Preparing for retirement

Wonder what happened to the OP?

Find out what your own dreams and expectations are and what your husband's are.

Find out, if you can, exactly what you will have to live on.

Consider whether your present home is suitable to grow old in, if for instance, getting up and down stairs becomes a problem later on. Not saying it will, but we never know, do we?

Do you have to be able to drive to get to the shops, doctor, dentist, vet? If so MOVE sooner than later.

What do you really want to do when you no longer have to get up five days a week and go to work?

Do it, and enjoy yourselves.

I didn’t plan, I had a “chuff” chart and counted down the days.

I love it, not having to get up to go to work.

Doing what I want when I want, it doesn’t get any better.

Retirement should be a time in a couple`s life (or singletons) when financial worries are a thing of the past.

But of course, that would be in an ideal world.....and for many, not in this one.

I see neighbours and family, go off in couples on holiday, buying new cars, furniture etc and having a great time.

Planning doesn't always work out, if savings, private pensions, state pensions and other financial matters fail to come to fruition.

Then there`s health...a huge problem for me and my hubby. I became disabled at 47...totally out of the blue...and wallop....we`re unable to do all the things we planned.

So, yeh buy those towels, sheets, whatever....but enjoy what you`ve got in case it`s whipped away suddenly.

Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy retirement.

I'd settle into retirement before you do anything (even buying towels!). Give yourself time to look round and see if you need to change anything or if the status quo still suits you. There are years ahead to commit to volunteering, study, etc - I'd wait and see what free time you have first, and whether you need to fill it.

Like Luckygirl I just dived (--dove--, --took a dive--) right in and found the water was lovely. Never a moment's boredom, or a single twinge of regret. Though the AC have done their bit, by providing a seemingly constant stream of grandsons ever since.

Getting your travel in now is good advice though. Never assume that you'll be fit and able to do it in years to come. You may well be, if you're lucky, but on the other hand you may miss out if you delay your plans.

Fine to ask advice - listen to all and select what suits you.
Towels seems like an amazingly small thing to fix on - but the principle of planning ahead is a good one. I'd suggest:
Think about your home and community,are you intending to stay put? If so, the look around your home with an eye to the future. If you own it, then think about things like a walk-in shower, ground floor loo, if there are steps, what about railings or ramp etc.
Appliances - no need to replace perfectly good ones of course, but would something else suit you better, or be more efficient?
Would you make good use of a larger freezer?
Insulation - as much as possible!
Would solar panels or similar be a good investment?
Would a different method of heating suit you better now?
If you have a car - does it still suit you?
Do you want to invest in equipment for a hobby, either out of interest or to make a small income?

If you choose not to do any of those things, think about making sure you have enough money put aside to do necessary repairs, replacements or adjustments.

I'd add that if you are thinking of moving, it is usually good to do it in early retirement whilst still active. If you are with a Housing Association / Social Landlord they sometimes offer incentives.

I somehow feel guilty if I catch Loose women of an afternoon but I brag about Countdown! It’s ridiculous as it’s my time and I shouldn’t have to justify it but I often tot up at the end of the day the worthy things I’ve done as if I’m still answerable to someone who pays my wages!

I’ve never had a problem ‘doing nowt’! I read in the middle of the day quite regularly. It’s ‘my time’ and I’ve earned it.

Calendargirl.
It takes time. If I remember correctly it was a couple of years. Now after 22 years I find it very easy, except once awake I can not stay in bed, I have to get up.

Good advice Gfplux.

Your third point is one I struggle with. It’s easy to feel guilty about doing nothing, e.g. reading, tv, etc. But why? We’ve earned our leisure, when at work I often thought how nice it would be to sit and watch a film in the afternoon, or read a good book.

We never thought about it. Oh retired at 55. Well not really retired as we had a huge referb project on the go.

We went on holiday, bought a property ( we didn't intend to)
came home, finished the last of the referb, sold up and moved abroad ( I was 58)

Did that for 5 years and moved on to other things. I don't think I ever gave towels a thought ?

Finally. In 22 years I have no been bored. I constantly wonder how I had time to work. But. Please note my third point.

I have been retired for 22 years.
It was not by choice as I was “paid to go away” as they say. However I knew it was coming for about a year.
I had worked away very very often and getting used to each other was the first challenge. This we solved by having different interests, not doing everything together but coming together when we chose to.
The second issue can be that we are defined by our jobs/career/profession and saying you are retired can feel strange to say for a while.
Thirdly you must give yourself permission to do nothing. Trying not to feel guilty about reading a book for an hour in the middle of the morning or watching some mindless daytime TV. Remember it’s your time and YOU (with your partner) decide how to spend it.
My final piece of advice is life is short and GOOD HEALTH should not be taken for granted.
Don’t put off to tomorrow what you are fit enough to do today.

I've never been what you call " free " in retirement. There've been many days when I've wondered how I ever fitted working into the day as well.
The only difference being that the time is my own.

I worked 9-2 every day for years and was concerned about retirement. I was then reduced to 3 days (which saved someone else’s job). So I then took up interests on those days and, happily, when I finally finished work my interests took over so I can honestly say retirement is the best job I ever had.
I agree about getting long distance travel in before insurance becomes too expensive.
Make sure you have something to do every day. Do try U3A too.

I didn't plan at all - I just dived (?dove) into freedom at long last!!!

It's a good idea to prepare for retirement if you know how you wish to spend it. Flexibility is key, though, as circumstances can change not just for you but for those close to you. Expect the unexpected!

Remember that you may become more susceptible to ill-health so DH and I made several long-haul trips to the US and to Australia and New Zealand in the first 2-3 years after retiring.

I made a few other plans. One was to have elective cataract surgery because I was fed up with having to wear glasses. However after about a year my vision became blurry again because one of the lenses was defective. The surgery had to be repeated and the cataract surgery plan dragged on as I waited for the defective lens to mist up before I had the courage to go through it again.

Another plan was to move house but I have not seen anywhere I liked enough to buy and that search is ongoing.

I also wanted to do some voluntary work but discovered that what I had chosen wasn't how I expected it to be so I gave it up.

DH has had some health issues this year so I have confined my commitments outside the house to an education course with weekly 2-hour lessons on a subject I want to learn more about and where there is no homework.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck.

It's really good to have a plan. Think about what you want to do, how much money you will have to do it with and go from there. People tend to spend more when they first retire and then may spend less as they get older. I would find some good retirement books and work through them together. I used to discuss retirement with employees in work in HR and it always amazed me that some people had no idea of what they were going to do. Not sure that I would bother with stocking up on towels though!

Enjoy it. Do stuff you haven't done previously. Plan some holidays. See your friends more often. Maybe a bit of volunteer work.