Bold leap into retirement

handful

Smudgeismydog said:

Just back from being in the office. I was only there a few hours and I’ve got a terrible headache!

Morale is low and it felt so depressing, I couldn’t wait to get out. Unfortunately I’ve got to go back in again tomorrow, but I’m really hoping I can limit how often I go in until I leave.

How is everyone else feeling on their countdowns?

3 weeks today will be my last day! It can't come soon enough to be honest. I had probably my last ever audit to handle today and the corporate bull has nearly driven me over the edge! I do still have the joys of a tribunal to attend to represent my company after I leave though.

Workerbee999

 My OH retires 31 May and is counting the days and will be 54 in June. I will go in Dec 25 @ 55, but it’s becoming hard. I’m trying to have lots of little milestones to break it up and although a week goes quickly it is becoming more stressful and mentally exhausting at work. I’m trying to hold out as we have “a plan” and it will be worth it when we get there.

Sarahspangles

So I have picked a date, updated my spreadsheet and made the required investments so that my SIPP will bridge the gap until my first DB pension commences, and also started to think about holidays and retirement activities.

And within 48 hours of closure on the decision, I hear about some changes at work which mean I may be asked to extend my contract.  It’s not straightforward for my employer to replace me until they’re through the changes, and what I do is useful to society.

I can see how people get stuck in ‘one more year’….

dharm999

Not long to go for me.  Have been planning for a while now, and with the company I work for having just been sold, I got a small lump sum, which went into my SIPP.  Am working my notice, and go on to garden leave soon, but don’t officially leave until end of November.  I’m looking forward to a rest, work has been really hard over the last couple of years.  Will be 54 in a few weeks time, and now can afford not to have to work full time.  Plan is to maybe think about some kind of paid work in the spring next year, but don’t need to if I don’t want to, which is an extremely lucky position to be in.   

It is hard to stay motivated at work, as I’ve handed over the majority of my workload and colleagues who I would speak to almost every day, have stopped calling, as they have new bosses to please, which is understandable.  Hardest thing for me is the feeling I’m no longer involved in things, which is difficult to deal with when it’s been the opposite for nearly 20 years.  Just have to find a way of adjusting my mindset, as it’s my problem to sort

Smudgeismydog

Thanks to everyone who posted, it means a lot knowing we are all on this journey together.

Like @handful, I’m finding the corporate bull nearly intolerable, and I’m also struggling with my motivation as @dharm999 noted. I have also handed over most of my workload, but I’m thinking for my sanity and well-being I perhaps need to exit various work WhatsApp groups, as I know it’s just winding me up.

How would you feel if you needed to do ‘another year’ @Sarahspangles? And I’m also curious as to how you think you’ll feel when your OH retires, but you are still out working @Workerbee999?

Take care everyone

Sarahspangles

Smudgeismydog said:

Thanks to everyone who posted, it means a lot knowing we are all on this journey together.

How would you feel if you needed to do ‘another year’ @Sarahspangles?

Take care everyone

Like a footballer - ‘Denied!’

My OH retired 18 months ago. I work from home, it’s nice that I get coffees and my lunch made, but I have a constant reminder that he’s free to go off cycling with his posse or potter in the garden. Plus he makes such a palaver about what he calls ‘domestic chores’, most of which I’d happily (and efficiently) be doing as part of a morning routine, or even in the hour after work, like I used to.

I'm also really tired, partly because between us we’ve lost our three remaining parents in the last three years. The ‘sadmin’ side of his parents’ estates fell to me, so I’d be closing my work laptop on spreadsheets on Friday and opening my own for more spreadsheets on Saturday. Then my own father died recently, and while this time my (retired) brother is dealing with the sadmin, I’ve already done the equivalent of three working weeks of house sorting/clearance over weekends since Christmas.

I don’t resent OH having retired as he’d worked past 60 (he’s a few years older). But one thing I've really noticed is how difficult actual holidays are. Firstly he grumbles that I can’t fit in two-week breaks. Then if I’m at home ‘on leave’ I need to catch up on ‘home stuff’ rather than relax, and the office is still right there… whereas if we go away I am able to relax but OH feels we should be doing more stuff!

