Yesterday (Jan 31st) Was My Retire-versary. 26 Years And No Regrets. What About You?

I retired 15 years ago from my business but helped my husband with his business. It was fun so I didn’t look at it as work. I made ladies hair jewelry and hair forks made from different woods. Some exotic some local. It was a labour of love. When my husband closed up the shop, I stopped working too. Do I have regrets? None at all. I love being retired.
 

This is crazy I realized I've been retired for 27 not 26 years!! I can't believe it..where did the time go?!

@horseless carriage Some people feel better when they are working because they love their jobs, need to feel busy or their identities are closely tied to their jobs. Some others have jobs they don't like, or supervisors that make the crazy or have long commutes or long hours that are starting to wear them out. Or maybe have to deal with the public with not so good experiences. Yet others are working despite ill health and it becomes exhausting. There are a number of reasons some prefer to work and others do not.

@LoveTulips My sister's husband didn't want her to work, although she worked briefly during their marriage. She had that ideal life you wish you could have had. I guess my niece and nephew, as well as serving on various committees and commissions, being active in the church and with her sorority kept her busy enough.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
@horseless carriage Some people feel better when they are working because they love their jobs, need to feel busy or their identities are closely tied to their jobs. Some others have jobs they don't like, or supervisors that make the crazy or have long commutes or long hours that are starting to wear them out. Or maybe have to deal with the public with not so good experiences. Yet others are working despite ill health and it becomes exhausting. There are a number of reasons some prefer to work and others do not.
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Good points you make there Diva, I agree and empathise with them. To those who are retired and bored there's always voluntary work, maybe helping with children or some fulfilling charity. It's that sense of fulfillment that makes old age worthwhile.

Factors that make work fulfilling for older workers are largely the same as they are for other ages. Older workers look for employment that is personally meaningful, flexible, intellectuallystimulating, sociable, age-inclusive and offers any adjustments needed for health conditionsand disabilities.

Older workers are more likely to stay in work if they think that their work matters, their employer supports them and their needs are taken seriously. They value opportunities for learning, mentoring others and career progression. These factors support a positive work/life balance and strengthen connections to employers, colleagues and customers. Fulfilling work helps to promote self-esteem, confidence, engagement and performance.
 
I retired early 6 weeks ago.
Had enough of work. We got a new manager who was a wank*r and I am at the stage where I was able to say, No More.
Why put up with threats and intimidation from management if I can get out?
So the decision was made.
I have enough savings to see me through to the end. The pension in 4 years time will pay my rent.
Not overflowing with money, just enough to see me through without extravagant expenses.
 
I'll add to my earlier post #47 by saying that I had to make a lot of strategic decisions when I was working. My biggest concern in retirement was that I would no longer be using my brain, so I make a point of keeping up on all current events that might affect my life in either the short or long term so I can still plan strategically.

I'm learning much more now than when I was working. There are lots of things going on around us (politics, technology, societal changes) that can affect our lives. It is up to us to stay informed.
 
Bretrick said:
I retired early 6 weeks ago.
Had enough of work. We got a new manager who was a wank*r and I am at the stage where I was able to say, No More.
Why put up with threats and intimidation from management if I can get out?
So the decision was made.
I have enough savings to see me through to the end. The pension in 4 years time will pay my rent.
Not overflowing with money, just enough to see me through without extravagant expenses.
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I'm so glad to hear you retired and that you are happy. I seem to remember you were having some physical issues and that your job was physically taxing. Here's to your retirement!
 
seadoug said:
I'm so glad to hear you retired and that you are happy. I seem to remember you were having some physical issues and that your job was physically taxing. Here's to your retirement!
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Thank you.
For a while we were short staffed, covid and all that. Those of us who battled through had to do the work of 3 people. After a time it was very taxing, day in day out with little chance of a break.
I am glad I got out of the industry. Too much talk of raising productivity without any extra man power.
I decided - Stuff it, why bust my gut and not be appreciated?
So far I am enjoying not having to rise at 4am each day. I still awaken early but have already trained myself to stay in bed and even go back to sleep.
Being the middle of winter helps in that regard. :)
 
Retirement? Ah, a happy thread! Mark me down as "retired" since March 23, 2012, at age 59 3/4. Lol, like a crazy person I returned to the working world in 2015 in a similar line of work. But it helped me to provide medical coverage for us so that my wife could retire. When I reached age 65 and looked closely at Social Security and Medicare, I realized I could pull the plug on the working rat race. party.gif
 
I want to retire so badly, I can taste it! I retired from a big company after 25 years, but I was 58 and not really ready to completely retire (financially)...

I'm 61.9 ... 62 in just 7 days, and if I could talk my husband into it - I would retire for sure. As long as he wants to keep running the business, I feel obligated to help - so he doesn't have to work any more than he already does. He likes to work, but I worry about his health. He's 68 and recently found out he has AFib. He also had several back surgeries, so he is always in some sort of pain.

Neither of us feel we can afford to retire, certainly not where we live now - so ... we'll push on a bit longer. I may have another year in me, and then I'm out. I'll go live in a hut in the middle of nowhere LOL....
 

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