65 now and due to retire in 9 months 31/5/2025 Any tips?

Take your time! A friend on her retirement threw herself into it. Different voluntary jobs and responsibilities, looking after DGC, a couple of clubs etc. Before 6 months was up she said she felt less stressed and tired when she was working. Have a couple of things to "hang your week on". and make sure you have some days with nothing planned. Those are my days off. You sound as though you will have a wonderful time.

All great ideas, thank you all and I love the idea of a gap year. I have paid the full amount in NI and will get the full amount plus with my private pensions I should get more than I'm earning now, hopefully the tax code won't increase! I do check it all and have had regular forecasts. I've always paid the most I can into my private pensions over the years because my parents had a tough time and still had a mortgage to pay in their retirement,

I second the advice of @madeleine45 especially the comment about not joining things too soon. I was inundated with people asking me to join things, most of which I actually thought I wanted to do.. but having seen friends over commit in the first few months of "retired freedom", I told everyone that asked that I was going to have a gap year doing nothing as I didn't have one when I was 18! It caused a few giggles but they got the idea and stopped pushing.
I then went to odd meetings and did odd things in the community and for friends but refused to commit long term because of being on my gap year.
I've now joined a few things I really want to do but mainly things that take up a day every so often or an evening every month or two. It suits me after being in a job that demanded rigid adherence to a fairly inflexible time table.
The other thing you should do is check your national insurance record. Make sure you have the maximum number of full year contributions to get your full state pension at 67. I didn't realise that a year either counts or doesn't. A partial year, doesn't count at all, even if it's only £10 short! Don't rely on the fact you know you have whatever the advised number of full years is. I had 41 full years but didn't qualify for full pension because some years had been "contracted out". However; by paying a couple of hundred pounds to top up the non qualifying years, I now get (almost) the full amount. My friend had about £55 to pay and got 4 extra years added. Check out the details on line. I think Martin Lewis's website has an easy to follow guide on how to do it. It's well worth it.

I think it lovely to do things with your partner, but it’s also very important to have time for you alone or with friends. I have a group of friends who I meet up will twice a month for trips out and lunch which I always look forward to.

Have a look online to see if there's a National Women's Register in your area. We're like minded people who enjoy a good discussion. We meet in each other's houses, so it's easier to get to know each other in small groups. There are off shoots of the main meetings ie French group, walking group, gardening group etc.
Wishing you a happy 'retirement'.

Through coffee mornings I have met some really nice people on GN and we meet regularly for coffee. My friends, once retired moved to other parts of the country and I only drive locally.

I have Macular disease and am involved with that charity locally and meet others for coffee each month and we go on days out or out for lunch somewhere.

I like being retired, I do not like getting older.

At least you are planning ahead and it will not come as a nasty shock. I found my heating bills during the day shot up but I do feel the cold. My advanced age is my excuse.

Join local clubs like University of the third age, women institute etc.

If you don't plan to wdown size make sure your house is future proffed with all reapirs , decorations etc. up to date. Start collecting people that you trust and can pay to do jobs you will not be able to do as you age, i.e heavy gardening, deep cleaning, chaining double bed sheets. Do not rely on neighbours or relatives to update your computer or even to do your computer shopping. Learn how to do this yourself. Keep up to date and have a technician , who you pay and who can enter your computer from her home and your request to sort things out. etc. Mage sure your car is regularly serviced and near at hand so that they will collect it for service if you cant drive there other wish have a mobile person service it. Bay taking action now when you are incapacitated in the future you will have a notebook full of useful people who will come and help you if you pay them. This is vary valuable however kind neighbors are they cannot run your life for you. You have to be responsible or you loose your independence.

If you are considering more exercise a local walking group is a good way to start. I joined a 'Simply Walk' group as soon as they started up again after the pandemic. We walk for an hour starting and finishing in the village and finish with a sociable coffee. I already knew a few of the members but have maet many more. We occasionally get together for a meal or other activity. Widening your social contacts is a good thing at any time of life but particularly as we get older and may need a support network.

