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Retirement

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Conndog

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Scheduled to retire at end of April this year- in good health, finances generally okay but we can't go wild either. I'm curious, what have other people who have retired done with all that extra time on their hands? Did anyone pick up interesting new hobbies? How many went back to work, and if they did, was it due to boredom? My wife is younger and is still working but she works flexible hours part-time as a consultant.

I'm hoping to do some traveling, our house is getting remodeled and I'll work on landscaping for it, but I don't want to go back to work at all. I'll definitely be playing more golf!
 
uconnyankee said:
Seeing and hearing more about pickleball up here in NE.
Was down in FL few months back.
Whole different level down there which was cool to see.
Center had converted tennis courts into 12 pickleball courts. Everyone was full and everyone had people waiting to play next.
Every age group from teens to 70 years old. And then, down the street another facility just as packed.
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I’m in Melbourne Florida and have 4 sets of courts within 10 minutes of me. Always hopping.
 
i'm pretty far from retirement, but as a profitable recreational poker player, i am amazed at the number of retirees who frequent the mohegan sun $1/$2 and $2/$5 tables.

honestly, it's a pretty decent hobby for an older guy -- the casino will give you a bunch of free stuff, you can watch sports, flirt with cute dealers and waitresses, and hunt jackpots while breaking even with the most basic, abc poker strategy.
 
I'll chime in. I was in a fortunate spot to retire on my 55th birthday but the misfortune to retire at the start of the pandemic lockdown. There was almost nothing to do outside the house. Shopping for food was a scary dash through the market to find what proteins you could and get out as quickly as possible. This kind of set a precedent for me/us where we mostly did a lot of reading and streaming stuff. The first 18 months of pandemic, my wife and I read about 100 books each. I still haven't completely broken out of that slump. I'm also fortunate that I don't put on excess pounds sitting around reading and watching TV. I do spend a lot more time helping around the house and doing stuff in the yard which helps. You can always find projects around the house - it's never ending.

Now, we do go out to eat lunch a couple times during the week and do things like walk around a mall or old town downtown (lots of both places in socal). But I always imagined I would golf a lot and really haven't gotten back into it. It's been my goal every spring - maybe this year it will kick in.

A few great things about retirement: I almost never have to set an alarm clock. You just wake up when you are fully rested and want to get up. Going to the supermarket during the week at 10am or 2pm when it's almost completely empty. Going to Costco at 3pm when you can just walk up to an open checker with your basket. Feast week, rivalry week and March madness are great - noon games during the week, no problem. And of course, the lack of stress - you probably won't realize you were under stress until you aren't.
 
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I've been retired for 10 years now when I was in the mid-60's. Had a solo practice and just lost interest in trying to meet client demands that pushed me to my personal tolerance level limits. I wanted to walk out, and not be carried out.

Being retired, you don't have to deal with client or customer inquiries at what may be inopportune times for yourself.

But, if you like what you are doing, work part-time if it generates the income you need. And, you will still have more time for leisure activities.

Yes, seek out new things. I don't really like to travel anymore and deal with the packing and unpacking and waits in line at airports, but I find local places to take walks and do water exercise in an indoor pool a few days a week, and again, no worries about those interrupting phone calls.

Lots of state parks in Connecticut to visit for a few hours. Silver Sands State Park in Milford lets you walk near the water all year round. In the summer, I go to a local beach club and hang out.

I have developed a hobby of listening to different types of music and saving what I like on my Spotify Playlist and listening whenever I take walks or cook. I have accumulated thousands of songs, from rock, pop, ska, boogie woogie, surf rock, deep house, Spanish and French pop, Quebecois folk, American indie/folk, ragtime, whatever. Instrumentals are nice because you can avoid hearing stupid lyrics.

Yeah, I enjoy learning what others like and do, when I read the Boneyard. And, apply some of them. Learn some basketball too. Never really knew what a hard hedge was, or some of the complex defensive schemes were before I read the BY.

Hope I got a little more gas in the tank so I can continue doing what I am doing, or doing new things from the suggestions I read from others' postings.

