Enjoying Retirement
Discussion
Happy Jim said:
Michael_B said:
Happy Jim said:
I don’t have 90 to do, but probably at least half that in the next year. Is it one of these?https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/15048920144
Hard to justify for the few we would need…we need a PH borrow-kit forum!!
A decent auger would be useful for us…..mmmmm!
craig1912 said:
Planning for retirement and what how you are going to fill your time is important.
I'm sure that's true for many people, but it wasn't for me. I retired at 58 without any plan. Left on a Friday after 42 years full time work, and woke up Monday without a clue about what I was going to do with my life. That was 3 years ago and it all worked out perfectly. I don't know how I ever had the time to hold down a job. I think it's important to remember that we're all different, and there's no right or wrong way to approach it, just a right and wrong way for you.
At 62 I’m still doing 70 hrs x 5 days most weeks , this week they wanted me to do a extra shift , up at 1 am , often not home until 6 pm ( including travelling to work ) , asked for less days , no , looked at other jobs but my age & health means no chance
I’m going to look at finances but I always think I’ll need more
I recently had 6 weeks off after operation and didn’t miss work at all , I started work at 12 , 50 yrs ago so I think I’ve done my bit .
I’m going to look at finances but I always think I’ll need more
I recently had 6 weeks off after operation and didn’t miss work at all , I started work at 12 , 50 yrs ago so I think I’ve done my bit .
TwigtheWonderkid said:
I'm sure that's true for many people, but it wasn't for me. I retired at 58 without any plan. Left on a Friday after 42 years full time work, and woke up Monday without a clue about what I was going to do with my life. That was 3 years ago and it all worked out perfectly. I don't know how I ever had the time to hold down a job.
I think it's important to remember that we're all different, and there's no right or wrong way to approach it, just a right and wrong way for you.
Zero plan!?!I think it's important to remember that we're all different, and there's no right or wrong way to approach it, just a right and wrong way for you.
Well done!
Did you plan much before retirement?!
How did you plan your time *after* retiring?
TwigtheWonderkid said:
I'm sure that's true for many people, but it wasn't for me. I retired at 58 without any plan. Left on a Friday after 42 years full time work, and woke up Monday without a clue about what I was going to do with my life. That was 3 years ago and it all worked out perfectly. I don't know how I ever had the time to hold down a job.
I think it's important to remember that we're all different, and there's no right or wrong way to approach it, just a right and wrong way for you.
I too retired without a plan and for many including me that is the wrong thing to do. I spent 6 mths not doing a lot and realised I needed to pull my finger out otherwise I’d die watching day time tv.I think it's important to remember that we're all different, and there's no right or wrong way to approach it, just a right and wrong way for you.
I now go to the gym four times a week. I also volunteered as deck crew on a large steam ship taking up to 200 passengers out in the Solent. That lead to becoming membership secretary and now trainee Bosun.
I also spent three years building a miniature railway at a local museum and do a bit of photography.
All that along with walking the dog and taking three or four holidays fills my time nicely, but I wished I hadn’t wasted that first six months which is why I think some sort of plan is important.
craig1912 said:
All that along with walking the dog and taking three or four holidays fills my time nicely, but I wished I hadn’t wasted that first six months which is why I think some sort of plan is important.
But maybe you needed those six months to “decompress” and recharge your batteries after a lifetime of work?Perhaps if you’d gone straight from work to gym and voluntary work straight away you’d have jacked both in after a few months?
I’m hopefully pulling the plug later this year. I’ve got a cruise booked but apart from that I just want to spend a bit of time loafing around for the first time in 35 years. When I start getting bored then I’ll “pull myself together” and get on with stuff - get back into scuba, more volunteer work, domestic travel, swimming, cycling and reading…
funinhounslow said:
craig1912 said:
All that along with walking the dog and taking three or four holidays fills my time nicely, but I wished I hadn’t wasted that first six months which is why I think some sort of plan is important.
But maybe you needed those six months to “decompress” and recharge your batteries after a lifetime of work?Perhaps if you’d gone straight from work to gym and voluntary work straight away you’d have jacked both in after a few months?
I’m hopefully pulling the plug later this year. I’ve got a cruise booked but apart from that I just want to spend a bit of time loafing around for the first time in 35 years. When I start getting bored then I’ll “pull myself together” and get on with stuff - get back into scuba, more volunteer work, domestic travel, swimming, cycling and reading…
Some are very defined by their work, & I suspect they are the ones who might need to give themselves more direction.
I always felt I didn’t want to “commit” to anything for maybe a year. I have a pal who signed up to loads of different things and ended up double-booking themself a couple of times (became a minor standing joke!).
I stopped wearing a watch. A daft thing really, but it was my way to tell myself I was no longer beholden to schedules (& yes, we managed 2 months on interrail last spring without a watch….phones can remind you of departing trains!).
