What's the best thing about retirement?

I took early retirement at 60, and retired a year ago tomorrow. I have been able to pursue my hobbies of hiking and photography, and visiting historic houses, exhibitions, cinema and theatre without facing the evening or weekend crowds.

I worked in a highly pressurised job in local government where I would regularly not get home until 10pm or later, only to start again the next morning and be in the office at 8am.

The two best things about retirement for me? Not having that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach on a Sunday evening when Monday morning looms, and knowing that when I get up in the morning, whatever I decide to do that day, it is my decision: no deadlines, no pressure

Instead of an ending, I saw it as a new beginning: a different
life, and an exciting one!

Some say you loose your identity in retirement. Surely in many ways you find it. Maybe it is a different one but it could be the one that has always been there but hidden by what you HAVE to do each day. In retirement you have much more choice as to what you WANT to do and when.

I agree- retirement is when you find your identity and don't have to have it defined by your job.

I agree with most of the above, but, a word of advice, sort out a hobby or two. Getting up, eating, travelling, sleeping when you want is great, but there will be times when these are not enough.
I retired three years ago and filled my summers quite easily, but I still struggle through the winter months. You can't sleep all day, travelling is no fun when its hissing down and you can only watch so much day time TV, none in my case and you will have down days. So start now and a hobby or two, unless of course you already have some.

Good luck, and enjoy.

EEJit You are right about hobbies and as you say something you can do indoors is important too. I have no problem as I love knitting, crochet, sewing, patchwork, scrapbooking and cardmaking. Also love reading.Never enough indoor time to do as much as I would like. I have to say I am concerned about when DH retires as he really doesn't have any hobbies other than golf which is fine but not suitable in all weathers or every day. I would drive me mad to have the TV on all day .

All of the above! DH and I are collecting cathedrals which means car or train journeys and we play croquet on the cricket field, visit the theatre, spend time with our GC and have short holiday breaks when we feel like it. We also have a few hobbies, follow Northampton Saints rugby and enjoy every minute!

Not having to work with 'control freaks' Or negative people.

My time now is spent with my lovely friends. Playing lots of Bridge. Visiting National Trust places. Using the trains for leisure with my railcard getting a third off is a great deal. Being a model for the students who want to practice their Beauty therapy skills at the local college. Facials, massage, and waxing. Then there is the apprentice hairdressers looking to practice too. Phew! What more could you want! Oh yes I got engaged last Christmas. Age really is just a number, if you have got good health at this age, your a millionaire.

I am in my sixth year of retirement having retired at age 68 from public service with a pension. I had 8 years off looking after my children so I felt I had made them up. I am still on agency rosters but am now going to retire properly. One of my agencies offered me a job at a local hospital in reablement. Discharging elderly people beck to their homes and making sure they could cope. It was 25 miles away in a town I had worked in but I realised that I did not want to get up at 7 am to appear by 9 am in a hospitla department having found or fought for a place to park etc.

Retirement is fun. I have looked after my mother who died in 2012 and now am picking up my own life. U3A classes in all sorts of things, woring for the Citizens Advice Bureau, Belly Dancing and going to Morocco on holidays with the teacher, Chines Brush Painting and hoping to go to China with the teacher next year. So much to look forward to. And of course entertaining grandchildren and their friends in the holidays.

Dear Husband is a keen gardener and artist. I make sure that I do not become his full time 'house keeper' by having my own programme of activity as well as making sure that cooking is minimal. Muesli for breakfast which I mix. Cold items for lunch; a selection purchased from Lidle - cooked chicken, ham, smoked salmon, salad potatoes, cooked beetroot etc. Then a slow cooker meal in the evening, put on at midday when he is washing up after lunch as he does not think 2 people need to use the dishwasher. I disagree and so stack it whenever he does not wash up.