He went on a pre-retirement course when he was still working, they were encouraged to talk to their wives about the changes in lifestyle. However the only scenario the trainer seemed to have come up with was ‘breadwinner retires and needs to reassure housewife he’s not going to interfere with her routine’.

And that’s before you get onto the job stresses….

Grump over….

Rich1976

Smudgeismydog said:

Thanks to everyone who posted, it means a lot knowing we are all on this journey together.

Like @handful, I’m finding the corporate bull nearly intolerable, and I’m also struggling with my motivation as @dharm999 noted. I have also handed over most of my workload, but I’m thinking for my sanity and well-being I perhaps need to exit various work WhatsApp groups, as I know it’s just winding me up.

How would you feel if you needed to do ‘another year’ @Sarahspangles? And I’m also curious as to how you think you’ll feel when your OH retires, but you are still out working @Workerbee999?

Take care everyone

Just be careful with exiting Group WhatsApp’s . I’m not sure if you are aware but when someone leaves a group it sends an automatic notification to the group telling them who’s left. I did that previously at a previous place I worked at and it didn’t go down at all well with the others . So maybe best to wait until you’ve gone and then do it otherwise you will get ‘ how rude!’ ‘ why have you left’ ‘ do you not like us anymore?’ Sort of conversations.

if your mental health can take it then fair enough or what you could do is just tell people you don’t want to be part of the group and then give some reason why so they feel less ‘offended’ . Incredible really that people should have to do that and you shouldn’t have to justify any reasons but that’s just my experience and one or two others I know also.

MallyGirl

You can mute the groups without leaving so you can look if you want but don't get all the pings

eastcorkram

Sarahspangles said:

Smudgeismydog said:

Thanks to everyone who posted, it means a lot knowing we are all on this journey together.

How would you feel if you needed to do ‘another year’ @Sarahspangles?

Take care everyone

Like a footballer - ‘Denied!’

My OH retired 18 months ago. I work from home, it’s nice that I get coffees and my lunch made, but I have a constant reminder that he’s free to go off cycling with his posse or potter in the garden. Plus he makes such a palaver about what he calls ‘domestic chores’, most of which I’d happily (and efficiently) be doing as part of a morning routine, or even in the hour after work, like I used to.

I'm also really tired, partly because between us we’ve lost our three remaining parents in the last three years. The ‘sadmin’ side of his parents’ estates fell to me, so I’d be closing my work laptop on spreadsheets on Friday and opening my own for more spreadsheets on Saturday. Then my own father died recently, and while this time my (retired) brother is dealing with the sadmin, I’ve already done the equivalent of three working weeks of house sorting/clearance over weekends since Christmas.

I don’t resent OH having retired as he’d worked past 60 (he’s a few years older). But one thing I've really noticed is how difficult actual holidays are. Firstly he grumbles that I can’t fit in two-week breaks. Then if I’m at home ‘on leave’ I need to catch up on ‘home stuff’ rather than relax, and the office is still right there… whereas if we go away I am able to relax but OH feels we should be doing more stuff!

He went on a pre-retirement course when he was still working, they were encouraged to talk to their wives about the changes in lifestyle. However the only scenario the trainer seemed to have come up with was ‘breadwinner retires and needs to reassure housewife he’s not going to interfere with her routine’.

And that’s before you get onto the job stresses….

Grump over….

Thank you for introducing me to the word Sadmin! Never heard of it, even though I've had to do loads of it. 

Also, a pre retirement course sounds intriguing. I'm likely finishing this year, with no plans, and no bucket list. Which is probably not a great idea. 

Sarahspangles

eastcorkram said:

Thank you for introducing me to the word Sadmin! Never heard of it, even though I've had to do loads of it. 

Also, a pre retirement course sounds intriguing. I'm likely finishing this year, with no plans, and no bucket list. Which is probably not a great idea. 

All the large employers I’ve worked for have run one. These employers have offered DB pensions (as did OH’s employer) so at most what is being ‘sold’ is a reminder about AVCs or their equivalent in the final years of accumulation pre-retirement. There are normally cautions about taking/blowing a lump sum without at least considering the implications! Or getting sucked into the more dodgy kind of investments.

Apart from that it’s about the type of thing that people are suggesting in my post about Countdown - expanding interests, looking after your health.

I’ve only attended one, that was online. Not everyone would feel comfortable admitting they were thinking about retirement!