What to do with all your time?

ali_bear

Ha - makes me think of the early scenes in Fight Club. People sitting around in discussion groups only they are are all old. Maybe we need an old folk's fight club    would it catch on?

Albermarle

westv said:

ali_bear said:

Around my area there is a thing called u3a or university of the third age. From what I can make out, it is nothing to do with learning and more of a multi-branch hobby club for pensioners. That's all well and good, only I wouldn't want to join any club that would have me as a member. 

U3A has been mentioned several times in different threads on here. It covers all of the UK I think. As far as I can see, the list of activities available can vary quite a lot.
We did have one nearby but it must have closed down as I can't find it mentioned anywhere now. I'm not retired just yet but, whether I'd search for another further away, I'm not sure. For me, it would need more than coffee mornings or bridge groups.

I think some branches are different to others.
Some seem to be quite predominantly female and > 70 orientated with the emphasis on socialising , talks, hobbies etc .
Others offer things like language, IT  courses etc ( run by volunteers) and more activities generally.

pterri

I may look at some recreational studying, first month or two (after generally arsing around) will be catching up on decorating and jobs round the house though 

Phossy

ali_bear said:

Ha - makes me think of the early scenes in Fight Club. People sitting around in discussion groups only they are are all old. Maybe we need an old folk's fight club    would it catch on?

Perhaps a non-contact boxing club - appears to be a good therapy for many (young and old)

kempiejon

When I gave up work about a few years ago I honed my ukulele skills, learnt to cure my own bacon and other meats and I started making pasta and bread at home. The time after that it was volunteering for the National Trust, my 1 star paddling award and put some time in on practicing on the canal. Next time, I have banjo skills on the list and a bookcase full things and long walks in the countryside.

Sarahspangles

eastcorkram said:

I've now been retired for 11 weeks. So far, I've power washed the wheelie bins, and descaled the kettle. 

Steady on!

eastcorkram

Sarahspangles said:

eastcorkram said:

I've now been retired for 11 weeks. So far, I've power washed the wheelie bins, and descaled the kettle. 

Steady on!

I'm easing into it ! After 48 years of work, I'm very much enjoying doing very little for a while. 

Sarahspangles

cfw1994 said:

So, amongst all the finance discussions....I thought I would revamp this little one - a reminder to put as much thought into WHAT you plan to do with your later years as you do to how you will fund them 😉

What with being a project manager, I saw an opportunity to defer some of the meatier stuff that needs doing round the house until I retire, when I can make a thorough job of it. With just over three weeks to go, everything on that list is suddenly looking less appealing than when I first made the decision! However I like audiobooks and there’s currently an offer on some ‘first in series’ books so I have three queued up to listen to while mucking out various rooms. Also OH thinks he is ‘owed’ two and a half years of housework since he picked up more when he retired, but I think he’ll be at a loose end if I do it.

Apart from that stuff, I’m trying not to over plan so that we can be spontaneous. I have got a note in my journal of when daytime (rather than evening) gym classes take place and local clubs and classes meet, in case I’m bored. And a note of a couple of online creative courses I could take. We’ll probably take a holiday too before the main school holidays.

I am planning to log out of social media and limit the time I spend online, with the aim of being active in real life rather than online.

Cobbler_tone

westv said:

ali_bear said:

Around my area there is a thing called u3a or university of the third age. From what I can make out, it is nothing to do with learning and more of a multi-branch hobby club for pensioners. That's all well and good, only I wouldn't want to join any club that would have me as a member. 

U3A has been mentioned several times in different threads on here. 

My 84 year old recently widowed father-in-law is into the 'u3a scene'. He is going to burn some art into pieces of wood today. He also goes for lunches at his local con club and wanders around M&S food hall, between cutting his hedges and researching family history. He seems to keep busy with plenty of time to rest at his age. He is doing really well to adjust to such a huge life change.

In terms of retiring, I think you need to have some kind of plan. It must be far too easy to slip into bad habits and I have seen it myself on a few occasions, I'm sure most of us have. Before you know it you are getting up at 10am, watching This Morning with coffee and biscuits. One person I know has piled on the pounds and doesn't do a lot. I know another who passed away at 76 despite being healthy to retirement at 65. 
IMO you have to make the most of things. My colleague just lost her mum. She lived in a council house, really scrimped and didn't proactively put her heating on and was generally thrifty. They have discovered she had £190k in various accounts. They have no idea how she accumulated this money and now dealing with reflecting on her life choices. Different generation I guess and I am sure there are a lot of older folks in this position.

Bravepants

eastcorkram said:

I've now been retired for 11 weeks. So far, I've power washed the wheelie bins, and descaled the kettle. 

The first time I power washed my wheely bin was last year. I dragged it around to the rear yard, put plenty of lemon cleaner and bleach in and spent a good amount of time sluicing it around and jet washing it. When I took it back round the front I realised the bin men had confused my bin with the neighbours'! I had been washing my neighbours' the whole time! I felt disgruntled at first but then spent some time feeling smugly altruistic and fully part of the community at last. My own bin remains un-jetwashed to this day!

As far as other things I do to pass the time:

1. I have started piano lessons again, just a half-hour a week to get me back on track and keep me accountable to someone, rather than mashing the keys randomly like some sort of deranged version of Elton John!

2. I think Udemy (https://www.udemy.com/) is really good for online learning. So far it's helped me learn Python programming (when I was working). But now  I'm in the middle of a course on macro-economics (as you do). It's based on videos and some downloadable content. Some courses are free, but some cost a bit more. There are often discounts. The economics course I'm doing cost £15 (and has 10 lessons spread over 10 hours of video) and is pretty comprehensive and I've learned a lot. The lecturer is very good.

3. I still work a part-time afternoon job in a quiet country pub, 10 hours a week or so. And I do exam invigilation. While I don't need the money it's handy, but it also keeps me social and sane. 

4. Housework - I pick up a lot of this as my partner is still working full-time. Cleaning the floors later as we have a guest staying at the weekend and I'm de-pigstying the place! 

5. Cooking - I enjoy cooking, but get frustrated when it goes wrong. Note to self - must stop taking it too seriously!

6. DIY jobs: need to fix the satellite dish, we've lost one LNB so can't record and watch a different channel; need to test some artex for asbestos (I have the full PPE kit ready to go); fence painting; shed painting; sorting front north facing scrubland (I mean garden); front window ledges need a bit of TLC; rear of conervatory needs some work; replacement decking perhaps; Plenty to keep me occupied this summer.

7. Reading - progressing through the Jack Reacher novels, just discovered Hamish MacBeth, which I get from the library. Got the entire collection of HG Wells novels for 99p for my Kobo. Manged to plough through the Stephen King Dark Tower series, The Witcher series, started on Tolkien's The Silmarillion (but struggling) and I still miss Terry Pratchett.  

8. Retro video gaming - Raspberry Pi 5 single board computer with RetroPie and all the old games are free to download online (if you can find them). The Pi 5 can handle anything from the old Spectrum and Commodore 64s up to Playstation 1 and Nintendo 64. If you've got an old Nintendo Wii you can software modify it to play all the old Wii games and also Gamecube games - again available online for free.

9. Just re-discovered Magic: The Gathering, a collectable trading card game that you can acutally play for free online in the electronic version called Magic The Gathering Arena. I like the fantasy artwork and learning the game mechanics and the rules of the many card sets,  and strategies, exercises the brain.

I'm 56 years old and I don't have time for a full time job anymore.