So far for me is the luxury of not having to rise at 4 am to prepare for work.
I done that since 1977 I became thoroughly sick of it which is why I chose early retirement.
2 Likes
Oh 4 am is sick , you went to sleep very early ?
I enjoy posting in this forum while watching tv and often eating snacks so that is nice because before retiring after getting home would shower and not much time left for fun stuff , granted I was off weekends .
After my divorce I moved here at 65 , 72 now but grew incredibly bored so went back to local jobs plumbing like early afternoon and now also on a friends food truck weekends till 10 pm .
I do get 10 hours sleep every night so that is best thing about retiring
2 Likes
Yes. Most of the time in bed by or before 8pm.
I still wake early but can stay in bed until daylight. A real boon after decades of dragging myself off to work.
1 Like
I just enjoy the freedom to do what I like when I like.
Retired at 60 and was self funded for five years until the state pension kicked it. Still have my super as a sort of pension bonus.
Have never been bored since retirement, spent a lot of years travelling (obviously not all the time) and have little projects on the go.
I am a bit of an early riser so am usually up by 6.30 (ish) and go to bed much earlier than I used to however I read in bed for an hour or so until about 11pm (ish - depends on how good the book is) I also watch more TV than I used to - over an hour each day not including the 7pm News.
As I approach 80 I notice I am slowing down a fair bit but am still mobile, still enjoying life as a retiree.
3 Likes
I didn’t realise you had retired, that must have been fairly recent wasn’t it? I do recall that you had some problems with a new boss at your work.
When I first retired I had to train myself not to wake up at 4am for day shift!
2 Likes
Retirement means having the privilege of being nagged at all day long
3 Likes
I didn’t realize you took early retirement Bretrick. Good on you. Enjoy.
2 Likes
I retired on the 2nd May.
New boss was a wanker who used threats and intimidation to try and control the workers.
I said said to him one day, “I have seen your sort before. Standing over workers. I will not put up with it anymore. I resign, effective immediately”
Then I walked out.
There comes a time when bullshit becomes too great and it is best to walk away from it.
5 Likes
2nd May, this year. Best thing I have ever done.
2 Likes
I took early retirement from teaching in secondary school when I was 57 - in 2003. I wake each morning and the day stretches before me and I can choose to do as much or as little as the mood takes me - retiring was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. When I see what is happening in schools nowadays I so glad I’m no longer teaching!
2 Likes
That there is what retirement means to me as well.
Spontaneity dictates what happens from day to day.
2 Likes
I was becoming physically ill with the late night call-outs and level of stress I was put under. I sat and worked out my salary was worth against all the problems it was causing me and decided I’d had enough after forty-four years. Put in my notice and left and now retired three years. I don’t miss the job, but money also had to be a deciding factor. Fortunately I have been saving for many years, I maxed out my pension and took a large lump sum which I’m slowly turning into ISA’s and take an extra income from the interest. I’m also turned semi-professional photographer which makes a little extra on top of everything else.
I think after three years I can confidently look back and say I have no regrets about leaving, although retiring has come with its own set of issues…but that’s another story.
2 Likes
Yes it does.
I left the UK a bit over 10 years ago but continued doing phases of contracting work back in the UK for four years. That was tiring but good for extra money and to help ease into full time retirement. Stopping all that coincided with my mother getting poorly, so quite a lot of travel back to the UK for a year, then Covid so almost no travel for 2 years.
The sort of issues I noticed when completely finished working were:-
Suddenly being with your other half 24/7. That was a shock to both of us. You do work round it, find interests to give you time apart, make sure you can also have time with friends (to dilute the 1-1 time) and learn to be comfortable spending time in different rooms.
Suddenly having, it seemed, no purpose or value. Work does often define us. In a way Covid lock downs were useful as that was guilt free not working time.
Early retirement can cause many money worries. For the first few years I was very, very prudent and kept a fairly tight budget. Good fortune and good help in financial planning has now allowed me to be a bit more relaxed. However, I’m still driving the UK car I drove down to France back in 2014.
I now cannot conceive of working, of dealing with new technology, of handling bosses and reportees, of commuting, etc. etc. Nor can I conceive of not having a couple of dogs to spend time with when we want.
4 Likes
The clock no longer rules my life. I do.
4 Likes
My dream was to never have to look at a clock.
My dream has come true 
2 Likes
I could have written that Bruce… 
Apart from the reading in bed, as soon as my head hits the pillow it’s good night Vienna…
I’ve always had lots of hobbies, indoor ones for rainy days, and outdoor ones for sunny days.
I retired at sixty with loads of dosh and survived until I could collect the state pension, although I have a couple of works pensions that prop up spending. I always thought I’d spend my later years jogging around the neighbourhood and beyond, but unfortunately at seventy, my heart needed a bit of help and I was unable to run the long distances I was used to, until at 71 it came to an abrupt end. I still walk most days and jog a bit, the hobbies still keep me interested, and boredom is not in my vocabulary.
I love nature, and writing on the forum, hearing about what you folks get up to, but very rarely listen to the news…
Having squandered most of my money away keeping a roof over my daughters head and swapping cars until I found one I like, I’ve enough to keep us comfortable with the odd holiday .
My life has been my bucket list, and I’ve done some stuff and seen some places but hopefully there is still plenty of time left for an encore…
Retirement has been well worth waiting for, there are no best bits, it’s all good…
2 Likes
I retired when I was 51, went to live in Portugal. We intended staying for good, but found ourselves back in London after 5 years. And here we are, I haven’t worked in 25 years, it’s the quiet life, don’t spend much. We’re happy, it’s not easy to get bored in London buzz, free travel, different place every day, old haunts and new.
2 Likes
I’m interested in what made the move back happen - I’m not being critical at all, just curious. Round where I am there have been a few people who came out from the UK and for various reasons headed back after a bit. I’ve found the most common reasons are wanting to spend more time with grandchildren or health issues or not feeling they fitted in (usually driven by language barrier).
One thing I’d say - it is a double adjustment when you do both retiring and moving to a new country. Luck can play a big part - location, attitude of local community, etc.
1 Like
Ok the full story. Mrs d00d is Portuguese, we’d been visiting Lisbon and/or Algarve a couple of times a year since the late 80s. We also owned a property in the capital. We’d always planned to retire to Portugal, but that happed a bit sooner than planned. We sold up in London, and after a year or two in Lisbon, health problems brough us back to London. And the NHS have been keeping me alive ever since. And, I must admit, as much as I love the wife’s homeland, I’m a Brit.
1 Like
Lots of Brazilians in the area and though I do not speak Portuguese I speak Italian / Spanish so I understand 50 percent .
How did you like Portugal ?