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Early retirement ... Nonfinancial costs

VegasBella

VegasBella

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2013
Messages
3,335
Reaction score
1,049
Location
Vegas
Resorts Owned
Carlsbad Inn
Avenue Plaza
Riviera Beach & Spa
Aquamarine Villas
Boredom? I don't think so. This week I am going out to two shows, one with a girlfriend and one with my sister. One day Irene and I are going out to lunch with a different girlfriend we haven't seen in awhile. Thursday we will probably go out to dinner with Jerry's friends from Channel 99. It is a standing thing which we do or don't, depending on what else is doing. There is also one short doctor's appointment, and the usual round of shopping, etc.

I watch about two hours of TV, generally at night, and read a lot. Plus there is catching up with old friends here and on Facebook.

That is a fairly usual week. I don't have time to be bored. Life is what you make of it.

I forgot to add, I've been retired 13 years.

Fern
 
In my semi retirement, I feel much better not as stressed. It depends on the individual, health issues and circumstances. My DH is still working full time, but takes vacations and we travel for pleasure a lot. Use all our timeshares, plus small get a ways. Love to go to Disneyworld, walk as much as we can, enjoy swimming, golfing, bike riding and movies. Both children have been grown and on their own for a while, but we still get together with them frequently. Try to keep up with family and friends. I had an Aunt who worked until Alzhiemers made it impossible, so I don't think early retirement is the reason. My mother is 90 was showing signs of dementia but was able to live on her own until 3 years ago. Mother in law has memory loss is 84 still living on her own, but has caregivers come to her home everyday. Old age is going to happen to all of us,try to enjoy if you feel well, stay active, that is what I plan to do.
Silentg
 
You MUST have things to do to keep your mind and body active after retirement. It is not enough to just stop working gainfully. Plopping yourself in front of the TV, satisfied with the fact that you planned and saved well enough to afford the expenses of retirement will make for a short one. Get a part-time job. Get active in sports. Volunteer. Immerse yourself in a hobby, But DO SOMETHING!

Jim
 
Passepartout said:
You MUST have things to do to keep your mind and body active after retirement. It is not enough to just stop working gainfully. Plopping yourself in front of the TV, satisfied with the fact that you planned and saved well enough to afford the expenses of retirement will make for a short one.
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Agree 100%. I have made it 15 years and attribute it to reducing my weight; staying active both physically and mentally; and eliminating stress.

George
 
Wish I could try it and let you know.;)
 
I didn't retire, but I quit my job for 2.5 years when I was mid 30's. I had plenty to keep me busy (golf, yard work, auto and home maintenance, oh, and a newborn :) ) , but there's something to be said for mental stimulation. Reading and doing the crossword puzzle every day doesn't cut it. IMO, you need to find a hobby that's semi-taxing mentally, even if it's not particularly productive.
 
I retired from teaching at 52, and have the privilege and opportunity to still work as a supply (substitute) teacher. I love still being "in the game", and enjoy reconnecting with students and staff. I also love being able to call and say, "Take me off the list for the next three months. I'm heading to Florida for the winter!"

Staying active, and finding or maintaining social stimulation is key to living a happy retirement. Our social life is busier than it ever was.

Our grandchildren are a big factor in keeping busy and active. We do a lot with them and cherish having the time to do things with them.

dori
 
I semi retired a few years ago. This was at about 50. At first it was nice but then I became a bit bored. Recently I decided to go back to full time work. I did this for a while and decided that while the work was enjoyable that Im not that bored.

So I guess Im semi retired again. ;)

Bill
 
When dh and I decided to retire (in 2012) he thought we should both get some type of job in order to keep busy. His theory is you need something to get up in the morning for.

Fast forward three years. No jobs, couldn't fit them in if we tried. :D We've both found so many other things to do and ways to keep busy. He's taken up pottery, among other things, I've started working out regularly, among other things. Where we are now there is so much to do, you can easily stay as busy as you want.
 
I've been retired just over 4 years and frankly, I don't know how I had the time to work! There aren't enough hours in the day for me.

Ingrid
 
For the first ten or so years I was retired, I had a very busy volunteer schedule, several different things I did on different days. I was a Computer Club mentor. I was a volunteer dispatcher and driver for our Community Service CLub (mainly driving people to and from doctors appointments). I also did Women's Club "Welcome Ladies" twice a month, which I really enjoyed. Then life interrupted, and somehow there was never time for those things. New ones replaced them, though.

Oh, I forgot, some of my most treasured times are going out to lunch or dinner with my TUG buddies. Lynn and Lyman were here recently, and Pat Hart and Kay H will be here soon!
 
I'm now working on becoming the Travel Queen. On our way home from 7 weeks out west. In 3 yrs since retiring, we are traveling 7 months of each year. I can do this for a while longer.
 
