<p>Retirement isn’t the last stage of life! For so many, it’s a new beginning. (Last, for me, will be when I can’t do anything without help, even get out of bed.) I think I’m the youngest in an ongoing class class I’m taking, (the older folks blow me away with their vitality and smarts.) I’m also the second youngest in a hiking group (and the least able. ) These aren’t folks waiting for the casino bus or sitting outside the old folks home, hoping a car passes. lol. </p>
<p>Anxiousmom, I like where I live, but am working toward extended vacations in S. Cal, Maine, NYC, wherever fancy takes me- maybe renting a inexpensive VRBO. The idea of taking off and, say, exploring a new city, actually reminds me of my 20’s- a little money, some simplicity balanced with treats, fancy free. “Meet-Up” is also growing by leaps here. I guess, like others here, I believe we’re only as old as we think. </p>
<p>We retired last May. DH is 55 . I’m 52. We are nowhere near sitting in a chair and watching tv all day! Instead of retirement making us feel older, it has made us feel younger. DH’s job was very stressful and getting worse. Since he retired, it’s as if 10 years have been lifted off his shoulders.</p>
<p>We built a new house five hours away from our home of 32 years. Our home is in an area w/ new homes being built. Quite a few of our neighbors are retirees. We now live on a river (watching the water go by as I type!) and enjoy boating,kayaking,crabbing…all sorts of water related stuff.</p>
<p>I run several times a week and walk w/ DH on the off days. We bike a lot and have exercise equipment in our walk-out basement. We make it a point to go out for an “excursion” once a week. That could be a visit to DH’s Mom who lives on the Outer Banks, an afternoon movie and dinner in a nearby town, hiking, loading our bikes in the truck and head off to a state park, concerts, went to the state fair in Oct, visit w/ our S1 who lives a couple of hours away…etc. We’ve found there are lots of fun things to do that don’t cost a lot of money. We are debt free. Our two sons have finished college and are on their own/self-supporting. </p>
<p>During our entire married life, we lived on a budget xxxx $$$ allocated per week. That was great training for retirement. We don’t really feel as if anything has changed except we’re having a lot more fun!</p>
<p>Like many threads on CC, this topic and the different views on it DOES have an economic issue. Retirement for many people - just like life before retirement - cannot include regular extended vacations to places across the country or world. Of course, we all have to learn to live within our means - during retirement or before - but $$$ do limit the options of quality of life/entertainment/adventure. </p>
<p>The other suggestion about retirement: we focus on TRYING to plan fiscally for retirement - you should also plan years ahead for the type of activity and lifestyle you want to lead during retirement (or as I prefer to think of it, “a time when I’m not working”) by thinking of how you will enrich your days minus the office. </p>
<p>Abasket. Our mortgage is paid off. We don’t have college tuition bills. We don’t have car payments. We planned well for our retirements. We can use the former mortgage payment, college bill, amd car payment total to travel. We don’t…but we could. That is about $5000 a month.</p>
<p>I have been “retired” (SAHM) and then returned to work because I was ready to go back. I enjoyed what I did while a SAHM, but I wanted (and needed) to earn money when the kids got older. I look forward to retiring again in about 10 years (I turn 55 today!). I know what it is like to be sans job, so my view on retirement is a bit of deja vu … but not, because I am in a totally different place at this point in my life. </p>
<p>The reason I look forward to retirement is so that I can do things I didn’t have time to do in the past. I will hang out at the family cottage during the week (not just on weekends). I will travel to places I didn’t go not because of money, but because I wanted more time to enjoy those places when I finally visit. I will return to riding my broom daily (vacuuming!), because I enjoy it & will again have the time to do it. I will maybe learn to cook better, and I will definitely bake more. And I really, really hope I will have some grandkids to hang with. Maybe I will work a bit - I can always grade tests online or tutor - but I don’t want stress, and I want to name my days and hours (taking off when I want to do so).</p>
<p>Every phase of my life has been just that … a phase. Each has been wonderful, and I expect that retirement will be that way, too. If not, you’ll see me at the front door of the store, welcoming you to WalMart. :)</p>
<p>Not all travel needs to be expensive. When I said “extended,” I sure didn’t mean luxuriating. More like the concept of barefooting, settling in to a rental for a couple of weeks. I could do the camper thing. </p>
<p>The nice thing for us about travel since H retired is that he’s not worrying about the pile of work that is growing on his desk in his absence. This gives us MUCH more flexibility in terms of when we travel and for how long. One can adjust the travel plans to match the budget when one is retired. Traveling during shoulder or “off” season brings lower rates, as does traveling in different modes instead of planes and 5* hotels and restaurants.</p>
<p>My mother taught me the nifty trick of a few days on the steep side of the budget, then some more expensive bits. When we remember or tell others, it’s whatever we thought those highlights were, eh? Thing is, for my family, some of the less expensive things are actually more interesting- the people you meet at a pensione, eg. My kids don’t mind sitting up high in a theater. We usually do NYC as a day trip, arrive early, come back late. </p>
<p>Some of the educational (or travel) programs I’ve seen are expensive. My class and the hiking are both part of an over-55 thing that used to be affiliated with the local U, then spun off (sort of continuing ed.) Nothing beats it for finding interesting, alert folks. The more new folks you meet, the more ideas they bring to you. </p>
<p>I am 57 and plan to work about 9 more years. I had an extended break from the business world (home with the kids) so at this point in my life I enjoy working. I keep active, work out, read a lot, volunteer, could easily fill time if retired, just not ready yet.</p>
<p>Happy bday Kelsmom!!!
