Adapting to retirement

zagfles

eastcorkram said:

harlequinnyc said:

I do have empathy for men who find it difficult to adjust to being retired but I have to also be honest and speak up because I actually had to move house to get away from a male neighbour who had retired and I became a focus of his time. He just wouldn't leave me alone. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't scared or threatened in any way but he was just so intrusive. I am finding my current neighbour, recently retired (been here 14 years) is becoming the same. I have learned a lesson to keep neighbours at arms length but I would implore anyone planning their own retirement to please don't overstep the friendly neighbour line! 

Needn't worry about me. Been in this house for 15 years, and have never had anything to do with either side neighbours. I don't even know their first names .

Also annoying neighbours aren't always retired, we had a neighbour a few doors down who worked full time but was incapable of the simplest of household jobs, like bleeding the radiators, or changing a fuse, or checking the car's tyre pressures etc, and was always asking the other neighbours for help including us. Actual "help" was fine as far as I was concerned but she didn't want to learn how to do the job, just for someone else to do it, so next time it needed doing she'd need someone again. She woke one of the other neighbours at midnight because there was a spider in her room! Then she got a dog which barked non stop while she was at work. 

Luckily for the rest of us, it was her who eventually moved!

zagfles

Cus said:

zagfles said:

Cus said:

zagfles said:

BikingBud said:

katejo said:

westv said:

I am envious of those over 60 in London that get free travel wherever they want to go in the capital.

Only off peak (after 9 or 9.30 depending on type of transport). 

Why would you want to travel at peak time though?

I am jealous of the free facility but not too bothered about London, although it is a major inequality with people outside the grand metropolis.  

My father, some way beyond 60, has and continues to exploit the free bus pass in and around N England, seeing how far he can get in a day. Save power on heating and lighting, keep warm on long distance buses, visit different towns and locations.

When you consider how much more Londoners have had to pay for housing over their lifetime, saving a few £ in public transport between 60 and state pension age will be pretty trivial 

You could see it in a different way, in that Londoners have 'invested' more money in their housing over the years and with similar percentage increases as the rest of the country they have made more, leaving them with more equity to either downsize, move away to a cheaper area, equity release or leave more to their family.

Instead non Londoners have had the opportunity to invest more into their pension, which they can enjoy without having to move away from where they've built a life and laid down roots, or get a small % of their house value back through equity release, or die. Plus they don't have to live in London 

Maybe, it could be the pension or property debate. Tbh I can't comment as I was born in London, always lived in London, all family are in London and won't ever leave London so can't see any other side

Edit: whenever I've left London for the rest of the country I have always found people to be more friendly..and poorer 😁

I'm originally from outer London and after I got my first job there moved more central for 3 months, hated it, grotty flat was all I could afford to rent and got attacked in the street, then got a better job outside London but still in the SE, but couldn't afford to buy anywhere so was a lodger. 

Then got offered basically the same job in Manchester, same salary, could easily afford to buy a house there, and couldn't believe how much more prosperous everyone seemed to be doing the same job in the north. Everyone had better cars, holidays etc. Probably because they didn't have to feed so much money to mortgage providers!

k6chris

Cus said:

Also, I haven't retired yet but I came on this forum I think because I want to retire due to not enjoying work. It might be just my own reflection but it does seem that there are a lot on here who also don't enjoy work and are looking forward to not working.  I think if you are one of those, like I am, then you don't need to retire to something as just not having to work is enough. Maybe those who enjoyed their careers and then retire are the ones who need something to go to.

Or I could be completely wrong 😁

I think the "not working" benefit might last for a few months, but for a fulfilling retirement many people need to find something else to do, even if (like today) it is simple watching all the sport on telly! 

katejo

BikingBud said:

katejo said:

westv said:

I am envious of those over 60 in London that get free travel wherever they want to go in the capital.

Only off peak (after 9 or 9.30 depending on type of transport). 

Why would you want to travel at peak time though?

I am jealous of the free facility but not too bothered about London, although it is a major inequality with people outside the grand metropolis.  

My father, some way beyond 60, has and continues to exploit the free bus pass in and around N England, seeing how far he can get in a day. Save power on heating and lighting, keep warm on long distance buses, visit different towns and locations.

I am still working so sometimes have to pay to be on site before 9am. Some people argue that over 60s still have to go to morning hospital appointments. The concession applied all day prior to lockdown but I wasn't old enough to be eligible then. 

zagubov

BikingBud said:

katejo said:

westv said:

I am envious of those over 60 in London that get free travel wherever they want to go in the capital.

Only off peak (after 9 or 9.30 depending on type of transport). 

Why would you want to travel at peak time though?

I am jealous of the free facility but not too bothered about London, although it is a major inequality with people outside the grand metropolis.  

My father, some way beyond 60, has and continues to exploit the free bus pass in and around N England, seeing how far he can get in a day. Save power on heating and lighting, keep warm on long distance buses, visit different towns and locations.

