Anyone taken early retirement and regretted it?

vax2002

Nope...H!v!n! wo!ked my !!!! off !nd neve! h!v!n! ! penny ex!!! on !he !!zy !!! ove! !he !o!d who neve! wo!k!, ! !!!bbed !he oppo!!!n!!y w!!h bo!h h!nd!

molerat

Don't know how I found the time to go to work. Do things when I want with no rushing. Use about 25% more petrol and spend loads on coffee and cake !

Retiring at around 55 was something I had wanted to do for a long time and had been looking at my options and slowly putting things into place. One day, aged 54yrs 10mths, my boss decided to !!!! me off and his parting quote was "you wouldn't resign over this would you". Next morning my letter was written so I retired more or less by accident with one month of planning.

2.5 years later do I regret giving work the heave-ho, not one little bit.

Loughton_Monkey

So an OP aiming to find those who regret early retirement produces, as far as I can see, a NIL response. Only a load of responses (as indeed I join) that it was the best thing to do!

This should tell you something!

The point is, anyone in this position is basically doing it voluntarily and deliberately. Anyone with an ounce of ability to budget and who knows what they spend and what they enjoy doing will know instinctively whether it is feasible or not.

Many people have, perhaps, had it 'forced' on them, and predictably might not like it. Anecdotally, I have also heard that one of the biggest 'dangers' is marital difficulties - caused basically by husband/wife now spending 24 hours 'together' when previously they had 8 hours a day apart [always the man's fault for getting under her feet...!!!]

To avoid the latter, you may wish to volunteer to [or even insist upon] going out of the house fequently for long periods fishing. [If you want to waste it on actually going fishing... that's up to you].

Eliza_2

In contrast, it took me about half an hour to work out the minimum I needed to live on, ie 800 a month, and that was it. (Just add up all the outgoings you normally pay and that's basically it, apart from all that petrol spent on commuting) Decision made. I took out the odd bits of pension that I could - total around 400 and got a couple of little jobs to make up the rest (either working from home or within a 10 min drive - and I live in the middle of nowhere). My petrol which at first dropped phenomenally has now shot up again due to rising prices, so I just limit the driving I do. One trip to town a week, which I carefully plan, and of course short journeys to work. I also do quite a bit of voluntary stuff, and am able to claim petrol for that - when I bother. My food bill has dropped incredibly, I now have time to grow my own and cook from scratch far more, now that I'm not arriving home starving at 7pm. Both the dog and I are slimmer because we walk more and eat better.

I can't imagine anyone thinking it isn't a good thing to do! It depends on your lifestyle however, if you're used to expensive holidays and flash cars, then you need to cut your cloth according to your needs. To me, to have been able to simplify my life is wonderful. However I've just started up a business which is giving me a few sleepless nights at the moment, but it will work out ok (or I'll pack it in) and you need a challenge now and again.

I think there's been discussion on this on the silver savers board too, you might want to dip in there.

ericonabike

Looks like it's running at 14 to nil in favour of taking the early exit. That's impressive. I had assumed there would be at least a handful of MSE readers for whom it hadn't been the right choice. But on the other hand, once the decision's made, I guess that MSE readers, of all people, would be likely to make the best of it despite any adversity. I'll continue to bump this up every so often in case it should flush out a dissatisfied early retiree, as I'd be really interested in knowing what made it not work so well for them.

Bigmoney2

While no one seems to regret retireing early, bear in mind that it is a BIG change to your lifestyle.
Probably from about age 5 onwards you have had to be some where for a period of time with some idea of what is expected of you while there, i.e. school and work.
Once free of this there is only you to motivate yourself (unless you've a spouse with a list of jobs waiting). This can be a big adjustent to make. A lot will depend on your personality, are you gregarious, or like being on your own. How self motivated are you, do you have hobbies to fill your time. Will you miss the company of work colleagues. You will have a lot of hours to fill and it can be easy to slip into bad habits, get up late, walk the dog, oh the pubs opened nip in for a swift lunch time pint or 3.

It is also an depend on what time of year you finish. Spring is good, lighter nights better weather means you can do the garden (if you have one of course) go for walks etc and get into a good routine. finish in autumn and dark nights, cold wet weather can mean your stuck indoors with daytime TV and don't talk to anyone for days.
Also a lot of groups you may want to get involved with (hobbies or voluntary work) will proably be full of older people rather than the range of ages you have mixed with at work.

Rupert_Bear

I was already to retire at 60 and give my notice in. However my manager told me to wait a few weeks before doing anything. I did that and was offered voluntary redundancy. I was going to give up work anyway so that was the icing on the cake. That was in October 2010. I do not miss anything about my job and certainly not the tension headaches and nervous stomachs. Colleagues in my office said about keeping in touch etc. However I do not contact anyone as I do not want to dwell in the past but look to the future.

I can say I honestly do not miss work and have plenty to keep me pleasantly occupied.

atush

My dad took early retirement and dies a few months later. He was in reasonably good health, but died from a Brain hemorrage.

Acromion

Bigmoney2 hints at the bitter fact that keeping our heads down at work thankfully takes up so much time that we are spared the difficulty of considering the awkward philosophical question of what life - and our life in particular - is really for. In retirement, there's no place to hide! At its existential worst, it's simply keeping ourselves occupied, somehow, until overtaken by illness and death. In that context getting up late, walking the dog, and having a few pints at lunch does at least qualify as a minimalist type of hedonism and I would not necessarily tar such activities as "bad habits" - surely a bit too much superannuated protestant work ethic there?.

At its best it can encompass ultimate aspiration, achievement and meaning.

Ahem! I'm pushing on at the office for now...

anoneemouse

Now that is the type of post I was wondering if we would have on this thread.

It seems to me that the vast majority of people are just so glad to be free of work that a lot haven't thought on to ask themselves what else they can do in retirement besides just "fill their time".

I wonder if anyone has found a whole new Purpose for their life once they no longer have to devote time to earning a living? So, is there anyone who has? eg not just doing a "little bit of voluntary work" but having a whole (unpaid) career "championing a cause"?

Is there anyone who has taken up studying a whole new "field" in detail?

Is there anyone who never found that much time and energy for a social life, but has now made a huge group of genuine friends (not just acquaintances)?

Who has taken a "Watch out World - here I come" approach, rather than just "What can I fill my time with?" approach.