Surprises during the first month

[Blue Collar Guy]

I have been retired a month and have been surprised by a few things. First of all, I can't believe how wonderful retirement is!! I expected to have some anxiety, doubts and sadness, but haven't had any regrets at all. I am sleeping better, less anxious and have already lost weight from walking and not sitting at a desk 8 hours a day. The day goes by really fast. Other events with friends and family are more enjoyable now. Maybe I will get bored or restless over time, but right now, one month in, life is great!!

I recommend retirement to everyone i see .My neighbor, i think was a bit jealous, he told me" oh you will get bored". I told him a few days later, hey i found a job that pays 8593 a month, full medical and dental, unlimited sick and 52 weeks a year vacation, they might call you once a year with a question would you take it? He said "sure" , i told him i did, its my retirement package. I left out the part that i took a lump some of 172 thousand for a reduced pension, i made my point. Hey man welcome to the club enjoy every minute of it

 

[Koolau]

Bklyn55, welcome to the "club." Coming up on 12 years now and no (real) regrets. Had I stayed 18 more months, I would have received a "package." But, putting it into perspective, what are 18 months of your life worth? Not what I would have received in the package, I can tell you that! So enjoy!

 

[pacergal]

6 months in for me. Just had lunch with former co worker, spent 2 hours listening to all of the problems going on in the office! Have two more lunch dates with others coming up, hopefully will be better. Do not miss it one bit. Miss the people, not the BS. Otherwise, really enjoying life! Feel rested, relaxed and able to do what I want every day--best feeling in the world.

 

[Scuba]

Good for you, pacergal! I have found that since retiring, I really don't want to hear about what is going on at my previous employer. I left on good terms and wish them well, but I have no interest in the BS. Happy to keep in touch with former staff and colleagues if they want to talk about personal lives, travel plans, etc., but I find myself feeling very drained if I spend time with people who dwell on negative stuff about the office. Never liked to do that while I was w*rking so certainly don't want to do it now!

 

[CaptTom]

...I told him a few days later, hey i found a job that pays 8593 a month, full medical and dental, unlimited sick and 52 weeks a year vacation, they might call you once a year with a question would you take it?...

That's sort of what I figured when I retired. The offer, while not fantastic, was WAY too good to pass up.

Just had lunch with former co worker, spent 2 hours listening to all of the problems going on in the office!

I have found that since retiring, I really don't want to hear about what is going on at my previous employer.

I hear a lot of the negative from former co-w*rkers, but none of it is surprising. I knew that MegaCorp did a lot of dumb things before I left, and how awful they were to their employees. None of that has changed. I'm just glad it doesn't really affect me anymore.

 

[Red Badger]

Just finished first year last month. Greatest part of the day is drinking coffee and reading the paper/blogs and talking with my wife. It has become the best part of the day to connect with her.

I think my biggest benefit has been working on my impatience. That includes getting in line, traffic, etc. All those things that annoyed us when we were crunched for time. When I start to feel like bitching I just start thinking "what do I care, I'm retired!". I haven't turned into a pushover but this has de-stressed me more than anything. I have also started turning into the 9-3 driver for most of the days.

+1 - on morning. I am also in charge of having breakfast prepared (and much enjoy the task)

Ditto on the impatience - for me, it is a work in process, but improving.

I ride my bicycle to the grocery store a couple times per week; also confine that to 9-3 (prefer not to be an early organ donor).

Life = blessed

 

[Dash man]

+1 - on morning. I am also in charge of having breakfast prepared (and much enjoy the task)



Ditto on the impatience - for me, it is a work in process, but improving.



I ride my bicycle to the grocery store a couple times per week; also confine that to 9-3 (prefer not to be an early organ donor).



Life = blessed

Impatience? I'm sorry...I don't understand that word. [emoji1]

 

[Keever1]

First month timing important

After 5 years of intense personal and financial calculations, Oct 2018 and 60 years old was the finish line. I dedicated 30 days without plans to help switch off the stresses of constant int’l business travel, 24x7 business mgmt, and the electronic teathers of business computers, iPhones, and VPNs. The biggest surprise was getting to some semblance of a personal calendar as I had so thoroughly integrated my work and personal life (this involves assuring you understand basics like actual day of the week, when you don’t live your life with constant business reminders you can lose track.) While the first month was mostly a mysterious pleasure, being resident in the mid-west I probably would consider a spring month retirement vs autumn. The cold temperatures and limitations that winter climate puts on personal activities lends a different perspective to managing initial retirement than what a first month beginning in warm spring would I traveled over 60% for past 25 years so not interested in jumping planes to avoid the climes of my home area of retirement, but it is something to think about.

 

[Dtail]

We retired 16 months ago. The biggest surprise was feeling like it was a honeymoon period of sorts. Doing errands in the late morning was also nice.

 

[target2019]

Three months until I retire. It could be part-time, but we'll see.

About 5 years ago I had two trial runs, 6 months each. Walk the dog, start/finish projects, and just feel great each day.

Congrats to all!

 

[ER Eddie]

Good to hear. I'm 7 months away, and I hope my experience is similar. I think a lot of it probably comes down to how well you prepare and what sort of work situation you're leaving.


A couple of people have mentioned that they get the response, "You'll be bored" or "I'd be bored" in retirement. I've heard that response once or twice myself. I admit that my internal reaction is judgment of them -- "You can't think of anything more interesting to do with your time than work at this job? You have so few interests outside this job?" I don't say that, but that's what I think.

