Practicing Retirement Before Retirement.

[VinnieBoomBah]

Because of my work I have met a lot of retirees over the last 36 years, and although this is an oversimplification and obviously doesn't apply to everyone and all that, one consistent theme I have heard regarding being happy in retirement is that how you defined your worth during your adult life will shape how you will thrive in retirement. If your identity and pride came from being a captain of industry or a forceful and decisive executive or you just let whatever work you did define you as a person you will not be happy sitting around waiting for the grandkids to call. If, on the other hand, your identity and pride came not from the work Per Se, but instead from how that work allowed you to support your family, you may well be happy sitting around waiting for the grandkids to call.
Neither way is "wrong" just that's how it tends to play out and some older folks just need to join an HOA board and make other people's life miserable so they can fill that void of no longer being a valuable coxG in the uncarring machine

 

[ktgee]

One of my hobbies is riding an e-bike. I bought a new e-bike when I retired 4 years ago. When the weather is nice, I would go for a ride. With an e-bike, I can get my exercise, enjoy fresh air, get some sun, enjoy the view, and in a short amount of time. I would go on long rides, averaging 20 mi., exploring Portland's bike paths ( they got rid of most of the homeless). A regular bike is too much work, takes too long to get to places, and my old, worn-out legs can't make it up the hills.

 

[Bobbygun]

being a valuable cox in the uncarring machine

Did you mean to have a "ck" or "g" instead of that "x"?

ETA: I think being on an HOA committee would be a hoot. It would be really tough not to be a real tool. I only have one neighbor though, and we are like-minded. When there was a rash of stories about folks following UPS and Fed-Ex trucks to people's houses and stealing their packages, our UPS driver said, "Ain't nobody coming up your driveway!". We share the first 80 yards of driveway with the neighbor before it splits off.

 

[The Heretic]

One of my hobbies is riding an e-bike. I bought a new e-bike when I retired 4 years ago. When the weather is nice, I would go for a ride. With an e-bike, I can get my exercise, enjoy fresh air, get some sun, enjoy the view, and in a short amount of time. I would go on long rides, averaging 20 mi., exploring Portland's bike paths ( they got rid of most of the homeless). A regular bike is too much work, takes too long to get to places, and my old, worn-out legs can't make it up the hills.

I need to fire up one or both of my dirt bikes and see if I can ride them off-road without having a heart attack. If so I will keep one or both. If not I will sell them. I enjoyed riding, but the last time I rode I almost didn't make it home I was so exhausted & cold - had to load the bike on a pickup and haul it home.

 

[The Heretic]

ETA: I think being on an HOA committee would be a hoot. It would be really tough not to be a real tool. I only have one neighbor though, and we are like-minded. When there was a rash of stories about folks following UPS and Fed-Ex trucks to people's houses and stealing their packages, our UPS driver said, "Ain't nobody coming up your driveway!". We share the first 80 yards of driveway with the neighbor before it splits off.

I live on a dead end private road that is off a public backcountry gravel road that goes nowhere (it is kind of a loop, although it connects to other roads - if you drive up it, it eventually takes you back to a paved road that eventually takes you back to the "highway" that you had to use to get here) - very little traffic. My driveway is a loop about 100 yards from the private road and this time of year my house is almost invisible from the private road.

We have delivery trucks almost every day - I order a LOT of stuff from Amazon so I get deliveries several times a month, sometimes several a week. I rarely see a vehicle that isn't a resident (8 houses on the road), delivery or service truck. Indeed, I rarely see any vehicles at all. My packages often get left at my mailbox on the private road and are sometimes quite visible. We have never had issues with theft of anything in the 12+ years I have been here.

 

[MannyGlocks]

OCD-ing about retirement sounds exhausting.

I retired in 1992.

Initially, found retirement boring, so I took on a few jobs...found answering to...anyone...a giant PITA...quit, never looked back.

I have a huge yard and devoted myself to it.

Taking care of it was great until (most recently) I can't...too banged up...so I have it done.

What do I do now?

Still working on that...

 

[gmerkt]

My spending goal for daily expenses during this period will be $10 a day. That money will have to cover fuel, food and any other personal care items I may need during the practice period. If that proves unmanageable I will increase it during the next practice period.

If you are practicing poverty for the fun of it, fine. But my advice would be to avoid penurious living as a retiree because that for sure isn't fun.

Proposed schedule for this practice period.

If you've lived your working life by buzzers and bells for breaks and lunch, you'll need to reprogram yourself.

One of my greatest pleasures of retirement (going on 18 years) is not keeping to any schedule. It doesn't bother me to not know what time or even what day of the week it is. Yes, there are appointments that must be kept and I accept that situation as a life necessity. Beyond that, my life timing is very extemporaneous. Mrs. Merkt is quite the opposite; every minute of her life has to be executed on a schedule. Still, we manage to co-exist.

 

[The Heretic]

Initially, found retirement boring, so I took on a few jobs...found answering to...anyone...a giant PITA...quit, never looked back.

