To retire or not...

[rich p]

... if you were able to, would you?
Linking two recent threads of The Jogger's about where to go, and hotfuzzrj's about being already bored after a day away from work.

Would you give up work entirely, do a couple of days a week, occasional jobs with long gaps in between?
There are a lot of hours to fill and being on a bike all day may not cut it. If you live in a decrepit house there's always maintenance to do but not so in a flat perhaps. Chores can be time fillers but possibly unrewarding.
The available hours mean that there's a lot more time to spend money which maybe is an ever-decreasing pot of gold.
Many retirees find that it's not as much fun as they thought.
My strategy is to work just enough to give some structure but leave enough time to fart-arse about. So, I do a week or two followed by a few off. So far, so good for me.

 

[Crankarm]

And all the extra time you have to spend on Cyclechat .

 

[compo]

I retired at 60, two days after my 60th birthday, and have no regrets. So many people work to 65, retire and are dead in a comparitively short time. I decided I wanted to have a few years to myself. I "officially" become a pensioner and get my State pension in a few months in August this year. I do not miss work. I did heavy manual work which was becoming a bit of a problem. I do miss the company and the banter of the work place but this loss is far outweighed by the pleasure of cycling when I want, fishing when I want, during the summer we can go off camping when we want. I don't have a lot of money but fortunately my hobbies and interests, and those of my wife, don't take a lot of money.

 

[CopperCyclist]

I'm too young to be able to dream about it at the moment, but if I could then yes, I'd retire in a heartbeat if financially it was viable.

I don't think I'd get too bored. I enjoy my rest days and generally find I don't have enough time to fit in everything I want to do!

 

[summerdays]

I'm not near retiring age yet, but I like the compulsory get out of the house nature of work ... left to my own devices I can waste away time very easily, work forces me to try and be more organised. So for me it would be much as it is now ... work part time - more leisure time, some cash coming in and a bit of routine.

 

[guitarpete247]

If only.
I'm 56 this year and it's looking like I'll be trying to work for at least the next 11 years.
Still buying my lottery (early retirement) tickets .
I have several dream plans for what I could do if I could afford to retire but they are just that, dreams.
GF is 5 years younger than me so we will probably be getting to retirement age at about the same time.

 

[Linford]

Currently looking @ 67 for retirement age. Working in the private sectore means that my chances of raising anything near enough to support me beyond the state subsistence is bleak. I will realistically work until I end up in a nursing home - if I actually make it that far....

 

[Paulus]

I am 54 now and was looking forward to retiring at the age of 60, my pension would be reduced but MrsP would of got her state pension at 60 so we would of had 2 years to live on a reduced pension and some savings until her pension kicked in. With the state pension changes my plans have been altered as Mrs P and myself won't now get our state pensions until we are 66, or if the law goes through, 67.
I would still like to go early though while my health is good and travel to parts of the world I have not seen, and follow the professional cycling around Europe in the spring and summer. I started work when I was 16, still working for the same company, so there are many things I want to do before the grim reaper gets me.

 

[postman]

I took early voluntary retirement in August 2006.I have got to say i had had enough of the job.But the reasons are not important to be discussed on here.But i fell out with RM as i felt it did not reward good workers and kept too many shirkers.
But my wage was less than my wife's,and she is seven years younger than me.So it made sense for me to become the househusband.Part of my money paid off the mortgage freeing us from that.More was spent on building work,dormer bedroom and shower toilet room.
It has worked very well,i did loads of charity work till the knees started to play up,then i had to stop.So now i give a hand to the garden of next door and spend the rest of my time cycling.
I would say if you can afford it do it.You will always find something to do.My next task is to clean and feed two rabbits for a neighbour.
I was fortunate that my wife had a better job than me and she wanted to get her time in.She was a PC with West Yorkshire Police.It's worked out well here in Meanwood.

 

[007fair]

44 and not thinking about and it seems a long way off. Also I don't expect to be able to retire early, but if given the option I would like some structure in my life (part time work or voluntary work at the local tennis club or something). I would need a project with free time there is required.

Sam goes If I won millions. I don't think I would like to cruise around the world for ever .. I would like to have something to do, something build or some other purpose.

 

[simon.r]

I'm currently unemployed and I am not missing working at all. The only downside is the lack of money

The days are flying by and I feel better than I have for years, both physically (more exercise, less snacking and junk food because I have the time to prepare decent meals) and mentally (I've always had fairly stressful jobs). I've been looking for a job with the same sort of salary as I've been used to, but I am now seriously considering getting a less onerous job that is significantly less well paid and adjusting my lifestyle to suit.

 

[asterix]

....

Sam goes If I won millions. I don't think I would like to cruise around the world for ever .. I would like to have something to do, something build or some other purpose.

Who is Sam?

I got shown the door when they decided to give our jobs to the Indians. At the 11th hour they asked if I wanted to stay which was strange. I don't regret not taking the offer.

 

[007fair]

Sa

Who is Sam?

I got shown the door when they decided to give our jobs to the Indians. At the 11th hour they asked if I wanted to stay which was strange. I don't regret not taking the offer.

Sam is the butler. I would get a better quality one if I was rich.

 

[Night Train]

If I could retire, as in have the pension pot for it, I would do right now. It would give me time to convalesce without the pressure to be well and working again at some point. I could then work as much or as little as I was able without worrying about it affecting my base income.

 

[ASC1951]

If I could retire, as in have the pension pot for it, I would do right now.

Doing nothing is almost as bad as doing too much. I know it's not possible for everyone, but I reckon I can work part time pretty much for ever. Now that I don't have 8-6 and a fifty mile round trip every day, I find I need far less to live on anyway, because a lot of my base income was spent on fuel and a 'proper' car and business accoutrements.