Anyone here had a “F*** IT” moment that led to retirement?

I loved my job but then new manager started. Managed 4 years of her bullying and then had to get out

I had several during the first lockdown whilst I was managing a retirement development. It never felt like "my job" from the start but I only had 6 years to go until retirement and fancied a change from the lecturing/training that I'd been doing all my working life. Since the job was in the Lake District, I decided to go for it.

Managers were deemed 'essential staff' when lockdown began and there were several incidents where people did really stupid things that put all of our lives at risk. The final straw came when a resident invited 5 members of her family into her one-bedroomed flat all at the same time! They couldn't have got 6 feet away from each other if some of them had hung out of the window! I missed them on their way in but when they all trooped past my office on the way out, I was fuming!

That was it! I gave my required 2 months' notice and took early retirement. No regrets.

Susieq62,

You are quite right to say, 'Do your sums.'

I figured that after adding all the costs of travelling to work and other expenses and the £100's per month of tertiary education costs for my youngest DD, I was actually killing myself working for £400 a month disposable income.

I retired when my youngest had just left university and we suddenly lost the drain on resources that college cost us. I would have had to go anyway because of my health but her leaving Exeter meant we could live on the reduced amount with little effort.

Yes, I was a manager and was two staff down for almost two years, due to long-term illness, death, one woman who felt she should have my job and went off sick with "stress" and various other vacancies.
I worked in a university and it wasn't unusual for admin posts to be empty for some months whilst the rest of us were expected to cover.
Eventually I was told that I would be getting a one-off bonus which turned out to be £1200 (gross). After doing around 10 hours overtime a week I'd simply had enough and wasn't prepared to do it for virtually nothing. My replacement lasted less than six months.
I retired at 56 with significantly less pension than if I'd worked to retirement, but fortunately I'd been making additional pension contributions which helped a little. I don't regret it for a moment.

After 33 years of full time teaching in secondary schools with minimal maternity eave for two children I was completely burnt out. I was stressed, exhausted and depressed and thought that I would not actually live to see retirement at 60.

I had my lightbulb moment in the classroom, gave in my notice and left at the earliest possible time to preserve my pension. As I thought I was not long for the world I took the pension actuarily reduced by 25%, a swingeing cut. I thought the lump sum would help the family when I was in no fit state to.

Little did I know that retiring would give me a new lease of life. 13 years later I am fitter and happier than I ever believed possible. Life is a joy to me and I see a great deal of my family with an adorable granddaughter and another on the way in November. I am truly blessed.

Yes, I worked at a hospital and wanted to work until I was about 67 years old to have something in my savings. I had to pack it in when I was 62 years old because of extreme stress. My hours were supposed to be 8.30 - 3.30pm and it ended up being 7-7! They piled work onto me and I was foolish enough to take it until I was ill with stress.

Mine was when I asked for partial retirement at age 60. It was declined so I did my calculations and worked out that I could manage (just) on my work pensions so handed in my notice. Of course, the powers that be went into panic mode because I would be taking my knowledge and experience with me and offered me partial retirement. I took pleasure in declining and nearly 6 years on I don’t regret it for a moment. Roll on February for my State Pension when my finances will be much more comfortable.

I was teaching secondary school in Los Angeles when in March 2020 we switched to remote learning through the end of term in June. Three months of remote teaching did me in. I retired in June, two years before I had been planning to. Very happy I did, because I moved to the UK to be with my wonderful British hubby!

I was the same - working in a university library when I heard that my daughter was coming over for a week's visit(she lived in the US). Hadn't seen her for a year and said OK if I take that week off. Stunned silence from my boss, then 'No'. I thought - I'm 60 I can retire, and I did. Never regretted it, and would never work for somebody else! I sell secondhand books via Amazon and I'm so much happier. May not have a fortune, but life is too short to waste on being unhappy!

Yes. Big row over something so small with over bearing bully boss. Lucky to be able to retire at 60 after being in that employment over 25 years with the same boss. (Everyone else was lovely and I loved the job). Bully boss was the same to many of the employees but did have a few "favourites" who pandered to her🤮. Best thing I did.

Went down to 3 days a week teaching aged 57! Did the sums, def had A F …. it moment! Retired at 58 after 36 years at the chalkface ! If the LA hadn’t restructured I would have stayed longer but took the freedom and no regrets !! Go for it but do your sums first

Yes three weeks ago returned to work after a weeks annual leave and spent the first wrestling with myself as I truly didn’t want to do the job, I’ve doing for 24 years. Spoke to Dh and he said he was glad I’d finally seen sense as I’d been unhappy for a while, so next morning spoke to my boss and told her I was retiring early I was due to retire May 2025, she did her best to convince me to stay, but told her I was comfortable with decision have two weeks left and can’t wait to start living for me for the first time. DH travels across Scotland for work so can visit places I’ve only ever seen on the weather map at the end of the news programmes.

ours was when we wanted to take a large private pension as a lump sum, i said to husband that he would be in the larger tax bracket and would be working 40 hours for next to nothing so we took it all and paid tax but as he wasn't working we got most back the following year. Best thing we did. You cannot get time back. We are both enjoying retirement really pleased we did what we did especially as soon after came covid, i worked in a supermarket so pleased i wasnt working then.

Having worked in the NHS for nearly 40 years, I had one of those moments, spurred on by a colleague who had left and was managing on her , not as many years as me, meagre pension. Loved my job, loved the patients, hated the stinking politics and the underhand bullying by some senior staff.
So yes I upped and left after serving my notice.

I'd never heard it until I was about 20!!
People just didn't swear so much in the olden days.

I,ve never forgotten one day my brother,age about 6 came into
the house and announced the f word! My mother wasted no time she found some carbolic soap and "washed"his mouth out! I said to myself then ," I,m never going to use THAT word! "I was 8years old.

every day

Yep.
Sometimes it's just the very word, but I would never just say it in company, or online, in case it offends, or someone wants to say it does, anyway.

I think there is a time and a place. I do swear, but only when I am confident that people around me (online or off) won't be offended.

Quite a few F word virgins on here😄 it’s not great worked into everyday speech but is brilliant for certain moments.
Posted the top comment too soon and almost said F😁

Are you really going to care what some random on the internet thinks of you?

If you go over to Mumsnet its used liberally and by people (some of whom) are extremely well educated. It can come across as very funny.

However when I watch some historical series on TV and the characters are saying "F" every few minutes it does begin to grate. It seems to be a fashion.

My father worked on the Liverpool docks during the war and must have been used to robust language. I never once heard him use the word. Nor the "C" word either.

Nah, f*%#$ that!

MissAdventure

Well fiddle dee dee, GrannyG... I can't imagine you having one of those naughty word moments.

I actually have frequent those moments

Sometimes it is just what’s needed.

I am not worried if others want to judge me, I know you won’t

MissInterpreted

Delia22

I don't use that word either!! Does that .make 3 or 4 of us who have the appropriate grammar?😊

Like I said, the F-word isn't the point of this thread! And having worked with words my entire life, I like to think that my vocabulary is as broad as anyone's, but there are times when only certain words will do!

I agree. And not only that, but I know the difference between vocabulary and grammar, and can swear grammatically when I choose to.

Well fiddle dee dee, GrannyG... I can't imagine you having one of those naughty word moments.