(NON FINANCIAL) Retirement plans/ dreams/ discussion.

drummersdale

We have just bought a large summerhouse which will include a small “garden bar” - just in the process of painting it, getting electrics put in, insulated etc - given I’m looking to take partial retirement early next year I’m hoping this will be a bit of a hobby - somewhere to have friends around - when it is safe to do so of course! Won’t be as snazzy as some I’ve seen as they can become a bit of a money pit.

cfw1994

cfw1994 said:

ex-pat_scot said:

cfw1994 said:

Large TV set?  Or small projector?  You can never go too large, I would say....

Counting the days now (20 working days), so fully expecting the markets to collapse any minute....nervous yet thrilling at the same time.  

Was amused by an email from one work pal who found out before I got to speak with him: “I don’t think I have ever been so jealous of another human being”   Reassuring!
Exploring the UK is a goal....after I’ve cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats first    

We had a few Scotland trips in the late 80s-early 90s (relative at RAF Lossiemouth, would visit for a ball or some fun, then go touring).  Did the NC500 before it was the NC500.  It was like driving on the moon!  Single track, miles without seeing anyone.  Camping, kite flying....visit Smoo cave....ahhhh.  Had two pals separately do it this year: one in car, another in camper.  Both enjoyed it, but it did sound a lot busier.  Spring or autumn would be ideal, I guess.
As to hobbies, we love lists.....once they are on the list, the decisions can begin!

Fantastic - please do keep us abreast of the transition.

I'd much rather cycle the NC500 than LeJOG though. I think the next couple of years might be rather congested though, with lots of traffic, as @MallyGirl suggests.
As for TV - never been a fan of the huge screen. Sit closer, if you want the screen to fill your eyeline.

Thx for the interest.....I've learned a lot from this forum, it is inspiring to hear from those close to or into retirement.  I think of it as just moving away from the daily world of Corporate Tech & onto the next thing, which may (but likely will not!) involve paid employment ....after I have taught my body a severe lesson with the bike ride 
We enjoy going to the cinema, but I find the emergency lighting is always too bright for me (& you have other people crunching popcorn etc!).   We popped a big screen and ultra short throw PJ in our lounge & it is brilliant - so many different streaming services now available (& budgeted for the future ;-) - last summer we signed up to Disney+ & blasted through all the Marvel Universe with 'the kids'....it is extra brilliant for cold dark evenings!

Think I will self combust when I only have 20 days to go!!!

Yup, I am making sure ANY meetings/work I am involved in now involves others in the team.....and helped interview last week for someone we feel will be a great replacement (& I thought I was irreplaceable!!), so it is going well enough.   I am fighting the urge to ignore everything!    No plans for any "leaving do", which is a bit of a shame, but beers will be shared in the future.

I can vouch for volunteering as an absolutely brilliant way to use up loads of time. I do coaching for running club and hubby does scouts. 

I'd echo the volunteering - it does help give 'meaning' to part of the world we inhabit, for sure.    I've been involved in Scouting for many years (ran an Explorer unit for about 8 years that peaked around 35 scouts - nightmare!!), always involved our offspring into a volunteering ethos, & will continue to help facilitate Gold DofE.  It has been a rubbish year though....very difficult

We have however been prepping for retirement.

Same for us....past 5+ years have seen us replace windows, front door, deploy a mesh wifi, got into electric car ownership, etc, etc....garden needs more attention, but that is for the future....no 'big ticket' items outstanding.  
Onwards & upwards!

Well, the transition ‘formally’ begins today: hurrah!
I broadly hate zoom meetings, but I did enjoy running my “leaving zoom party” for a large number of work colleagues earlier in the week.....a bunch of pictures and daft rhymes I put together, we all had a blast.   Maybe some beers later in summer somewhere.

A very wet day to begin....I’ll give the cycle training a miss (ramping down a little now anyway: don’t want to get injured before I even begin!!).  A bit of packing and sorting of kit later instead...need to figure out what I really *need* rather than just “want to take in case” 😉
All accommodation now booked, including a few nights in Edinburgh & Glasgow to visit the offspring at the end.  

