Tips you would give to people retiring

Enjoy every minute.

I do?

My husband did not know many people in this area and joined a bowling club. I can't get round Asda now without him stopping for a chat!
I've joined a knit n natter group.

Try and go part time first! Ease yourself into retirement.

Just enjoy doing nothing to a timetable for the Summer you are allowed not to fill your time after working hard for years then look at any suggestions if you feel the need. I’ve been retired for 15 yrs and although I have days when I do loads I enjoy doing nothing and not having a plan other a cuppa and my current book.

Why the need to fill time? I retired 10 years ago after working for many years, raising my children and looking after grandchildren.

Now I love to wake up to a day with no commitments where I can please myself. I find the days of not doing much go by quickly for me.

Do as you please! I’ve been retired now for 6 years and I love it, can relax when I wish to, and the days when I want to go out and about I do! Lots of reading, bit of gardening, seeing friends, I say do what makes you happy!

I agree with not needing to fill time. I am retired for nearly four years. At first I had some projects to ease me into retirement. I moved house and downsized so spent the summer clearing out stuff. It was very therapeutic. Once moved, I did up my new home and garden. Then I took up art and have attended classes ever since. I enjoy meeting friends for coffee or lunch and going to daytime concerts or exhibitions. I also looked after dgs1 two days a week. I'll be looking after dgs2 come November two days a week. I worked as an English teacher for years so I enjoy not having the stress of deadlines and marking. I do like having a structure to my day/week or I get lazy. I now say yes to most invitations as it forces me to get out. Perhaps you could volunteer. Many retired people do. Join a walking group or not. There are no rules for retirement, that's the beauty of it. If you can afford it, do as much or as little as you want. I retired at nearly 60 and I have never regretted it.

The whole point is that you don't have to do anything.

We're busier now than ever, having become involved with various projects. In fact, they're getting in the way of us spending more time travelling. But they developed gradually over several years as we discovered them.

We still spend quite a bit of time just relaxing with a good book.

Plan a few things and allow the rest to find you!

Before I retired I made a list of things I would like to do when I retired. I am doing most of them. OH though refused to think about it. Because he worked overseas a lot he only knows one or two people in the village. He had two main hobbies but sadly had to give one of them up because of his health. So that’s one hobby. We do a few things together. He is now thinking of bee keeping and might sign up for a training course. My main advice would be to have a few things lined up for retirement, some sporty like tennis and some that can be done in the home.

It's boring! I went back to work part time. I'm normally a busy person but too much down time for me.

At the beginning it was a bit of a shock, the idea of a full empty day horrified me, so much that I planned to do voluntary work. But after a couple of not so pleasant experiences as a volunteer, I decided to do nothing in particular. You soon get used to have the day to yourself to do as you please and now wonder how on earth I managed all those early mornings and late evenings, the commuting, and the stress of petty office politics!

My parents have a vegetable garden/greenhouse, they have have a workshop, they read, walk, moan about their ailments go to the garden centre, have a national trust pass, go out for meals occasionally, are involved in a supper club, go fishing, do art

Do what interests you. If you have enough money you could do some leisure/hobby classes? or you could join a gym and swim everyday. It is your time

I do all the things mentioned above and this is some of what happens in my "spare" time:

- The wonderful realisation that - when I have a book I'm enjoying - I can stay in bed of a morning reading until whatever time I feel like.

- I can take an hour to choose books in the library instead of snatching 2 from the nearest shelf.

- I look forward to trying new recipes for our main meal at least once a week.

... and lots more. Oh, the luxury of time is a wonderful thing.

Enjoy your retirement.

Plan to achieve something every day to give you something to get up for each morning. Doesn't matter if it's something big or small - just something that at the end of the day that will give you satisfaction of having achieved.

I was never one of those people who need to be busy-busy-busy (too much of a bookworm) but I think it’s nice if you can take up something you always wanted to do but perhaps never had the time or opportunity.

