Free at Last!

[Sandibatch]

Congrats! Just retired too, 12/27. This is going to take some time to get used to!

[CraigJean]

People were always asking me what I was going to do when I retired. I have always been active in our Rotary club, but when the pandemic hit we shut down our live meetings and any other activities until things get better, so I got a lot of our major yard projects done in the spring. We had planned to travel starting may but the pandemic shut down several of the campgrounds we were going to stay at. Then several major fires closed two other campgrounds we had reservations at We got a much newer fifth wheel in October and have only been able to take it out once before winter settled in here on the Oregon coast. Luckily, I spent some time setting up my woodworking shop and make/sell three or four different types of items.
I hope you have some hobbies? My shop is likely what keeps my wife happy

[sherman12]

Congratulations RV Randy!

Retired on August 1 last year and getting ready for our first extended "retired" trip starting next month. When I retired I always thought I would get some kind of part-time job for beer and camping monies, but that as of now has not happened, partly because of Covid-19. Now I think about that and if I want to use my RV as much as possible, how would a PT job work anyway? Nothing I'm sweating for sure.

The best advice a camping friend gave me who has been retired for about five years is "when retired, you let the day come to you", don't worry about schedules, to-do list spread sheets and all of the other distractions from ENJOYMENT!

[ddhansen]

I started my retirement countdown timer 2 years before my retirement October 2019 and agree with NJKris, it was the longest 2 years of my life. Recommend setting countdown timer to 6 months before retirement. Now I take walks in the early morning from my home to HWY 89 and watch all the commuters driving to their work

Originally Posted by NJKris

Hahaha, I remember beginning my countdown 5 years till retirement. It was the longest 5 years of my life.

[rskeans]

I never had a planned retirement date. Just decided one day that I didn't need to work anymore, That was 20 years ago. Now I don't have time to work.

[Johnnydog]

Congratulations!!, you are going to love it. The first thing you will notice is that you can get all of the sleep that you want. The next thing you will notice is that you do not have to rush to get home projects done ,because you are at home all the time now and do not have to crowd them in between home and work. Wasting an afternoon watching westerns feels so luxurious. Enjoy every minute , they all belong to you now.

[SlowrideHD]

I retired almost 5 years ago after 32 years at an aerospace/defense company. I have to say that I miss the challenge of getting new projects and programs up and running. I miss the process of working through issues and solving problems (according to evals, has always been my strength).
On the other hand, I certainly enjoy the freedom of an open schedule with plenty of options. Honestly, I don't see how I kept things up around my place and worked 45-50 hours minimum. The most helpful thing for my decision process was engaging a full time financial planner. They put in place a plan and convinced me that it was finally OK to spend some of the money that I had frugally saved since I started working at 14.
Enjoy!

[RSBivings]

Congrats on your retirement! I agree that it is the best thing when it happens. My only trouble is getting the wife to retire she has been putting off for 8 yrs. Now with covid she is worried about the kidds, thier in there forties, but she still worries. I may have to tie her up so she will slow down and retire. Really ready to take long trips will be able to soon as ws called to get my Covid shot next week so will my wife so we should be able to start traveling

[Msgtret]

June 4th will be my last day at work. It will be my second retirement, first one was 24 years in the active duty Air Force and Air Force Reserve. Second one is 29 years as a Hydraulic repair tech. Will be ready to hit the road for a few months at a time.

[Orangecrush]

Congrats Randy! I'm trying to break away from work more and more. At 58, I'm done, I want out! Can't wait to start RV'ing full time.


Mark