Retirement – what’s it really like?

Interestingly not many on here seem to be looking at downsizing or moving to another part of the country/abroad.

We did this very thing in preparation for retirement. We went from a big 5 bed detached house to a tiny terraced 3 bed in a seaside town. The capital from the sale will fund a large portion of our retirement which is hopefully soon. We are just practising living on £20-25k a year to make sure it is viable which is what we are looking at until I can draw my pension.

We relocated after I first retired but it took both my parents passing away to make it feasible. Not from a financial standpoint, a care one.

We plan to downsize from the current house in a few years, something with no stairs for a start, though I doubt we’ll relocate again.

Interestingly not many on here seem to be looking at downsizing or moving to another part of the country/abroad.

I am.   My quiet Coffee AM / XO in the PM is based on being in a detached place in a quiet area of the world.  I’d really like that to be in a warm place and with a pool.    I do have the added complication that Mrs K understandably doesn’t want to move to an environment which of a culturally acceptable ratio to her.

Perversely we may end up upsizing – MrsP’s dad was an architect and they designed and built the house that her mum still lives in. There’s an expectation that it will be kept in the family and we’re about the only ones in a position to take it on. I’d want to do a fair bit of work on it to make it more suitable for us, but that’s stuff like replacing the full height glazing on two walls so not exactly post-retirement DIY.

you’ve really helped me make my mind up.

Go on then! Whatcha gonna do?

Perversely we may end up upsizing – MrsP’s dad was an architect and they designed and built the house that her mum still lives in. There’s an expectation that it will be kept in the family

I reckon that for many, one of the drivers in downsizing is to reduce costs and maybe liberate some capital. The latter may not apply to you if there is an inheritance.

I think a lot of people toy with the idea of living abroad. For me it would be the south of Spain or possibly France and I know a lot of people do it but in reality I dont think Mrs Surfer would really want such a big change so as a compromise we have agreed to spend extended periods away when we retire. The costs to rent for 1 month plus look very attractive.

Go on then! Whatcha gonna do?

Retire.

Although I have applied for one job, which I would take if I got it as it is absolutely a dream job. I think at my age I’m unlikely to get it though.

ink a lot of people toy with the idea of living abroad.

Yes, that was us, but with Brexit+Covid it seems a lot less do-able now, so like you we will probably look to splitting the year between UK and forrin.

Retire.

Good luck! :)

MY desire to retire abroad, but at the moment it’s not on Mrs Weeksys agenda. That may change in time i hope.

In simple terms, i don’t want or need crazy hot, but i’d like to ride in dry conditions for most of the year, i don’t want to get 5 months of slop and cold. As much of that is a desire for motorbikes as well as for pedals.

Interestingly not many on here seem to be looking at downsizing or moving to another part of the country/abroad. That’s something I’m toying with but not yet decided on, don’t need the money particularly but a 4 bed house with a very large garden will get too much for us in 10 years. So can’t work out whether to move when I retire or put it off. The latter seems like a lost opportunity. For me this is likely to be one of the tougher decisions to make.

we’re toying with this idea, kids dont live here any more, 3 to 4 bed house to ourselves, i think the only thing stopping us is that we love the garden too much!
built my own gazebo, we look out onto fields, our garden-time is probably the most important aspect of our life. BBQ’s, pizza oven, glass of wine, watch the sun set over the fields. theres a lot to be said for that and i wouldnt want to detract from any of the years that we spend over here before retiring abroad (hopefully greece in 4 years time, ill be 60).
also theres the thought that just moving will maybe chop 5k or so into what money we do have.
we could realistically pay off our mortgage 4 years early if we move (34k over 4 years left on it) but gut feeling is we don’t want the upheaval, moving will be to go abroad.

interesting thread.

If you have your health,

This is the bit that counts and no amount of jiggery-pokery with various assets and plans and investments will make much difference.

Enjoy yourselves; it’s always later than you think…

Although this is very true, if you do get ambushed by ill health or mobility issues it’s good to be able to spend money making things more comfortable and ultimately enjoying a better quality of life, without worrying over the cost. We have recently been through this process with the inlaws, as their mobility deteriorated it made things a lot easier. It also made us look at downsizing in advance and ‘decluttering’ while we are still fit and healthy.

Interestingly not many on here seem to be looking at downsizing or moving to another part of the country/abroad.

This is the only way I could do it – the equity release from the house providing enough to cover my expenses until retirement date. We’re hoping to be far more self-sufficient (we’re allowed chickens and bees at our new house) as well as growing our own food. I’ve just signed up for a dry stone walling course – can’t get to the gym, so it’ll be a good substitute! I also plan my cycling, walking and running according to the weather forecast.

