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Staring down...

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by KellyLovesVegas, Aug 24, 2015.

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  1. KellyLovesVegas

    KellyLovesVegas Earthling/retired space nerd

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    The barrel of retirement. My last day at work is this Friday.

    For those VMBers who are retired, tell me:
    1. What you enjoy most about being retired,
    and
    2. What you like the least about being retired.

    Thanks :)
     
  2. vegasvic

    vegasvic VIP Whale

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    You suck ;)
     
  3. RebelDiceMan

    RebelDiceMan VIP Whale

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    I retired May 28 but because I was in education I didn't feel retired until August 2 when the 15-16 school year started. So I am still sort of feeling things out.

    Things I like about retirement:

    Other than when I set one so that I can make hotel check-out on time after a long night of gambling, I have not heard an alarm clock since I left work.
    I never feel like I have to be in a hurry
    My stress level has gone from an 8 to a 2
    I now get more than 5 hours of sleep a night
    I can have a workout every day now

    Things that I dislike about retirement

    Probably my biggest gripe is that I cannot announce football this year. I have been doing the public address announcing at Ray Stadium for every football team in my school district (Meridian Wildcats & 3 middle schools) for the last 15 years. The State of Mississippi has a 90 day window that retirees from any state agency cannot work in any capacity (even as an unpaid volunteer) for any agency that contributes to our state retirement system. For educators, that 90 days doesn't start until the next school year. Therefore I am sitting in the stands instead of the pressbox and so far it sucks.
    I miss seeing a lot of the people I saw regularly while working
    I miss the kids at my school

    Overall, the plusses are way in the lead. Once we move to our recently purchased condo on the MS Gulf Coast, I think the plusses will be winning in a landslide.

    Good Luck with your retirement.

    Came back for a quick edit on the cons: Seeing the Dow go down 500 points on Friday and 600 points on the following Monday. Before I retired, I never looked at financial news much other than my monthly statements from my investment companies. I was completely calm because I knew I was in for the long term. Now, my long term is much shorter and big drops in the market are much more troubling.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2015
  4. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    I guess I am semi retired. I don't think I could ever give up work completely, but in the past year I have gone from working 60+ hours a week to about 15 now. Thing I like most is being able to sleep in and do whatever I want during the day. Being able to enjoy the mid-day sun, run errands without crowds, things like that. What I like least is having too much downtime by myself. All my friends and family still work. And there are some weeks I want to interact with them more, but of course they are busy
     
    The plans have changed
    Post-Shopping Recovery Period
  5. phantomfj

    phantomfj High-Roller

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    1. do what you want when you want
    no more getting up at 430 am !
    not having to deal with my dick wad boss
    spend quality time with my lady, our schedules never seemed to match much before I called er quits
    no more stress about work, getting things done, etc
    No more call outs to work at 2 am!
    There is much more, believe me!!!

    2. I do kinda miss some of the people I worked with
    sometimes I miss the technical challenges at work, it feels so good to troubleshoot, solve and fix problems!
    Not much else, to be honest

    A big thing about retirement, you need something to replace those work hours with, or you might go nuts. I "retired" pretty young (48), but I had an interest in the stock market so I spend a lot of time on that now.........but now I live on the west coast so the markets close at 1 pm my time...........off to the golf course!.......lol........
    I also moved to beautiful place on Vancouver Island, so different from my life on the praires........lots of new things to explore and do!

    Good luck on the retirement and...................................................ENJOY
     
  6. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    I'm totally jealous. I want to retire already, sick of work, sick of the games and politicking going on. The only good thing is that I now have a countdown clock till my retirement. my number is at 41 (months) so hopefully planning on retiring at the end of 2018. I could probably go at the end of 2017 but figure to stick around to see what the plans are for the office, plus get a little more in my pension.

    Yeah, I was wondering what some people do when they are retired. I figured I need to have some mental stimulation but not sure where to go to get it (when I'm retired). I will be going to the gym and golfing more often but that doesn't help me get any mental stimulation.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2015
  7. bobby jones

    bobby jones VIP Whale

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    retirement at 40??? how did you manage that?
     
  8. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    Retired 7+ years ago at 55.

    Pros:
    We walk the dog every morning around 7 and I just say thanks when I see the commuters going by.

    I maybe have to use the alarm clock 3 times per year and that is just if we have an early flight.

    No more getting up when it is still dark out in the middle of winter and possibly snowing. OK, not a factor where you are Kelly, but very important. I despised those mornings at 4:30 AM, having to get up at 3:30AM.

    Its been known to snow here in Wisconsin and if it does, we just say screw it, lets just stay home. No more commutes home in the snow for what should take 30 mins and takes 2 hours.

    No more trying to arrange our vacations around our two different work schedules.

    Just the overall freedom!

    Cons:
    I really have none, except maybe I spend too much time on the web, but I enjoy it.

    My wife quit her job 11 years ago, too young to retire. Since I couldn't come up with any cons, I asked her if she had any. Her answer: why did I wait so long!
     
  9. bubbakitty

    bubbakitty Doing retirement again and happily so....

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    I beat Joe by a year but found out I couldn't keep my calendar straight because I never knew what day it was. We don't get a daily paper and no one in sports cares what day it is unless there is a big series to be played on the weekend. But when my wife was still in bed @ 7:00 a.m. I knew she was sick, dead, or it was Saturday.

    Went back to work part time at a golf course in town and now am somewhat familiar with the days of the week.

