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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Retirement
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
I'm pretty much set on working part-time for a while. If things go really well I could draw my pension and continue to work part-time where I do now so the hit on income is minimal.
I certainly don't intend to quit work altogether at 60 (which I am now poking with a short stick) so it's a matter of finding a mixture of keeping myself amused, doing more round the house and volunteering that I need to plan for. One way or another I expect to be busier than ever!
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Sarasa
Shipmate
# 12271
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Posted
Some good points about re-locating. A friend of mine that I was chatting to about our ideas was full of horror stories about people she knew who ahd re-located either because they had enjoyed holidays in a place (hadn't factored in cold,desereted British seaside towns in winter) or to be near children (who had then moved elsewhere).
Where we have in mind is near family and friends, and is a place with excellent transport links that appears to have quite a lot going on.
Whether it will actually happen is still in the air....
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'I guess things didn't go so well tonight, but I'm trying. Lord, I'm trying.' Charlie (Harvey Keitel) in Mean Streets.
Posts: 2035 | From: London | Registered: Jan 2007
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
Growing up in the deepest darkest West Country I have lots of horror stories of people who retired to the tiny villages. Fine when they were mobile, really not funny when they were reliant on public transport services that run one or two buses a week.
(I am serious, I grew up in a village that had three buses a week: the bus that ran to the Monday market and back and the bus that ran to the Wednesday and Saturday market in a different direction. These buses left the village at around 10am/10:30am and returned around 2:30pm, fitting neatly between the school run.)
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
It certainly can be a success; I've just remembered about a couple who took early retirement (he'd been a college lecturer, she a teacher) solely on the strength of a holiday enjoyed in Orkney.
They bought two houses* - an old manse out in the country, which they did up, and a little flat in Kirkwall so that they'd never be stuck away from home if the weather turned nasty. They've joined all sorts of local things, and seem to be throwing themselves into the community and thoroughly enjoying themselves. AFAIK they had no friends or family there, so it can be done.
* They were moving from the south of England, so the property price-gap would have afforded them plenty of leeway.
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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Stercus Tauri
Shipmate
# 16668
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Posted
The moving question is a difficult one, and my Dear Wife and I will probably be arguing over it for years to come. I know where I think I would like to be, and I also know it probably won't work.
One of my friends retired a couple of years ago, selling his house in what has become an upscale Toronto suburb for lots of cash, and is now not very far from Piglet, and living like a rajah. The social life sounds exhausting, but they found him a girlfriend (he's widowed) to share it and I don't think he's ever had so much fun in his life. The moral must be that advice isn't much use - it's different for everyone. Except, don't isolate yourself unless truly called to be a hermit.
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Thay haif said. Quhat say thay, Lat thame say (George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal)
Posts: 905 | From: On the traditional lands of the Six Nations. | Registered: Sep 2011
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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
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Posted
Yes, the villages round here look idyllic but in winter they're a nightmare, with deep snows on steep roads and hardly any or no shops at all. You'd need a 4x4 to get around most of them in the winter snow and ice.
If retiring on your own instead of as part of a couple you need to think whether you'd want to live somewhere that means you're car-dependent for just about everything. There will be days when you're unwell, and don't want to have to drive, or your car might be out of action, and the older you get the less mobile people can become. Ease of accessing medical facilities is also a thing to consider. My priority has always been to have some essentials (shops etc) within walking distance.
Mobile phone reception is another thing, you might be surprised that in some parts of some towns coverage can actually be non-existent or reception almost impossible in the vicinity.
Posts: 25445 | Registered: May 2001
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Augustine the Aleut
Shipmate
# 1472
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Posted
I had no trouble getting used to retirement-- I closed my little cubicle on a Friday at 4.15, not bothering to say farewell to my manager, handed in my pass to the commissionaires, who shook my hand all round, and walked out the door, to take the 97 southbound to Ottawa aerodrome, and from there to Bilbao to schlep along the Camino del Norte.
Since then, I have been very busy with running a voluntary organization-- about 20 hours a week, from which I have just stepped down, and an exhibition of my photography opens this Friday.