I am now off to Australia in 2 weeks time for 73 days to see our son and his family. DH foes not come because he cannot entertain himself in a domestic environment. I let daughter in law take the children to school, so I can have my shower, set up the slow cooker for the evening meal, and then in the afternoon I walk them back. I have booked my Christmas activities at the local adult ed. college for Christmas along with the U3A activates I shall have a full diary into next year.

At my suggestion DH has enjoyed a ramblers holiday in Spain this year and is today on his first outing with a local rambling group. Lets hope he likes the people he meets.

I am hoping to write my memoires so am doing family history with the U3A and reading books on my kindle.

I do not miss work. The only thing is I am aware of now is my mortality. I realise that I have a finite number of years left so need to get on with the things I feel I must complete before I go!!!

Enjoy,enjoy,enjoy!
I put it off a couple of times,not cos I didn't want to work but I think I was a bit scared I might get bored but I was packing up work to look after Grandchildren more. I carried my notice letter around with me for 3 weeks. Although I had worked at the same place for 25years I wasn't going to miss the people except one person and would you believe it that person had also given in their notice a week before me without telling me! Although I had worked there for 25 years none of the people there have contacted me, so not missed then!! If you still want contact
It's great not having to do what people tell you to do,to be able to be yourself instead of putting on"a face" for the "customer". Not to have to "clock watch", to be able to go to the loo and have a cuppa when you want to. To be able to wear jeans every day if I want to. BUT best of all to be able to see all four of my Grandchildren just when I want to or when they need me too.
And,when they are grown up and don't need looking after maybe they will look after me!!!

Love all the above posts. I've been putting off retirement too, nanninet. Could it be partly because it seems to be an admission that I'm old enough to retire, and who would want to admit that?

However, 19 years down the line in the same job, with huge changes over the last year in management and admin staff, cuts in funding, and in the general motivation, morale and ethos in my workplace, not to mention no appreciation from the new regime of my hard work and targets being met, mean that I am now teetering on the edge.....All my former colleagues have retired, not to mention most of my friends and family. They all say "Go for it!" but, to be honest, it's fear of the unknown that is really stopping me. My pension will be small, but I realise that savings could be made on ready meals, fuel for my car and work clothes.

Gagamarnie, money does matter so why not go to your local Citizens Advice and ask to book a pensions and financial interview.(or phone them) You will be given some very useful paper work to take home and fill out and then bring to your interview with someone who has had some training in clarifying the issues and adding up figures. It helps a lot to see your outgoings and income on paper and to discuss with an impartial person the costs of your desired lifestyle in retirement.

When you see how much you will have for weekly expenditure, holidays, presents to family, repairs to house etc. you will be able to decide if now is the time or if you should pay for some things to be replaced or repaired before you retire. Also if you should delay the taking of your state pension so that it increases when taken.

Good Luck

Your time will be your own, no clock watching, no rush hour, no panicking at the weekend if you can't get enough chores done round the house. You have more time to see GCs and help out if you want/can. I missed my work collegues to start with, but meet them for coffee etc to catch up with gossip, but I don't miss the work. It did take a few months to get used to the idea that I could do what I wanted when I wanted, but that's such a great thing to have to get used to ! So enjoy yourself.

I do so agree with you EEJit that hobbies are important in retirement. Like Ginny I love knitting, sewing, crochet, cardmaking etc. I have a new GD, whose mother, my DD, loves traditional homemade clothes and has no interest in designer labels, so I'm enjoying myself making clothes for her and have bought dressmaking patterns for the first time in years! I spent most of DD's pregnancy making hand-knits, cardigans and so on, and a beautiful knitted patchwork blanket as well as a fabric patchwork quilt. I'm currently making a couple of pairs of dungarees in gorgeously soft patchwork quality cotton.
Another hobby is photography, although this has taken a bit of a backseat since my GD was born - apart from taking photographs of her, of course .
So EEJit, have you cultivated any hobbies yet? It doesn't seem from your post that you have, and if not I can't help wondering why, since you do recognise how important they are and indeed advise others to take them up. It's never too late!

