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09-07-2012, 03:47 PM
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#41
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Bushnell
Posts: 607
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I hate to say it but I was surprised at how lazy I have become in retirement. Of the long list of projects and to-do's I had compiled, many are untouched after almost a full year.
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09-07-2012, 04:30 PM
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#42
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: NC Triangle
Posts: 5,807
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Quote:
Originally Posted by truenorth418
I hate to say it but I was surprised at how lazy I have become in retirement. Of the long list of projects and to-do's I had compiled, many are untouched after almost a full year.
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Remember that movie "Waiting To Exhale"? I think one needs to exhale after a career.
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09-07-2012, 06:59 PM
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#43
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,764
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David1961
For the folks here who have already retired, what was the one (or more) thing that happened after you retired that surprised you the most or you did not expect? Can be related to any area of your life (finances, health, family, hobbies, personal growth, etc) and can be positive, negative, or neutral.
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My surprise was that I thought my wife wanted to retire also. It was rocky at first. Then we talked it over and worked it all out. She just wasn't ready and I probably put a bit of pressure on her. She keeps doing what she does. I go and do what I want to do. We found a happy medium.
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09-07-2012, 07:30 PM
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#44
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sarasota, FL & Vermont
Posts: 36,361
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+1 I can always do it tomorrow. I kept saying that about detailing the boat and now it is almost the end of the season as I still haven't done it.
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09-07-2012, 07:55 PM
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#45
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Central MS/Orange Beach, AL
Posts: 9,071
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No surprises here. I knew I was good at doing nothing.
__________________
Retired 3/31/2007@52
Investing style: Full time wuss.
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09-07-2012, 09:13 PM
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#46
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: North of Montana
Posts: 2,769
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dawg52
No surprises here. I knew I was good at doing nothing.
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I want to rephrase for my own situation. Everybody always told me I was good for nothing.
__________________
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate conclusions from insufficient data and ..
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09-08-2012, 06:13 AM
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#47
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,340
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Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R
Another surprise: how long it takes to completely de-stress and kick back.
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That one surprised me too. It took several years.
In hindsight, probably not surprising when one works in an environment where people might die if you screw up.
So although I'm working again, it is a low-stress job with a short commute and if things "go south" there I do have the option of packing my bag without serious consequences. And the unplanned-for income gives us additional options. Options are good to have.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
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09-08-2012, 10:44 AM
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#48
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 478
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Aw, you're still an amateur! I'm 5.5 yrs in, and getting lazier every day. Terrible, I know, but I've learned to accept it.
__________________
I still don't get it...
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09-10-2012, 06:31 AM
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#49
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 13,227
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I'd say this is it for me too. It's been a year and a half for me. My list wasn't that long, but mostly I wanted to go through each room in the house and organize it, since I never really did that when I moved in and lived here for only parts of each year unless a couple years before ER.
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09-10-2012, 09:57 AM
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#50
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Cooksburg,PA
Posts: 1,873
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5.5 years in.
We are doing different things now than I envisioned. Have to keep reinventing this retirement thing.
One surprise is how little we pay in taxes.
Another is how much SS we will be getting in a few years. I planned the finances without trying to rely on SS but, in hindsight, this was a large mistake. It created needless financial worry during the market setback(s).
__________________
Free to canoe
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09-10-2012, 10:22 AM
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#51
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by martyp
Afternoon naps. Never did them. Never liked them. Went through every day with 6 hrs sleep. Now . . . a nap after lunch or around 4pm is the easiest thing in the world. Big surprise for me.
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Exact opposite with me. While working I was an expert napper and when the kids were young they used to hate sitting next to me on a flight as I would be asleep as soon as the plane pushed back.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Southerngirl
Biggest surprise is mom wanting to move in with us. Never particularly had a close relationship and i believe living 14 hours away has been a good thing. Still she is a widow and I feel an obligation to watch out for her. We compromised by agreeing that she should buy a house in my neighborhood once she sells her house up north.
Other than that the biggest surprise is my lack of ambition. Thought I would volunteer or find a part time paying job just to keep busy. Although I am occasionally bored, I am very reluctant to obligate my time on an ongoing basis. I love the ability to take off on a moments notice or do nothing at all for days on end.
