Pension stuff, how's it all looking ? HAve you prepared ?

[Dodgy69]

Busy = not sitting about all day. Keeping active is the key. Not reading books all day.

[Count Steer]

I retire in a few months and am very keen to avoid the 'bored to death' thing. Trouble is, I'm now at risk of having too much to do

Ha! Within a few weeks I wondered how I ever found time to go to work.

Give me a list then of your mon Tue wed this week.

I see this all thr time and I'm really curious as to what people do all day every day

Bit busy this morning I'll get back to you on that one...

[Mr Moofo]

I retire in a few months and am very keen to avoid the 'bored to death' thing. Trouble is, I'm now at risk of having too much to do

Ha! Within a few weeks I wondered how I ever found time to go to work.

Give me a list then of your mon Tue wed this week.

I see this all thr time and I'm really curious as to what people do all day every day

@weeksy
And you do the same - but without including MTB racing stuff !

[Treadeager]

If you are considering retiring and the State Pension will be a significant part of your predicted income , MAKE SURE you get a formal estimate ( preferably in writing ) from the DWP ( gov.uk site ! ) . I was due to retire in 2018 and had been officially informed in writing ( in 2017 ) that I was due to receive the FULL ( new ) State Pension , and there was NOTHING I could do to increase it further . So 2018 arrives and I am now duly informed I will receive nothing like the full new State Pension . I am still currently in dispute with the DWP about this . ( I retired aged 61 , so did not make any further NI payments .......Why would I ?....... I had it in writing from the DWP that I was on schedule to receive a full SP ! )

The point is that there is currently a window ( due to close this week , but has now been extended by , I believe six months ) that you get get your official State Pension forecast , and you get an opportunity to buy back missing National Insurance payments to maximise your SP . You can get a record of your NI contributions from the official gov.uk website . Be careful about any other sites purporting to be gov.uk sites !

Please be warned , and get an official forecast in writing , before you make the decision to retire , if your SP is significant in your future plans !

[mangocrazy]

I think that's what retirement is, spending your day leisurely doing the thing's you enjoy.

Aye, but some seem to phrase things differently like they're 'busy' but busy doesn't seem the correct term to me

Depends how you define 'busy' I suppose. I've always been a bit of a DIY-er (as much through necessity as choice), but after I retired I set myself some projects, one of which was to build a brick boundary wall in the back garden incorporating a BBQ. This took me around 9 months elapsed time to complete (including winter, when it was too cold to lay bricks) and was one of the mixture of things to keep me occupied. On occasions I was 'busy' (lots of stuff to do), for most of the time I was 'occupied' (doing stuff at my pace and as and when it suited me).

Plus talking shite on here, of course...

[gremlin]

Anybody else reckon we need a new sub-forum called 'Aches, Pains, Pensions and...ooh, now where did I put it?'

[Potter]

I think I already said it on a thread, but retirement for me simply means doing exactly what I want to, when I want to.

It might be sitting doing nothing for a week, sailing around the world or doing some sort of job, but it will be whatever I want to do without any kind of burdens like having to earn money or be on the clock somewhere.

If you have to make lists or work out a routine then you’re probably missing the point.

[Buckaroo]

I think that's what retirement is, spending your day leisurely doing the thing's you enjoy.

Aye, but some seem to phrase things differently like they're 'busy' but busy doesn't seem the correct term to me

Depends how you define 'busy' I suppose. I've always been a bit of a DIY-er (as much through necessity as choice), but after I retired I set myself some projects, one of which was to build a brick boundary wall in the back garden incorporating a BBQ. This took me around 9 months elapsed time to complete (including winter, when it was too cold to lay bricks) and was one of the mixture of things to keep me occupied. On occasions I was 'busy' (lots of stuff to do), for most of the time I was 'occupied' (doing stuff at my pace and as and when it suited me).

Plus talking shite on here, of course...

Having worked for 51 years, studied hard, worked stupidly long hours and co-raised two kids, I believe that I have earned the right to be as busy as I want and to define busy. Seeing how some much younger folk claim being busy, then I'm really busy. If that makes sense.

[Horse]

I think I already said it on a thread, but retirement for me simply means doing exactly what I want to, when I want to.

I heard it described as 'retiming'. You decide what you do, and when.

I gave a nice list earlier, but how much actually happens remains to be seen. Only one has a minimum time - I have to log at least 20 hours a month for CFR.