It’s great if you have the $$$ to travel and vacation! Not knocking that! Just stating that I KNOW there are many who can’t come up with an extra $500 month when retired let alone $5000 - good for you if you do, but know that there are others who are not so fortunate - even though they did work hard for decades.</p>
<p>I too hope to enjoy as Kelsmom said, week days at our cottage instead of just weekends. That will be a pleasant bonus that I hope to get to BEFORE that time “when I’m not working anymore”!!!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t spend $5000 a month traveling…but I DID spend that amount per month…and more when I had college costs, mortgage and car payments. Just saying…those expenses are gonzo, which does free up,some financial resources.</p>
<p>And to be honest abasket…I feel much younger than I did the last couple of years I was working! I have much more energy, and I’m doing all things I really enjoy!</p>
<p>Did I say something that inferred the idea of feeling young/old Thumper?? </p>
<p>(but good for you for feeling younger - I feel younger now than 5 years ago too but it’s because I’m taking care of my health better while working!!!)</p>
<p>Ok, I might have said that at some point - if not in this thread. I think for me it’s more about people who equate retirement with being “old” - you know, every other word out of their mouth is “can’t do this because I"m old”, “I’m too old for that”, “I’m allowed to do that because I’m OLD!” - that kind of think annoys me! </p>
<p>And fully admit, hate the word “retirement”. I’m going to rename it. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for explaining that Thumper - I couldn’t figure out where in the last several posts on this thread I referenced retirement with being only for the old. </p>
<p>abasket, haha, when we were younger, by 40 some women were wearing clunky orthopedic shoes. Are these complainers your age? A friend who semi-retired at about 65 just said he was “cutting back” his hours. He took a semester off for a six week bike ride though the mountains. A 75 y.o. friend marathon swims. A friend’s 82 year old boyfriend still works pt (and had a heart transplant moe than ten years ago.) It’s attitude. When we were younger, I think we hardly had more than Jack Lalanne as a role model. Times have changed. We’re really lucky. My mother complains, my grandmother didn’t til past 80. </p>
<p>I noticed in college people seemed pretty equal but as the 30’s and 40’s rolled around there was the ‘I’m too old to do this’ from some. In their 50’s it is really separating the crowd. I am not just talking about athletics, also technology, interests, and exploration. ‘I’m too old to learn a computer’ from 60 year olds. State of mind is very important. My theory is ‘I will try anything once… and what’s the worst that could happen?’ If the worse that could happen is serious medical illness or death then count me out, if it is ego bruising or looking stupid count me in.
And my answer will be ‘this is what retirement looks like’ and no, you are not really that old you are really that young.</p>
<p>hey, knock it off with the “clunky orthopedic shoes” = complainer, acting old, comments! Fact is, my foot joints are falling apart; I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them healthy and still able to take long walks and hikes. Feeling young and acting young have nothing to do with dressing young. </p>
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Fact is, my foot joints are falling apart; I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them healthy and still able to take long walks and hikes. Feeling young and acting young have nothing to do with dressing young. </p>