dp226
Dryer sheet wannabe
So I have been retired for just over 90 days so far and these are my observations:
- Was it the right choice to retire? So far I think so. I am still not sure and still adjusting to what I do on a daily basis but I am much happier and under much less stress than when I was working. My blood sugars are down, my BP is down and I think I might be growing hair on my head again.
- I am spending a little more than I thought I would but still close to budget. Many of the unexpected costs are for projects around the house that have been sitting for years. For example my doorbell has been broken for the last 10 years and it is now working again. Deferred maintenance and things that were not very important are now getting done.
- I started looking out for my health a little bit more. When I was working I just did not have time to do everything I needed to do with my health. I did what I had to do but that was it. Since then I have gone to PT to deal with a pain in my shoulder that has been there for years. I have gotten my inoculations back up to date. When I was working I just did not feel I had the time to take care of minor stuff. Now I do.
- Started exercise program. Every weekday I am walking 10,000+- steps. Takes about an hour and 15 minutes. I actually started the walking back in January when I decided I was going to retire sometime in 20201 and gradually moved it up to 30 minutes from then until June. In June I kicked it up to a higher gear.
- I have done some traveling. Visited my Daughter for a week in July and my Son for a week in September. These were some of the best vacations/visits I have ever had. Instead of worrying about what was happening and what was waiting for me when I got back, checking emails, sneaking in calls and getting calls/texts and really not relaxing/having fun, I actually relaxed and enjoyed myself. There was nothing that was waiting for me or just normal stuff building up for when I got back. I noticed that it did not take me 2 days to calm down and then two days before the end getting anxious about what was waiting for me. It was 100% enjoyment.
- When I was working I wold go to the grocery store or Wallmart/etc once a week. I find myself going 3-4 times a week now. If I am out of something or my wife and I decide we want something different for dinner I will just run out and get it. At some level I enjoy going and getting stuff getting out of the house and seeing people out and about. When I was working I was just too tired (mentally) at the end of the day to want to go run and get something.
- I have been eating out once a week with a group of other retired folks. Never had time to do that before and just shoot the breeze. Most of the lunches I did while working were business lunches. The lunch It might go 45 min or an hour and a half but no stress to get back to the office. I can just enjoy the fellowship.
- I have been calling some old friends every couple of weeks and seeing if they want to go to lunch. It took me several tries to remember I am retired and I can go to them as opposed to finding somewhere in the middle. One of my friends works about an hour away and we always were trying to find a time to meet up when he was over on my side of town or visa versa. Now I just go to his side of town, no big deal.
- The first couple of weeks I slept in/turned off the alarm clock. I use to get up at 0600 and I was still getting up at 7:00-8:00am After 2 weeks I set the alarm for 6:30. I found out I just feel better waking up and getting going. The sleeping in was not helping any. I have found myself taking a power nap on occasion and that feels good.
- I am back to keeping a diary/journal/notebook/calendar again. I stopped right after I left work, figured I did not need to, I could just wing it. Found out keeping a journal (bullet points/todos, stuff) makes me feel better. I can refer back to when something happened, when I just need to remember something writing it down helped.
- I have had a couple of calls with my financial planner. He is pretty good. Paid for by the company retirement plan and works as a fiduciary on my behalf. He has been good about the human stuff and non financial stuff that goes with retirement and has not just pushed some sort of financial plan.
- I have been able to go out to lunch and breakfast and dinner in the middle of the week with my wife again. Have not really done that in 30 years.
- I did figure out after about a month that I did not have to accomplish everything today and I can push things off until tomorrow. I was in the mindset that I had Saturday to get things done and finally figured out that everyday is Saturday.
- I also found out that I is hard to remember what day of the week it is when there is no structure. I was also reminded that what day of the week it is might not be all that important.
- I have had some scares. Medical insurance is the #1, #2 and #3 most important things for me and my wife. If that was not right we could not retire. The first month we paid the bill and then they were to take the payment out of my wife’s retirement. Even double checked this after it was supposedly set up. Guess what, they did not and we did not learn of this until 2 days before the bill was due (found out because there was too much money in the bank account). Panic was the word of the day. They got it right the 3rd month but now we are skittish. Had a couple of other weird things that never happened when I was working but they were normal life experiences (ever had a DUI wind up in your front yard, someone sitting in your rental car at the airport, …) but they are more of interest now as opposed to getting me irritated.
So after 30 days I am 99% sure it was the right decision. I keep reminding myself when I have some doubt, that if I fail at retirement the worst thing is I go back to work. That makes the feeling just go away.
