Adapting to retirement

zagfles

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 

Albermarle

P933alilli said:

Retired a few years ago , now 60.

  The worst bit is losing parents and a friend i grew up with and a neighbour. Wanting to do stuff, having time and enough money but no-one to do it with.

Or the opposite of having heavy caring responsibilities for family members. So to modify your phrase.

Wanting to do stuff, having enough money, but not enough free time to do much.

mark55man

<snip>

And like you say above, ignore other peoples' ideas of what retirement should be. Some people seem to think married couples should be tied at the hip and can't understand them doing stuff separately. My wife has been called a "bridge widow" because I spend about 10 hours a week playing bridge, strange she wasn't called a "work widow" when I spent 40 hours a week at work! We're both happy doing our own stuff, we're not going to conform to other peoples' expectations. 

From my brief experience of playing bridge with a significant other playing for 10 hours a week with them is much more likely to end in disharmony than pursuing separate interests. But then I'm not very good, although at Uni I did play for the B team in a national competition and thanks to a gross error by our opponents ended up winning more EBU points in one hand than my mum won all year (to her great annoyance)

harlequinnyc

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! 

barnstar2077

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! 

That sounds like a nightmare.  Reminds me of what my next door neighbours told me shortly after they moved in next door.  They said that their previous neighbour was always overstepping boundaries, like standing on a stool to lean over the garden fence when they were trying to have time with family in the garden etc.  He would often try and talk to them when they were trying to leave in their car, knocking on the car window to get them to roll it down etc.  It was during one of these episodes that he said he just wanted to apologise for the noise he was making during the night before.  He just wanted them to know that he wasn't shouting at them, but at the previous neighbours who used to live there!  Suffice to say, they ended up moving too.  Care in the community is great, until it isn't.  

eastcorkram

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 .

Cus

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.

Cus

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 😁

zagfles

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 

Cus

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 😁