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First year of ER I volunteered, working 5 hrs a day, twice a week during tax season. I hated the commitment and haven't done it since.
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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09-10-2012, 10:53 AM
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#52
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 606
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Free To Canoe
Another is how much SS we will be getting in a few years. I planned the finances without trying to rely on SS but, in hindsight, this was a large mistake. It created needless financial worry during the market setback(s).
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This is true for me too. For many years I stubbornly refused to acknowledge SS at all - I had the mindset that SS would never be there for me. Now that I'm approaching 53, I figure I darn well better receive at least something! It feels good, too, as it is a layer of security I wasn't really accounting for at the beginning of my ER.
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09-10-2012, 07:53 PM
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#53
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
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Quote:
Originally Posted by freebird5825
Negative...emotional stuff. When I FIREd, I was 1.5 years into a start-over-again-after-widowhood relationship that did not pan out. My first 3 years of retirement were marred by all that nonsense. My voluntary unemployment caused some assumptions about external situations that I did not want to be subjected to.
Now it's smooth sailing.
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Somewhat off topic from the OP, but I was rather unceremoniously dumped about six months ago, and boy, has this year turned out much differently than I expected...
But, on the bright side, I've been refocusing on what's important to me, namely FIRE!!
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire
...not doing anything of true substance...
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09-22-2012, 12:28 AM
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#54
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 355
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FIREd for seven years. The surprise was the joy of retirement. These have been the happiest, most carefree years of my life. I like who I am now, I'm patient for the first time in my life, I do what I want, when I want. I enjoy every day regardless of what I do or not do. I feel good all of the time. I had no idea that I could feel this happy, every day, for no specific reason. I've found who I always wanted to be, me in retirement.
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09-22-2012, 05:23 AM
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#55
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,409
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heyyou
FIREd for seven years. The surprise was the joy of retirement. These have been the happiest, most carefree years of my life. I like who I am now, I'm patient for the first time in my life, I do what I want, when I want. I enjoy every day regardless of what I do or not do. I feel good all of the time. I had no idea that I could feel this happy, every day, for no specific reason. I've found who I always wanted to be, me in retirement.
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Perfect! +1 +1 +1
__________________
Living well is the best revenge!
Retired @ 52 in 2005
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09-22-2012, 05:43 AM
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#56
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Bushnell
Posts: 607
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heyyou
FIREd for seven years. The surprise was the joy of retirement. These have been the happiest, most carefree years of my life. I like who I am now, I'm patient for the first time in my life, I do what I want, when I want. I enjoy every day regardless of what I do or not do. I feel good all of the time. I had no idea that I could feel this happy, every day, for no specific reason. I've found who I always wanted to be, me in retirement.
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+1 Post of the Day!
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09-22-2012, 06:24 AM
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#57
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Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 40,706
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No real surprises here either. Some people around me have been surprised that I was able to disconnect and adjust, and a bit of resentment (family, former friends) that I never quite understood. Having the time and resources to share with family, especially when there was need, has been rewarding beyond all expectation.
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09-22-2012, 08:08 AM
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#58
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,860
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After a decade of retirement, the two things that still surprise me are (1) the people who think I'm (still) too young to retire and (2) the job offers.
As for "But... but... but what will I DO all day?!?"-- that question never applied in the first place.
__________________
*
Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."
I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
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09-22-2012, 09:38 AM
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#59
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 702
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I thought that I would want to continue to work PT, but I find that I have plenty to do. I don't miss work one bit. That is a pleasant surprise. I am getting more rest, eating healthier and taking care of things instead of putting them off due to a busy work schedule.
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09-22-2012, 11:19 AM
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#60
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9,343
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Another surprise I have had to dance around, is a delicate balance between doing what I want to do, and incurring the wrath of my GF, as she is nowhere near retirement. Since she has just taken a new job, she only gets one week vacation, so she doesn't have any flexibility even when I'm able to spring for the cost. I think her happiness for me being retired ends when I do something she is not able to. I try not to overdo it, but I don't want to be a prisoner to my house either.
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