I firmly agree that decompressing after decades of work is also a thing many or most will need. My way was to go cycling for 19 days….by the end of that, I was totally in the playtime zone
For planning, I spent my final months at work building a big list of things I wanted to do ‘at some point’ (& planned a 19-day bike ride…did I do any work in my final months?!)
High level topics like family, travel, events, garden, diy, films, books, etc.
Below each I wrote more detailed ideas (eg, below “events” were some festivals we wanted to get to).
I still like to dip into that list from time to time to see “progress”, & add things, although after the first 18 months it is needed less.
At the end of the day, everyone is different….the important thing is in the thread title (thanks GT3!).
Planning for retirement? In a way fate led to me planning my retirement back in 2013 when I was made redundant at the age of 57. Hearing what had happened a friend of mine invited me to help him get a start-up software company off the ground. I flew down to Lyon and over a pizza we made a business plan. I had always worked for large corporates so this was big change. The plan was to grow the business with our own money, sell it and retire. In August 2020 we sold the business to a US private equity firm so it worked. I did nothing for 6 months, I needed the break and my partner set up a recording studio in France (I've yet to visit). In summer '21 I rejoined a fishing club (I hadn't' fished for 30 years, always too busy) and started playing with my cars. In '22 I decided to completely re-vamp my garage, I spent months doing the floor and installing a new ceiling and cabinets. My wife decided to open our garden for a charity event so first 6 months of this year i spent a lot of time in the garden. Oh and I organise a few car events and write a monthly page for a car club and I'm writing a book (predictably on cars). But, do I have a plan or a list no, I spent 45 years of my lie with a list of things to do and a calendar of events I had to attend so that's the last thing I want. I love the freedom to do what I want, when I want and I suppose having travelled a lot on business I have no desire to jump on a plane and fly places or go on holidays. One thing though, I always promised myself that when I retired I'd buy a piano and learn to play properly - I was keyboard player in a blues/rock band when I was in my 20s but I've not played for 40 years and I always wanted to learn to read music. Perhaps I'll do that when I'm less busy 
mikeiow said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
I'm sure that's true for many people, but it wasn't for me. I retired at 58 without any plan. Left on a Friday after 42 years full time work, and woke up Monday without a clue about what I was going to do with my life. That was 3 years ago and it all worked out perfectly. I don't know how I ever had the time to hold down a job.
I think it's important to remember that we're all different, and there's no right or wrong way to approach it, just a right and wrong way for you.
Zero plan!?!I think it's important to remember that we're all different, and there's no right or wrong way to approach it, just a right and wrong way for you.
Well done!
Did you plan much before retirement?!
How did you plan your time *after* retiring?
I just kind of fell into it. Centred around daily swimming and the gym, walking, meeting up with friends. I did this for two years and found I had a real talent for doing nothing. A bit like Hugh Grant in About A Boy.
Then I fortunately got the opportunity to do voluntary work as a medical courier, flying all over the world picking up bits of human from foreign donors and delivering to UK recipients. So I usually do 2 or 3 trips a month. Short haul trips (Europe) are 2 days, long haul are 5-6 days. A few months ago I did 3 long haul trips more or less back to back, USA, NZ & Argentina. Madness, but exciting. It's a bit like being a rock star, but with economy flights and no naked supermodels to snort coke off.
Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Saturday 29th June 17:23
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Then I fortunately got the opportunity to do voluntary work as a medical courier, flying all over the world picking up bits of human from foreign donors and delivering to UK recipients. So I usually do 2 or 3 trips a month. Short haul trips (Europe) are 2 days, long haul are 5-6 days. A few months ago I did 3 long haul trips more or less back to back, USA, NZ & Argentina. Madness, but exciting. It's a bit like being a rock star, but with economy flights and no naked supermodels to sniff coke off.
Blimey - great that you're doing that volunteering, but I can't think of anything worse (well I can, but you know what I mean). In my last few years I used to send others on business trips (mainly to the US) so I didn't have to go. It's not just the flights, it's the whole airport experience where people seem to revel in the opportunity to make things difficult.
Sheepshanks said:
In my last few years I used to send others on business trips (mainly to the US) so I didn't have to go. It's not just the flights, it's the whole airport experience where people seem to revel in the opportunity to make things difficult.
I'm with you on that one. I've seen enough airports to last me a lifetime. Even with access to lounges there's nothing enjoyable about it. TwigtheWonderkid said:
My whole working life was planned, meetings, schedules etc. Probably fuelled my aversion to having a plan.
I just kind of fell into it. Centred around daily swimming and the gym, walking, meeting up with friends. I did this for two years and found I had a real talent for doing nothing. A bit like Hugh Grant in About A Boy.