BTW, though I don't play it, I've been told bridge is a great way to stay active mentally and to interact with others.
 
jleves said:
I'll chime in. I was in a fortunate spot to retire on my 55th birthday but the misfortune to retire at the start of the pandemic lockdown. There was almost nothing to do outside the house. Shopping for food was a scary dash through the market to find what proteins you could and get out as quickly as possible. This kind of set a precedent for me/us where we mostly did a lot of reading and streaming stuff. The first 18 months of pandemic, my wife and I read about 100 books each. I still haven't completely broken out of that slump. I'm also fortunate that I don't put on excess pounds sitting around reading and watching TV. I do spend a lot more time helping around the house and doing stuff in the yard which helps. You can always find projects around the house - it's never ending.

Now, we do go out to eat lunch a couple times during the week and do things like walk around a mall or old town downtown (lots of both places in socal). But I always imagined I would golf a lot and really haven't gotten back into it. It's been my goal every spring - maybe this year it will kick in.

A few great things about retirement: I almost never have to set an alarm clock. You just wake up when you are fully rested and want to get up. Going to the supermarket during the week at 10am or 2pm when it's almost completely empty. Going to Costco at 3pm when you can just walk up to an open checker with your basket. Feast week, rivalry week and March madness are great - noon games during the week, no problem. And of course, the lack of stress - you probably won't realize you were under stress until you aren't.
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That last paragraph is what I’m most loosing forward to.
 
Improviser said:
I've been retired for 10 years now when I was in the mid-60's. Had a solo practice and just lost interest in trying to meet client demands that pushed me to my personal tolerance level limits. I wanted to walk out, and not be carried out.

Being retired, you don't have to deal with client or customer inquiries at what may be inopportune times for yourself.

But, if you like what you are doing, work part-time if it generates the income you need. And, you will still have more time for leisure activities.

Yes, seek out new things. I don't really like to travel anymore and deal with the packing and unpacking and waits in line at airports, but I find local places to take walks and do water exercise in an indoor pool a few days a week, and again, no worries about those interrupting phone calls.

Lots of state parks in Connecticut to visit for a few hours. Silver Sands State Park in Milford lets you walk near the water all year round. In the summer, I go to a local beach club and hang out.

I have developed a hobby of listening to different types of music and saving what I like on my Spotify Playlist and listening whenever I take walks or cook. I have accumulated thousands of songs, from rock, pop, ska, boogie woogie, surf rock, deep house, Spanish and French pop, Quebecois folk, American indie/folk, ragtime, whatever. Instrumentals are nice because you can avoid hearing stupid lyrics.

Yeah, I enjoy learning what others like and do, when I read the Boneyard. And, apply some of them. Learn some basketball too. Never really knew what a hard hedge was, or some of the complex defensive schemes were before I read the BY.

Hope I got a little more gas in the tank so I can continue doing what I am doing, or doing new things from the suggestions I read from others' postings.

BTW, though I don't play it, I've been told bridge is a great way to stay active mentally and to interact with others.
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Can you hit shuffle on your Spotify library and list the first 10 songs that come up?
 
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Improviser said:
I've been retired for 10 years now when I was in the mid-60's. Had a solo practice and just lost interest in trying to meet client demands that pushed me to my personal tolerance level limits. I wanted to walk out, and not be carried out.

Being retired, you don't have to deal with client or customer inquiries at what may be inopportune times for yourself.

But, if you like what you are doing, work part-time if it generates the income you need. And, you will still have more time for leisure activities.

Yes, seek out new things. I don't really like to travel anymore and deal with the packing and unpacking and waits in line at airports, but I find local places to take walks and do water exercise in an indoor pool a few days a week, and again, no worries about those interrupting phone calls.

Lots of state parks in Connecticut to visit for a few hours. Silver Sands State Park in Milford lets you walk near the water all year round. In the summer, I go to a local beach club and hang out.

I have developed a hobby of listening to different types of music and saving what I like on my Spotify Playlist and listening whenever I take walks or cook. I have accumulated thousands of songs, from rock, pop, ska, boogie woogie, surf rock, deep house, Spanish and French pop, Quebecois folk, American indie/folk, ragtime, whatever. Instrumentals are nice because you can avoid hearing stupid lyrics.