Had a nice 4mile yomp yesterday, met pals halfway for a cafe lunch - 3 of the 4 of them recently retired....I could get used to this! 

One amusing result recently: car insurance due, renewal was over £700...went and compared....got the two cars for under £400....& since it starts today, my occupation is of course now “retired”, no need for ‘work use’ any longer 😂

ex-pat_scot

cfw1994 said:

cfw1994 said:

ex-pat_scot said:

cfw1994 said:

Large TV set?  Or small projector?  You can never go too large, I would say....

Counting the days now (20 working days), so fully expecting the markets to collapse any minute....nervous yet thrilling at the same time.  

Was amused by an email from one work pal who found out before I got to speak with him: “I don’t think I have ever been so jealous of another human being”   Reassuring!
Exploring the UK is a goal....after I’ve cycled from Lands End to John O’Groats first    

We had a few Scotland trips in the late 80s-early 90s (relative at RAF Lossiemouth, would visit for a ball or some fun, then go touring).  Did the NC500 before it was the NC500.  It was like driving on the moon!  Single track, miles without seeing anyone.  Camping, kite flying....visit Smoo cave....ahhhh.  Had two pals separately do it this year: one in car, another in camper.  Both enjoyed it, but it did sound a lot busier.  Spring or autumn would be ideal, I guess.
As to hobbies, we love lists.....once they are on the list, the decisions can begin!

Fantastic - please do keep us abreast of the transition.

I'd much rather cycle the NC500 than LeJOG though. I think the next couple of years might be rather congested though, with lots of traffic, as @MallyGirl suggests.
As for TV - never been a fan of the huge screen. Sit closer, if you want the screen to fill your eyeline.

Thx for the interest.....I've learned a lot from this forum, it is inspiring to hear from those close to or into retirement.  I think of it as just moving away from the daily world of Corporate Tech & onto the next thing, which may (but likely will not!) involve paid employment ....after I have taught my body a severe lesson with the bike ride 
We enjoy going to the cinema, but I find the emergency lighting is always too bright for me (& you have other people crunching popcorn etc!).   We popped a big screen and ultra short throw PJ in our lounge & it is brilliant - so many different streaming services now available (& budgeted for the future ;-) - last summer we signed up to Disney+ & blasted through all the Marvel Universe with 'the kids'....it is extra brilliant for cold dark evenings!

Think I will self combust when I only have 20 days to go!!!

Yup, I am making sure ANY meetings/work I am involved in now involves others in the team.....and helped interview last week for someone we feel will be a great replacement (& I thought I was irreplaceable!!), so it is going well enough.   I am fighting the urge to ignore everything!    No plans for any "leaving do", which is a bit of a shame, but beers will be shared in the future.

I can vouch for volunteering as an absolutely brilliant way to use up loads of time. I do coaching for running club and hubby does scouts. 

I'd echo the volunteering - it does help give 'meaning' to part of the world we inhabit, for sure.    I've been involved in Scouting for many years (ran an Explorer unit for about 8 years that peaked around 35 scouts - nightmare!!), always involved our offspring into a volunteering ethos, & will continue to help facilitate Gold DofE.  It has been a rubbish year though....very difficult

We have however been prepping for retirement.

Same for us....past 5+ years have seen us replace windows, front door, deploy a mesh wifi, got into electric car ownership, etc, etc....garden needs more attention, but that is for the future....no 'big ticket' items outstanding.  
Onwards & upwards!

Well, the transition ‘formally’ begins today: hurrah!
I broadly hate zoom meetings, but I did enjoy running my “leaving zoom party” for a large number of work colleagues earlier in the week.....a bunch of pictures and daft rhymes I put together, we all had a blast.   Maybe some beers later in summer somewhere.

A very wet day to begin....I’ll give the cycle training a miss (ramping down a little now anyway: don’t want to get injured before I even begin!!).  A bit of packing and sorting of kit later instead...need to figure out what I really *need* rather than just “want to take in case” 😉
All accommodation now booked, including a few nights in Edinburgh & Glasgow to visit the offspring at the end.  

