Worried about retirement

You are worrying at the right time, several years before your retire. You have 2 years to plan ahead, both finance and occupations.

Get a Pension forecast for both your pensions. The DoP and your employer should be willing to provide one. Then work out what they will be after tax - allow 10% for deductions and that should be about right and then work out your weekly/monthly budget.

Then plan things to occupy your time and enjoy. Roughly, one at least that you can do alone at home, anything from knitting to family history to researching anything that interests you, Another could be as a volunteer for a charity. The range of choices extends well beyond working in a shop or serving lunches at a Day Centre. Then join something social that you enjoy WI, your local Shed group, Darts or bowling club. Factor exercise into your life, preferably something social at your local leisure centre.

Get a good mix and you will wonder how you ever found time to work! This lin sums most of it up. www.2020financial.co.uk/things-to-do-in-retirement/

It depends how much your pension will actually be. I do know some pensioners who are just scraping by because their pension is so small and they’re still paying rent.

Only you know whether it’s enough or not. Surely you’ve worked out the sums and know how much you’ll have left after bills?

You don’t realise how much you spend, not just going to work, but enabling you to go to work.
My food bill halved when I didn’t have to do the big weekly shop, trying to anticipate what I would need for x days ahead, buying expensive food that would cook quickly.

And there is lots to do (pre-COVID - but it will come back), so much, in fact, that you can’t fit it all in. When you work you have no idea of the active life that retirees live?

You say you are worried, but begin by sitting down and doing your sums.
There are obvious factors like being at home all day, but no work related expenses.
There are knock-on effects that may or may not apply - more time to cook from scratch, make stuff etc. You can take advantage of 'off peak' offers when available.

As you are renting, you have some flexibility about moving elsewhere (although I realise that, depending on your tenancy that may not make sense)

What you can always think about are small part-time jobs that give you an interest and an income. Ex-NHS staff are often valued because of their common sense and reliability.

Similarly, some volunteering gets you some savings - obviously less at the moment, but friends of mine get free theatre / concert tickets, entry to country parks /NT properties and similar. A local wholefood co-op offers a substantial discount to volunteers.

I may be unfair, but your post sounded a bit nebulous, although of course you don't want to give us financial detail!
I just wondered if you needed a grasp on the detail. I do of course realise that it is difficult to plan in these strange times.

DH was worried that we wouldn't have enough money. He'd only been working 3 days a week anyway and I wasn't working - we'd both been studying and doing various part-time jobs for several years, though.

In the end, with our work pensions (even though they aren't huge) and the state pension, and with not needing to travel to work, we're actually better off. There are a lot of factors that influence the financial situation, not just income.

Despite being 71 I was still working when Covid struck. After one stretch of furloughing I decided to stop accepting contracts and I have not regretted it at all.
I am sure it will be the same for you and when this is all over you can always take on part time work if you do miss it.

No it will be ok. I got decidedly cold feet before retiring wondering how I was going to fill the day, and the fact my salary would be cut by half.

Somehow, I’ve never noticed the difference in money, and love every second of retirement. In fact I often wonder where time goes, it is whizzing all too quickly.