Yeah, I enjoy learning what others like and do, when I read the Boneyard. And, apply some of them. Learn some basketball too. Never really knew what a hard hedge was, or some of the complex defensive schemes were before I read the BY.

Hope I got a little more gas in the tank so I can continue doing what I am doing, or doing new things from the suggestions I read from others' postings.

BTW, though I don't play it, I've been told bridge is a great way to stay active mentally and to interact with others.
Expand ...
My 87 yr old mom totally agrees with you about Bridge
 
Deepster said:
Can you hit shuffle on your Spotify library and list the first 10 songs that come up?
Expand ...
The Best of Times The Busters (ska)
Scorpion Jimmy McConville (rock)
Nun Me Passa Nino Belli (Italian pop)
Can't Stop Now Vincent Igala (smooth jazz)
Carry On Izzy Burns (folk)
Lady of Rome Miko Vanilla (disco)
Poor House Traveling Wilburys (folk rock)
El Mismo Sol Extra Latino (Spanish Pop)
Hurry Up and Wait Ben Miller Band (rock jazz)
Front Porch Trained Reverend Payton(blues)
 
Retired at 61 and moved to Delaware. Miss being a season ticket holder, but am very active. Golf, kayaking, bike riding (nice snd flat down here), travel, concerts, learned how to play Mahjong, have book club. Didn't know anyone so I became active on a couple community committees and have a good core of friends. I do some of the volunteer work I never had time for before. Got back into tropical fish and just started a reef tank. Am now on the HOA Board of Directors and working on guiding the community through transition from developer control.
But yes - the days are mine to decide what to do when. Nice after 38 years of having my days determined for me.
 
Conndog said:
Good advice! One thing I want to do is make more connections with people in our town and community. I don't like reading about loneliness and the negative effect on one's health. That's a problem I have- not enough friends. It was so easy to make friends in college - now, it takes a dedicated effort. And some friends move away. So, I hope to join clubs or groups in different activities, maybe try a book group, or switch from playing golf mainly by myself to playing regularly with a couple of other guys. And regarding traveling- next stop Scotland!
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I think you'll be on a good track by seeking to make connections within your community. I suspect everyone has a different path to achieving a happy retirement by pursuing what they have a passion for.

During my working career, I changed jobs often and I had some jobs that I really loved doing, but there has not been one day during retirement that I've missed working. Some planning is important; as someone said, not just for the financial part of retirement, but what you'll be doing short-term and long-term. I've been retired for 5 years. During my first year transitional phase, I worked part-time and I enjoyed that immensely. I worked doing something completely different from my full-time work, but I did something that still took advantage of my skill set. It was nice to still have a schedule and some responsibilities, but no longer have to take the job home with you when you're done with your work day the way a career position can tax you and sap your entire being. Throughout retirement, I've done volunteer work and helped family and friends with activities that maintain my skillset. And I continually look for new volunteer activities that I might have a passion or calling for.

Once the pandemic was upon us, for family reasons, I gave up the part-time job. With extra time, I focused on working out more regularly and getting my body in better shape for things I want to do. I've pretty much been able to maintain my workout regimen for 4 years now. Enjoying the outdoors, I am an active hiker. Like when I was working full-time, I do daily hikes with our dogs. And I schedule travel to our nation's national parks to satisfy my need for adventure and thirst to meet interesting people who enjoy what they're doing. There's a lot out there to experience and see. I particularly enjoy hiking in canyons, so I regularly schedule learning, hiking adventures in the southwestern U.S. On every trip, I discover new opportunities for exploration that lead to more follow-up travel options.

Last year, when it got colder, I joined the local community center planning to use the treadmills in lieu of hiking in the cold. The staff recommended that I try pickleball. Playing pickleball is relatively easy to pick up and it helps satiate my competitive needs, but it can be an addictive sport. But most importantly, it is a very social sport. Playing regularly at scheduled times, I've made many new acquaintances and friends. Maintaining a competitive playing schedule helps me get out of the house early and regularly. And when I travel around town, I feel connected to the community often seeing playing friends at stores and restaurants.