I am up every morning at 6.30, and after breakfast & The Globe head off on a 4km stroll to have my morning cortado. About 4 times a week, I swim my thousand metres, but have slacked off this winter. I decided to stay in Ottawa as I couldn't afford to move to the Gulf Islands and as I need to be relatively at hand to assist my generally healthy and active but still 87-year-old mother. Our Lady Joy of All Who Procrastinate is about 20 minutes away on foot, but I have yet to get to a service on time.
Most of my friends remain here, and coffee or cocoa feature on my agenda two or three times a week (with an occasional visit to a friend who is under house arrest for the next three years--he cannot go out to get croissants so I bring them). I have a good new GP (who is blonde, but seems bright) and Ottawa is well-equipped with whatever various other specialists I might require.
My other weaknesses of contemporary dance and cool jazz are not always satisfiable here that easily but Montréal is but two hours away on the train, so gets a regular visit monthly to catch up on one gig or the other.
While I still chew through a few books a week, I make a point of keeping up with my French (at least one hour of radio/TV a day) and am taking more Spanish courses in an attempt to keep my brain from turning into porridge. Others will judge if there has been any success with this.
I had hoped to pick up contracting work, but that does not seem to have happened-- although I spend time writing up projects and reports without pay. And, of course, I plan for yet another Camino next September.... having been to more funerals of late than other ceremonies, I have taken the approach of not postponing things.
Posts: 6236 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: Oct 2001
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Stercus Tauri
Shipmate
# 16668
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Posted
That's a good point about the contracting work. If you are serious about it, you have to get into it right away, or you can get stale amazingly quickly, depending on your field, of course, even if you keep up with the literature (says he who knows). Maintaining the professional network is important if you are contracting or consulting, and is not so easy. Lately, I have let that go, and no longer miss it at all. I have more important things to do.
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Thay haif said. Quhat say thay, Lat thame say (George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal)
Posts: 905 | From: On the traditional lands of the Six Nations. | Registered: Sep 2011
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Augustine the Aleut
Shipmate
# 1472
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Stercus Tauri:
That's a good point about the contracting work. If you are serious about it, you have to get into it right away, or you can get stale amazingly quickly, depending on your field, of course, even if you keep up with the literature (says he who knows). Maintaining the professional network is important if you are contracting or consulting, and is not so easy. Lately, I have let that go, and no longer miss it at all. I have more important things to do.
This tricky for us former bureaucrats, as we have a year of enforced purity before we can do work with anyone with whom we had a working relationship.
Posts: 6236 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: Oct 2001
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jacobsen
seeker
# 14998
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Augustine the Aleut:
I have a good new GP (who is blonde, but seems bright)
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Please, AtheA, just because a guy is blonde is no reason to be surprised because he has a brain cell or two!
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But God, holding a candle, looks for all who wander, all who search. - Shifra Alon
Beauty fades, dumb is forever-Judge Judy
The man who made time, made plenty.
Posts: 8040 | From: Æbleskiver country | Registered: Aug 2009
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
I can certainly recommend the U3A. There is scope to run your own small group(s) as well, if your own interest is not already catered for. It's definitely a self-help organisation, with a large number of active retired people, who want to keep on learning.
We also run the Church Stewards programme, so visitors to the church can receive a welcome. Mr. C., who is also involved in a lot of musical activities, volunteers one day a week for the National Trust, which gives a similar welcome to visitors.
With so many possibilities for involvement, there is absolutely no need for anyone to sit around feeling sorry for themselves!
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
Hear, hear!
The problem is fitting it all in and still leaving time for self!
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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RuthW
liberal "peace first" hankie squeezer
# 13
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Augustine the Aleut:
I had no trouble getting used to retirement-- I closed my little cubicle on a Friday at 4.15, not bothering to say farewell to my manager, handed in my pass to the commissionaires, who shook my hand all round, and walked out the door, to take the 97 southbound to Ottawa aerodrome, and from there to Bilbao to schlep along the Camino del Norte.
I am green with envy. Maybe even puce.