a couple of things I would suggest. Dont commit yourself too much in the beginning to specific days or times to help with a charity, or with specific groups of people. Give yourself a sort of "holiday" at first. Not too long but to allow yourself some free time to just do what comes up and try things out . It takes time to adjust and it is very easy to find yourself committed to something that you want to support but actually find yourself almost like being back at work by being tied to specific days . One way is to offer to help on a casual basis but state that you are going away or having visitors or whatever in a couple of months.That allows you to try things and see what they really entail and then you can gradually do more as it fits in with your new way of life. I think swimming is a very good idea, as it gives you some good exercise without causing problems to your body, gives you a sort of routine, and you meet others there who could become friends over time. Perhaps over these next months you could keep a notebook and put into it , places and things that occur to you that you had wanted to go to or do. Such things as thinking you could now go to that agricultural show or town and perhaps stay overnight, if previously you had not gone because of distance. Do you have friends or family who live a way away who might like to meet you somewhere halfway or a place you have all liked previously? I dont mean that you should rush about going from one thing to another but as things occur to you you might jot them down and then see what appeals. Then without seeming to be too depressing I would definitely look to see if there is something you have always wanted to do that takes physical effort, such as walking a particular way or climbing somewhere and make a specific plan to do that in the nearer future. Hopefully you will remain fit and well but on the safe side have a go at those things and enjoy them first. I am always glad that I travelled a lot and did things that I could no longer do, but I have good memories of these things and few regrets about things I never managed to do. I am sure that the fact that you are already looking towards the future , will mean you will have a good start to what I hope will be a long and happy retirement for you and wish you good luck in enjoying it

It’s a good idea to try to spend a bit less - I was advised 10% a year. Start finding out what is available in your area that you might like to join - WI, U3A, Art class, knit and Natter etc. I find I am busy all week and pretty quiet at the weekends.

Hi. I retired May 23 it’s a lovely time of year especially as you have your allotment. I love gardening so spent the first few months sorting it out. It does sound as if you’ll have plenty to do anyway.
The time you do have to yourself I would just go with the flow, whatever you fancy busy or not, don’t think you need to be doing something or going somewhere every day.
I enjoy the days I wake up and realise there is nothing to do except relax. Bliss.

Join u3a, you don't have to be retired, just not in fulltime work.

I retired some time ago but MrA only retired a couple of years ago. We had some quite long discussions about things we had always put off or never found time/money for and we're slowly working our way through the list.

We pretty much do our own thing most of the time, so it's quite nice to do something together now and again. Last month we had a long weekend walking the reservoirs in mid-Wales. Last time we were there there was no water flowing over the dams and we'd always said we would go back. Now we have.

Future proof your home before you have to. You may never be anything other than fighting fit but things like chargers and electric sockets at no bending height and remote control for heating helps in later years. Collecting names of tradesmen and handymen and decorators is a good idea and listing passwords and such like info with DH is sensible. My DH hasn’t a clue how to get into my phone bank accounts or kindle and I’ve printed off lists. Label keys and chargers. All before you need to.

All good ideas, especially getting up at the same time every day.
Maybe have a lazy day on Sundays to break my week and weekends up.

My advice is to decide what time you want to get up in the morning and stick to the same time every day. It is so easy to waste time, as I can testify.

I worked reduced hours for the last 5 years and slipped into retirement happily. My problem was my DH he went from a full time demanding job to nothing. It was covid lockdown and he has struggled. Four years on he has taken up lawn bowls, very involved in the Masons holding admin positions and cycling on his electric mountain bike. Childcare takes up a lot of our time too. My advice is do the things you enjoy doing and don’t commit to too much in the early days. See how it goes.

You may want to explore volunteering opportunities that give you a chance to develop any interests you have, and that is fun for you: I'm a tour guide for a heritage charity, for example, and I bake for charity for kids (I like the baking, I never have anything to do with the kids).

And is there anything you've always wanted to do and had to put off for lack of time? A degree, or learning to be a blacksmith, or whatever? Now is the time to start setting that up, if so.

Aw I hope you have the best time. I’m due to retire in sixteen months and will slow my working days down before that. I’m presently on holiday and enjoying not being tied to a timetable. Will do swimming and some craft classes when my time comes. Good luck sparkynan.

Thank you for your replies, I do have diabetes and have to use insulin so I think I need to add some more exercise into the mix as well, I think might try a yoga class and swimming in the evenings. I must admit I am looking forward to not having to work every other weekend and winter evenings. I am a care/Reablemeent worker and it is getting harder having to go out and about in the dark winter nights.

It sounds as if you'll be fine - DGC, allotment, supportive DH, financially okay - happy days ahead I'd say! I'm retired and I've found that if you have interests, friends and your health it can be lovely. I think the only thing I would say is make sure you take care of your health. My GP is very good at preventative things and I've been diagnosed as having high cholesterol and being pre-diabetic over the past couple of years, both things which have no symptoms really and I've been able to deal with them because I knew about them.

I think cutting down your working hours is a good way of managing the transition, it's what I did. I've also never thought of it as "retirement" it's just another phase in my life. I've taken up some new hobbies and widened my circle of friends. I've also ensured I mix with a wide range of ages not just people my own age. I'm nearly 76 and most of my friends are 15 years or more younger than me, it means we don't talk about our health all the time. OH is younger than I am but I still have to encourage him to have his own friends and do things without me as I think it's easy to fall into the trap of letting our lives become smaller as we get older and becoming too dependent on our partners but perhaps that's just me it might not bother other people.