Through playing pickleball, I've recently learned about a senior softball league, so I'm now considering trying that. It's been more than 40 years since I've played in a softball league, but that may be another avenue to develop more friendships and satisfy my still active thirst for competitive activities.
 
I retired when I was 60. My wife retired a few years later. Our first big decision was to leave CT and move to Florida. We did a lot of research before we decided to move.

We purchased a home in a 55+ community in central Florida. Best decision we ever made. So many clubs and so many activities. The community has 2 18 hole golf courses, 14 pools, 2 big amenities centers, a softball field with leagues, pickelball and tennis courts.

Took some time to sample the clubs, but 7 years later we have it figured out. I started playing my horn, trumpet, regularly and I was in 2 active bands. After a while, I cut down to one band. We play 5 gigs a year to a packed house in out ballroom. I started biking in the community and continue to bike. We both enjoy shooting and joined our gun club. Great group of people and much fun. We both joined our community's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). We are sponsored by our county fire department. CERT keeps us active. We continual train to be able to respond to local disasters such as hurricanes. Seven months ago I became the Team Leader.

My wife teaches computers and how to use software. She does class for our community university. She is a church organist and choir director for a local church.

We have a travel club that sponsors a wide variety of trips. We've done a couple of cruises, a lot of one week trips. Just finished one to St. Augustine, FL. Going to Daytona Beach next week for 5 days. September is a 10 day trip to the Badlands of the Dakotas. And then there is restaurant hoping with friends.

We also have lots of get togethers with our neighbors. At least once a week we gather with 2 or 3 other couples to sit around on the lanai, munch on food, have a couple of drinks and shoot the breeze.

Enjoy retirement. Take the time to explore. Enjoy the journey.
 
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Conndog said:
Scheduled to retire at end of April this year- in good health, finances generally okay but we can't go wild either. I'm curious, what have other people who have retired done with all that extra time on their hands? Did anyone pick up interesting new hobbies? How many went back to work, and if they did, was it due to boredom? My wife is younger and is still working but she works flexible hours part-time as a consultant.

I'm hoping to do some traveling, our house is getting remodeled and I'll work on landscaping for it, but I don't want to go back to work at all. I'll definitely be playing more golf!
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Tried retiring 1/22...sort of forced. Took an entry level work from home job....just too much time. Like you finance OK, health was OK, till I got Covid. Doing somewhat better these days. Not sure if I will work on or not.
 
I retired at the end of 2016.

With my wife's permission, I drove a lap around the USA. Started in DC, went to the UConn football spring game, drove to Pittsburgh to see the Andy Warhol Museum. Headed west to KC (the only top 50 American city I had never visited). Tried the barbeque. Headed north than west across the Rockies to Yellowstone. Stopped at Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse. Went through Wyoming, drove across Nevada. Went skiing at Tahoe. Visited friends in San Fran, LA and San Diego. Across the desert to Phoenix, more friends in Albuquerque, Then Austin and across the south and then back up to DC. Took About six weeks.

The next year I walked the Appalachian Trail, just a bit ( 150 miles) until my knee gave out. Just did some stuff I wanted to try and that takes time. Now I play more golf. Take longer visits with family. I still take vacations and write so I'm in front of the computer a good bit.

Just think about things you wanted to do but couldn't because of time -- especially the big ones.
 
My brother and sister in law just retired. Younger than me. They had a custom Mercedes van built, it functions like a camper but is much better to actually drive. They plan to just go wherever they want to go. They have airBnBs in a few spots where their kids live. So he can deduct some of the cost of checking on the properties. Has it all figured out. Not what I would do but sharing because it’s an idea that may appeal to some.

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I retired from a large company at 55. I started a sole proprietor consulting company cherrypicking all the good things about my old job. It was a great transition. Three years ago I sold my consulting firm and never looked back. I am 72 and healthy and like many others really enjoy retirement. My wife and I will be married 50 years this year. A couple of things I might add, One is travel. If you plan on travelling do it in your 60s and 70s as it gets a more difficult as you get into your 80s. Don't waste time and try not to get stuck in your ways. If you do something you don't like change it up. If your anatomy is affecting your physiology (ie bad hip prevents you from any exercise) get it fixed. Don't wait as it only gets harder as you age. Covid was an eye opener for us all. We lost a year or more. In your 20s or 30s a year doesn't sound so bad but at 72 its a lifetime. Congratulations on retirement, enjoy the ride
 
Conndog said:
Scheduled to retire at end of April this year- in good health, finances generally okay but we can't go wild either. I'm curious, what have other people who have retired done with all that extra time on their hands? Did anyone pick up interesting new hobbies? How many went back to work, and if they did, was it due to boredom? My wife is younger and is still working but she works flexible hours part-time as a consultant.