Posts: 24453 | From: La La Land | Registered: Apr 2001
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Marvin the Martian
Interplanetary
# 4360
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Posted
I'm green with envy at all those on this thread who either already are, or will shortly be, retired. I've still got another 30-odd years of wage slavery ahead of me yet..... ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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Hail Gallaxhar
Posts: 30100 | From: Adrift on a sea of surreality | Registered: Apr 2003
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Barnabas Aus
Shipmate
# 15869
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Posted
I am almost five years retired. Prior to that I was sent on stress leave by my GP at a day's notice, and used accumulated sick leave until my retirement date. It took me about three months to come to terms with changed routines, including the early morning phone calls from staff who were unwell and needed me to find casual replacements.
I've always been deeply involved in community organisations, so much of the work which was previously done in the evenings has now moved to a more civilised hour. However, I am now beginning to relinquish some of those positions in favour of younger candidates, with the aim of being around to act as a mentor. I did this in the last years before I finished work, and thus had staff able to step up when I departed suddenly. I want to see the next generation of community leaders ready to undertake the role.
Posts: 375 | From: Hunter Valley NSW | Registered: Sep 2010
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Pigwidgeon
Ship's Owl
# 10192
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Marvin the Martian:
I'm green with envy at all those on this thread who either already are, or will shortly be, retired. I've still got another 30-odd years of wage slavery ahead of me yet.....
And those of us who are retired are envious of your youth.
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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"...that is generally a matter for Pigwidgeon, several other consenting adults, a bottle of cheap Gin and the odd giraffe."
~Tortuf
Posts: 9835 | From: Hogwarts | Registered: Aug 2005
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
Don't be Pigwidgeon.
In the UK there is no retirement age, it used to be a default of 65. The state pension age (pdf) is something else entirely. There are already plans in place shifting the age when it can be claimed to 68 with predictions of future changes to a pension age of 75 and more.
Those of us still with some years of employment to go are looking at a steadily retreating retirement. Those professionals who retired early at 55 on a full pension are a disappearing breed. (Private pensions are different, but that presumes full employment and higher earnings, not time out for children.)
[ 31. March 2016, 06:35: Message edited by: Curiosity killed ... ]
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
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Posted
When I first started work it was possible to retire at 60 and claim your state pension. Then they put the age limit up to 65. Now I’m looking at 67. But compared to the younger generation currently entering the workforce I’m quite lucky as they will probably have to go on until they’re over 70, maybe 75 or more. It would also mean that younger people might have to wait longer for jobs or promotions to become available as more people would be staying in the workforce for longer.
Going at 70+ gives nobody much of a crack at retirement, and by then health problems may already be manifesting themselves in employees who are significantly older than the average.
With the over-70s, that could even include dementia, which in its early stages could be rather a challenge for employers who wouldn’t normally be trained to recognize the signs, as well as for colleagues around them.
Posts: 25445 | Registered: May 2001
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
I was in social work and worked for a few years with the Elderly Mentally Infirm and just naturally assumed that those around me, particularly managers, were all demented.
I wasn't far wrong!
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
The way things are going, according to a FB meme I saw recently, for most of us the state pension will kick in 5 years after we die.
![[Help]](graemlins/help.gif)
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
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Posted
I continue to struggle to stay retired! I have been 'head hunted' by the NHS to do some ADHD coaching. I confess to rather looking forward to it. I've said I will only consider it if puppy can come too (puppies can come along to many work places so long as the place is suitable for the pup)
I have only promised 2 hours a week 'tho.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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Garden. Room. Walk
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
Retirement age should still be an individual decision, based on health and difficulty of job in relation to age and brain / physical degeneration. But most of us, who have retired early, know that there will be a financial penalty - but have decided to live simply, in retirement, without expectation of expensive holidays, cars, new clothes, etc.
It is quite a skill to live on not very much - keeping things going that were purchased before retirement, and keeping new costs to the absolute minimum - and that challenge can be turned into a fulfilling way to occupy one's life. But don't be envious if you also want to have a good standard of living as well. It won't happen.
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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Garasu
Shipmate
# 17152
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Posted
I'm hoping for basic survival; never mind comfort!
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"Could I believe in the doctrine without believing in the deity?". - Modesitt, L. E., Jr., 1943- Imager.