In my case it was the piano - not quite from scratch, but from such a low base (grade 2 at 10 or 11) that after so many decades, it might as well have been - my sight reading was non existent. I started on my own on a very old and not very good keyboard, with an adult beginners’ classical piano course (3 books by Carol Barratt) and after about a year joined a group keyboard/piano class - I did eventually acquire an old ‘proper’ piano.

Someone at my class, who’d never even touched a piano until about 3 years previously, passed her Grade 3 shortly before COVID hit. Having been far too chicken for exams, I admired her enormously!

It's such a big change to your lifestyle yet very few people discuss their expectations of retirement with spouse/partner. For most of us finances are an important consideration in our plans so that needs to be thought through as well.

Visgirl I am with you!

When I retired from teaching, I spent the first three weeks sorting school stuff out. Then sorting home stuff out. Then going on holiday in September. By then DH had started another job! The next month my daughter has a new baby. By January I knew I needed some structure to my week, so I trained for voluntary work which I still do now 14 years later. I am now in three choirs and do additional workshops.
I still have lots of spare time, but because of my commitments it can be tricky to make one off arrangements. I would love to travel more, but DH is not keen for health reasons.

Sorry, I meant to say, it is always worth having something to get up for, even if it is only the day you have resolved to clear out the understairs cupboard! ?And something nice to look forward to as well.??

I would say just be open to any possibilities. After working it's lovely not to have to rush around and be able to please yourself. Our early retirement involved voluntary work for both of us and I saw my friends a lot. Also had time for my hobbies. Unexpectedly our daughter asked us to consider moving nearer to her, which we ended up doing.

So the second part of our retirement has involved sorting out a new house - not a smaller house, but a smaller garden which we have enjoyed developing. I look after my little grandson two days a week. My husband volunteers too. We feel very settled where we are, a beautiful rural area but with all amenities close and half an hour from a City. Life has its twists and turns, so good to go with the flow!

I retired 20 years ago and having paid off my mortgage in London I had no savings so I found myself 3 part-time jobs and managed to do some saving. that was in 2002 but I had to give up when I had surgery on a broken ankle in 2009.

Some weeks are busy, others like this are fairly free and that is the way I like it. No more stressing about work and I can do what I please. The months fly past.

My last official working day was Monday 7th March (2022) although I actually finished 2 weeks before due to accrued leave. I had to give 3 months notice - but that’s another story! At first it felt like being on holiday - and then it was a bit of a shock to the system - sounds silly I know - but I worked silly long hours and then suddenly there was nothing. DH is due to retire next month and I guess I felt like I’d lost my identity in comparison if that makes sense so I was a little grumpy ?! The loss of a salary can also be a shock. When I knew I was leaving we saved my salary and just lived on Mr Sunshine’s. I was able to pay off the remaining mortgage and a couple of loans using my pension lump sum - the relief of knowing we owe nothing to anyone is great and we’ve worked out that we will manage fine on Mr Sunshine’s pensions and my small one. Retirement changes everything it really does, but it is also down to your mindset and generally I like to think I’m a glass half full gal.
Just recently I have felt quite happy with being retired. The gradual realisation that my time is my own, with no long hours and bullying demanding boss to put up with If your job and finances allow it, then I’d reduce your hours to ease yourself into retirement. I wasn’t able to with my job and sadly my job took over everything else so it was all or nothing and really stressful. Now, I can spend time walking the dog, potter around the house and garden (who doesn’t love a good potter!), see friends, read for as long as I want etc etc. I am currently doing an Autism course and may do another one when I’ve finished.
The thing is … I can always get a little job somewhere if I were to get bored, at the moment though, I’m well happy ?
Good luck ☘️

Lockdown taught me everything I needed to know. I hated being restricted and having nothing to do, nowhere to go and nobody to see. My DH was the same although still working part time. I’m much happier when I’m busy. I eat less, sleep better and feel so much more cheerful.

I love it. Today for instance we've been out to a garden centre in the sunshine. We can choose where and when we want to go. We can avoid rush hour. No bosses telling you what to do, no colleagues, no pressure and money pops into your bank monthly. What's not to like?