Lifestyle & retirement

[Kompany Car]

Have you thought about just reducing your hours?

Im the same age as you and of the opinion that once my son graduates, Im gonna drop to 4 days a week at 53 and then 3 days at 55, then see how it goes. That way you retain the pension contributions and benefits but without as much stress. Obviously being able to do it depends on your financial situation.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Im nearly 51,went part time recently,i recommend it :-)

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Me. Best decision I made, in spite of loads of people advising me not to. I retired six years early. My mortgage was paid off, I had a decent whack of savings and my navy pension. This paid my bills, bought my food and season ticket and left a small amount for a beer. My savings paid for my holidays and other stuff. I knew once I also got my state pension I'd be okay and I have been. Obviously this horrendous cost of living rise has impacted me like everyone else.

Nobody knows how long we're here for and I saw loads of workmates not even make sixty never mind pension age. Fuck working and being told what to do. If you can do it go for it. If you get bored or skint you can always get a job there seems to be loads out there.

Escaped work at 51 after working from 17 years old. It was a horrible thought going onto 67 but, our financial position re mortgage etc and being in the right place for once allowed me to take a full works pension so I was off.

Couple of years later Mrs Moon also got out on health grounds (fingers crossed she remains well on her yearly checkup in June).

We spend near enough all our time together which wouldn't work for some but, I can honestly say I've never sat down and thought what should I do today!!

I've basically traded off 3 holidays a year and reduced it to one, CL home games, 3/4 away days and maybe 2 European aways oh and playing Golf badly once a week for the better weather half of the year for a stress free life with time to do whatever I decide to do. Still end up awake at crazy o'clock from working but I'm sat in bed posting this rather than being on the road getting angry.

My advice to anyone is, don't get into debt with credit cards, don't buy the latest this that and the other ....live a sensible lifestyle and if the chance to get out comes.....GTFO.

 

[paulchapo]

Escaped work at 51 after working from 17 years old. It was a horrible thought going onto 67 but, our financial position re mortgage etc and being in the right place for once allowed me to take a full works pension so I was off.

Couple of years later Mrs Moon also got out on health grounds (fingers crossed she remains well on her yearly checkup in June).

We spend near enough all our time together which wouldn't work for some but, I can honestly say I've never sat down and thought what should I do today!!

I've basically traded off 3 holidays a year and reduced it to one, CL home games, 3/4 away days and maybe 2 European aways oh and playing Golf badly once a week for the better weather half of the year for a stress free life with time to do whatever I decide to do. Still end up awake at crazy o'clock from working but I'm sat in bed posting this rather than being on the road getting angry.

My advice to anyone is, don't get into debt with credit cards, don't buy the latest this that and the other ....live a sensible lifestyle and if the chance to get out comes.....GTFO.

Well done. Similar to myself, I've never been materialistic wanting the latest fad or jewelry. I don't drive so expensive cars aren't my thing. My house I view as a shelter not some swanky show home. If it's safe, warm and dry it will do. You can't take none of them with you and other people's opinions count for Jack shit. When they're paying the bills for anything they can have a say on them.

I just sat down one day and had an honest discussion with myself. It was what was I working for? It was to pay my bills, go on two holidays a year, the football and the odd pint here and there. I looked at my savings, what my navy pension would pay and realised I could still do all those things if I stopped working. After that it was an easy choice.

Since then my two holidays a year are 4-6 weeks a time instead of just 2x2 weeks. I could do more if I wanted or go for shorter breaks more often. I don't miss a City game through work anymore. I'm.not stressed or shattered from working 12 hour shifts, swapping from days to nights and traveling to and from work. Now I have my state pension I don't pay for travel and my net income is about £400 a month less than when I worked. When you calculate I'm not spending £200 a month on travelling to and from work it's almost the same. I have a smaller pot of money in another pension I could drawdown on which could boost my monthly income if I wish to take it. As I've mentioned earlier this horrendous cost of living rise in everything was a bit of a shock but that would have been the same if I was working too.