[Potter]

I only find I’m busy if I put time limits on something.
If I ignore the clock then I can define my own busy because there is no deadline.

[cheb]

I think I already said it on a thread, but retirement for me simply means doing exactly what I want to, when I want to.

I heard it described as 'retiming'. You decide what you do, and when.

I gave a nice list earlier, but how much actually happens remains to be seen. Only one has a minimum time - I have to log at least 20 hours a month for CFR.

That's availability and not call outs I take it?

One of the reason I left my driving job was the tacho regs didn't play nicely with Coastguard hours. It took me years to get a straight answer from them about my tacho status when at home on rest but on call for the CG.

[Horse]

I heard it described as 'retiming'. You decide what you do, and when.

I gave a nice list earlier, but how much actually happens remains to be seen. Only one has a minimum time - I have to log at least 20 hours a month for CFR.

That's availability and not call outs I take it?

One of the reason I left my driving job was the tacho regs didn't play nicely with Coastguard hours. It took me years to get a straight answer from them about my tacho status when at home on rest but on call for the CG.

Yup. I can be doing other stuff, while waiting.

I've only just started, still getting practical experience, have had shifts with calls and some with none. One other local CFR said recently they had seven calls in a day.

No tacho to worry about.

[Count Steer]

I suppose, instead of 'busy' I could have said 'fully and happily occupied'.

I didn't actually intend to retire at 55 and had a few irons in the fire for period contract work but found that I was quite enjoying myself doing all the things I would have liked to do but formal education and work got in the way. I hadn't had a 9-5 or Monday to Friday job for a long time so all my 'spare' time ie what was left of it, was taken up doing stuff that needed to be done or on much needed holidays

It was a bit like popping out into the total perspective vortex. I always wanted to understand music and play something, so I did. Went on several residential courses to learn new arts and craft stuff and made things and sometimes sold them really just for the pleasure of it.

The other thing I found was, even with lots of paid expenses, how much it (used to*) cost just being at work and how much less money I needed so I lived off the piggy bank and didn't draw any work pension for 5 years. (Still got one + AVCs I haven't touched but will have to do something with them in a few years time). TBH, I feel better off now than when I was at work but the mortgage was paid off a couple of years after retiring and a few things matured and kept the piggy bank topped up. I guess, in the jargon, I 'fixed the roof while the sun was shining'.

I don't miss having a job.

* before all this working from home, sitting in your pyjamas business.

[Yorick]

But that and other things are not 'doing things' are they? They're more passing time because you've fuck all else to do?
I mean you don't sit at work daydreaming about missed opportunities for 30 mins in the local pool.

Luke going for a long walk, sure it's nice, it's great but it's not "don't know how I had the time to go to work" busy

I'm sure you enjoy your weekends?
It's just like weekends every without thinking about work on Monday.

[mangocrazy]

But that and other things are not 'doing things' are they? They're more passing time because you've fuck all else to do?
I mean you don't sit at work daydreaming about missed opportunities for 30 mins in the local pool.

Luke going for a long walk, sure it's nice, it's great but it's not "don't know how I had the time to go to work" busy

I'm sure you enjoy your weekends?
It's just like weekends every without thinking about work on Monday.

I quite often need to ask what day of the week it is. I suspect that defines retirement for a lot of folk, and I'm comfortable with that. The big thing is the fact that your time is now your own to spend how you wish.

It's no coincidence that in my father/grandfather's generation, when you retired the typical gift from work was a carriage clock. This symbolised that you were now being given back 'your time'.

[Mr. Dazzle]

My mum got a Barometer.

Something about pressure? I dunno...

[Tricky]

Age 61,I retired a couple of months back,not missed it for a minute.I took one pension 18 months ago as I was retiring but got talked out of it at the last moment.I have another pension that I''ll take when I'm 65 & the state pension when / if I get to 67.
For the last 3 years I've been shunting trailers round a depot & what I noticed was that as the drivers came in to finish their shift some of them would hurry up so that they could go home,but others would hang around talking to everyone,then you'd see a few of them talking on the car park.I realised that for some of them,as well as work,it was a big social thing
The shunters are a team of 4 & on my last day I said to one of them,age 71,'I don't know how you do this at your age,fair play to you if you enjoy it but I've had enough'.His reply was that he hated the place but it wasn't as bad as being at home with his wife
Another driver used to joke with me about retirement & one day he told me that he'd mentioned me to his wife as he found it hard to believe that I would pack it in,but over a few months he started to think about what I had said & what I would do with my time,he realised that he had no hobbie's,in effect all he had done all his life was work & he wouldn't know what to do with all that spare time.I'm sure there are a lot of people like that
Not me though

I'm 61 and retired just over a year ago now, and I will admit I found " being retired" really quite difficult mentally until probably 3 or 4 months ago when it just sort of clicked in my head properly.
Aside from all my own pleasure stuff I've had a lot going on the last year , mainly as a result of having parents near and then at the end of life and it's definitely not been a case of my ever being bored or not having something to do for me, as I've done loads and still have a list that I haven't got around to yet that's as long as my arm.