- Was it the right choice to retire? So far I think so. I am still not sure and still adjusting to what I do on a daily basis but I am much happier and under much less stress than when I was working. My blood sugars are down, my BP is down and I think I might be growing hair on my head again.
- I am spending a little more than I thought I would but still close to budget. Many of the unexpected costs are for projects around the house that have been sitting for years. For example my doorbell has been broken for the last 10 years and it is now working again. Deferred maintenance and things that were not very important are now getting done.
- I started looking out for my health a little bit more. When I was working I just did not have time to do everything I needed to do with my health. I did what I had to do but that was it. Since then I have gone to PT to deal with a pain in my shoulder that has been there for years. I have gotten my inoculations back up to date. When I was working I just did not feel I had the time to take care of minor stuff. Now I do.
- Started exercise program. Every weekday I am walking 10,000+- steps. Takes about an hour and 15 minutes. I actually started the walking back in January when I decided I was going to retire sometime in 20201 and gradually moved it up to 30 minutes from then until June. In June I kicked it up to a higher gear.
- I have done some traveling. Visited my Daughter for a week in July and my Son for a week in September. These were some of the best vacations/visits I have ever had. Instead of worrying about what was happening and what was waiting for me when I got back, checking emails, sneaking in calls and getting calls/texts and really not relaxing/having fun, I actually relaxed and enjoyed myself. There was nothing that was waiting for me or just normal stuff building up for when I got back. I noticed that it did not take me 2 days to calm down and then two days before the end getting anxious about what was waiting for me. It was 100% enjoyment.
- When I was working I wold go to the grocery store or Wallmart/etc once a week. I find myself going 3-4 times a week now. If I am out of something or my wife and I decide we want something different for dinner I will just run out and get it. At some level I enjoy going and getting stuff getting out of the house and seeing people out and about. When I was working I was just too tired (mentally) at the end of the day to want to go run and get something.
- I have been eating out once a week with a group of other retired folks. Never had time to do that before and just shoot the breeze. Most of the lunches I did while working were business lunches. The lunch It might go 45 min or an hour and a half but no stress to get back to the office. I can just enjoy the fellowship.
- I have been calling some old friends every couple of weeks and seeing if they want to go to lunch. It took me several tries to remember I am retired and I can go to them as opposed to finding somewhere in the middle. One of my friends works about an hour away and we always were trying to find a time to meet up when he was over on my side of town or visa versa. Now I just go to his side of town, no big deal.
- The first couple of weeks I slept in/turned off the alarm clock. I use to get up at 0600 and I was still getting up at 7:00-8:00am After 2 weeks I set the alarm for 6:30. I found out I just feel better waking up and getting going. The sleeping in was not helping any. I have found myself taking a power nap on occasion and that feels good.
- I am back to keeping a diary/journal/notebook/calendar again. I stopped right after I left work, figured I did not need to, I could just wing it. Found out keeping a journal (bullet points/todos, stuff) makes me feel better. I can refer back to when something happened, when I just need to remember something writing it down helped.
- I have had a couple of calls with my financial planner. He is pretty good. Paid for by the company retirement plan and works as a fiduciary on my behalf. He has been good about the human stuff and non financial stuff that goes with retirement and has not just pushed some sort of financial plan.
- I have been able to go out to lunch and breakfast and dinner in the middle of the week with my wife again. Have not really done that in 30 years.
- I did figure out after about a month that I did not have to accomplish everything today and I can push things off until tomorrow. I was in the mindset that I had Saturday to get things done and finally figured out that everyday is Saturday.
- I also found out that I is hard to remember what day of the week it is when there is no structure. I was also reminded that what day of the week it is might not be all that important.
- I have had some scares. Medical insurance is the #1, #2 and #3 most important things for me and my wife. If that was not right we could not retire. The first month we paid the bill and then they were to take the payment out of my wife’s retirement. Even double checked this after it was supposedly set up. Guess what, they did not and we did not learn of this until 2 days before the bill was due (found out because there was too much money in the bank account). Panic was the word of the day. They got it right the 3rd month but now we are skittish. Had a couple of other weird things that never happened when I was working but they were normal life experiences (ever had a DUI wind up in your front yard, someone sitting in your rental car at the airport, …) but they are more of interest now as opposed to getting me irritated.
So after 30 days I am 99% sure it was the right decision. I keep reminding myself when I have some doubt, that if I fail at retirement the worst thing is I go back to work. That makes the feeling just go away.
