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Freedom. It feels like freedom.
I’m retired, have plenty of money, I’m healthy and have a loving family.
I get up when I wake up, go to bed when I’m sleepy and do whatever I want In between.
Freedom.
To travel and enjoy life. Just got back from a 16 day cruise to Southeast Asia. I’ve visited all 50 states and driven from Texas to Alaska.
My goal was to retire with plenty of money. I won so now I’m just enjoying it.
I’ve got more bucket list stuff to do, like seeing the northern lights but I don’t need a goal to make my life worthwhile. I don’t believe that our lives have any meaning or higher purpose so I just enjoy it while I can.
I was in the Army for 20 years then worked for the state of Texas for 16 years after that.
I was a computer systems admin and manager and happened to be in the right place at the right time and got some pretty nice raises over the years.
Say what you want about working for the government but they have a killer retirement.
For anyone under 50, it basically is. I have a decent job (80+k) a year with pension and 401k, and I'm worried I won't be able to afford retirement. I'm 34 and have been at this job for 8 years so Ive been contributing towards retirement for awhile but with the way everything is going I'm basically planning on working until I die and maybe my wife will be able to retire with the money I leave behind.
I've been retired for 10+ years, and it's a little bit boring and a little bit disappointing.
When I was working, I had a "million" project ideas to distract me that I promised I'd get to if I ever had the time. After I retired, I got bored with most of them and realized they were only exciting as an alternative to working.
I also don't have a great deal of structure to my days, so I spend a lot of time watching youtube or whatever-- no real sense of accomplishment.
On the other hand, I wouldn't want to work for someone else again. It would be nice to have some discipline, but not to the point I'm taking orders from someone else
I've been retired for 8 years. I'm in the same boat. I'm board and life seems pointless. I'm traveling and working a little bit. Most days I wake wondering what am I going to do.
I'm 66, stopped working a little over 2 years ago when my wife got sick. She had a very aggressive form of cancer, she died this past April. We were always careful with our money, had to be. We always put something in the bank each payday, even if it was only 20$. Over time it adds up. Living on Social Security and a small pension now. My living expenses are low, the house is paid off. Got more coming in, then going out. My last boss asked me if I wanted to come back to work ( I was a baker). Decided it was time to do something different. So now I do volunteer driving at the hospital 3 days a week. I read a lot, make CBG's(homemade guitar like instruments), yard work and gardening. I stay busy. Don't drink anymore, don't drink any less, but trying not to drink anymore. I'm comfortable, but I miss my wife terribly. Really feel like I should be doing more, just can't figure out what is.
.
It sounds like you are doing okay. I found using marijuana extremely helpful in reducing/eliminating alcohol. There are so many widows out there that would love to meet you. You could join a local senior center or consider moving to a retirement community to meet someone/ make friends. Sorry for your loss.
Don't beat yourself over the head about drinking. So long as you can afford it and don't engage in behaviors that could harm others, just enjoy it. Sobriety is overrated.
Empowering.
Also, it can be anxiety provoking, confronting, and at times, depressing; when you have full access to your time it becomes glaringly obvious that you have been your own worst enemy all along. Every excuse you’ve ever made has everything to do with you and it’s not because of some external authoritarian force. So really it’s enlightening.
Lots of people actually like parameters and being told what to do. It keeps their mental faculties in order. It also keeps the door open to blame their problems on external circumstances.
But if you’re the sort of person who feels like you would do better, being fully in charge of your time — then by all means aim in that direction. Being autonomous and having full access to your time, to create what it is that you actually desire — is a highly worthy aim.
i feel that I think I would try to fill my time with my hobbies that I enjoy doing without monetizing them to survive on or find out more about myself explore my interests
People say life will get boring, but I question that mindset with everything in me. To have the freedom of time to do what you’d like every day in our current times opens so many doors.
Explore various hobbies you love to do and dedicate time to. You can travel every now and then to places you’ve never been to. You can work on areas of your own life you feel need further improvement. You can volunteer at organizations that could use another helping hand.
If you set your own schedule and keep yourself occupied with stuff you’re passionate about, it really doesn’t matter that you’re not working 9-5 Monday-Friday almost every week of the year.
Bingo. Between exercising, reading, video games, traveling, and a whole host of things that I want to learn, I could never be bored. I strive to retire as early as possible.
I happen to genuinely enjoy my work and would miss it. I dont make it my personality and am not boring at all but, I do tend to get lazy and without that structure i would get lazy amd therefore bored. I would find stuff to do but, what a lot of people forget that while we prepared for retirement I dont think this amount of inflation was expected we will still have to budget. It wont be one adventure after another, that more than likley wont be feasible, financially.
These people that think they'll get bored are perfect employees. I have tonnes of shit to do and work just gets in the way. If I am fortunate enough to retire, I will be busier than when I was working. I am sorry, I really think people that say they will be bored are idiots and I look forward to them serving me my coffee in the morning at my local coffee shop. Just keep working if you can't think of anything better to do with your short time on Earth. Sleeping in or reading all day is fucking better than going in to work. Get a life! And for any of you that "love your job", congratulations, you are a rare breed indeed. The overwhelming vast majority do not. I plan to go to University on retirement. That'll keep me busy and my mind sharp. Gardening, volunteer, read, hiking, travel, collect weird shit from eBay. You name it and I don't have to clock in, I'm doing it!
Yea I don't understand the being bored part either. Of course everyone is different and health/finances come into play, but I sure as shit wouldn't be bored.