Had a nice 4mile yomp yesterday, met pals halfway for a cafe lunch - 3 of the 4 of them recently retired....I could get used to this! 

One amusing result recently: car insurance due, renewal was over £700...went and compared....got the two cars for under £400....& since it starts today, my occupation is of course now “retired”, no need for ‘work use’ any longer 😂

Fab! Congratulations. Day 1 of your new life!

As a veteran of many long distance trips (foot, run, bike) - get all the stuff you "need" on a bed. Discard half of it.  Light, compact and lean is the way to go.  It's amazing how little you actually use on trips, albeit you only find this out through experience.  
In lieu of training, you might want to think about some stretching of hamstrings and back, ahead of the long days in the saddle.

Keep us all posted - the fresh views of someone who has just stepped over the wall.

bluenose1

Congratulations cfw1994, exciting times...... Quite fancy Glasgow and Edinburgh for a little break myself. 
We have 3 UK mini breaks booked for this year now, would have liked to go abroad but can’t be bothered with all the hoops to jump through.
1. September- 3 night break self catering to White Cross Bay on Lake Windermere in a Lodge for 4 so taking 2 youngest adult kids with us. Airbnb-  £490
2. November- Bodelwydan Castle, Warner holiday-  3 night break in Garden Lodge suite with oh Half board ~ £508 for two 
3.- December Christmas break Bodelwydan Castle (again) 3 nights  with Garden Lodge suite each  with my sister. Nearly as cheap to have own room than share and as she snores seemed a no brainer!!!
Half board ~ £269 each
Have stayed in the Garden Lodge suites a couple of times before and know I like them.

So total spend on holidays this year about £1,300.
Have also been listening to loads of Zero to Travel Podcasts for holiday inspiration.
So far have - Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sweden, Lithuania and Albania.... on my list.
Though not sure my oh is as keen as me for extended 2/3 month holidays.

cfw1994

As a veteran of many long distance trips (foot, run, bike) - get all the stuff you "need" on a bed. Discard half of it.  Light, compact and lean is the way to go.  It's amazing how little you actually use on trips, albeit you only find this out through experience.  
In lieu of training, you might want to think about some stretching of hamstrings and back, ahead of the long days in the saddle.

Thanks: yes, precisely what I am doing - plus a couple of smaller rides this week (40-50mile) just to keep on it a bit, but stretching, walking sounds the best plan.  Plus some last minute paper map printing - I have a Wahoo Roam which is a brilliant bike nav (& the Garmin Varia is the best 'rear view mirror' you could want - radar safety feature!), but there is always a chance of tech failure!
Sorted the frame bag (tools) and bar bag (stuff!) yesterday.  As you say, spread kit out, thinking HARD about what *will* be used/needed versus "perhaps nice to have" - then ditching the latter!
I do have the advantage that I am doing Lands End to Leicester (6d), then 3 nights at home (wash, regroup!), then Leics-Edin (7d - some camping = more kit needed)..... then 2 nights there (wash kit again) before Edin-JoG.  That last leg should be easy peasy (if I make it that far!) - I join some pals there who do cycle a little slower than me, & the distances are a little shorter 

Though not sure my oh is as keen as me for extended 2/3 month holidays.

Your plans sound fine to me, & those breaks will be great!
I'd love to plan a month or more in Les Arcs next winter, but some of that sort of thing (for us) depends on MIL health....& whether the travel is 'safer' than it is right now....

Also the small matter of google photos starting to charge from June, so I am mass transferring to MANY albums from my folders *before* I start my pandemic pedal.....I think there is at least 10-15hours of 'work' there for me this week....

bluenose1

cfw1994 said:  Also the small matter of google photos starting to charge from June, so I am mass transferring to MANY albums from my folders *before* I start my pandemic pedal.....I think there is at least 10-15hours of 'work' there for me this week....

Just checking I am understanding correctly.
If I make sure all my google photos are in high resolution they will not count towards the new 15gb allowance?
I thought it was just a click to change them all, so hoping I am not missing anything.

michaels

My understanding is up to now high definition (lower than most cameras take) storage was not included the 15gb free storage but from June all new photos will taken (whatever resolution) will form part of the 15gb that will thus very quickly be used up.