Posts: 889 | From: Surrey Heath (England) | Registered: Jun 2012
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Graven Image
Shipmate
# 8755
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Posted
My advice get a dog, it forces you to get out for a walk each day, and is a great way of making new friends young and old. I now have friends who are waiting for the school bus each morning and they are teaching me all kinds of new things such as why one kind of bike is so much better then the rest, and what TV shows I should be watching. I now have coffee with several other dog walkers. Invite friends over for for a visit on a regular basis. I have a standing gin visit with our neighbors twice a month. Volunteer where you feel useful and that you enjoy the work. if it is not fun for you do something else. I helped for a while with a feeding program, I enjoyed our guests but those that ran the program were filled with drama. I am to old to want to listen to drama at this stage in life and I moved on to help run the free library at the Senior Center. Make goals. I start each birthday by saying what new thing that I want to accomplish in the coming year. I have taken up painting, acquired and trained a dog, visited a distant city, and learned to play a dulcimer. Finally help others to learn that , "NO," is a complete sentence.
Posts: 2641 | From: Third planet from the sun. USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
GI, you're on the Quotes thread in The Circus.
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
quote:
Graven Image: I am to old to want to listen to drama at this stage in life
And yet, you are on the Ship ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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leo
Shipmate
# 1458
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
Make goals. I start each birthday by saying what new thing that I want to accomplish in the coming year. I have taken up painting, acquired and trained a dog, visited a distant city, and learned to play a dulcimer. Finally help others to learn that , "NO," is a complete sentence.
Yes...but... for someone whose working life was full of goal-setting, maybe the only goal in rertirement is to enjioy and savour being instead of doing.
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My Jewish-positive lectionary blog is at http://recognisingjewishrootsinthelectionary.wordpress.com/
My reviews at http://layreadersbookreviews.wordpress.com
Posts: 23198 | From: Bristol | Registered: Oct 2001
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
My esteemed father's goal setting consisted of wanting to still be breathing the following morning!
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Graven Image:
My advice get a dog, it forces you to get out for a walk each day, and is a great way of making new friends young and old. I now have friends who are waiting for the school bus each morning and they are teaching me all kinds of new things such as why one kind of bike is so much better then the rest, and what TV shows I should be watching. I now have coffee with several other dog walkers. Invite friends over for for a visit on a regular basis. I have a standing gin visit with our neighbors twice a month. Volunteer where you feel useful and that you enjoy the work. if it is not fun for you do something else. I helped for a while with a feeding program, I enjoyed our guests but those that ran the program were filled with drama. I am to old to want to listen to drama at this stage in life and I moved on to help run the free library at the Senior Center. Make goals. I start each birthday by saying what new thing that I want to accomplish in the coming year. I have taken up painting, acquired and trained a dog, visited a distant city, and learned to play a dulcimer. Finally help others to learn that , "NO," is a complete sentence.
![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
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Garden. Room. Walk
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Garasu:
I'm hoping for basic survival; never mind comfort!
In that case, you'll do just fine. Much better to expect to live simply and have a few lovely surprises than to live in resentment and eternal disappointment. I can think of people who fit into both these camps and know which are the happiest....
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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rolyn
Shipmate
# 16840
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Chorister:
Much better to expect to live simply and have a few lovely surprises than to live in resentment and eternal disappointment.
Wise words and most definitely the kind of retirement I hope to achieve in four or five years time.
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Change is the only certainty of existence
Posts: 3206 | From: U.K. | Registered: Dec 2011
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jacobsen
seeker
# 14998
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Posted
Simplicity is what many of us will have no choice about. To me, the crunch point will be whether I can afford to run a car or not. The current thinking is that it costs £3,500 p.a. to run a car in the UK. Certainly, for that price you can get many, many taxis. And the occasional rail fare.
But I do like the freedom and independence of instant transport outside the door.
[ 10. April 2016, 11:42: Message edited by: jacobsen ]
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But God, holding a candle, looks for all who wander, all who search. - Shifra Alon
Beauty fades, dumb is forever-Judge Judy
The man who made time, made plenty.
Posts: 8040 | From: Æbleskiver country | Registered: Aug 2009
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moonlitdoor
Shipmate
# 11707
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Posted
Does that figure assume you are doing a huge mileage ?
I am not retired, but I spend less than half that on running a car, admittedly always an old one.