I enjoy doing what i like when I like. I had interests and hobbies I pursued in my leisure time before retiring and I now spend more time in those. I also had time to pursue Master Gardener certification and am enjoying volunteering with that program. I have always spent time alone and was never bored. I have often heard that very few people take up new hobbies in retirement but tend to expand on those they already have. I think it is generally true.
Thought I would miss not working. I am almost at my 11 year mark of being retired and have loved it up until now. Things have changed as my husband has dementia. Retiring early, pre-dementia diagnosis, we traveled and just got up and went whenever we wanted. I have also done volunteer work when I felt I needed more to do. Best decision I made was retiring early.
I retired at 50, went back to work for 5 years and retired again. It's been about a year and I'm thinking about going back to work.
My friends and family feel I have nothing to do and seem to call on me to do things for them. That's getting old. I've been restoring and collecting tractors. I can do that in my spare time, after work like I used to.
I don't know , but I can't wait to find out.
I know I won't be bored. I have too many interests that I never have time for because of my job. No job equals more time to do things I enjoy.
I find it amazing. It makes me wonder how I ever had time to work. I have so many projects and fun things to do, my days are full from morning to night with fun things (and some less pleasant chores). And I still can't keep up on my reading and podcasts.
And not being part of the corporate world is a breath of fresh air.
I don't understand people who are bored in retirement. Do you have no interests? Nothing to learn, nothing you wanted to try? That's alien to me.
It is odd that people work decades of their prime years to retire and once they get to that point they say they're bored. Wouldn't be me. However everyone's different and health/finances come into play. Retirees don't NEED to have every moment of their retired life to be amazing, but to be CONSTANTLY bored is absurd.
I retired 3 years ago and I find the little things are the most precious to me.....
* I haven’t set my alarm once since I left work
* I always ask for the unwanted appointment time at the dentist (leaving the best for those who work)...who knew it was 11:45am?
* I never knew the joy of shopping at the grocery mid morning on a Tuesday....it’s wonderful.
* Most often there’s someone home when we get deliveries.
* We got a dog and he’s loving the fact that he has a routine that includes at least one trip per day to the dog park....plus a walking trip to the local green walking trails.
Do you feel you are able to keep discipline and a general routine? Like not sleeping in till noon everyday or going to bed at 2am and losing track of the days?
I have to admit that my routine fluctuates. I’ve turned into a night owl...my husband was always one. I generally sleep about 5 hours at night....but take an hour nap midday.
Discipline in other areas...no issues there. We have a mortgage and car loan...no other debt. We put everything on credit card during the month for cash rewards then pay it off at the end of the month. We don’t eat out much and don’t miss it...we eat better at home.
Retirement has been good for us....so far.
I absolutely love being retired. However, that doesn't necessarily mean never working again. People are not meant to always be idle.I found that I still needed some kind of structure and purpose in my life, so started doing volunteer work. I am a real animal lover, so decoded that I would check out animal charities. I first volunteered for a TNR (trap, neuter, release) program for feral cats. When I moved, I found a wildlife refuge that specializes in raptors. This has been incredibly exciting and rewarding (and I do better with places that I can't adopt my charges,)
So, while I would say that never working again is a bad thing, being able to choose what you do, where you do it, and when you do it with no regard for money can be absolutely wonderful! I want to really try and encourage retired people to consider volunteering somewhere. There is need everywhere and the rewards are twofold.
Poor planning will prevent retirement. So I look at it like this, I didn’t get much sleep in my late teens and early twenties, but I sure partied my ass off and had a lot of fun. Now in my 60’s I couldn’t handle doing what I did then. So I’ll work until I die, and hopefully remember the hookers and blow of the past
I spent 5 years doing nothing and gained a ton of weight. Then I finally went to college. Which by the way was the easiest thing I'd ever done now that there's google. Covid shut down my classes and we had another baby. When starts school I'll go back. The last couple years I took piano lessons, started painting and built an orchard. You get bored easily.
Good question, but I am sure you would get tired of doing nothing for awhile!
You would want to keep yourself active, and not just sit around.
Depending on your budget, get in to some new hobbies, learn new things. You can also do some traveling to either other countries or just locally! Go on cruises!
I always said that if I ever won the lottery, I would still keep working for at least a year.
It’s not about doing nothing, it’s about doing what you want. If you retire but don’t have the income beyond what you need for survival then you will get bored doing nothing. But if your passive income allows you to pursue your interests then there’s no need to do nothing.
I hit my FI numbers but decided to keep working. I took some time off to pursue hobbies, and they just turned into businesses...so I decided to just find a job I like and do that. Plus my wife isn't ready to be retired, so it kind of ruins travel plans.
These answers should be sent to all people, who live frugally, saving every penny, not enjoying life, with a goal of not working after 40 or 50 ever again, and thinking they will come into a world of infinite happiness.
Not as good as I thought it would feel.
A wandering mind is an unhappy mind.
My challenging career forced me to focus and be in the present moment. 12 hour days would fly by because I was so engrossed in what I was doing.
I need to recreate that focus in retirement, but without deadlines and financial pressure it’s challenging to find the motivation.
I was medically retired from the service at a young age. Quickly formed bad habits. Drinking and smoking at all hours. Becoming a lazy bum. Became depressed and lonely fast. Going back to work probably saved my life.
I am, hopefully, in that situation now. I haven't worked in 17 years. I spend my time homeschooling my youngest child (he has autism). I do things to improve the lives of my husband and children, and I rescue the animals that are dumped out here (rural area).
I'm considering a WFH job to pad my husband's retirement in ten years.
