Rethinking your life....

TheoL

SallyD wrote: »

Enjoyed reading this Thread - totally inspiring. Been looking forward to retiring on my 60th, next Christmas but 1,000 jobs must be lost by my employer by March 2011 so I put in for voluntary redundancy and will know the outcome in a couple of weeks.

I was initially delighted at the prospect but over the past few days been thinking of the reality of it all retiring a year early and totally rethinking my life............

I've been thinking of moving for a good few years, now might have to a year earlier - will be moving up to West Yorkshire to be nearer my son - not too close for comfort mind so I am busy checking out the areas on the wonderful world wide web so any of you "up North folk" that know the Denby Dale/Penistone/Smithies area that could give me the local run down would be much appreciated.

Things are gonna change!

Hi SallyD

We might be in the same profession. My employers are also looking to make significant savings by March 2011. Compulsory redundancy would be safer for me financially, however I understand that it is very difficult to get. So I am going to apply for voluntary redundancy next week. I am quite anxious about it as I am 56 and it will be better if I can hold out till 60 for my occupational pension to avoid actuarial reductions.

My plan is to spend winters in the Far East looking after my elderly mother, and doing temp/agency work in the summer to sustain myself over the next 4 years. Wish me luck!

Newly_retired

I am now 65 and I retired at 62. DH is 64 and will retire ( for the second time) in summer of 2012. I can't wait! I feel my plans have been put on hold for 5 years. Not that I am not busy in my retirement. I sing in two choirs and do voluntary work 2 days a week, as well as church commitments.
But I want to move to be nearer my grandchildren - that is my plan for the future. At the moment it is 1 1/2 hrs drive so it is usually an overnight stay for me and DH is too busy to come.
In the future I want to focus more on the family as well as my own interests, and go on trips and holidays with DH.
I plan to look for a house that will be adaptable for old age when we become less mobile.
At the moment DH is too busy to have time to think about anything like this, so it is all in my head. My fear is that he will not live long enough to enjoy retirement. His father died at 65 and his brother at 51.
I am happy myself but feel restricted at the moment.

SallyD

Apart from the financial aspects of retiring/redundancy etc., housing must be the next big issue. I've just spent two afternoons clearing and tidying the garden of leaves etc., & cutting back - reasonable size garden. It would be a miracle if I am as strong as I am now in 10 years time. Climbing my steep staircase to the bathroom - I can run up and down it now but not half as fast as I used too. I was always climbing up and down into my loft - now a little hesitant and rarely pop up anymore. So, me thinks a bungalow with with a nice sized easy to care for patio and garage would keep me in my own home for much longer - Can't believe that I am facing this, like everyone else at 20,30,40 thought this time would never come....ha ha ha.

Errata

I did that ^^ move just before I was 60, whilst I still had the energy, will power and motivation to cope with moving. Best move I could have made given what life threw at me in subsequent years.