OldSkool- been listening to more Clapton. How was your band practice? Hooked on the guitar in Crossroads by Cream with Eric playing !
OldSkoolRS said:
I played a Clapton song on my own last night at an acoustic open mic; a rough and ready version of Cocaine.
Looks like our band situation is getting sorted out with a new singer and a back up drummer too. Had to postpone a few (paid) gigs, but luckily all bar one have said we can rebook later this year. The other one might take a bit more sweet talking, but might win them round with a cut price offer.
Cocaine is also a great track so fair play. Looks like our band situation is getting sorted out with a new singer and a back up drummer too. Had to postpone a few (paid) gigs, but luckily all bar one have said we can rebook later this year. The other one might take a bit more sweet talking, but might win them round with a cut price offer.
My best man at the age of 10 was grade 8 piano taught by his grandfather and we could always tell wanted to be in a band.
Fast forward 30 year he unknowingly was playing tennis with a bassist, a lead guitarist and a drummer so they found a singer and formed a band called 'The Rackets'.
I'm biased, however they sound great and have changed the vocals over time and been booked for the usual weddings and birthday parties etc.
Forgetting the money they get he now feels that he's doing, recreationally, what he always wanted to do.
15 years ago i had guitar lessons, i was totally hopeless. i learnt a few riffs but in reality i was never going to get anywhere.
I often think i wished i'd picked up a guitar at a very early age and become naturally self taught developing an ear for music.
Maybe in the theme of this thread i'll have another go when retired and if nothing else be able to play the chords that oasis do so well.
Ecosseven said:
Had another look at the numbers today and have decided to up my AVC's slightly. Every little helps and it won't make any real difference to our standard of living as the interest we are now earning on savings will offset the additional contributions even after tax.
I now have 29 years NI contributions so only another 6 years to go until I have the 35 years required for a full state pension. I do have some COPE as I was contracted out during my first job but this is a relatively small amount and I have taken this into account when looking at the numbers.
The fact that we will have two work place pensions and hopefully two state pensions will certainly help.
If you can afford to make extra contributions then good move . If that means any further tax breaks then even better. I now have 29 years NI contributions so only another 6 years to go until I have the 35 years required for a full state pension. I do have some COPE as I was contracted out during my first job but this is a relatively small amount and I have taken this into account when looking at the numbers.
The fact that we will have two work place pensions and hopefully two state pensions will certainly help.
I’ve done my 35 years of NI contributions and checked what I’ll get which totals £185 a week for SP. My wife hasn’t worked for 23 years but being contracted out she’ll get the same.
Guy I work with ( now 61 so I guess has paid in longer) will get over £200 so doesn’t seem like there is a ceiling.
Seems there is another retirement thread been started which is discussing retirement needs. Much of the same we’ve already discussed on here.
Been running some numbers over the weekend again and please that my pension pot has finally made some gains although we all know how quickly that can change !
We are working hard on internal logistics now with and estate agent coming over this coming week so we are at the behest of the housing market however, if things play out I’ll either be resigning this September or March 24 as I have some shares I’d like to keep once I leave.
Well done on the planning and keep us posted
mart 63 said:
Cheers GT3, i wasn't got to post it on this great thread, but thought it might give a few a push in to retirement. As you never know what's around the corner.
Absolutely right mate I couldn’t agree more. Great thing about this thread is we can talk about many things that can impact plans and retirement so I’m all for it.
We have pics of the house being taken this week then we’re in the lap of the gods to see what interest we get.
There you go , I’m now discussing houses
mikeiow said:
Must be time someone reminded you that 15 months ago you started this by telling us you were roughly a year away
OMY (One More Year) Syndrome is a real thing…..March 2024 would be Project Creep of the highest order….are you really sure you want to give up work?
On the main topic…..we are now half-way through our ludicrous 2 month interrail adventure, and still loving it…..6 Countries, 33 trains, 4,443km travelled so far….& still keeping well within our budget window (£100-150 per day for everything - food, accommodation, attractions, and of course, beer!). Even have the prospect of a few days in Slovakia in our future with some old pals who have insisted we stay with them a couple of days!
Have a few new virtual friends: 324 people in the “Interrailing for the Older Crowd” group enjoyed my latest disaster post: having a seriously overheated carriage from hell on our overnight train from Budapest to Brašov last night….. then seeing our 20th floor accommodation looking like this opposite the station in Bloc 6 (Comrades!)
(relax, it’s okay….the inside was a lot more luxurious, as Airbnb had promised, and the lovely owner made full use of google translate speech to text to tell us all we needed to know!!)