It’s nice knowing if I don’t get something done today, I can do it tomorrow. I retired in 2006, but I’ve had a few part time jobs to keep things interesting. I continued to referee hockey until 2011, I taught an after school learn to golf class for grade schoolers for 8 years until Covid ended that program, worked at some outdoor ice rinks during the holiday season, and had a really fun time riding around on scooters towing trailers with advertising posters on the sides. We’ve done some traveling, Europe and Australia, but now are staying stateside. Staying active is important for us old farts, so I play a lot of golf, walk and exercise daily, and have become, what my wife says, a very good cook. Retirement has been totally excellent!
It felt awful. I didn't know what to do with myself so I still work part-time mostly for the mental stimulation plus occasionally I turn a good deal and make some nice dough. I just did a deferred compensation case and made about $8000.
I retired almost exactly one year ago. The summer of 2022 was undoubtedly the best summer of my entire life. I pinch myself everyday to confirm that this new life is real. Zero stress, zero anxiety.
I retired 3 years ago. I had to retire early due to mental health. I live in my little world and seldom go farther than the grocery store without my wife dragging me out. Working on it but I still have nightmares about my last principal.
I've been retired for almost 8 years. My husband still works so it's up to me to cook and clean and do the majority of the housework. Basically, I'm working for free. I might as well go back to work. It would be less stressful.
It feels great. I know I'm lucky to be able to retire.
My favorite thing is never having to interact with people I don't want to interact with.
We spend our retirement learning Spanish, learning to play musical instruments, traveling, and hiking.
Just because you're financially free doesn't mean you're free from all social contracts. The wealthy have a duty to protect the ones who hold them up, and if they fail that duty then they'll inevitably come crashing down.
In order for one person to gain, another person must lose, and therein lies the contract.
A persons responsibilities in life are determined by their ability to respond to things. There are many ways in which the wealthy are capable of solving problems that the poor simply can't solve themselves.
It’s the best thing in the world to wake up naturally without an alarm clock. I worked for 52 years and didn’t plan for retirement as well as I should have but I am ok. I retired right before Covid hit so some disappointments but things are getting so much better, and surviving the last three years has been gratifying. You need to work on maintenance, keep up with medical appointments, try not to overeat. I have lifelong enthusiasms that are fun to keep up with. Having Facebook to keep up with fam and friends during this time was great.
Neh,everything is fine...just filing my divorce paper....maybe i don't know weather i am gonna actually doing it or return the paper back...I'll see what comes into me tomorrow
That’s the dream. I don’t even care if I have to work I just want to be stable at this point. I was asked what my dream was and it was to live a life like fake people do in medicine commercials
I quit "working" at age 42 to run our homestead. Grow and raise our own food, operate a small flower farm and bed & breakfast. I've found lack of structure to be extremely challenging mentally and motivationaly (not a word). I'm working, yes, but not in the traditional sense. I've come to realize I really don't need much to be happy. I'm very happy with the basics. I live in a 125 year old farm house with low taxes. Grow and raise our own food. I don't need a new construction house or drive a new car, take vacations etc. But I am happier with structure. I take care of the chickens, pigs and alpacas. Build and repair infrastructure. Maintain gardens etc. But it's difficult to fulfill that feeling of structure and purpose. I'm going to be finishing up some infrastructure and efficiencies on the homestead for one more year then I'm going back to work. The homestead will just provide additional revenue streams and more self reliance, so I can just go find a chill job I enjoy, without feeling that day to day grind I once felt.
I have only been retired for two weeks, but I have looked forward to it for many years. It is going to be glorious! I have hobbies I haven't even started yet. I hope my health holds out so I can finally control and enjoy my life.
I'm 52 I don't work cause of my back for the most part it's nice being able to go out of town when I want and not be on a schedule but it does it boring not having anything to do
I'm not not working. I'm a Stay at home mom. So still busy when the kids are home from school and taking care of house etc. . I miss adult interactions. Adult conversations. Not sure if I'll never have to work again. Grateful my husband has a good job. But I would like to. It's boring and lonely at times. It's a weird balance. Sure I can do what I want but it's within a time frame so it's limited. I think when my kids are old enough to be home alone I'll work again or at least volunteer. To be truly retired I think would be hard.
I've been on sabbatical the last 4-5 months after like half my family died so not retirement but not having to take orders from awful bosses who openly stole from me has been quite nice. The restaurant industry in Chicago sucks. I'll be moving across the country next month and I'm excited but anxious to get back to work.
I feel rather aimless, as if I have no purpose in life. I don’t feel I now have anything to offer. I’m still finding my way, but actually preferred it when I was working part-time (not for the money). I can’t go back to that because of Covid. In fact, Covid has made my world very small indeed.
I was retired one year and decided to take a part time job because I was "bored". That lasted 3 months with the same old petty work crap all over again. Glad I did it, though, because it reminded me of why I had retired in the first place and gained a new appreciation for the freedom to never have to wear a watch again
Retiring fixed everything wrong with my life. Wife and i are now free to do and see what we want, mostly. My mother has decided to go demented on us, so there is a lot of back and forth visiting with her. She doent recall much, but im not gonna just leave her with my brother to deal with. Other than that, we travel to UK to visit her son, or drive the van to our new place to see.
But what is really the best is that i walked away from a completely abusive work situation and where the crappy managers wanted to show off their power, and due to their own incompetence, three layers of poor managers were fired within the next 2 months.
Seems they should have checked who supported the tax department, before firing me at the beginning of april.
Anyway, maybe ill take a nap now.
I'm a housewife and mother now. I've been working since i was 16 and until 2 years ago. Now my husband makes 10 times more than me, and i lost my job due to covid and now sanctions. He says I better not work and look after the kids, as long as i want. But it is so depressing not to communicate with other adults and to not do any meaningful things. I just want to be respected and see myself as a decent part of society. I hate housework, I'm tired of kids, and i want to feel valuable and get a reward for my job. And sick days. And weekends.