Others have rightly said as we age, even if we stay healthy, our energy wanes and lying on the settee surfing the net and/or watching TV can seem a more attractive propersition than jetting off somewhere or going to a noisy pub, so you spend less. Without being morbid none of us know when the grim reaper will come knocking or the next pandemic strike so restricting our ability to travel once again. That's before the bloody eco zeolots start. I see France has banned short haul internal flights, we will be next. After that will come individual carbon footprints on how many times we can travel per year. I'll stop here before I get accused of being a bloody tin foil hat nutter but it's coming. Stop working and get enjoying your foreign holidays while you can.

In conclusion we are all different but a wise man once said to me, you won't lie on your deathbed and think I wish I'd spent more time at work, there's your answer.

 

[DenisLawBackHeel74]

Keep it up fella’s some good posts on here. I see these threads as little beacons of hope for early retirement.

I was 50 end of last year and think I can finish and have a comfortable retirement at 55/56. Paid off my mortgage a couple months ago….a good but weird feeling.
Like the OP said, I’m in a job I find boring but it is well paid and not too stressful so I’m trying to stay the course and finish in 5 years or so…

 

[flook]

I'm in a similar position as the OP, nearly 58, don't enjoy my job and been thinking for a few years about early retirement. Actually did it 2 years ago, but a combination of a serious illness in a family member and the shitshow of the the stock market post covid, inflation and and Ukraine meant I went back after 5 months. I've worked freelance for 30+ years and from home since beginning of 2017, so just went back to that. I now do typically 14 or 15 day months which covers my expenses and means the savings pot can grow....in theory. Current plan is to finish March next year, but that may slip another 12 months.

I did think about changing jobs to something more rewarding, but the problem is that I'd then need to work full time to get anywhere near the money I earn part time now, so a step backwards.

 

[dickie davies]

I'm a joiner .

Long as I can pay bills and have a roof over my head.

If you didn't I'd say you are a pretty shit one

 

[RobMCFC]

I don't know whether I'm in the minority, but I have a slightly different take on the above.

My main enjoyment in life is holidays. I have a decent job that pays well and my wife also has sizeable inheritance (that we are quickly burning through!). Anyway, we go on 5/6 foreign holidays a year plus 5/6 weekend breaks in the UK.

What's been said about friends they know dying in their 30s/40s/50s chimes with me - I know about people in all those categories. Waiting for another 5 or 6 or 7 years to do things doesn't make sense - you just don't know whether you will be here or well enough to do them.

I work from home 3 days a week and in the main, enjoy my job. I don't want to be working at 67, but as things stand I won't be rushing to retire at 60. In terms of my main enjoyment - holidays - I'm probably doing as many as most people do in retirement, albeit I've got to cram them into the 25 days holiday plus the odd few days unpaid leave.

Now obviously a heart attack or a major health scare would change my outlook, but my main objective of work is to keep funding the holidays for as long as possible.

 

[vincent]

Keep it up fella’s some good posts on here. I see these threads as little beacons of hope for early retirement.

I was 50 end of last year and think I can finish and have a comfortable retirement at 55/56. Paid off my mortgage a couple months ago….a good but weird feeling.
Like the OP said, I’m in a job I find boring but it is well paid and not too stressful so I’m trying to stay the course and finish in 5 years or so…

Nice one mate and well done on paying off your mortgage. Get the Barbados holidays in now before early retirement :)

 

[Blue Maverick]

I retired mid fifties.
I can tell you from then to late 60s was a piece of piss.
Great quality of life doing everything I wanted to do.
From late 69s decline is quick. I am now 71.
I still travel a lot but am waiting for a new hip. DIY is a chore now. Golf needs a buggy.
Retire as early as you can.

This, I retired at 53 last year, if I can get to 70 enjoying it and getting about it will be great, my old man he finished at 60 had a good 6/7 years and then went down hill with one thing and another, he’s 78 this year and fucked, type 2 diabetes, had to have a new knee, heart problems, if it wasn’t for watching football at home I don’t think he’d still be here, it’s fucking tragic. Finish as early as you can because you get to state retirement age you’ll be lucky to get a decent bash at enjoying it.