I retired 4 years ago and love it but you do need to plan for retirement.
My plan was my horse. My passion that fills my days, keeps me fit and gives me a social group of all ages. The days can be very long if you are used to working and daytime T.V. is grim.

ItS just lovely to have time to smell the coffee the flowers to spent precious time with our granddaughter. The bond we have with her I believe is so strong because I have helped look after her since she was 12 months old. Hard work but do I regret it????? A big fat no!! And the pension keeps going into my account every month. I do voluntary work twice a week too. I highly yr commend it x

To find work according to my former female form captain.of the 1950's.

I turned 70 in April and have no intention of retiring. I have just started a publishing company with my husband.

Mind you it helps that I have been self-employed for most of my adult working life! I have a very understanding boss, who doesn't mind if I take a day off, as long as the work gets done.

On the other hand, there is only one employee and she has to work quite hard sometimes.

Seriously, retirement has never had any appeal for me; my work (I am a writer) defines me as much as my family do.

Taking early retirement age 62 from teaching last September and downsizing to the seaside, by December once all decorating and refurbishment that I could do was done- I became bored off my bits.
Mrs RG had settled into a busy round of WI, Knit n Natter, worthy causes and sundry other activities engaged in by women. There's little enough for men to do that does not involve pub games.
By late January, enough was enough so, the local chap having retired; I took over a window cleaning round.
It gets me out during the day, keeps me busy and the customers are great.
Via customer contacts I've linked up with the Residents Association have done a bit of bid-chasing work for them.
Experience has shown that whilst there is plenty 'up front' to do for retired women there's little enough on offer for men who wish to remain active and interested.

Like most of the above I am not sticking to the one best thing!

I agree with most of the above plus just one other thing - no aspirations. I no longer wonder about promotion, the next appraisal, pay rise etc. or whether we will have to move with DH's job. We can relax and just be, it is wonderful.

Not having to smile and be nice to difficult stupid and awkward colleagues. Not spending the weekend dreading Monday mornings.
Complete and utter freedom to do exactly what you want, not just for two weeks (annual leave) but for ever and ever. The novelty never wears off.
These are the golden years, the best years of your life. Taking care of your health is more important than ever now.
Time passes more quickly these days so live life to the full as much as you can. You have worked all your life for this so make the most of it.

Retiredguy I would disagree that there is little for retired men to do. There are plenty of volunteers needed in many different areas. Classes and clubs for all different interests . Try all sorts of thing that you never had time for.

I have to say (maybe I am wrong) that your post comes over a bit like "oh, the women can amuse themselves but us chaps need something more important."

Plenty of important things for men to do if they want them. Lots of women do important things too, and don't just settle for the coffee round, they are just better than men at seeing gaps that they could fill. Retiredguy has the energy and ability to help with the Residents Association. If he had found that when he first retired he would not have got so fed-up.

There are volunteer websites in all areas, where everyone can find something that uses their skills and gives them "non-job satisfaction"

Here is one, but there are others.
www.ncvo.org.uk/ncvo-volunteering/find-a-volunteer-centre

Volunteer drivers are always in short supply RG, what about a sport or the gym? Men do charity work as much as women. I agree with ginny

Apologies if that was the impression albeit not the intention ginny.
Fact is that there are far more womens interest retirement groups about than there are for men. Not a case of 'better or worse than' just 'more of'.
Maybe should have mentioned that this is a small seaside hamlet with one pub one shop and we're eight miles away from a town.
Volunteer opportunities there are for sure and good luck to those who do them, for the most part, round here; volunteering entails a journey into town.

I have retired and moved to another county within a few months. I am enjoying meeting people at the U3A with whom I have something in common other than just work. We have joined a new gym and are exploring new places with and without our dog. DH takes a bit of prompting as he is always happy just watching or listening to the cricket and so on or reading.