I'm hoping to do some traveling, our house is getting remodeled and I'll work on landscaping for it, but I don't want to go back to work at all. I'll definitely be playing more golf!
Expand ...

I “retired” in the spring of 23. I was (am?) completely bored, partly due to a physical issue which was recently resolved. I was hoping to work a few more years because I enjoy what I do. In the last 3 weeks I re-joined local Y, reimplemented my tennis membership, and I am going to take up golf when the weather permits. These changes have a made a difference for me quickly. I am still figuring it out, DM me if you want to discuss.
 
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I retired 6 years ago this month, about four years sooner than I planned, because of health reasons.
  • Started walking about 2 miles every weekday and worked up to 5-6 miles a day. Lost 100 lbs.
  • One year into it, my old boss asked me if I'd do some work at home on the laptop each month so I work 5-10 hrs/mo and make extra money.
  • Traveled to NYC for the first time in years, went to New Orleans and caught our last ever AAC basketball game, but Covid killed our trip to Ireland (still need to resched that one).
  • Rediscovered my guitars and amps. I have more time for music and for the hundreds of books I collected over the years.
  • Just last week I wondered aloud how I fit a full-time job into my life.
  • As mentioned previously by others, day drinking is popular in retirement. I have some great places to do that here like the Walkabout Tiki . . . in January!
    1706479082826.png
 
Conndog said:
Scheduled to retire at end of April this year- in good health, finances generally okay but we can't go wild either. I'm curious, what have other people who have retired done with all that extra time on their hands? Did anyone pick up interesting new hobbies? How many went back to work, and if they did, was it due to boredom? My wife is younger and is still working but she works flexible hours part-time as a consultant.

I'm hoping to do some traveling, our house is getting remodeled and I'll work on landscaping for it, but I don't want to go back to work at all. I'll definitely be playing more golf!
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I wasn’t a workaholic I was a maniac . People predicted I could not survive in retirement. I also loved my job.
In my true obsessive nature I decided to play golf seriously . I took lessens got an annual pass and found a bunch of guys like me.. We played our own little tournament daily $2 Nassau.,I went from a guy would was happy to break 100 to a condistant 80‘s and occasionally 70’s dhoiter . I golfed 200 rounds a year , pretty much every weekday morning.. I did that for the first 5 years and it was an excellent transition. I also read 5-6 books a year . Lurked on the BY . We went back to Ct twice a year plus traveled a bit mostly Cabo with a couple of Europe trips . The thing is have something you can throw yourself into learning .a new skill or honing a current one. Take a class learn a new language. Stay active both mentally and physically. It been 16 years for me and I jut went for a 2-3 mile walk and posted a semi coherent message.
 
Waquoit said:
It's not quite the same thing as pickleball. Platform tennis has it's own special court. Were you at Wamp by any chance? They still have a couple of platform tennis courts.
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I belong to club in MA and play platform tennis regularly in the winter. Very different from pickle.

paddles are heavier and more gritty. Ball is like a spongy lacrosse ball. Biggest difference is you can play ball off walls in platform tennis.

Surface is heated to melt ice/snow in winter.
 
Never too late to learn or take a crack at a musical instrument. Started piano (keyboards are inexpensive to start) at 50 and I like it because thinking about music gives your brain a workout. Find a really good teacher, do some research, at least to start.
 
Don’t think of yourself as tetired, just doing other things. I did some part time consulting but basically did a lot of travel, wrote some - had a novel published, improved my cooking and after my better half passed away I started volunteer mentoring young kids at a local school and that has been very rewarding. My golf has even improved a little but it had a way to go and moving up to the senior tees helps. Have fun with it.
 
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