Do You Take Days Off?

Chet

Chet

Well-known Member
Location
PA, USA
While you might be retired, it doesn't mean you have nothing to do. Here and now there is winter weather to deal with and snow removal. Then there are the usual house keeping and maintenance chores. While there is no job to get up and go out the door for, any empty time you have from not having to go to work quickly fills and it gets old. Therefore, today I'm doing nuttin'.
 

For me, there seem to be few days off, even in retirement. My wife has disabilities such that there is very little that she can do without my involvement and I do all the house chores. Years ago, we used to divide up the chores so that the one who cooked did not have to do the dishes. I have always done the laundry, etc.

Also, I live in a condo association and seem to spend a fair amount of time helping people here with their computer problems. I am constantly surprised that even though we now live in a computer-dominated world when you consider that nearly everything is, or has, some kind of computer in it, yet people are completely at sea whenever there is even the slightest hiccup. Since we are neighbors, I just do this as a matter of course. I don't ask for, and nobody offers, to pay me for my time.

In addition, I have been actively involved in our condo association since shortly after we moved here. I had long been president of the board, and have finally found a replacement this year. I maintain the office computer, the security cameras computer, and the computer that manages our FOBs and garage door openers. I also maintain the thermostat that controls the building temperature. These things I get stuck with because other folks either can't, or won't learn how these things work.

Tony
 
I live in a condo and the people in the office and the guys that maintain everything are great. We have become friends. They don't have to but one of them comes by every day, brings my mail and takes any trash I have to the dumpster. They do the same for other handicapped residents.

Each Christmas I give them a really nice gift card and also give them a birthday card on their birthdays. I always say thanks for everything they do for me. I appreciate the way they go beyond their job to help me.
 
terry123 said:
I live in a condo and the people in the office and the guys that maintain everything are great. We have become friends. They don't have to but one of them comes by every day, brings my mail and takes any trash I have to the dumpster. They do the same for other handicapped residents.

Each Christmas I give them a really nice gift card and also give them a birthday card on their birthdays. I always say thanks for everything they do for me. I appreciate the way they go beyond their job to help me.
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It would be nice if at least some people here did that. There are a few of us who do these things for people in our association who can't fend for themselves. We have 72 units in our building, so that comes to typically around 100 people or so.

In general, I do understand that we collectively buy into condos so that we have a relatively carefree lifestyle. However, in an effort to keep costs down, the people who lived here when we first moved in back in 1988, had committees that did much of the work around here. There was a sense of community in that we shared the work load, had various gatherings such as potluck, picnics, and holiday parties, not to mention the monthly birthday parties. A couple of people had a monthly newsletter. Our committees consisted of a social committee, a decorating committee, a safety committee, and a maintenance committee. Then, we had a our annual spring and fall cleaning, in which most of us turned out to clean the building - wash windows, clean the boilers, etc.

As those people moved into nursing homes and new people moved in, the sense of community was gradually lost until the only person remaining to do these things was me, since we were by far the youngest in the building when we moved in. As a result, we have had to hire a handyman to replace the maintenance committee, and the other committees fell by the way side. From what our management company has told me, this is normal for associations across the country - the first group of people to move into an association are quite active in it, but as they are replaced by new residents, that sense of community dissipates.

Then, when started getting the computers I mentioned, it seemed natural for me to handle those since I have long been a software engineer.

So, what we discovered is that even in a condo, there is much work to be done and, as with most everything in life, you either pay for it to be done or do it yourself. We have had the same management company since the building's early days and they have been taking on more of the work that the committees did, so their monthly bill has appropriately gone up.

Lately, since I am now 67, I have been attempting to turn over my work to others. Unfortunately, there are very few who seem to understand anything about computers so it is likely that the management company will eventually have to hire somebody to take on that role.

Tony
 
Don M. said:
We're trapped in a spell of miserably cold weather, this past week, and probably for most of this coming week. As a result, I've been doing very little other than spending time on the computer and TV. Daytime TV is really a waste of electricity.
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I agree about daytime TV. ;)

In the frame of "misery loves company", I am glad to read that we are not alone in suffering this cold snap here in Minnesota.

Tony
 
charry said:
Aww, how I wish for a day off....And I havnt even retired yet....🥺
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I remember that from when I worked full time. The thing that really helped me was to be working toward that dream of finally retiring:

1. Spend less than you earn
2. Pay yourself first - into your retirement fund and into paying off the mortgage early
3. Don't do anything to jeopardize your source of income (i.e. don't quit a job until you have another and/or just do the work at the job your have)

"You" in these items is not the "you" in the quote I posted, but instead a general use of the word. Anyway, that is how I did it. I know there are all manner of schemes that people try to sell to shortcut these things I listed, but I found that by just simply following these things, I got there sooner than later - retired 5 years early, if we consider retirement age being typically 65. I had saved enough so that I was able to pay my own retirement for 6 years until I was old enough to hit that "sweet spot" for Social Security (or whatever the equivalent is in the UK), and still have plenty of savings to last into retirement.

Edit: Our goal for retirement was to have zero debt (including mortgage) and decent savings. In the process of achieving those goals, we developed the habits that keep us in that state. I can't imagine being retired and being saddled with debt. To me, that would be something to lose sleep over.

Tony
 
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Oh yes of course I give myself a day off. I'm very active so now I'm almost 66 , I find I get tired a little more than usual so if I have an active day then I'm tired the next day, so I do take a rest... can;t actually bring myself to take a whole day off, but yes I do take a rest of several hours
 
Don M. said:
We're trapped in a spell of miserably cold weather, this past week, and probably for most of this coming week. As a result, I've been doing very little other than spending time on the computer and TV. Daytime TV is really a waste of electricity.
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Try a Roku or Fire Stick... (y)
 
Brilliant Idea!(y)
iu
 
terry123 said:
I live in a condo and the people in the office and the guys that maintain everything are great. We have become friends. They don't have to but one of them comes by every day, brings my mail and takes any trash I have to the dumpster. They do the same for other handicapped residents.

Each Christmas I give them a really nice gift card and also give them a birthday card on their birthdays. I always say thanks for everything they do for me. I appreciate the way they go beyond their job to help me.
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@terry123 , you are fortunate but really, you deserve that extra. You're appreciative of what you receive and it's nice to know people like you who show that appreciation.

Too many people ignore that extra mile some people go for another.

I like your style!
 
Don M. said:
We're trapped in a spell of miserably cold weather, this past week, and probably for most of this coming week. As a result, I've been doing very little other than spending time on the computer and TV. Daytime TV is really a waste of electricity.
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Daytime TV, except for a quick news broadcast, does not appeal. I do a lot of pacing, computer work, baking or dashing out in spite of the cold. I usually make a list every AM and list five chores to do...be it big or small...all count. I also love reading and writing.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Yes. Occasionally I just don't feel like doing anything. I figure that when I had to work, I'd get up and go even though sometimes I felt like crap (heart condition). Now I can choose not to do anything if I don't want to. I just had to learn not to feel guilty about it.
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Haha Believe me OneEyedDiva, I've been retired for 29 years, and if, at first, I ever did have any remorse about "not doing anything (and I doubt that I did) it has definitely left me by now.
 

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