 

[Keever1]

Bored, no, not at all. Assuring the things you do with your day make a material difference in your day to day life and the quality of that life, self satisfaction and purpose, seems really important

 

[Scuba]

Good to hear. I'm 7 months away, and I hope my experience is similar. I think a lot of it probably comes down to how well you prepare and what sort of work situation you're leaving.


A couple of people have mentioned that they get the response, "You'll be bored" or "I'd be bored" in retirement. I've heard that response once or twice myself. I admit that my internal reaction is judgment of them -- "You can't think of anything more interesting to do with your time than work at this job? You have so few interests outside this job?" I don't say that, but that's what I think.

I agree, Eddie. I feel kind of sorry for them. In our case, DH and I couldn’t wait to RE and we did it together. We had many interests to pursue in ER and are loving it.

I guess the other side of it is that some people really love their work and it’s a big part of their identity. One person I worked with was making close to $500K/year and loved the work. The person’s spouse had retired and started a second career that he loved, so she felt she might as well continue working, making money and enjoying herself. She’s pushing 70 now and still working.

YMMV

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I didn't realize how old this post was until I saw the post from Blue Collar Guy...I was a little excited...I thought he was back! But no...that was over a year ago.

Congrats to the OP on the year + month of retirement, though.

 

[Chapter 3]

After I retired I started going to bed 2 hours earlier. I never realized that I was putting off bedtime because it meant putting off going to work.

Interesting at only a week into ER I am already noticing I am not staying up as late and I think that your observation is spot on.

 

[Rustic23]

We live in an area where there are other retirees like us. The one common thread seems to be 'maybe I should do some part time work'. It seems about 50/50 as to reason from something to do, to just not sure about the money.

While we never even considered going back to work, I watched spending the first six months a whole lot more than I do not. It takes a while to realize your plans actually worked.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I work part time from home because I don’t have enough to fill my time and I really enjoy it.

 

[TDub]

I love reading these kinds of threads. Congrats to the OP, and to all of you!

 

[FreeBear]

Late to the party, but here it is: I always thought I was an evening person or night owl, but I love my mornings now that we're both FIRE'd! We don't get up very early, typcially around 10 am. We enjoy a very slow coffee and breakfast togther as sunlight streams into the kitchen. Life is great!


While w*rking, I spent my hours late at night into the early morning doing music or art and then would have to drag my butt to w*rk. I loved the evening because I could finally do "my stuff"; I dreaded the morning because of having to go to school or w*rk for decades to do what someone else wanted me to do.

 

[REWahoo]

Late to the party, but here it is: I always thought I was an evening person or night owl, but I love my mornings now that we're both FIRE'd! We don't get up very early, typcially around 10 am.

10 AM? Morning person?

Nah, you are a mid-day person - not that there is anything wrong with that!

 

[FreeBear]

10 AM? Morning person?

Nah, you are a mid-day person - not that there is anything wrong with that!

I guess to me morning is whenever I first get up

In my old industry, we needed to put in face time at the office by 9 am, 9:30 at the the latest. This in itself was torture! Crazy to think that ALL my day was arranged around that one time.

I get up at 7:30 am once or twice a week to have coffee with my w*rking stiff friends. It's tough, but worthwhile. I have to plan this ahead of time to make sure I get enough sleep the day before and the day after. One of my favorite things about retirement is getting up without an alarm clock, whenever this is, followed by a slow breakfast without a time limit.

 

[steelyman]

One of my favorite things about retirement is getting up without an alarm clock, whenever this is, followed by a slow breakfast without a time limit.

That’s a really nice benefit of ER. Although I rarely set an alarm while working unless some crazy person scheduled me to give a talk at 8am, I had and still have a clock radio/alarm. I only use the radio now.

Similar feeling about a wrist watch. I always wore one but it broke not long after I retired. After going without one for a while I realized that I missed checking the time by glancing at my wrist. A Fitbit fills that need now but I have a dressier watch for infrequent occasions.

 

[HI Bill]

Work 'aint never fun!

Maybe you never had the right job! I had lots of fun in several of my jobs. I drove a jet boat on the Sacramento River, explored old Navy magazines in an abandoned installation, travelled to Japan, Guam, Korea, Wake Island, worked underground in a water tunnel, visited military installations in the Pacific, repaired electronic equipment, took photos of construction job sites, photographed several submarines underwater, programmed thermal unit computers, and lots of other cool stuff. While it may have been work, it was also fun! I occasionally thought that I'm doing what I love to do, and am also getting paid for it!

 

[Winemaker]

I guess to me morning is whenever I first get up

In my old industry, we needed to put in face time at the office by 9 am, 9:30 at the the latest. This in itself was torture! Crazy to think that ALL my day was arranged around that one time.

I used to get up at 4:30 am when I worked the day shift, leaving the house at 5 after I ate breakfast, packed my 3 sandwiches, dozen cookies, a yogurt, filled my water jug. When i got to work at 5:45, I put my mine clothes on, and was at my desk at 6:00 reading afternoon shift's reports and assessed the work etc etc. If no troubles occurred during the shift, I was home by 6:30 pm.

Today, I don't set an alarm. I go to bed when I feel tired and get out of bed when I wake up. I sleep 7-8 hours a night, life is good.

Sure beats the 5 hour sleeps when on midnight or afternoon shift.Now I brew my pot of coffee, read the WSJ, a few online reads and journals, ER forum, and plan my day. if during the summer I hit the garden before it gets hot. Yes life is good