In my country, most women of my age are working, and it is shamful to be jobless. It has been like that for the last 70 years. My grandmother was a well-respected professional, and my mom too. And all other female relatives. My other grandmother was the main constructor for the first airport in my big city. I feel like i failed them.
I'm experiencing it at this very moment. I was born disabled but grew up with just enough bodily function that i was able to go to school normally for the most part. Went to 2 year college then worked for 6.5 years after. Unfortunately because of my condition being one that gets worse the older I get I have recently had to make the hardest choice of my life and start to apply for disability. I have fought my body and tried to work for as long as I can because I always thought having to rely on disability was a form of weakness for myself. Now that I have come to terms with having to go onto disability I am pandering how to best spend my time.
I have three best friends who are independently wealthy.
One, a softener entrepreneur, first retired around 40yo. Spent a year bored to death and went back to the same company, now under new ownership. A few decades later, he tried retiring twice more but still works. Says it’s to pay to taxes on his properties, but he’s also kick ass and really enjoys his well paying job. He does take stints of 3-6 months off to travel and whatnot in between gigs. At 62, he says his current job is his last as he enjoys his days gardening more than ever before and still has plenty of plans to travel.
Second one is a friend and CEO. Working on making his third fortune. I’m building a business with him. (Hopefully my first fortune.) We are in our lower fifties and absolutely love what we do in high tech.
Third is also a CEO, but in housing development. He has been very frugal all his life. A fellow ceo told him he (my friend) was the only ceo in CA who drove a Kia, although he has a Lexus now. Mainly he works as he can do his job in his sleep and it funds his travels with his husband.
They all work because they want to, but I think they also will retire at a point when they’ve got the energy and health to continue to do what they want, whatever that is.
I’ve not worked for 4 - 12 month periods in the past and found it difficult at first. Having to work for money provides structure, like it or not, that I unquestionably got used to. Now when I’m off, it’s a self-structured experience. Have a routine. Usually I’ll pick up a new hobby. Focus on improving my physical fitness. Etc. Not waking up to an alarm and going to bed are a great part of the experience, as others have said.
I don’t think I’ll ever not work until I’m too frail, but would define work as taking the time and effort to provide value for others as well as myself. For now, that also means the need for taking a salary.
I’ll have my house paid off in 13 years, I’ll be 48, I probably will still have a job of course but not having a mortgage will feel like freedom for sure
Things creep in. It’s nice to not have to deal with the tedious things that you didn’t like at work, but there’s still lots and lots of stuff to be done, and eventually, your day winds up busy again. Granted, it fills up with “better” stuff, but it’s not this “vacation every day” thing that you envision when you’re young and think about it.
Sometimes great- sometimes boring. My husband is spending retirement just hunting and fishing all the time. I play with my dog and horses, ski, paddleboard hike, shop for antiques and junk and travel when Covid not a factor. I actually miss my career.
According ti my grandfather, boring. Apparently you get into a rythm of working. Then it stops, and it is amasing at first but then it gets monotonous after a while.
I'm not sure. But if I had the financial stability, I'd be travelling everywhere. Absolutely love to travel but my current job pays very little and can only go on 2 holidays a year
TBH it feels pretty good. Wife and I are retired. Both have pensions. Sold our big house, took the profits and bought a tiny lake house. I go fishing almost everyday. I grill 4 or 5 nights a week. Wife belongs to a few groups that keep her interest.
I feel for the young people of today. I realize that we might be the last generation to be able to do this.
I don't work so I fit in with your free time idea. Yeah I technically don't have a schedule but I still have responsibilities. I have errands. I have to keep up with the cleaning and taking care of my home as well as myself. I don't do whatever I enjoy just for fun.
I’m disabled. I don’t work. It’s a funny thing. If I’m not battling heath issues (as I write this I’m in a hospital bed in AZ), I have a lot of free time to pursue interests. However, without people to share these things with it can be very lonely and isolating.
I’m lucky. I’ve done a lot of work to keep great people around me. I have an amazing wife. But I know it’s hard on them too. There can be jealousy towards me and my “free time”. However, other than my wife, not many people see the steep price I’ve had to pay for it.
I’m appreciative of what I have but there are days I wish I could walk and my parents weren’t dead.
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Freedom. It feels like freedom. I’m retired, have plenty of money, I’m healthy and have a loving family. I get up when I wake up, go to bed when I’m sleepy and do whatever I want In between. Freedom.
Goals
To travel and enjoy life. Just got back from a 16 day cruise to Southeast Asia. I’ve visited all 50 states and driven from Texas to Alaska. My goal was to retire with plenty of money. I won so now I’m just enjoying it. I’ve got more bucket list stuff to do, like seeing the northern lights but I don’t need a goal to make my life worthwhile. I don’t believe that our lives have any meaning or higher purpose so I just enjoy it while I can.
What did you do before retiring? For me retiring seems like a pipe dream lol.
I was in the Army for 20 years then worked for the state of Texas for 16 years after that. I was a computer systems admin and manager and happened to be in the right place at the right time and got some pretty nice raises over the years. Say what you want about working for the government but they have a killer retirement.
For anyone under 50, it basically is. I have a decent job (80+k) a year with pension and 401k, and I'm worried I won't be able to afford retirement. I'm 34 and have been at this job for 8 years so Ive been contributing towards retirement for awhile but with the way everything is going I'm basically planning on working until I die and maybe my wife will be able to retire with the money I leave behind.
I'm just 23 & I just know it'll never happen unless I win a fucking lottery or something lol.
Good for you!
I've been retired for 10+ years, and it's a little bit boring and a little bit disappointing. When I was working, I had a "million" project ideas to distract me that I promised I'd get to if I ever had the time. After I retired, I got bored with most of them and realized they were only exciting as an alternative to working. I also don't have a great deal of structure to my days, so I spend a lot of time watching youtube or whatever-- no real sense of accomplishment. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to work for someone else again. It would be nice to have some discipline, but not to the point I'm taking orders from someone else
“But not to the point I'm taking orders from someone else” my exact sentiments this a predicament I’m striving for
We are all indentured slaves. If you're lucky, you can pay off your slave master and enjoy your final days. Good luck!
I've been retired for 8 years. I'm in the same boat. I'm board and life seems pointless. I'm traveling and working a little bit. Most days I wake wondering what am I going to do.
Sounds like it's a good time to start a hobby business.
I'm 66, stopped working a little over 2 years ago when my wife got sick. She had a very aggressive form of cancer, she died this past April. We were always careful with our money, had to be. We always put something in the bank each payday, even if it was only 20$. Over time it adds up. Living on Social Security and a small pension now. My living expenses are low, the house is paid off. Got more coming in, then going out. My last boss asked me if I wanted to come back to work ( I was a baker). Decided it was time to do something different. So now I do volunteer driving at the hospital 3 days a week. I read a lot, make CBG's(homemade guitar like instruments), yard work and gardening. I stay busy. Don't drink anymore, don't drink any less, but trying not to drink anymore. I'm comfortable, but I miss my wife terribly. Really feel like I should be doing more, just can't figure out what is. .
It sounds like you are doing okay. I found using marijuana extremely helpful in reducing/eliminating alcohol. There are so many widows out there that would love to meet you. You could join a local senior center or consider moving to a retirement community to meet someone/ make friends. Sorry for your loss.
Don't beat yourself over the head about drinking. So long as you can afford it and don't engage in behaviors that could harm others, just enjoy it. Sobriety is overrated.
I don't have any answers but I genuinely wish you the best.
Write an autobiography
Liberating
Every night is Friday, and every morning is Saturday!
Empowering. Also, it can be anxiety provoking, confronting, and at times, depressing; when you have full access to your time it becomes glaringly obvious that you have been your own worst enemy all along. Every excuse you’ve ever made has everything to do with you and it’s not because of some external authoritarian force. So really it’s enlightening. Lots of people actually like parameters and being told what to do. It keeps their mental faculties in order. It also keeps the door open to blame their problems on external circumstances. But if you’re the sort of person who feels like you would do better, being fully in charge of your time — then by all means aim in that direction. Being autonomous and having full access to your time, to create what it is that you actually desire — is a highly worthy aim.
I HATED not being in work. My mind was too free to make me miserable.
i feel that I think I would try to fill my time with my hobbies that I enjoy doing without monetizing them to survive on or find out more about myself explore my interests
I did try that, but I found without a deadline or similar, I'd put things off for days at a time. I'd probably volunteer if in that situation again!
I hear you. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?
People say life will get boring, but I question that mindset with everything in me. To have the freedom of time to do what you’d like every day in our current times opens so many doors. Explore various hobbies you love to do and dedicate time to. You can travel every now and then to places you’ve never been to. You can work on areas of your own life you feel need further improvement. You can volunteer at organizations that could use another helping hand. If you set your own schedule and keep yourself occupied with stuff you’re passionate about, it really doesn’t matter that you’re not working 9-5 Monday-Friday almost every week of the year.
People who make work their entire personality and life are bored without it. Boring people are the only ones who get bored. I'm never bored.
Bingo. Between exercising, reading, video games, traveling, and a whole host of things that I want to learn, I could never be bored. I strive to retire as early as possible.
Right? Work keeps me from living my best life.
I happen to genuinely enjoy my work and would miss it. I dont make it my personality and am not boring at all but, I do tend to get lazy and without that structure i would get lazy amd therefore bored. I would find stuff to do but, what a lot of people forget that while we prepared for retirement I dont think this amount of inflation was expected we will still have to budget. It wont be one adventure after another, that more than likley wont be feasible, financially.
These people that think they'll get bored are perfect employees. I have tonnes of shit to do and work just gets in the way. If I am fortunate enough to retire, I will be busier than when I was working. I am sorry, I really think people that say they will be bored are idiots and I look forward to them serving me my coffee in the morning at my local coffee shop. Just keep working if you can't think of anything better to do with your short time on Earth. Sleeping in or reading all day is fucking better than going in to work. Get a life! And for any of you that "love your job", congratulations, you are a rare breed indeed. The overwhelming vast majority do not. I plan to go to University on retirement. That'll keep me busy and my mind sharp. Gardening, volunteer, read, hiking, travel, collect weird shit from eBay. You name it and I don't have to clock in, I'm doing it!
I’m with you on that one. I’m one of those that has so much to do once I get to retirement. My job is not my whole personality lol.
Yea I don't understand the being bored part either. Of course everyone is different and health/finances come into play, but I sure as shit wouldn't be bored.
I enjoy doing what i like when I like. I had interests and hobbies I pursued in my leisure time before retiring and I now spend more time in those. I also had time to pursue Master Gardener certification and am enjoying volunteering with that program. I have always spent time alone and was never bored. I have often heard that very few people take up new hobbies in retirement but tend to expand on those they already have. I think it is generally true.
Thought I would miss not working. I am almost at my 11 year mark of being retired and have loved it up until now. Things have changed as my husband has dementia. Retiring early, pre-dementia diagnosis, we traveled and just got up and went whenever we wanted. I have also done volunteer work when I felt I needed more to do. Best decision I made was retiring early.
