Do you remember your "countdown" to retirement?

[Danmar]

I knew the date about 3 years before. I wish I hadn't. The more J counted down, the longer it seemed. Best to focus on your job or other things as long as you can. It will come soon enough.

[Ronstar]

I had an employment contract to work 960 hours during my last year of work. I didn't have a countdown per se. I had a spreadsheet that tallied up hours worked and hours remaining bi-weekly.

[kcowan]

We had an announcement on Nov 1st, and had to make our decision by Feb 1 with Mar 1 as departure date (all voluntary). I declared Dec 15th but when management found out they asked me to stay. I agreed to stay until May 1st.

Set up my consulting company in April and started my first management contract July 20th. Worked another 10 years on various contracts.

[Sasset]

I started a spreadsheet with a count down. I passed the 3 year mark this last week that I have been counting down. I now have just over 100 days to go! Three years ago it seemed like it was going to take forever. Now that I am here it doesn't seem so long.

On the other hand, now a 100 days seems like a long time. Funny how time works.

[rrufus]

I place a BIG number on the frig....designating the number of months to go...first day of a new month, the BIG number decreases by 1. Friends ask what does the number mean....and the fun begins when talking, dreaming about that great Commencement Day! The day after Halloween 2015, that BIG number drops to 14. Oh Yeah!!! (Number-of-days-to-go counters not as exciting, since hundreds of days to go seems so far away.)

[OrcasIslandBound]

My "BIG" number will be 17 the day after Halloween. Only three months behind you rrufus!

[Ally]

I started mine at 970 work days and it seemed like it would never get to zero. The last few years of work were very bad and I was always stressed and anxious. I am totally in a worry free state of mind now after 5 months of retirement. I couldn't be happier! May your time pass quickly.


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[Marketwatcher]

I have fewer than 50 days that I have to walk through Mega's front door. I'm actually getting a little nervous since not only will I be quitting in early 2016, but also be selling my house and living full time in a travel trailer!

[OrcasIslandBound]

I would think that living full time in a travel trailer would be great for a while but then get more difficult over time. Is this being done to save money?

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[Marketwatcher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrcasIslandBound I would think that living full time in a travel trailer would be great for a while but then get more difficult over time. Is this being done to save money? Sent from my Nexus 4 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

My partner and I are in our early 50s. We love camping, backpacking, traveling and being outdoors, so this is our dream. Gives us great opportunities to visit family and fiends in the US and Canada. Saving money is definitely a nice a benefit and we're tired of being tied to the same location.

I can picture use doing this for many years, and as long as we're physically able to do the things we love.

[USA]

My countdown began about 3mo out when I let every one know. I enjoyed my w*rk, it was just time for me. Countdown was done by week on a calendar. I had written what I wanted to accomplish before leaving. I couldn't make it where it was smooth but no need to leave a crap storm behind. I also had days off to use up. I joked I was taking a PRD (practice retirement day). I look back & smile. It was fun!


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[pablo]

Other than W2R's response, reading the other responses here I feel a bit like a freak! I was in my mid 20's in 1991 when I had a revelation (with the help of a friend who ended up doing the same thing) that if I saved and invested well I could retire by 40. So I started a countdown 'clock', really just a piece of paper starting at approx 2500 working days. I would cross off the old number and write the new lower number each day when I came home.
When I turned 40 I received a large salary increase and became greedy realizing that if I stuck around until I was 55 I could be much wealthier than originally planned and also be eligible for a fantastic pension+health care. So I started a new countdown sheet.
Early this year I realized that I have more than enough money and I hate working and CAN'T wait 5 more years until I'm 55 so I simply quit. I'll collect my large pension in a few years instead of immediately. I still have the countdown sheet frozen at 1086 working days. I smile every time I pass that shelf in my house!

[Sasset]

I have now started counting down "work" dasy. With weekends, holidays and vacation days, I have less the 50 "work"days to go!

Any one else?

(Vacation day today to keep from going over the accumulation limit)

[InTheSticks]

I'm now down to 116 days and 74 work days.

[littleb]

We are not there yet but should be in 6 months. Funny, you know how time flies, since we have set a retirement date it seems to go very slow........

[jimbee]

I remember my countdown, and here is the link I used. Countdown Timer - Time since Apr 3, 2014 started in Green Bay

I started it with just over 1000 days to retirement. I'm now over 500 days on the other side of the count.

[Turboslacker]

Got a countdown app on my smartphone a few months ago. 2850 days to go. Seems forever but I know time feels like it accelerates as I grow older. 55 here I come!


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[World Traveler]

When I retired from the military I had a countdown too then went back to my civilian job. Target age was 55 but a quote from Nords I saw in an article "working is not the problem being an employee is" made an impression. I really think I'm going to move up the timeline to early next year. I don't have a calendar but a hair trigger.


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[lem1955]

35 days:02:hours:10 minutes.

[InTheSticks]

For me, it's 111 days on 11/11!