Yeah - I had a short (5 weeks?) gig in 2021, which just reinforced how much work work is and while I like s/w dev work, after 30+ years I was burnt out, and I don't want to work - I am lazy.

I don't even want to work for myself

I could do OSS work and maybe earn something from that, maybe not - before I retired I though maybe that is something I would try - but after that gig I realized that I just totally don't want to do that anymore - I don't want to have a job at all. Truthfully, I never liked working at an actual job, no matter the job.

Yes, I am lazy in that sense. I've worked hard, did my best, that was the way I was raised, and part of my ethos.

I much prefer to just live off the investments I have made with my earnings.

 

[The Heretic]

One of my greatest pleasures of retirement (going on 18 years) is not keeping to any schedule. It doesn't bother me to not know what time or even what day of the week it is. Yes, there are appointments that must be kept and I accept that situation as a life necessity. Beyond that, my life timing is very extemporaneous.

Ditto.

I go to bed when I want to, get up when I want to, do what I want to, regardless of the day.

The only exceptions are:

Wed morning I need to get the garbage out to the can on the road for pickup.

Those days when I have a dr. appt - about twice a month - I have to S***, Shave, Shower and wear clean clothes.

Otherwise I am a slovenly slob & lazy bum.

 

[Cavedweller]

This will be an ongoing effort of mine to figure out how I might manage my time during retirement. It should also help me estimate how much money I will want for daily expenses during retirement. That may motivate me to start contributing more to my Roth.

Starting tomorrow I am going to follow a schedule that I might live with during weekdays in retirement. This period will continue through Monday evening.

My spending goal for daily expenses during this period will be $10 a day. That money will have to cover fuel, food and any other personal care items I may need during the practice period. If that proves unmanageable I will increase it during the next practice period.

I didn't even make it through half of the first day the last time I tried this. Hoping for better success this go around.

Some things in life you practice for. Others you just do. Retirement is one of those things you just do. If you are spending your summer vacation "practicing" for retirement, you are wasting your summer vacation. Go do something fun.

If you're worried about money, sell some lowers.

 

[Retired Guy]

If you are practicing poverty for the fun of it, fine. But my advice would be to avoid penurious living as a retiree because that for sure isn't fun.

I'm impressed! I cannot recall the last time I've seen someone use the word "penurious".

 

[Quirt Evans]

3pm to 6pm nap
7pm to 8pm relax
8pm to 5am sleep

So, ~12 hrs. of sleep plus an hour to relax?
That's not retirement, and that much sleep is not good for you.
Retirement is supposed to give you the time to do the things you never had time for when you were working, or were too tired after work to do.
Things that take time but don't cost much, and things that keep your hands and brain working.
That's when many people take up writing, or learning an instrument, or doing some kind of volunteer work.
I've found that without the physical workload I had before retirement that I don't need to eat as much, not burning-up so many calories, especially in the winter.
So I've gone to 2 meals a day, a late breakfast with just a small snack in the middle of the afternoon, and dinner at the usual time.

 

[gmerkt]

I cannot recall the last time I've seen someone use the word "penurious".

The core vocabulary of the average American is in the four digits. But we aren't limited to that.

 

[arakboss]

So, ~12 hrs. of sleep plus an hour to relax?
That's not retirement, and that much sleep is not good for you.
Retirement is supposed to give you the time to do the things you never had time for when you were working, or were too tired after work to do.
Things that take time but don't cost much, and things that keep your hands and brain working.
That's when many people take up writing, or learning an instrument, or doing some kind of volunteer work.
I've found that without the physical workload I had before retirement that I don't need to eat as much, not burning-up so many calories, especially in the winter.
So I've gone to 2 meals a day, a late breakfast with just a small snack in the middle of the afternoon, and dinner at the usual time.

I haven't got a nap yet during this practice run so it may or may not happen during real retirement. Regardless, the time I schedule for sleep are not actual hours of sleep. My sleep hygiene is whacked. If I don't schedule a sleep routine, I will get very little sleep which is how my life works now.

I think retirement is whatever you want it to be. Some will use it to catch up, as you suggested. Others will use the time to relax and play lots of golf, go on oversea vacations, find new hobbies, etc.

I am going to use my retirement time to spend a lot more time on NWFA (top level priority), relax, catch up on my firearm hobby and live a penurious lifestyle.

In retirement, I will hopefully spend lots more time at my cabin property, trimming trees, making repairs, doing maintenance and hiking game trails. While at the cabin property I lose the NWFA/Phone distraction (no internet) and get lots more uninterupted sleep.

Regarding diet, I find that I don't eat much while I am sleeping or winding down trying to get to sleep. More hours laying
in bed equals less hours eating.

I wish you the best in your retirement efforts, whatever you do or don't do.

 

[The Heretic]

I haven't got a nap yet during this practice run so it may or may not happen during real retirement. Regardless, the time I schedule for sleep are not actual hours of sleep. My sleep hygiene is whacked. If I don't schedule a sleep routine, I will get very little sleep which is how my life works now.

