Poll: How Busy Has Retirement Been?

How busy is your retirement?

  • So bored, I went back to work (or considering it)

    Votes: 1 0.9%

  • Somewhat boring; I have too much free time.

    Votes: 13 11.7%

  • Fairly busy. Not much slack time

    Votes: 82 73.9%

  • Each day is full of activities and no free time to speak of.

    Votes: 9 8.1%

  • I'm over-scheduled and need to offload some stuff.

    Votes: 4 3.6%

  • I need to go back to w*rk, as I had more free time then!

    Votes: 2 1.8%
  • Total voters
    111
Red Badger

Red Badger

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Joined
Jan 30, 2017
Messages
2,077
Location
Hog Mountian
I just completed 6 months of retirement. I retired within 30 days after turning 60. I have been very busy with both planned and unplanned stuff. Almost all stuff is what DW and I want to do. The pace is slower than when w*rking, and stress; what is thing you call stress:confused:

Anyway, we're loving it, and just wanted toss this poll out and see how others have fared.

Thanks!
 
Heck, even when I am surfin' the Web and shooting the breeze here, I am busy doing somethin'. I am not just laying there, not knowing what to do.
 
I’m not surprised the results seem to be in the “just right” zone. After all in retirement we have control and generally get to do it “our way”. In my view only boring people need be bored in retirement.
 
Just over 3 years retired and I would say that on most days, I wake up with nothing planned but go to bed with only getting 1/2 of it done. :)
 
I retired 9 years ago. I started out just maintaining our main house and a lake house, and was busy enough. Did go on mission projects too.

Then my parents so!d their main residence and moved into an apartment 200 miles away. I had to break down the house furnishings and move them.

Then my aunt with dementia had big house 100 mi. away and I had to break down her house too--an immense job. We sent her to Asst. Living and eventually a nursing home.

We bought my daughter a large fixer upper house for a great price. Moved her in after 6 hard weeks to manual labor.

Wife got bored and started looking for big foreclosures. We found one (5 bedrooms, 5 full baths) in great shape and moved in it.

It took 10 months to recondition our old house and get the rest of the family's accumulated "stuff" moved so we could sell it in 2 weeks for list price.I

Then we evicted our daughter from the house we bought her for not paying the bills and general disrepair. Sold it in 2 weeks to a house flipper for no loss.

Then moved our daughter's stuff into a spare bedroom and second garage.

We are just about moved out after 9 years of perpetual buying/selling/building/moving. Now I have to recondition and sell 2 cars we no longer use.
 
Last edited:
I enjoy my "slack time". I have really slowed down and I can now sit around for quite some time before I get antsy.
 
Danmar said:
Ya. Really. This site is good to fill in those short gaps in activity.
Click to expand...

Particularly as I make a post while waiting in a doctor's office, where I drove my mother for her visit. Makes the time go by faster than flipping through their stack of magazine.
 
I didn't find one that applies to me.

Oh wait, found it!

Dawg52 said:
Needed one more. Plenty of free time and enjoying it. :)
Click to expand...

+ whateveritisupto


The way the poll is worded it seems that the OP views free time as a negative. :blush:
 
Last edited:
Dawg52 said:
Needed one more. Plenty of free time and enjoying it. :)
Click to expand...

I agree with this sentiment, thus I did not vote.

Having said that, my first two years were a bit different than the last three. Thank goodness I was retired when Dad got sick 6 months after I retired. It was like a part-time job helping both he and Mom navigate the health care system and provide support. Never would have been able to do it had I been working.

Now I have lots of free time and am not bored.
 
I'm still adjusting, so I voted a little bored, but I think I'm doing OK.

DH retired about four years ago and has really struggled with all of the free time he's had. He loved his work but had to retire for medical reasons. He never really filled in the free time with enough activities to keep him stimulated. Unfortunately he suffers from treatment resistant depression and has essentially been depressed almost the entire four years since he left work. No amount of drugs, therapy, or self help books has helped. He's tried volunteer work and exercise but continues to really struggle with it.

He's probably an outlier for this forum, but it's not been a success story. He's looking for part time work now just to keep himself challenged. But I'm concerned that he's getting worse, not better. And it's taking its toll on both of us.

Sorry to drag down this thread, but it's been a heavy weight on my mind over the past few weeks.
 
I'm busy doing what mostly what I want to do rather than being busy doing what others tell me I must do. It doesn't get much better than that. :)
 
DH and I just completed our fifth full year of retirement. I am constantly amazed at how quickly it has gone by. Feels like a 1-2 month vacation. I often also feel like I’m not “getting enough done”.

Then I realize we’ve been to Europe three times, taken two 8-9 week trips out west in the RV, two 8 week trips in the eastern US, spent 4 winters in Florida, spent three summers in VA, taken two cruises, married off two kids, gained a new grand baby, buried my mother, got a puppy, bought a second home, significantly decluttered the main house....I’m sure I could easily come up with a few more things.

Time flies when you’re having fun....and yet my biggest fear is it’s flying by TOO quickly! [emoji16]
 
Red Badger said:
OP here. Rookie mistake (1st poll). I suppose those who wanted this option could be considered fairly busy doing very little a lot of the time? :LOL:
Click to expand...

Yep, that about covers it.

I don't think navel-gazing is an Olympic sport yet, but when it is, I'm a contender....:LOL:
 
Can't see polls.

At 4.5 years it's perfect. We live in a wonderful area to do things. If I'm bored it's because I chose it. Maybe mother nature controls my options but I still have choices.
 
Bamaman said:
I retired 9 years ago. I started out just maintaining our main house and a lake house, and was busy enough. Did go on mission projects too.

We bought my daughter a large fixer upper house for a great price. Moved her in after 6 hard weeks to manual labor.

Wife got bored and started looking for big foreclosures. We found one (5 bedrooms, 5 full baths) in great shape and moved in it.

It took 10 months to recondition our old house and get the rest of the family's accumulated "stuff" moved so we could sell it in 2 weeks for list price.I

We are just about moved out after 9 years of perpetual buying/selling/building/moving. Now I have to recondition and sell 2 cars we no longer use.
Click to expand...

Am there, doing that.........(4 years in)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ugeauxgirl
Retired 4 years!
Replies
13
Views
686
pacergal
P
C
2 Years FIRE'd
Replies
4
Views
635
MarieIG
M
F
How old is "too old"?
2 3
Replies
66
Views
8K
REWahoo
REWahoo
D
How to factor future SS into pre-SS spending
Replies
16
Views
824
Koolau
Koolau
F
I think perhaps you could write a decent book using ChatGPT
Replies
22
Views
780
donheff
donheff

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom