Early Retirement - help

pollypenny

Suzie, Sundays are still magic for me!

As a teacher it was a work day, preparing and marking. When the kids were young, I'd be ironing school shirts at 9pm.

Retirement is great. :j

BusPass_2

It's strange how life takes twists and turns.

I was supposed to retire on 30th June and spent May, June training up a replacement. Work asked me to consider staying on part time so I agreed to do a couple of days a week but only until 30th September. I went off on holiday after 30th June and came back in the middle of July to find that my replacement had left so they asked me to return full time. I agreed but told them I wanted to finish on 30th September as previously agreed, which I did.

Great, retirement to look forward to. All our planning has been done, holidays booked this month and next, and planning under way for sunshine breaks in the New Year.

Then yesterday, bang!!! Retired for all of eight days and I get
a phone call from a company who have heard through the grapevine that I have retired and they have offered me a job! Full time, part time, I can choose my own hours and days and whether I want short term or long term is up to me! They're quite happy to honour my holidays. They just seem to want me on board. And here's me at 65 thinking that I'll never have to get upon a snowy morning again.

Apart from the huge ego boost because all you hear about is unemployment and how difficult it is to get a job and the millions unemployed I am in a real dilemma.

The money attracts me although we have done our sums and would be able to get by without it and having worked all my life my biggest fear was adjusting to an easy life.

I think I might go for one or two days for a three or four month period and see how it pans out but isn't it funny how things work out.

Has anyone else had an experience like this?

Newly_retired

Well my DH did much the same thing. He was offered a part-time job just before he and I both retired. The p/t worked out to be f/t ( for no extra money, but it is one of those open-ended jobs). I realised I needed to get some sort of weekly routine for myself, so I do two days a week voluntary work, two evenings at an interest group, and various other things I am involved with , so I keep occupied and I must stress that I enjoy everything I do.
But I do wish my DH had retired!!!
So I ask the OP to make sure his/her OH is happy/ consulted about the future plans. Talk it through thoroughly.
Personally I do have moments of resentment, or rather I just wish he had more free time for days out, short breaks etc. I feel a bit cheated of the first five active yeras of retirement together, as who knows what the future may bring?

missile

BusPass wrote: »

Has anyone else had an experience like this?

I took early retirement and was quite happy until I got the call from an old friend/work colleague. I am desperate can you help me out. So here I am back at work part time.

Nearly_Old

Some very interesting reading as (hopefully) my early retirement / redundancy will be on the 28th Oct :j after working an 8 month notice period (long story). I've already had some plans made for me as my son and DIL are buying a house in Fife that needs modernising so I've been booked for fitting the new kitchen and bathroom plus all the decorating. I've had to insist that the working conditions will be 1 day golf (only 30 mins from St Andrews ) for every 2 days worked. As I'll be working over the winter I should have a good "golf credit" ready for the spring.

I've also got to finish all the jobs at home that have been left for far too long due to work. My wife has booked us a week in Fife the week after I retire to start house hunting :eek:

My employer has now said is it OK if November is the clean break period so they can give me a variable hours consultancy contract from 1st Dec. As my wife is not planning to retire for another year I'll probably accept it as long as there is a "no commuting in the snow" clause.

Thanks again for all the suggestions - I've already Googled U3A, got details for a week long residential falconry course and dry stone walling - just things that I've always wanted to do.

Farway

Nearly_Old wrote: »

Thanks again for all the suggestions - I've already Googled U3A, got details for a week long residential falconry course just things that I've always wanted to do.

Falconry, what a good idea, I have been fascinated since I saw an expert at Beaulieu. My circumstances do not allow me to have captive raptors, but would love to be able to

I will have to put this dream into the bucket of "Things to do" along with find a millionairess nymphomaniac

Errata

hmmm .........falconry. I think I've just found my Christmas present to me from me

suziewuzie

Right - I've survived my first week, and haven't yet killed OH (he is at home most days, he took redundancy 15 years ago and has never worked full-time since - I was the bread winner).
Just off to google U3A as suggested above. I need to do something to keep the grey matter working.

Farway

suziewuzie wrote: »

Right - I've survived my first week, and haven't yet killed OH (he is at home most days, he took redundancy 15 years ago and has never worked full-time since - I was the bread winner).
Just off to google U3A as suggested above. I need to do something to keep the grey matter working.

Suggested before I know, but also Google "Age Concern" or perhaps your local council volunteer section, it may be too soon to start giving your skills back, but doing so will certainly be useful to you, and those you help for free

ericonabike

Having been officially retired for just two weeks I can empathise with the OP. I was made redundant but on six months' notice until the end of September. At first the 'obvious' thing was to find a new job. But then my 55th birthday came along, and I started to think about early retirement. As I'd been working in the public sector for 35 years I could take my pension at age 55, albeit only at 75% of what it would be at age 60. In the end I left it to fate, in that I was shortlisted for a job that I was particulalry interested in - if I was successful I'd take it. otherwise I'd take the early retirmemnt option. To be honest, I felt a sigh of relief when I found out I was runner-up!

I've looked again at all my outgoings and managed to reduce them by around two thirds - to be honest when I was in work I wasn't that fussed about it, and so there was plenty of scope. I'm working a day or two a week as a cycle mechanic at a local not-for-profit bike renovation firm and am looking at doing some work as a cycle tour guide leader next summer. Oh, and learning to row as well! Being time-rich but cash-poor [in relative terms: we;re still not on the breadline] is better than the reverse, IMHO.

Perhaps the oddest and yet most satsifying thing was returning from a week's holiday with our grown-up children and realising that, unlike them, our holiday continued - at home!