Then I fortunately got the opportunity to do voluntary work as a medical courier, flying all over the world picking up bits of human from foreign donors and delivering to UK recipients. So I usually do 2 or 3 trips a month. Short haul trips (Europe) are 2 days, long haul are 5-6 days. A few months ago I did 3 long haul trips more or less back to back, USA, NZ & Argentina. Madness, but exciting. It's a bit like being a rock star, but with economy flights and no naked supermodels to sniff coke off.
How did you get into that? Love airports and flyingI just kind of fell into it. Centred around daily swimming and the gym, walking, meeting up with friends. I did this for two years and found I had a real talent for doing nothing. A bit like Hugh Grant in About A Boy.
Then I fortunately got the opportunity to do voluntary work as a medical courier, flying all over the world picking up bits of human from foreign donors and delivering to UK recipients. So I usually do 2 or 3 trips a month. Short haul trips (Europe) are 2 days, long haul are 5-6 days. A few months ago I did 3 long haul trips more or less back to back, USA, NZ & Argentina. Madness, but exciting. It's a bit like being a rock star, but with economy flights and no naked supermodels to sniff coke off.
craig1912 said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
My whole working life was planned, meetings, schedules etc. Probably fuelled my aversion to having a plan.
I just kind of fell into it. Centred around daily swimming and the gym, walking, meeting up with friends. I did this for two years and found I had a real talent for doing nothing. A bit like Hugh Grant in About A Boy.
Then I fortunately got the opportunity to do voluntary work as a medical courier, flying all over the world picking up bits of human from foreign donors and delivering to UK recipients. So I usually do 2 or 3 trips a month. Short haul trips (Europe) are 2 days, long haul are 5-6 days. A few months ago I did 3 long haul trips more or less back to back, USA, NZ & Argentina. Madness, but exciting. It's a bit like being a rock star, but with economy flights and no naked supermodels to sniff coke off.
How did you get into that? Love airports and flyingI just kind of fell into it. Centred around daily swimming and the gym, walking, meeting up with friends. I did this for two years and found I had a real talent for doing nothing. A bit like Hugh Grant in About A Boy.
Then I fortunately got the opportunity to do voluntary work as a medical courier, flying all over the world picking up bits of human from foreign donors and delivering to UK recipients. So I usually do 2 or 3 trips a month. Short haul trips (Europe) are 2 days, long haul are 5-6 days. A few months ago I did 3 long haul trips more or less back to back, USA, NZ & Argentina. Madness, but exciting. It's a bit like being a rock star, but with economy flights and no naked supermodels to sniff coke off.
I got recommended by a friend who was already doing it. And living near Heathrow, as I do, dramatically improves your chances of getting selected.
I get that it's not for everyone, airports, long flights in economy, and living out of hotels. But I love it. It's the unpredictability of it. Saturday morning I was at home after doing Parkrun, then Saturday evening I'm flying down to Buenos Aires, and next day I'm having a huge steak for Sunday lunch in La Boca, watching a live tango show. Thinking "this time yesterday, I was having a pot noodle and a bag of Quavers for lunch in West London ".
Edited by TwigtheWonderkid on Saturday 29th June 17:39
Gas1883 said:
At 62 I’m still doing 70 hrs x 5 days most weeks , this week they wanted me to do a extra shift , up at 1 am , often not home until 6 pm ( including travelling to work ) , asked for less days , no , looked at other jobs but my age & health means no chance
I’m going to look at finances but I always think I’ll need more
I recently had 6 weeks off after operation and didn’t miss work at all , I started work at 12 , 50 yrs ago so I think I’ve done my bit .
I think you definately need to retire.I’m going to look at finances but I always think I’ll need more
I recently had 6 weeks off after operation and didn’t miss work at all , I started work at 12 , 50 yrs ago so I think I’ve done my bit .
You always seem to have more money when you retire than working.
Forget all those on here who seem to have more money anyway.
Gas1883 said:
<clip> I started work at 12 , 50 yrs ago so I think I’ve done my bit.
I think we did this a few months ago on here. I did a paper round but soon chucked it in, so my first proper job was working after school in a butchers, clearing up, scraping the blocks, sweeping the sawdust etc. I would have been about 14 so to 65 that's 51 years. I think there are a few of us on here who worked in a butchers. 
TwigtheWonderkid said:
craig1912 said:
How did you get into that? Love airports and flying
I was very lucky. You can't really apply, they recruit pretty much exclusively from existing courier recommendations. And we're a pretty small team, so they probably only recruit maybe 3 or 4 couriers every 3 years or so to replace those that have got too old or shuffled off this mortal coil. Even then, 10 people might get recommended and only 4 recruited. I got recommended by a friend who was already doing it. And living near Heathrow, as I do, dramatically improves your chances of getting selected.
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