I use Microsoft office family licence (about £40 pa) that gives 4TB of included storage (and office as a bonus).  Makes me feel much more comfortable should there be a fire or it failure (lightening strike etc).

cfw1994

michaels said:

My understanding is up to now high definition (lower than most cameras take) storage was not included the 15gb free storage but from June all new photos will taken (whatever resolution) will form part of the 15gb that will thus very quickly be used up.

I use Microsoft office family licence (about £40 pa) that gives 4TB of included storage (and office as a bonus).  Makes me feel much more comfortable should there be a fire or it failure (lightening strike etc).

I think that is about right - as the link I attached explained it:

• Any photos and videos uploaded from 1 June 2021, plus previously-uploaded high res photos and videos, will be subject to a 15GB free storage limit. Anything you upload to Google Photos from 1 June counts towards this limit, no matter what resolution. Google Docs created or edited from 1 June, plus Gmail messages and other files stored in Google Drive, all also count towards the limit.

I thought Microsoft was around £80pa for the family option, each being allowed 1TB? So it suggests here.

I currently have around 90,000 pictures filling almost 500GB currently....which is a lot to manage, & perhaps a lot more than most people.   
With high capacity come higher chances of problems, and more importance on being able to 'search on the metadata' associated with the pictures.
I have also experienced so much trouble with OneDrive over recent years (I don't want to be forced to upgrade my MacOS, & recently it decided to stop working entirely!) that I've pinned my flag to Google Photos.    I'm sure MS will work for many just fine. 
Also find Google works exceptionally well in how I can manage albums or search for things ("white car", "caving", etc, etc!).  Naturally the flip sides is that Google knows more about my life than anyone in the family, & even myself....but that's the modern price I pay 

MallyGirl

OH uses Lightroom for cataloging photos. Every now and then he realises that he is behind and goes and tags a load. Ancient slides are being scanned in very slowly - an activity for a winter day.

Nebulous2

cfw1994 said:

michaels said:

My understanding is up to now high definition (lower than most cameras take) storage was not included the 15gb free storage but from June all new photos will taken (whatever resolution) will form part of the 15gb that will thus very quickly be used up.

I use Microsoft office family licence (about £40 pa) that gives 4TB of included storage (and office as a bonus).  Makes me feel much more comfortable should there be a fire or it failure (lightening strike etc).

I think that is about right - as the link I attached explained it:

• Any photos and videos uploaded from 1 June 2021, plus previously-uploaded high res photos and videos, will be subject to a 15GB free storage limit. Anything you upload to Google Photos from 1 June counts towards this limit, no matter what resolution. Google Docs created or edited from 1 June, plus Gmail messages and other files stored in Google Drive, all also count towards the limit.

I thought Microsoft was around £80pa for the family option, each being allowed 1TB? So it suggests here.

I currently have around 90,000 pictures filling almost 500GB currently....which is a lot to manage, & perhaps a lot more than most people.   
With high capacity come higher chances of problems, and more importance on being able to 'search on the metadata' associated with the pictures.
I have also experienced so much trouble with OneDrive over recent years (I don't want to be forced to upgrade my MacOS, & recently it decided to stop working entirely!) that I've pinned my flag to Google Photos.    I'm sure MS will work for many just fine. 
Also find Google works exceptionally well in how I can manage albums or search for things ("white car", "caving", etc, etc!).  Naturally the flip sides is that Google knows more about my life than anyone in the family, & even myself....but that's the modern price I pay 

I have the family version of MS and thought I was limited to 1 terabyte. I wondered about that when I saw his post. It may be possible to start a different profile with a different email address and nominate yourself as a family member to get another terabyte. 

I’m a hoarder with about 400 GB of photos, but with a new camera as a retirement present, and having taken over 2000 photos in the last month, I really need to start deleting some after uploading. If I don’t my storage requirement will quickly become a problem. 

Google phones do some clever stuff with photos, and they had an exemption to the storage limit, but that has now gone for new purchases.