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We've evolved to being strange monkeys, but in the next life he'll help us be something more worthwhile - Gwai
Posts: 2210 | From: london | Registered: Aug 2006
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
A lot depends on depreciation.
If you buy (say) a 3-year old car for £7k, keep it for 5 years and sell it for £3k, that's £800 p.a. before you've moved an inch.
If you buy a new car for £15k and sell it for £10k after 2 years, that's £2,500 p.a.
(If you have a Maserati, the depreciation may well be negative!)
Of course the old car may cost you more in maintenance and servicing!
And there's also tax and insurance: a little car like mine is in a low insurance group and road tax is only £20. All these costs come in before you've moved an inch.
In my congregation I had an older man who gave up driving and sold his car. He'd only been using to make two short shopping trips per week. He then used the bus, with his free pass. I suggested that he get a taxi as it would be easier: "Oh no", he said, "That would be extravagant". I tried to point out that this would still cost him less than his old car; but old habits die hard and he wouldn't shift his view. (Lack of money wasn't an issue here BTW).
[ 10. April 2016, 12:44: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
LOL, some of my friends just bought a car for £200.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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moonlitdoor
Shipmate
# 11707
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Posted
I've never had depreciation as such as I've never sold a car, only scrapped them.
I buy one for around £500, and as and when something big goes wrong with it that would require major maintenance, I scrap it and buy another one. Maybe I've been lucky but I've found this to be very cost effective.
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We've evolved to being strange monkeys, but in the next life he'll help us be something more worthwhile - Gwai
Posts: 2210 | From: london | Registered: Aug 2006
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Chamois
Shipmate
# 16204
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Posted
Originally posted by Baptist Trainfan:
quote:
In my congregation I had an older man who gave up driving and sold his car. He'd only been using to make two short shopping trips per week. He then used the bus, with his free pass. I suggested that he get a taxi as it would be easier: "Oh no", he said, "That would be extravagant".
That's a generational thing, isn't it? Try to persuade my elderly mother to take a taxi to get to a hospital appointment - you'd think we'd all be heading straight for Carey Street.
That said, running or not running a car after retirement takes a bit of careful thought. At my last house move 7 years ago I deliberately chose to move to a place with excellent public transport links. After all, if you live long enough you're eventually going to have to stop driving anyway. Didn't want to be stuck is a lovely country village but with no way out once my driving days are done.
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The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
Posts: 978 | From: Hill of roses | Registered: Feb 2011
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Amanda B. Reckondwythe
Dressed for Church
# 5521
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Chamois:
running or not running a car after retirement takes a bit of careful thought
I'd love to be free of what I call the burden of car ownership. But where I am now, a car is a necessity. After my father dies, I hope to change residences to a place where I could do without a car.
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"I take prayer too seriously to use it as an excuse for avoiding work and responsibility." -- The Revd Martin Luther King Jr.
Posts: 10542 | From: The Great Southwest | Registered: Feb 2004
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Hilda of Whitby
Shipmate
# 7341
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Posted
I retired at the end of 2014; my DH in September 2015.
In a word, it's great. We have taken our time to adjust to retirement and did not immediately dive into activities like volunteer work that might not have panned out. At this point we have taken on some volunteer activities and we enjoy them a lot.
We set up a loose schedule to help keep us organized. I do think that some sort of structure to one's day is a good idea, but it certainly doesn't have to be a straightjacket. We are careful of our expenditures but allow ourselves a meal or two out every week as a treat.
So far no mental mushiness. We keep busy without feeling frazzled. We have plenty of time to run errands and do household tasks. We're also seeing more of our friends than we ever did while working. We're very grateful that we were able to retire and we are enjoying it immensely.
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"Born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world is mad."
Posts: 412 | From: Nickel City | Registered: Jun 2004
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Merchant Trader
Shipmate
# 9007
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Chamois:
I will retire from work at the end of this month. In a lot of ways this is definitely a Good Thing because for the last year or so I've been finding my job extremely draining and it hasn't left me any energy for anything else.
However, as the time approaches I've started to feel a bit anxious. What am I going to do with myself all day? Will my brain turn to mush? Will I become an obese couch-potato? Should I sign myself up for a course or some voluntary work or just hang loose?