For me my problem with retirement was a mental one- a sort of uneasy feeling of most things suddenly being far less time-critical than they have been for pretty much all of my adult life to date , and a real feeling of loss of some self-worth because I felt wasn't producing anything ( not that I ever did really produce anything other than money in my working life ), and still should have been doing more.

I guess at least some of that was because I have been and probably still am what most people would call quite driven- I have worked without a break all of my life since leaving college, aside for a year and a bit off 30 years ago traveling, and stopping all that suddenly , even though I'd thought about it and had given a long period of notice to exit my working life it just felt really strange, and almost like I was doing something illegal too

After just over a year I've come to terms with that feeling- I'm not saying that I won't ever " work" again, as I think I probably will at some point but I'm fortunate enough to not have any concerns about money so I have the choice and don't have to ever have to unless I want to- Iccy sums it up well in a sentence below better than I have I think

Anyway, it's taken a while but I'm now really comfortable with this lifestyle, am embracing it, and loving being able to do things that I never really could before, like lots of trips anywhere I/we fancy almost when we fancy , ad-hoc daytime pints or lunch etc with mates, green-laning /muddy biking ("enduro " in yorick-speak) on weekdays , and I can pretty much spend as much time as I want in the garage or house, garden etc faffing about

I think I already said it on a thread, but retirement for me simply means doing exactly what I want to, when I want to.

It might be sitting doing nothing for a week, sailing around the world or doing some sort of job, but it will be whatever I want to do without any kind of burdens like having to earn money or be on the clock somewhere.

If you have to make lists or work out a routine then you’re probably missing the point.

Yup pretty much nail on the head for me, and how I view it now

[JackyJoll]

For me my problem with retirement was a mental one- a sort of uneasy feeling of most things suddenly being far less time-critical than they have been for pretty much all of my adult life to date , and a real feeling of loss of some self-worth because I felt wasn't producing anything ( not that I ever did really produce anything other than money in my working life ), and still should have been doing more.

I recognise all that!

[JackyJoll]

In Feb last year, I was moaning:

The later scheme has paid nothing yet, because there are Additional Voluntary Contributions. No money can be released until the AVC money is settled in an annuity (or whatever the pensioner does with it). I did not know that, until they sent the forms last November.

Yes it has taken this long for the fate of the AVC money to be negotiated.

It took from New Year until May, before they started paying.

[Potter]

For me my problem with retirement was a mental one- a sort of uneasy feeling of most things suddenly being far less time-critical than they have been for pretty much all of my adult life to date , and a real feeling of loss of some self-worth because I felt wasn't producing anything ( not that I ever did really produce anything other than money in my working life ), and still should have been doing more.

I guess at least some of that was because I have been and probably still am what most people would call quite driven- I have worked without a break all of my life since leaving college, aside for a year and a bit off 30 years ago traveling, and stopping all that suddenly , even though I'd thought about it and had given a long period of notice to exit my working life it just felt really strange, and almost like I was doing something illegal too

I'm struggling to find the right word for it, but possibly guilt(?) about quitting work when you're perfectly capable of carrying on?

In another thread I said that I'd probably feel guilty about not achieving what I know I can. E.g. if I know I am capable of providing a very nice life for my family, then it seems selfish not to, but you can extend this to infinity, so as another example, I know that if I carry on until I'm sixty I will be able to make all three of our kids well-off just by handing them a cheque, and so it doesn't feel quite right to stop just because I have enough for me and my wife. I've been lucky, maybe they won't be, so why throw my luck up the wall and chance theirs.

That's why I probably should stop asap, because otherwise I'll never get out of the mindset that I'm a father/provider/worker.
The trouble with a lot of people is that they don't retire until they're old and by then they're completely hardwired and can't stop being who they have been for 50-60yrs