    My suggestion is make sure you are ready; when ready do it. It is just the next phase in your life similar to those phases you told your kids about, post high school, college, independence from the nest.

    Once you come to grips with being age appropriate for retirement (post 40) you only have to accept the timeline has an ending after all. But you do have more time to take care of yourself and as others have noted, the stress level goes wayyyy down until the next time you are dealt 4-to a Royal.

    Good luck in your decision and adapting to a new lifestyle.
     
  10. Electroguy563

    Electroguy563 Vegas Joker

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    I can't tell you how it is being retired, because as much as I want to, I can't...yet. Just wanted to tell you that your post brought tears to my eyes, because I am so jealous but also because I am so happy for you.

    Enjoy your retirement! I just know that there has got to be more pros than cons to it!
     
  11. Breeze147

    Breeze147 Button Man

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    Retired three years on 8/31. From the Department Of Defense, Department Of The Navy, Construction Planner And Estimator.

    Pros (for me)
    No more bullshit and lies.
    No more "selling" of jobs to contracts.
    No more "selling" of contracts to customers.
    By selling I mean convincing people this is the best thing for them. I never took a dime in favors from anyone. Can't say the same for everyone.
    No more begging for funding.
    No more listening to incredibly stupid people having incredibly stupid arguments and conversations.
    No more dealing with prima donnas.
    No more incredibly stupid bosses toeing the incredibly stupid company line beyond common sense.
    No more promotions based on ass-kissing.
    No more being a team leader when only one or two people on the team give a shit and the deadline miss is on me and I take the blame because I am so "noble".
    No more estimating roof jobs when it's a -15 chill factor or a +110 heat index.
    No more watching former government employees selling their souls down the river for the bucks.
    No more getting up at 5:00 A.M.
    No more being the "expert" and not being paid in accordance with it.
    The absolute freedom to do what I want whenever I want to do it.

    Cons - Things I miss.
    Friendship and interaction. You can't gauge how much you will miss your friends and the daily soap opera.
    The getting to know people from all over and all walks of life. I worked on a military base and I got to meet and converse with people from all over the world, from the Filipino lady who cleaned our office to the Admiral who ran the show and everyone in between.
    Being well thought of and relied upon.
    The awesome responsibility I had which I could never have dreamed possible. When you sign your name on multi-million dollar contract in the block that says "For The United States Of America", there is an entire range of emotions and gratitude that a guy from my humble beginnings reached such a position. I am very proud of that.

    Edit to add: Between my pension and Social Security, I am making $200 less a month than I was when I was working. That's one buy-in at a $10 Craps table.
     
  12. KellyLovesVegas

    KellyLovesVegas Earthling/retired space nerd

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    Thank you for your reply. Vancouver Island is beautiful, you must love living there among all the lush greenery.
    I agree it is very important to have something to do. For the past 8 years, I've planned to open a personal training/athletic conditioning business as my retirement 'hobby', so I am looking forward to writing my business plan and getting started.
     
  13. KellyLovesVegas

    KellyLovesVegas Earthling/retired space nerd

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    Thank you for your response. I'm looking forward to going to the gym and going for a run every day, instead of alternating days. And the lowered stress level will be a definite plus!
     
  14. KellyLovesVegas

    KellyLovesVegas Earthling/retired space nerd

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    Thank you for your response, UKFan. It sounds nice to run errands without fighting traffic and crowds. I am also looking forward to watching a lot more NCAA basketball games in preparation for the tournament.
     
  15. KellyLovesVegas

    KellyLovesVegas Earthling/retired space nerd

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    Thank you for your response, Joe. We don't have snow worries now, but had our share of getting up early to shovel/snowblow the driveway before sliding our way to work when we lived in Kansas.

    It will be much easier to plan our Vegas trips and I'm looking forward to less use of the alarm clock!
     
  16. KellyLovesVegas

    KellyLovesVegas Earthling/retired space nerd

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    Thank you for your response, bubbakitty. I am looking forward to spending more time at the gym every day, as well as going for runs daily.
     
  17. KellyLovesVegas

    KellyLovesVegas Earthling/retired space nerd

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    Thank you, Electroguy563 :)
     
  18. KellyLovesVegas

    KellyLovesVegas Earthling/retired space nerd

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    Thank you for your response, Breeze. I can tell you really enjoyed much about your job. I'm the same way, and I will miss the daily interaction with my group. I've worked with some colleagues for over 10 years.
     
  19. captainron62

    captainron62 VIP Whale

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    I retired from my government job at age 35. I had double fusion neck surgery so I was basically forced into a medical retirement. I didn't do a thing for a couple years other than begin my LV hobby and bought a Keurig for my all day coffee drinking sessions.

    After a year or so I started to get bored. Firstly most of your friends are still working when you retire young. The second issue is since I have kids still in school I just couldn't pick up and leave. Breeze hit the nail right on the head, you really miss the interaction you had with co-workers, the feeling of being on a team and part of something. Once I fully recovered I tried a few other vocations and after about the third try I found something that is really low stress and enjoyable. I get enough interaction to satisfy me, but I don't have the stress of being responsible for others or up against any big time problems.

    I am bouncing back out as soon as my kids are out of school, I have about 7 or 8 years left. My daughter is threatening law school, so that my change my mind, but I am enjoying my second career for now.

    The first year I retired I would frequently wake up in the morning thinking I was late for work!
     
  20. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    I'm jealous and enjoy reading this thread, as I'm planning to retire in 5 years at 62. Hope you're able to make the next phase of your life ALL you want it to be!!!
     
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