How are other shipmates planning for or dealing with this big life change?
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... formerly of Muscovy, Lombardy & the Low Countries; travelling through diverse trading stations in the New and Olde Worlds
Posts: 1328 | Registered: Jan 2005
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Merchant Trader
Shipmate
# 9007
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Posted
Sorry, long time since I posted.
I just wanted to say I share the same anxeity as Chamois.
80% of friends seem much happier (and healthier) after retirement. Some seem active and I envy them. Others seem very inactive and I fear that will happen to me. Some seem to be doing really exciting things other seem content being in a much lower gear. Will I get bored?
I have put it off for now but even if I hang on in there the choice may be made for me sometime this year.
Still not sure whether I am excited or fearful. probably both.
I
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... formerly of Muscovy, Lombardy & the Low Countries; travelling through diverse trading stations in the New and Olde Worlds
Posts: 1328 | Registered: Jan 2005
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Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe:
quote:
Originally posted by Chamois:
running or not running a car after retirement takes a bit of careful thought
I'd love to be free of what I call the burden of car ownership. But where I am now, a car is a necessity. After my father dies, I hope to change residences to a place where I could do without a car.
Have a look at lease cars. Small cars can be leased for very good rates. It takes all uncertainty out of car owning - you pay **so much** a month and that's it - everything is covered, no extra or unexpected costs.
We went down to one car when we retired, but I get first dibs on it as Mr Boogs has a bike
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Garden. Room. Walk
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
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Brenda Clough
Shipmate
# 18061
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Posted
If you live where they operate, there are ZipCars -- cars that you rent for just a few hours, often one-way. If I move to a community where there are ZipCars I plan never to own my own vehicle again. Between the purchase price, garage, gas, maintenance and insurance, it is a major expense.
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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page
Posts: 6378 | From: Washington DC | Registered: Mar 2014
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Sarasa
Shipmate
# 12271
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Posted
Since we gave up our car three years ago we've relied on a mixture of zip cars (very useful for times when you just need a car for an hour or two) and a very reasonably priced local car hire place. It's worked for us. Of course if you don't have either near where you are, or are likely to end up, not so good.
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'I guess things didn't go so well tonight, but I'm trying. Lord, I'm trying.' Charlie (Harvey Keitel) in Mean Streets.
Posts: 2035 | From: London | Registered: Jan 2007
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:
We went down to one car when we retired, but I get first dibs on it as Mr Boogs has a bike
We went down to one car when we retired, but I get first dibs on it as Mr C has a bus pass
(pity there are hardly any buses....)
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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Pigwidgeon
Ship's Owl
# 10192
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:
We went down to one car when we retired, but I get first dibs on it as Mr Boogs has a bike
It would be rather difficult to take Twiglet with you on a bicycle.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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"...that is generally a matter for Pigwidgeon, several other consenting adults, a bottle of cheap Gin and the odd giraffe."
~Tortuf
Posts: 9835 | From: Hogwarts | Registered: Aug 2005
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Dennis the Menace
Shipmate
# 11833
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Posted
I retired in May 2014, just before my 63 birthday. I had no choice as the company I had been working for closed down due to the owners ill health. My prospects of getting another at that age were very poor.Here in Australia you able to collect your superannuation at 60 so I did. I have a small allocated pension from my super and it is enough to get by. When I turn 65 in June I can get the aged pension as allocated pensions are not classed as income. That is, not at this stage, but who knows with our present government!! Financially I am much better now off as I had been working casually for the last 10 years so money was not all that regular.
I have absolutely no regrets. I have joined a garden club, the National Trust and am on the executive committee for both. I volunteer at another church which produces Christmas puddings from July onwards each year as well as playing for a monthly communion service at a nursing home. Have lots of 'coffee and cake mornings as well as lunches with relatives and friends.
However, there are some days when I wish I was still at work! I miss the commaradre.
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"Till we cast our crowns before Him; Lost in wonder, love, and praise."
Posts: 853 | From: Newcastle NSW Australia | Registered: Sep 2006
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
I missed the camaraderie, but then joined Facebook and found it still there, just on the internet instead. It's great to keep in touch with work colleagues online.
[ 18. April 2016, 20:38: Message edited by: Chorister ]
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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