Elan said:
I didn't retire, but I quit my job for 2.5 years when I was mid 30's. I had plenty to keep me busy (golf, yard work, auto and home maintenance, oh, and a newborn :) ) , but there's something to be said for mental stimulation. Reading and doing the crossword puzzle every day doesn't cut it. IMO, you need to find a hobby that's semi-taxing mentally, even if it's not particularly productive.
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Ding Ding we have a winner.
 
Volunteer

If you are lucky enough to be in good health, and financially settled enough to enjoy retirement why not give something back to the community (or country) where you live?

It is frustrating at times looking for volunteers to give just an hour or two a week toward a good cause......children, animals, homeless, elderly, environment, disabled, veterans, sick, etc - - there are SOO many opportunities and surprisingly so few people willing to even devote a few hours a month to do something for someone else or some needy cause.

You can find opportunities willing to work around your schedules, work with you and your travels, doctor appointments, whatever time or effort you're able to give.

Please think about it......if you're not already doing something - you CAN make a difference!
 
Paumavista said:
If you are lucky enough to be in good health, and financially settled enough to enjoy retirement why not give something back to the community (or country) where you live?
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I have always given back to the community, both with time and financially. It's the way I was brought up. I've been blessed with what I have, it's only right to give back.
 
I've been to busy to be bored. Just got back from a two day class on fabric covering an airplane so I'll be prepared for that step in the construction of my replica WW I German Fokker D-VIII I plan on flying at the Dawn Patol Rendezvous next Sep at The National Museum of the USAF at Wright-Patterson AFB.

Part-Time Consulting, Golf, Volunteer Ski Patroler and Mountain Host, cycling, concerts, months of winter skiing in Steamboat Springs every ski season, foreign travel among other things have kept me entertained for the past 18 years.

My late wife thought I would regret retiring but we enjoyed retired life together until she passed away. Now, I find lots to do even though she's no longer here to share the experiences.

Cheers
 
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I got laid off from a stressful job in my mid 50s, stayed home for about 5 years to get teenagers through some challenging times and started my retirement payout. I did some volunteer things, but decided I needed something that really used my brain, had some concrete accomplishments and returned me to working as part of a team.

So I went back to work part time at a nonprofit. Pay wasn't great but it gave me those other things I wanted and has kept me learning stuff...like how to program in Access and create a website in Wordpress. Now that I'm on the back side of 65, I think it's time for a new challenge, just because I need the change. (Just need to persuade them to hire my replacement, so I can leave without regrets.)

My next one will probably be volunteering because it will give me more flexibility, but I definitely see the need for staying challenged to keep the brain working well.
 
I think it depends on your work and your home life. I find my work so un stimulating and boring that I think I could actually get dementia FROM working. When I am at work, I feel brain dead. At home, I am non-stop mentally stimulated and fully engaged in whatever I am doing. I think that not having the stress and the constant mulit- tasking (between work and home) that you have to do when you work can actually clear your mind.

Seriously, I don't think retiring early has anything to do with it. My mom worked until 70+ and got dementia. Look at President Reagan with his Alzheimer's...
 
I was bored out of my mind when I first retired and still lived in PA. There was nothing to do there. Fast forward 1 year and a move to SC. Been here 5 yrs and I don't have the time to be bored. Have made a lot of new friends I thoroughly enjoy. Learned to play Mahjong, crazy canasta and euchre. Next week I am going to Vegas with 4 of my newer friends and while I am there I will be having lunch with some lady named Fern. :banana: I volunteer for a non-profit and I'm on a community committee. You do need to keep your mind and body challenged and to have social interaction.
 
Fern Modena said:
... Life is what you make of it.
Fern
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before during and in retirement.

too much I can't do while tethered to society's idea of work week and how much time off my employer says I'm entitled to. I look forward to my time being my own and I'm not likely to sit on my couch for 20 years and watch tv. That would certainly be boring and huge waste of Life.

One can let their minds go to mush at any point, don't need to wait for retirement. Staying active and Keep Learning is my plan for keeping my wits about me.
 
mpumilia said:
Seriously, I don't think retiring early has anything to do with it. My mom worked until 70+ and got dementia. Look at President Reagan with his Alzheimer's...
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Anecdotal evidence goes both ways. Research requires major unbiased studies.
 
Live to work or work to live. Do the former and retirement would probably feel like purgatory. Do the latter and it would feel like a release from purgatory.
 
Patri said:
Anecdotal evidence goes both ways. Research requires major unbiased studies.
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Agreed.

This study was a very good study but it still can't pinpoint causation. What it found was that people in countries that encourage earlier retirement had more memory loss than people the same age in countries that encouraged working longer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2958696/

---

Memory loss and boredom are not the same thing. It could be (and has been) argued that boredom doesn't exist or that it's just another name for loneliness, but no one in their right mind would conflate boredom with memory loss. I find it rather amusing that a thread about cognitive decline during retirement seemed to encourage some displays of the topic. Sad funny.
 
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I have been retired for 9 years and haven't been bored at all. I loved my work but it got in the way of doing some other things I wanted to do. I love the fact that we can do our getaways during the week when there aren't the crowds. I like the fact that I can do whatever I want when I want to.
 
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