I have sleep apnea (especially if I sleep on my back, which I don't purposely do). I also have RBD (I had an episode last night) & RLS (less likely when I take my meds) & SAD (during the winter). As I get older I also have sleep interruptions during the night - common for "elderly" persons but also affected by my RBD & RLS and other sleep issues. Plus, my sleep can vary greatly in quality - especially if I am having pain due to my spine.

During the day I rarely purposely take naps but I do regularly snooze off after eating a meal if I am not engaging in some kind of physical activity. That can be for a few minutes to an hour or so, more in the evening, especially if I did some strenuous (for me) work during the day.

In short, I take sleep when I can get it and since I do not have a regular schedule I don't worry about how long it lasts - just about quality.

 

[arakboss]

I have sleep apnea (especially if I sleep on my back, which I don't purposely do). I also have RBD (I had an episode last night) & RLS (less likely when I take my meds) & SAD (during the winter). As I get older I also have sleep interruptions during the night - common for "elderly" persons but also affected by my RBD & RLS and other sleep issues. Plus, my sleep can vary greatly in quality - especially if I am having pain due to my spine.

During the day I rarely purposely take naps but I do regularly snooze off after eating a meal if I am not engaging in some kind of physical activity. That can be for a few minutes to an hour or so, more in the evening, especially if I did some strenuous (for me) work during the day.

In short, I take sleep when I can get it and since I do not have a regular schedule I don't worry about how long it lasts - just about quality.

Fortunately I don't have the apnea type issues but I am cursed with a busy mind. I need time to wind down and let the melatonin kick in before, I get real sleep. I do shift work so my sleep/wake schedule is constantly being adjusted. I too get sleep when I can get it. When I retire I will have a more consistent sleep schedule. I have slept pretty well the last few nights.

 

[The Heretic]

Fortunately I don't have the apnea type issues but I am cursed with a busy mind. I need time to wind down and let the melatonin kick in before, I get real sleep. I do shift work so my sleep/wake schedule is constantly being adjusted. I too get sleep when I can get it. When I retire I will have a more consistent sleep schedule. I have slept pretty well the last few nights.

You may develop sleep apnea when you get older - I did. I tried the CPAP machine and when I could tolerate it, it seemed to help somewhat, but I eventually got to the point where I decided I just could not tolerate it, and it was more of a problem than the apnea itself - or so it seemed to me.

I also stopped taking melatonin because it never seemed to help and I read some things about issues with it.

I take muscle relaxants (500mg Robaxin) just before bed each night - it seems to help the RLS and sleep patterns. I take more (1500mg is a recommend dose to start, but I rarely need to take that much) if I am having muscle/nerve issues and it seems warranted, sometimes with OTC pain relievers.

I've never been good at shift work - once it gets dark, I get sleepy - probably related to my SAD since that depends on the amount of sunlight I am exposed to (and yes, I have tried the artificial lights - they just do not seem to help, at least that I noticed).

 

[rjmt]

been retired 5 years now, but stuck it out to 70 before i called it quits
when you live on 5 acres with your own shooting range, there is always a project on hand
or somedays I just sit on the porch, drink beer and listen to the - silence
wife had to move down to Portland to be closer to hospitals in January, but my son has stayed on to help with chores and cooking
he gets the place when I pass, so he doesn't mind the work or financial support on property and home improvements
in fact, he paid for the new roof a couple years ago
financial set, so no stress there
not as physically able as I once was, but that's to be expected at 75
in fact, just riding the garden tractor to mow the fields hurts - need one of those Zero turn mowers with full suspension
did buy a Kuboto tractor, so no more heavy lifting, pushing wheel barrows or shoveling snow
over all, life is good in retirement

 

[The Heretic]

been retired 5 years now, but stuck it out to 70 before i called it quits

I didn't have much choice as I got laid off in 2020, but that was FRA for me.

when you live on 5 acres with your own shooting range, there is always a project on hand

Yup - always something I am guilty about not doing because I am too lazy/tired/sore.

or somedays I just sit on the porch, drink beer and listen to the - silence

Sometimes the porch, sometimes inside - with the doors/windows open (screens in place), not much difference.

in fact, just riding the garden tractor to mow the fields hurts - need one of those Zero turn mowers with full suspension
did buy a Kuboto tractor, so no more heavy lifting, pushing wheel barrows or shoveling snow

I want to get an ATV and then add a flail mower to it.

 

[The Heretic]

You may develop sleep apnea when you get older - I did. I tried the CPAP machine and when I could tolerate it, it seemed to help somewhat, but I eventually got to the point where I decided I just could not tolerate it, and it was more of a problem than the apnea itself - or so it seemed to me.

I also stopped taking melatonin because it never seemed to help and I read some things about issues with it.

I take muscle relaxants (500mg Robaxin) just before bed each night - it seems to help the RLS and sleep patterns. I take more (1500mg is a recommend dose to start, but I rarely need to take that much) if I am having muscle/nerve issues and it seems warranted, sometimes with OTC pain relievers.

I've never been good at shift work - once it gets dark, I get sleepy - probably related to my SAD since that depends on the amount of sunlight I am exposed to (and yes, I have tried the artificial lights - they just do not seem to help, at least that I noticed).