I’m 49, but went down to a 4 day week at the start of the year. I have Wednesdays off and go riding with a local group, normally 100-130k with a cafe stop. I always intend to spend the afternoon ticking off DIY jobs but just sit on the sofa drinking tea recovering as I’ve buried myself on the mornings ride!

Pretty much how my day off works out 🤣

No desire to move abroad really, unless maybe the kids were abroad. 51 now, youngest 14. In 10 years time we’ll probably have lost all the parents, any inheritance that wasn’t spent on their care will be through, kids will have moved out, I guess at that point we pick a location for a 3 bed detached bungalow with a garage/bike shed. Quite possibly in the village where we are now, though MrC may want to be nearer the sea.

@sadexpunk I remember your Gazebo pictures (I spend too much time on here)

@sadexpunk I remember your Gazebo pictures (I spend too much time on here)

aye, 4 years ago now! and its given us soooo much pleasure. best thing ive ever created (including the kids) :D

When I retire I will spend as much time as I can exploring European cities. Just wandering. Getting off the beaten track to discover interesting nooks and crannies. Losing myself in the city lapping up its feel atmosphere culture. Having a coffee , sitting in a park, reading a book in the sunshine, watching people, strolling with no purpose or timeframe. Taking in the sounds and smells and totally relaxing. Unfortunately this is still 17 years away.

This one is for tyke, we started doing extended periods of skiing about 5 years ago and it has been such a game changer that we have factored in the costs of skiing for 8-10 weeks of the year until 70 !
We have done 2 seasons of 8-10 weeks so far with the other seasons being 4 weeks then cheeky long weekends. In the longer periods we came back to the UK in Feb to avoid the school holidays, this saved a large amount of money and my other half is incredibly intolerant of queues and crowds so saved lots of ranting.
Accommodation – I found it on home and away of all places. Our landlady didn’t quite believe we wanted it for the extended time but she soon got used to us and now she asks us when we want it for the next year and for how long. We get a great price, look after it well and it works amazingly well for both parties. It’s a 3 bed chalet with a garage so the car is happy and guests are welcome.
We buy our seasons lift passes before 10th Dec and they cost about 500 euros. We leave our skis/boots with our ski instructor so when we drive out we can shop before heading up the mountain.
If you want any more info then just message

A couple of pages back I talked about the option of taking a package and contracting to get to where I needed to be financially. Since then I managed to negotiate a 6 month extension which bumps my payoff into the next tax year which is a massive bonus. Anyway, all looking good and senior management buy-in to my extension proposal as its a win-win situation. Then HR step in with ‘computer says no, you go now or stay and carry on as normal’. In the end I agreed to stay but was gutted for a couple of days last week.

@sprootlet that’s cheap for a season pass, where is that?

Grand Massif

When I retire I will spend as much time as I can exploring European cities. Just wandering. Getting off the beaten track to discover interesting nooks and crannies. Losing myself in the city lapping up its feel atmosphere culture. Having a coffee , sitting in a park, reading a book in the sunshine, watching people, strolling with no purpose or timeframe. Taking in the sounds and smells and totally relaxing

You are bill Bryson and I claim my £5….

I love how people are so different. Bill’s ( and indeed your) idea of a perfect city day sounds like hell to me. It’s so cool that different people like different things. Give everyone a bit more space.

I was lucky enough to retire at 52, to be honest it had nothing to do with luck, I planned it. I moved to SW France. I live a very simple life. I have no regrets. I am typing from a small isolated cottage, wood burner is burning chunks of home grown oak and my lovely Cocker curled by my feet. Life is good.

I spend very little money, which suits me. if you think you can afford retirement you almost certainly can.

Taking in the sounds and smells

Motor vehicles and diesel fumes most everywhere except Amsterdam and the main noise there is tourists. Rome is a place I will never return to.

Fact is you’ll spend most of your retirement at home so make sure you live somewhere you are happy.

How so mr generalist :).

Sorry to hear you’re having such a rough time Globalti. I don’t know what age you are but if you really are so unhappy with your current situation could you not discuss getting out of it with your wife and getting back to something smaller/more simple. Surely it’s better to cut yiur losses rather than making yourself so unhappy and ill?