Hospital appointments may need travel during peak time. Also I still work part-time teaching and need to get to work promptly.
It's not just London has the facility, Liverpool has it too. Houses are more affordable there.
Northern Ireland has free travel for 60+ residents but at 66 they can travel free in the Republic as well.

katejo

zagubov said:

BikingBud said:

katejo said:

westv said:

I am envious of those over 60 in London that get free travel wherever they want to go in the capital.

Only off peak (after 9 or 9.30 depending on type of transport). 

Why would you want to travel at peak time though?

I am jealous of the free facility but not too bothered about London, although it is a major inequality with people outside the grand metropolis.  

My father, some way beyond 60, has and continues to exploit the free bus pass in and around N England, seeing how far he can get in a day. Save power on heating and lighting, keep warm on long distance buses, visit different towns and locations.

Hospital appointments may need travel during peak time. Also I still work part-time teaching and need to get to work promptly.
It's not just London has the facility, Liverpool has it too. Houses are more affordable there.
Northern Ireland has free travel for 60+ residents but at 66 they can travel free in the Republic as well.

I still have to keep my old Oyster account and top it up on days when I go into work in the morning. Of course I could just use contactless but prefer not to. Someone I know told her employer (on reaching 60) that she would be coming in later in the day from then on. I found that cheeky and unreasonable! 

westv

katejo said:

zagubov said:

BikingBud said:

katejo said:

westv said:

I am envious of those over 60 in London that get free travel wherever they want to go in the capital.

Only off peak (after 9 or 9.30 depending on type of transport). 

Why would you want to travel at peak time though?

I am jealous of the free facility but not too bothered about London, although it is a major inequality with people outside the grand metropolis.  

My father, some way beyond 60, has and continues to exploit the free bus pass in and around N England, seeing how far he can get in a day. Save power on heating and lighting, keep warm on long distance buses, visit different towns and locations.

Hospital appointments may need travel during peak time. Also I still work part-time teaching and need to get to work promptly.
It's not just London has the facility, Liverpool has it too. Houses are more affordable there.
Northern Ireland has free travel for 60+ residents but at 66 they can travel free in the Republic as well.

I still have to keep my old Oyster account and top it up on days when I go into work in the morning. Of course I could just use contactless but prefer not to. Someone I know told her employer (on reaching 60) that she would be coming in later in the day from then on. I found that cheeky and unreasonable! 

I use my very old Oyster card when going to London.
For me, it's more convenient than contactless - just take out of pocket, tap, back in pocket. Contactless would be wallet out, take out DC, tap, return DC to wallet, put wallet back in pocket.

leosayer

westv said:

katejo said:

zagubov said:

BikingBud said:

katejo said:

westv said:

I am envious of those over 60 in London that get free travel wherever they want to go in the capital.

Only off peak (after 9 or 9.30 depending on type of transport). 

Why would you want to travel at peak time though?

I am jealous of the free facility but not too bothered about London, although it is a major inequality with people outside the grand metropolis.  

My father, some way beyond 60, has and continues to exploit the free bus pass in and around N England, seeing how far he can get in a day. Save power on heating and lighting, keep warm on long distance buses, visit different towns and locations.

Hospital appointments may need travel during peak time. Also I still work part-time teaching and need to get to work promptly.
It's not just London has the facility, Liverpool has it too. Houses are more affordable there.
Northern Ireland has free travel for 60+ residents but at 66 they can travel free in the Republic as well.

I still have to keep my old Oyster account and top it up on days when I go into work in the morning. Of course I could just use contactless but prefer not to. Someone I know told her employer (on reaching 60) that she would be coming in later in the day from then on. I found that cheeky and unreasonable! 

I use my very old Oyster card when going to London.
For me, it's more convenient than contactless - just take out of pocket, tap, back in pocket. Contactless would be wallet out, take out DC, tap, return DC to wallet, put wallet back in pocket.

I normally use my Oyster card except when I forget it and have to use my credit card instead.

The other day I forget my wallet and was forced to gain entry to the tube using google wallet on my phone. The stress was high but my paytech-savvy wife guided me through the process and gave me a little hug afterwards. 

GibbsRule_No3.

My Freedom pass in London saves me over £500+ a year. I normally cycle to work, so don’t need the pass before 9  and there was no snow this year, so I did not have to resort to shanks pony, before the Mayor removed the early travel for the pass I would have used a bus in snow. Sister and husband do have hospital appointments so often need to pay before time. I do remember when OAP passes were first introduced there were morning and afternoon times when they could not be used, so pleased that the afternoon one has not been reintroduced. In those days though, I don’t think school kids got free travel, I try hard to avoid travelling when schools end, nightmare travelling on the bus so not much difference from being an “am I too early”?

westv

GibbsRule_No3. said:

In those days though, I don’t think school kids got free travel, I try hard to avoid travelling when schools end, nightmare travelling on the bus so not much difference from being an “am I too early”?

In the 70s in London I had a pass to get me to school, but it could only be used on that route. Every other journey was, if I remember correctly, 5p.