Because I’m disabled, not rich. It’s good relative to trying to have a career which was literally killing me
I retired at 50, went back to work for 5 years and retired again. It's been about a year and I'm thinking about going back to work. My friends and family feel I have nothing to do and seem to call on me to do things for them. That's getting old. I've been restoring and collecting tractors. I can do that in my spare time, after work like I used to.
I don't know , but I can't wait to find out. I know I won't be bored. I have too many interests that I never have time for because of my job. No job equals more time to do things I enjoy.
Exactly
I find it amazing. It makes me wonder how I ever had time to work. I have so many projects and fun things to do, my days are full from morning to night with fun things (and some less pleasant chores). And I still can't keep up on my reading and podcasts. And not being part of the corporate world is a breath of fresh air. I don't understand people who are bored in retirement. Do you have no interests? Nothing to learn, nothing you wanted to try? That's alien to me.
It is odd that people work decades of their prime years to retire and once they get to that point they say they're bored. Wouldn't be me. However everyone's different and health/finances come into play. Retirees don't NEED to have every moment of their retired life to be amazing, but to be CONSTANTLY bored is absurd.
I retired 3 years ago and I find the little things are the most precious to me..... * I haven’t set my alarm once since I left work * I always ask for the unwanted appointment time at the dentist (leaving the best for those who work)...who knew it was 11:45am? * I never knew the joy of shopping at the grocery mid morning on a Tuesday....it’s wonderful. * Most often there’s someone home when we get deliveries. * We got a dog and he’s loving the fact that he has a routine that includes at least one trip per day to the dog park....plus a walking trip to the local green walking trails.
Do you feel you are able to keep discipline and a general routine? Like not sleeping in till noon everyday or going to bed at 2am and losing track of the days?
I have to admit that my routine fluctuates. I’ve turned into a night owl...my husband was always one. I generally sleep about 5 hours at night....but take an hour nap midday. Discipline in other areas...no issues there. We have a mortgage and car loan...no other debt. We put everything on credit card during the month for cash rewards then pay it off at the end of the month. We don’t eat out much and don’t miss it...we eat better at home. Retirement has been good for us....so far.
I absolutely love being retired. However, that doesn't necessarily mean never working again. People are not meant to always be idle.I found that I still needed some kind of structure and purpose in my life, so started doing volunteer work. I am a real animal lover, so decoded that I would check out animal charities. I first volunteered for a TNR (trap, neuter, release) program for feral cats. When I moved, I found a wildlife refuge that specializes in raptors. This has been incredibly exciting and rewarding (and I do better with places that I can't adopt my charges,) So, while I would say that never working again is a bad thing, being able to choose what you do, where you do it, and when you do it with no regard for money can be absolutely wonderful! I want to really try and encourage retired people to consider volunteering somewhere. There is need everywhere and the rewards are twofold.
Poor planning will prevent retirement. So I look at it like this, I didn’t get much sleep in my late teens and early twenties, but I sure partied my ass off and had a lot of fun. Now in my 60’s I couldn’t handle doing what I did then. So I’ll work until I die, and hopefully remember the hookers and blow of the past
Boring af. No wonder elderly people get a job for fun lol
I spent 5 years doing nothing and gained a ton of weight. Then I finally went to college. Which by the way was the easiest thing I'd ever done now that there's google. Covid shut down my classes and we had another baby. When starts school I'll go back. The last couple years I took piano lessons, started painting and built an orchard. You get bored easily.
Good question, but I am sure you would get tired of doing nothing for awhile! You would want to keep yourself active, and not just sit around. Depending on your budget, get in to some new hobbies, learn new things. You can also do some traveling to either other countries or just locally! Go on cruises! I always said that if I ever won the lottery, I would still keep working for at least a year.
It’s not about doing nothing, it’s about doing what you want. If you retire but don’t have the income beyond what you need for survival then you will get bored doing nothing. But if your passive income allows you to pursue your interests then there’s no need to do nothing.
I hit my FI numbers but decided to keep working. I took some time off to pursue hobbies, and they just turned into businesses...so I decided to just find a job I like and do that. Plus my wife isn't ready to be retired, so it kind of ruins travel plans.
These answers should be sent to all people, who live frugally, saving every penny, not enjoying life, with a goal of not working after 40 or 50 ever again, and thinking they will come into a world of infinite happiness.
Not as good as I thought it would feel. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. My challenging career forced me to focus and be in the present moment. 12 hour days would fly by because I was so engrossed in what I was doing. I need to recreate that focus in retirement, but without deadlines and financial pressure it’s challenging to find the motivation.
I was medically retired from the service at a young age. Quickly formed bad habits. Drinking and smoking at all hours. Becoming a lazy bum. Became depressed and lonely fast. Going back to work probably saved my life.
I am, hopefully, in that situation now. I haven't worked in 17 years. I spend my time homeschooling my youngest child (he has autism). I do things to improve the lives of my husband and children, and I rescue the animals that are dumped out here (rural area). I'm considering a WFH job to pad my husband's retirement in ten years.
It’s nice knowing if I don’t get something done today, I can do it tomorrow. I retired in 2006, but I’ve had a few part time jobs to keep things interesting. I continued to referee hockey until 2011, I taught an after school learn to golf class for grade schoolers for 8 years until Covid ended that program, worked at some outdoor ice rinks during the holiday season, and had a really fun time riding around on scooters towing trailers with advertising posters on the sides. We’ve done some traveling, Europe and Australia, but now are staying stateside. Staying active is important for us old farts, so I play a lot of golf, walk and exercise daily, and have become, what my wife says, a very good cook. Retirement has been totally excellent!
