How do you manage on your retirement?

Well, firstly your outgoings will decrease quite a bit - office clothes, lunches, commute costs etc. Have you already taken that into account?
My other half wasn't quite ready to retire properly and did some consulting work for a few years after his 'retirement' which gave us so much needed extra income but as soon as we were sure we didn't need it anymore he retired properly and (supposedly) does all the housework instead.
We have just about paid off our mortgage on the house we live in and we also have a little house we inherited from a family member which we rent out and tops up our retirement income and my (now part-time) salary. There are options but you will need to put things in place now. With Brexit etc things are so volatile at the moment in terms of markets so investing is in my opinion a bit hit and miss - but I guess to an extent it always is.

There is a reduction in costs when you leave work, the main increases are heating when you are home more and how you manage food and activities/interests which can have added costs.

When I did my sums in my 50s I was really worried, but a better job, working for several years past when I could have claimed my pension also helped so now both my state and work pensions are more because I did not claim them whilst I worked.

I dreaded retirement and was determined not to finish work until I knew our income would allow the air fares I need to visit DD and GC abroad, but it has all worked out now, so put your planning in place and you will not regret it.

Retirement means that money becomes more elastic. So does time .

Just had to accept I had less money and live on that

Less money = no work = very happy.
In my opinion it is worth every penny I don't get not to have to go to work.
I am lucky not to have a mortgage and don't like shopping so manage very well on my (at least 30%) reduced income.

Same here. No mortgage and hate shopping. Far fewer outgoings (except heating). With a bus pass and plenty of time its easy to find as much meaningful activity as you want at minimal cost. Good luck -go for it!

Depends a great deal on your expectations, if you want to travel and go on holiday regularly then you may need to work part time for a while, this is a good transition as well if you are worried about retirement.
Some expenses are reduced whilst others increase. No need for two cars but more heating costs in the winter. There are so many things available if you are older on a limited budget so look into U3A, volunteering, walking, getting together with friends. Make the most of the time it flies by so quickly.

It does depend upon your expectations. I have always found when my finances go up I spend more and when my finances go down I spend less. We have managed very well to live on less money, but then we do not have expensive cars nor do we go on expensive holidays. My only problem is spending too much on the Grandchildren. Retiring was the BEST decision I ever made. It's fabulous. If you can't manage you could always find a little part time job.

I paid off my mortgage when I retired and living in London that left zilch in the bank account so I found 3 casual jobs, saved money and slowly upgraded my house. I found I could no longer work after I broke my ankle in 2009 but by then I had had enough anyway. I do not go on holiday and only recently traded in my 12 year old car for a newer second hand one.

My social life is not so good because my retired friends have moved a distance away.

If money is tight, you can find out when supermarkets sell their food at a very reduced price and maybe freeze some of it. Heating is I think the biggest expense. You can save money on line re energy suppliers because you will have more time to explore the options. I would not return to work now for double the salary.

All sorts of companies give a wide range of discounts to retired people, from the National Trust to (probably) your local barber, who gives discounts if you come in on his less busy days. It is worth taking time and effort to check all these out either before or when you retire. My local fish and chip shop does cheaper pensioners portions, which are a rational size and not overwhelming, although chips do freeze and taste even better recooked to crisp in the oven.

I live off H who gets quiet a good private pension plus state pension. I'm 62 and no longer work but am not yet entitled to a state pension. However, as I worked p/t most of my working life and therefore didn't earn enough to pay stamp I do worry about the paltry amount I will get if H goes first.
We don't have a mortgage or foreign holidays and have only ever had a second hand car all be it decent ones.

We live a much simpler life since retiring.
Fortunately we live in a rural area where there's no such thing as the modern version of keeping up with the Jones. Most people's "best" clothes date from the '90s.
The biggest expense is transport - we need to keep 2 vehicles on the road.

I remember reading advice many years ago that advised people nearing retirement to prepare by accumulating household goods such as crockery, linens, sheets ,towels, so that they would not have to buy these out of a retirement income. I invested in all of these while I worked . I also bought several good leather handbags in classic styles so I won't have to buy them now. We also use our free bus passes as often as possible but we still keep a car even though it is seldom used. I tend to buy fewer clothes now that I am no longer working but I still find it better to buy quality rather than quantity. My spending on books has dwindled as I use our library at least once a week. The library also has many magazines and so I read those there as well.

Blimey, stockpiling handbags, crockery, sheets, towels...I'm all for living within one's means, but really was that necessary?

We have taken a "getting your house in order" approach, literally. , We moved 6 yrs ago while both still working and have aged proofed our house as much as we can so that it should see us through the next 20yrs without any major expenses. Doors, windows, electrics, kitchen , bathroom, decorating, heating system, etc have all been replaced. 20 yrs should be fine but it might all last 30'which will probably see us out. So with a bit of luck only superficial redecoration and replacing the odd carpet should be necessary, so no major household expenses.

"If you can't manage you could always find a little part time job."
That may not be so easily done.

Ana, as GertrudeGrace says it is more a 'getting your house in order' exercise . Much easier to replace these things while you are still working full time .

Curlysue - I went on a pre-retirement course where the facilitator stated that ' most people who retire find they have more money than they thought'. I'm not sure if we actually have more money but it seems to go further than we expected. I suspect as some have already mentioned, it depends on what you want to do and how you plan to spend your retirement. Another good piece of advice I received was to cut our expenditure by 10% every year as we approached retirement so that the drop in income wouldn't seem so great.
After I retired I had a part time job but for the last two years I saved my salary so I was used to not having the money in my current account.

Can't possibly comment as it depends how much income you expect to have.