I’m currently on a year out from work after 15 years of running my small gardening business and we’re living in a motorhome and travelling Europe. I’ve day dreamed about buying a cheap place somewhere warm and moving here once parents aren’t around to consider but being so far from home with no friends, family or work to occupy me has made me think twice about this dream and perhaps we’ll just spend chunks of time in our favourite places in Europe until we’re too old to travel.

As i am self employed I think i will maybe just keep reducing my hours down as i get older so i still have a sense of purpose and get to interact with people weekly and don’t stagnate. Especially important as we don’t have children to occupy/look out for us as we age. Hopefully I’ll never fully retire just pop my clogs one day after some overly strenuous hedge trimming 😂

@globalti I hope things improve for you. CV has thrown a spanner in the works for lots of people and truly awful timing in your case.

If you can stick with it, I’m sure that when you finish the house you will either fall in love with it or have a valuable asset you can sell and find the perfect place. Retirement is a huge change. Though I love it now, it took me a year or so to properly adjust to it and there were some feelings of guilt at not working, missing the status and social contact and wondering if I’d done the right thing. I had, it gets better. Best of luck.

Thanks for the kind words above. It all looks so attractive until you’re lying awake all night frantic with worry that you’ve made a series of bad decisions.

And yes if CV hadn’t happened we would have moved in by now.

Bit of time until I can retire but we plan to release a lump of our pensions if possible and buy a canal boat. Rent our house out for a few years then sell the boat once we’ve travelled the network. The other alternative is to buy a nearly new camper van and tour Europe, then sell it. Mrs Inbred has an insatiable need for travel. Neither of us are really attached to an area or property. Although I suspect grandchildren will play a part in our plans in due time.

@globalti I really sympathize about the mice, is there any way you can move out if you can’t get all the holes blocked and get pest control round to **do stuff** (lay poison probably) in the attic?

I bet if they were sorted you could get better sleep and things would start to look brighter.

That was my experience fwiw (I had a triple whammy some years ago of an injury which stopped me doing enjoyable experience, mice, and finding our holiday accommodation had bedbugs (so were were paranoid they’d come back with us…) and I ended up really a little cracked TBH, not a happy time at all).
There’s a reason sleep deprivation is classed as torture!

Luckily we got the pest control guys a couple of weeks ago and they laid poison bait. One or several mice died under the bedroom floor and stank the room out for ten days, it’s almost gone now. But yes, lying awake all night is torture especially when the room stinks of dead mice and a horrible airfreshener.

I had bedbugs in a hotel in Abidjan, you can bring them home especially if you put your suitcase on the bed and some get inside the nooks and crannies.

especially when the room stinks of dead mice and a horrible airfreshener.

We had a rats nest in the ceiling cavity a few years back. I got rid of the rats and their way in but it was thick with poo and wee. Cleaned it out and put several air fresheners up there and some special stuff for owners of incontinent dogs. It really stank for a while (of pee and freshener) but it has now long since passed and you’d never know they were ever there. I think the smell of the air fresheners lingered longer.

After this weekend I think I need to spend a bit more time thinking about what I do on days when I can’t (or rather choose not to) get outdoors. I’m not some sugar coated shirker who’s scared of a bit of rain, but when it’s relentless for a couple of days my enthusiasm wanes and I realised that I don’t have many interests that keep me occupied indoors. In my younger days I’d be happy to sit and read a book but I’ve become more of a do-er, so perhaps need to work on that before pulling the plug on work.

We had mice in the roof space courtesy of ivy up the house ( looks nice but bad idea) – our pest control man used a bait that mummified the mice with no smell and basically they turn to dust after a period of time.

My younger brother had mice in his loft. I offered to post this little one for the weekend but he found a less bloody way of dealing with them:

Hope things start looking brighter for you soon @globalti

In my younger days I’d be happy to sit and read a book

The weather of the last few days has made me think a bit too. But my ‘books to read’ pile reaches the ceiling so I think it will keep me going for a while. I’m also getting to know Zwift, and I’m finding it OK – so in bad weather Zwifting while listening to podcasts or music will keep me active, I think.

Oh, and @globalti, https://youtu.be/UJKythlXAIY – hang in there!

Luckily the only murine corpse that made much of a smell was under the utility room floor – which we’d just had fixed, so we were buggered if we were just going to have it up again!

@globati – sounds to me like you have an anxiety disorder which is just been triggered by various stressors in your life, rather than you having made any bad decisions / changes.

Thank you footflaps, yes I have generalised anxiety disorder so I stress about almost everything. Combined with boredom and general depression it’s absolutely horrible.

I really am a different person to who I was two years ago when we started this project and now I’m regretting my recklessness.