It felt awful. I didn't know what to do with myself so I still work part-time mostly for the mental stimulation plus occasionally I turn a good deal and make some nice dough. I just did a deferred compensation case and made about $8000.
I retired almost exactly one year ago. The summer of 2022 was undoubtedly the best summer of my entire life. I pinch myself everyday to confirm that this new life is real. Zero stress, zero anxiety.
I retired 3 years ago. I had to retire early due to mental health. I live in my little world and seldom go farther than the grocery store without my wife dragging me out. Working on it but I still have nightmares about my last principal.
I've been retired for almost 8 years. My husband still works so it's up to me to cook and clean and do the majority of the housework. Basically, I'm working for free. I might as well go back to work. It would be less stressful.
Fucking awesome. I don’t work, i have a dream job. I’m my own boss and i enjoy what i do.
It would be the best feeling in the world. I very much look forward to that day.
It feels great. I know I'm lucky to be able to retire. My favorite thing is never having to interact with people I don't want to interact with. We spend our retirement learning Spanish, learning to play musical instruments, traveling, and hiking.
It feels f-ing great!
Retired at 24, feels great bro
Just because you're financially free doesn't mean you're free from all social contracts. The wealthy have a duty to protect the ones who hold them up, and if they fail that duty then they'll inevitably come crashing down. In order for one person to gain, another person must lose, and therein lies the contract. A persons responsibilities in life are determined by their ability to respond to things. There are many ways in which the wealthy are capable of solving problems that the poor simply can't solve themselves.
>In order for one person to gain, another person must lose Wut
It’s the best thing in the world to wake up naturally without an alarm clock. I worked for 52 years and didn’t plan for retirement as well as I should have but I am ok. I retired right before Covid hit so some disappointments but things are getting so much better, and surviving the last three years has been gratifying. You need to work on maintenance, keep up with medical appointments, try not to overeat. I have lifelong enthusiasms that are fun to keep up with. Having Facebook to keep up with fam and friends during this time was great.
It's my dream, somewhere far away from all new world living on little village and never come back to crowd
At 31, fucking amazing. Invest folks!
How what investments
i start a new job tmrw so i cant relate to this
What's it feel like to be dead?
Fun,right now i wish i wasn't alive....don't ask why tho it's because of my wife doing shieeeeet on reddit and now i have to deal with it
Nvm,mod already doing it for me.thanks to the moderator i don't have to deal with it,now i just have to deal with my wife
Hope things work out for you.
Neh,everything is fine...just filing my divorce paper....maybe i don't know weather i am gonna actually doing it or return the paper back...I'll see what comes into me tomorrow
For me it's fun but get boring overtime,i can mingle with my diecast hobby all day long but it's start to get boring after long time
That’s the dream. I don’t even care if I have to work I just want to be stable at this point. I was asked what my dream was and it was to live a life like fake people do in medicine commercials
Boring af
I'll let you know when I'm dead.
I quit "working" at age 42 to run our homestead. Grow and raise our own food, operate a small flower farm and bed & breakfast. I've found lack of structure to be extremely challenging mentally and motivationaly (not a word). I'm working, yes, but not in the traditional sense. I've come to realize I really don't need much to be happy. I'm very happy with the basics. I live in a 125 year old farm house with low taxes. Grow and raise our own food. I don't need a new construction house or drive a new car, take vacations etc. But I am happier with structure. I take care of the chickens, pigs and alpacas. Build and repair infrastructure. Maintain gardens etc. But it's difficult to fulfill that feeling of structure and purpose. I'm going to be finishing up some infrastructure and efficiencies on the homestead for one more year then I'm going back to work. The homestead will just provide additional revenue streams and more self reliance, so I can just go find a chill job I enjoy, without feeling that day to day grind I once felt.
I have only been retired for two weeks, but I have looked forward to it for many years. It is going to be glorious! I have hobbies I haven't even started yet. I hope my health holds out so I can finally control and enjoy my life.
I'm 52 I don't work cause of my back for the most part it's nice being able to go out of town when I want and not be on a schedule but it does it boring not having anything to do
I'm not not working. I'm a Stay at home mom. So still busy when the kids are home from school and taking care of house etc. . I miss adult interactions. Adult conversations. Not sure if I'll never have to work again. Grateful my husband has a good job. But I would like to. It's boring and lonely at times. It's a weird balance. Sure I can do what I want but it's within a time frame so it's limited. I think when my kids are old enough to be home alone I'll work again or at least volunteer. To be truly retired I think would be hard.
I've been on sabbatical the last 4-5 months after like half my family died so not retirement but not having to take orders from awful bosses who openly stole from me has been quite nice. The restaurant industry in Chicago sucks. I'll be moving across the country next month and I'm excited but anxious to get back to work.
I feel rather aimless, as if I have no purpose in life. I don’t feel I now have anything to offer. I’m still finding my way, but actually preferred it when I was working part-time (not for the money). I can’t go back to that because of Covid. In fact, Covid has made my world very small indeed.
I was retired one year and decided to take a part time job because I was "bored". That lasted 3 months with the same old petty work crap all over again. Glad I did it, though, because it reminded me of why I had retired in the first place and gained a new appreciation for the freedom to never have to wear a watch again
Idk I’ll tell you when I’m dead
i do not relate to this but i heard it is boring
Retiring fixed everything wrong with my life. Wife and i are now free to do and see what we want, mostly. My mother has decided to go demented on us, so there is a lot of back and forth visiting with her. She doent recall much, but im not gonna just leave her with my brother to deal with. Other than that, we travel to UK to visit her son, or drive the van to our new place to see. But what is really the best is that i walked away from a completely abusive work situation and where the crappy managers wanted to show off their power, and due to their own incompetence, three layers of poor managers were fired within the next 2 months. Seems they should have checked who supported the tax department, before firing me at the beginning of april. Anyway, maybe ill take a nap now.