Nobody knows the future…..make sure you enjoy the present
Morning Mike, plan was to call it a day last month with house sold and off to pastures new however with siblings still to consider and the turn in the housing market plus planning approval for the house it’s all been delayed. OMY (One More Year) Syndrome is a real thing…..March 2024 would be Project Creep of the highest order….are you really sure you want to give up work?
On the main topic…..we are now half-way through our ludicrous 2 month interrail adventure, and still loving it…..6 Countries, 33 trains, 4,443km travelled so far….& still keeping well within our budget window (£100-150 per day for everything - food, accommodation, attractions, and of course, beer!). Even have the prospect of a few days in Slovakia in our future with some old pals who have insisted we stay with them a couple of days!
Have a few new virtual friends: 324 people in the “Interrailing for the Older Crowd” group enjoyed my latest disaster post: having a seriously overheated carriage from hell on our overnight train from Budapest to Brašov last night….. then seeing our 20th floor accommodation looking like this opposite the station in Bloc 6 (Comrades!)
(relax, it’s okay….the inside was a lot more luxurious, as Airbnb had promised, and the lovely owner made full use of google translate speech to text to tell us all we needed to know!!)
Nobody knows the future…..make sure you enjoy the present
I’m also over cautious and want to make sure the ducks are in a line plus I have to be very careful how I play things work wise for financial reasons.
It’ll happen , I just have to let it play out.
Looks a great trip btw.
I’ll be tapping you up for train info when I have more time.
alscar said:
All looking good !
GT3 , any house update ?
Hi mate good question and i guess at the mo the answer is yes and no. GT3 , any house update ?
Viewing last Thursday, professional couple that have sold and all their family living in the village and want to upsize and have now booked a 2nd viewing for this Friday which i guess is encouraging.
The house has not been marketed yet so unless they want it going to the wider audience then if they like it its time to talk turkey as they say.
Equally the wife has found a house in the area we want although as of yet i've not seen it and its also considerably bigger than what we have and being a period home the upkeep might not be conducive with retiring. Lets see on that one.
So, all in all things might be moving forward and our next move rather depends on this couple coming back Friday although the agent has suggested they are "very keen".
We've had a discussion along the lines of if we buy this period home it may be a way of life in that we have to forgo things and just embrace the house which, to be fair, i'm cool with.
There will be some renovations to be done plus we'll need a contingency budget put aside for the unexpected issues.
Anyway , all in all i'm feeling ( currently sat by my PC) relatively confident we're moving in the right direction .
mikeiow said:
Ah, thanks: might have to investigate later this year!
About £60-100 annual salt costs, I guess?
Enjoy the sole fun! It is hard to really get to 100% off grid with solar, even with batteries, but the running costs will clearly be much lower. If you are with Octopus, try the app “Octo-Aid” to monitor costs - very good!
@GT3: “ considerably bigger than what we have and being a period home the upkeep might not be conducive with retiring.”
Your wife really doesn’t want you to retire, does she?
Seriously: go in with very open eyes. Open to the potential costs, not the obvious potential charm & pleasure….
Embracing the idea is one thing, finding trades to help maintain it is quite another (never mind funding it the work).
Our holiday cottage is a grade II listed thatch…the bills can be a little….eye watering from time to time, & not just the thatch…
Good luck!
Meanwhile: the last 90mins of a 17hr train from Bucharest to Vienna here: what a lovely experience overnight trains are!
A relaxing wander about town today and tomorrow.
Wise words as always Mike will take it all onboard.About £60-100 annual salt costs, I guess?
Enjoy the sole fun! It is hard to really get to 100% off grid with solar, even with batteries, but the running costs will clearly be much lower. If you are with Octopus, try the app “Octo-Aid” to monitor costs - very good!
@GT3: “ considerably bigger than what we have and being a period home the upkeep might not be conducive with retiring.”
Your wife really doesn’t want you to retire, does she?
Seriously: go in with very open eyes. Open to the potential costs, not the obvious potential charm & pleasure….
Embracing the idea is one thing, finding trades to help maintain it is quite another (never mind funding it the work).
Our holiday cottage is a grade II listed thatch…the bills can be a little….eye watering from time to time, & not just the thatch…
Good luck!
Meanwhile: the last 90mins of a 17hr train from Bucharest to Vienna here: what a lovely experience overnight trains are!
A relaxing wander about town today and tomorrow.
Edited by mikeiow on Wednesday 3rd May 06:12
Its a large Victorian home that was once used as a guest house with (currently) 8 bedrooms.
The top floor can be shut off if/when required and the house is pretty much renovated already barring a family bathroom and the top floor needs some ‘fettling’
Well , this is what she tells me !
Viewings likely this weekend although there isn’t a lot for sale.
Will keep you posted
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