First year of retirement

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82107247#Comment_82107247

If you like these types of threads, there are a few in this forum.

Over 50s MoneySaving — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Sea_Shell

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82107074#Comment_82107074

Friend : What have you got planned for today?

Me: Same as yesterday.

Friend: But you didn't do anything yesterday.

Me: Ah, but I hadn't finished 😉

FIREDreamer

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82108029#Comment_82108029

@Sea_Shell when’s the next squirrelled nuts update?

katejo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82107074#Comment_82107074

Yes I agree on that but my procrastination about doing home chores has got worse!

Sea_Shell

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82108033#Comment_82108033

It seemed to run out of steam, and was getting a bit too long, so it just withered on the vine.

But don't worry, we're doing well 😉🤑

glass_half_full

Dear diary and all,

Thanks all for the comments etc. There seems to be a vibrant community of retired and to be retired.

OH and I are in what feels a bit like no man's land as we are on leave but retire at the end of August. We both gave our preferences to our respective pension providers and all was acknowledged ok, but it has gone very quiet so hoping it will all go through fine. I do find that they under communicate, but also accept that they are busy and communicating could lead to more questions and confusion. The lump sums should be paid around 1st/2nd September so in two weeks time we will know if it has all gone through ok.

We both hand back our work laptops at the end of the month so have been clearing them of personal data. Quite looking forward to a bit of a digital detox to be honest. I have bought a simple laptop for us to share between us.

I can already feel mental space freeing up from the subconscious thinking about work! 🙂

jimi_man

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82109471#Comment_82109471

Yes it's a vibrant community and there is lots of good information and learning from people/different threads.

The one thing I would say is that being that this is a Pensions forum, numbers are extremely important. People want details, numbers, so that they can compare/contrast and assess to their own situation and it provides context. If you want to keep people engaged then you'll have to provide this sooner rather than later. Someone posted the 'Over 50's Moneysaving' which is an excellent thread. Squirrel's Nuts was also good although sadly no more now, both of which gave lots of details around numbers and were/are very popular.

Good luck. Retirement is fabulous!

barnstar2077

Personally, I enjoy reading about peoples plans to retire, or how they are doing in retirement, it isn't just about the numbers for me.

Retirement for me is going to be akin to being released from a prison. You look forward to it every day, hoping and wishing, but in reality I feel like it will be a big adjustment, and a massive upheaval from a psychological point of view.

Apart from the money side of things, I am interested to learn how people adapt, find purpose, and learn to get the most out of their new life!

zagubov

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82105887#Comment_82105887

You can slow it down again. The most effective ways include by packing in new experiences via travel. Less well known is that learning new things slows down the apparent passage of time.

Evening classes are getting harder to find and online or distance courses may cost you money but you might want to look at free or cheap courses via the OU. Here's a link that may help:

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses/full-catalogue?

I used to work for them in the past, but it's decades ago and I'm not getting anything from mentioning them.

Moonwolf

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82113093#Comment_82113093

Learning a language is brilliant and so easy nowadays.

If you want to learn French or Spanish you might be lucky enough to have an Alliance Française or Instituto Cervantes nearby. I’m doing face to face classes with Instituto Cervantes. My class is a mixture of students, business people and retirees so I have met a variety of new people, some of us have been out for meals together. Clearly you might have to do this online if you aren’t in a city but I hear U3A can have classes as well.

I’m adding app based learning on my phone, I’ve followed a couple of content makers on Facebook so I get a little extra exposure every day. I can revisit stuff from lessons online, there is always a web page that will run through say the preterite use and conjugations, BBC bitesize is good for that.

Then I’m watching Spanish series on Netflix, currently with English subtitles but I listen to the rhythm of the language and pick out words and constructions i understand.