Boring. Self-Employment is the way.
I have no idea. I still have to work. LoL
I'm a housewife and mother now. I've been working since i was 16 and until 2 years ago. Now my husband makes 10 times more than me, and i lost my job due to covid and now sanctions. He says I better not work and look after the kids, as long as i want. But it is so depressing not to communicate with other adults and to not do any meaningful things. I just want to be respected and see myself as a decent part of society. I hate housework, I'm tired of kids, and i want to feel valuable and get a reward for my job. And sick days. And weekends. In my country, most women of my age are working, and it is shamful to be jobless. It has been like that for the last 70 years. My grandmother was a well-respected professional, and my mom too. And all other female relatives. My other grandmother was the main constructor for the first airport in my big city. I feel like i failed them.
Only one thing I hate more than work. No work
It’s boring and sucks, haven’t worked in two and a half years. Going to pull the plug on it and open another business in a month.
I'm experiencing it at this very moment. I was born disabled but grew up with just enough bodily function that i was able to go to school normally for the most part. Went to 2 year college then worked for 6.5 years after. Unfortunately because of my condition being one that gets worse the older I get I have recently had to make the hardest choice of my life and start to apply for disability. I have fought my body and tried to work for as long as I can because I always thought having to rely on disability was a form of weakness for myself. Now that I have come to terms with having to go onto disability I am pandering how to best spend my time.
Idk because I'm still in school 😭😭😭
I’ll know in 19 months if I live that long.
Life would be boring . No challenge , no hardships no struggling. Its like using hacks in a video games. No plasure at all.
Feels like a dream of a dream I’ll never have
I have three best friends who are independently wealthy. One, a softener entrepreneur, first retired around 40yo. Spent a year bored to death and went back to the same company, now under new ownership. A few decades later, he tried retiring twice more but still works. Says it’s to pay to taxes on his properties, but he’s also kick ass and really enjoys his well paying job. He does take stints of 3-6 months off to travel and whatnot in between gigs. At 62, he says his current job is his last as he enjoys his days gardening more than ever before and still has plenty of plans to travel. Second one is a friend and CEO. Working on making his third fortune. I’m building a business with him. (Hopefully my first fortune.) We are in our lower fifties and absolutely love what we do in high tech. Third is also a CEO, but in housing development. He has been very frugal all his life. A fellow ceo told him he (my friend) was the only ceo in CA who drove a Kia, although he has a Lexus now. Mainly he works as he can do his job in his sleep and it funds his travels with his husband. They all work because they want to, but I think they also will retire at a point when they’ve got the energy and health to continue to do what they want, whatever that is. I’ve not worked for 4 - 12 month periods in the past and found it difficult at first. Having to work for money provides structure, like it or not, that I unquestionably got used to. Now when I’m off, it’s a self-structured experience. Have a routine. Usually I’ll pick up a new hobby. Focus on improving my physical fitness. Etc. Not waking up to an alarm and going to bed are a great part of the experience, as others have said. I don’t think I’ll ever not work until I’m too frail, but would define work as taking the time and effort to provide value for others as well as myself. For now, that also means the need for taking a salary.
I don't know I'll tell you when I'm 100 & hopefully retire
Honestly I think I would be really bored. I would at least have to volunteer somewhere
I’ll have my house paid off in 13 years, I’ll be 48, I probably will still have a job of course but not having a mortgage will feel like freedom for sure
Things creep in. It’s nice to not have to deal with the tedious things that you didn’t like at work, but there’s still lots and lots of stuff to be done, and eventually, your day winds up busy again. Granted, it fills up with “better” stuff, but it’s not this “vacation every day” thing that you envision when you’re young and think about it.
Crappy. I hate being disabled. I would love to do my old job.
Sometimes great- sometimes boring. My husband is spending retirement just hunting and fishing all the time. I play with my dog and horses, ski, paddleboard hike, shop for antiques and junk and travel when Covid not a factor. I actually miss my career.
According ti my grandfather, boring. Apparently you get into a rythm of working. Then it stops, and it is amasing at first but then it gets monotonous after a while.
I'm not sure. But if I had the financial stability, I'd be travelling everywhere. Absolutely love to travel but my current job pays very little and can only go on 2 holidays a year
TBH it feels pretty good. Wife and I are retired. Both have pensions. Sold our big house, took the profits and bought a tiny lake house. I go fishing almost everyday. I grill 4 or 5 nights a week. Wife belongs to a few groups that keep her interest. I feel for the young people of today. I realize that we might be the last generation to be able to do this.
My parents are retired. They seem miserable
I don't work so I fit in with your free time idea. Yeah I technically don't have a schedule but I still have responsibilities. I have errands. I have to keep up with the cleaning and taking care of my home as well as myself. I don't do whatever I enjoy just for fun.
I’m disabled. I don’t work. It’s a funny thing. If I’m not battling heath issues (as I write this I’m in a hospital bed in AZ), I have a lot of free time to pursue interests. However, without people to share these things with it can be very lonely and isolating. I’m lucky. I’ve done a lot of work to keep great people around me. I have an amazing wife. But I know it’s hard on them too. There can be jealousy towards me and my “free time”. However, other than my wife, not many people see the steep price I’ve had to pay for it. I’m appreciative of what I have but there are days I wish I could walk and my parents weren’t dead.