Community Chat

[flickerbulb]

In my school district, they are always holding retirement seminars at the district office as well as from numerous outside retirement and financial planners.

Have you take advantage of any of these services yet? That might be the first place to start.

[lolakimono]

@buyornot

Everyone has already said what I would have advised, but...

in my building we have lots of teachers who come back to help out with subbing, and they are in demand.  You can sub here and there, or commit to a few days (available on Mondays/Fridays) if you are finding that you need some extra money.  We also have some that prefer to do tutoring, or the side gigs like evening school/summer school and home/hospital teaching.  You can make a lot of money on the side doing that, without a huge time commitment.  

[Magny]

Congratulations!  One of the best things I did immediately was to join the Y.  They offer the Silver Sneakers classes & lots of other exercises as well.  It's so much a part of my routine that my husband calls it " my job"!  I feel as good as I always have, & my doctor says I look 10 years younger.  Other gyms offer Silver Sneakers as well, & it may be paid for, depending on your insurance.

[CalminHeart]

It took me 5 minutes to adjust to retirement (last summer).  I decided to work parttime and do so in customer service at a grocery store.  They actually pay me to laugh and talk with customers!   I take care of my elderly parents and disabled sister can do that now without as much stress and still have time for my own life.  

[roxxy1]

So very jealous of all of you retirees.

I can't wait to retire.  Wish I could tomorrow !

Enjoy your freedom ladies.........

[SaRina]

I knew very early on in my career that retirement was definitely for me. I worked hard, saved hard, and was able to retire fairly young, but that left more years ahead to manage my life personally and financially. Probably the most important post-retirement area IMO are health benefits. I am fortunate and my last job provided a very good plan into retirement.

Personally, retirement was easy for me. You have to know your own personality. If you are hyper and active like @cotton4me :-), you'll want to make sure you have activities lined up to keep you busy in retirement. Routine will be important.  Allow yourself a week of luxury, sleep late, do nothing, then set your alarm clock and plan your days according to a routine. Me? I'm very laid back and can either be physically active or be content to relax at home all day. I just don't feel pressure to "do things", so while I have some routine to my day, my day is usually unplanned. 

Financially, I have only had to make minor adjustments, if any. Like others have said, I don't need clothes at all, have used my car less. A plus for me is that I have never desired "extras" like manis, hair salons, eating out, movies, etc...  and I don't have expensive taste. One thing I practiced doing at the outset to help in the financial transition was consciously asking myself -- if I saw something I wanted -- "Do I need this?" Almost 100% of the time the answer is no. Asking yourself this question for every purchase becomes habit and prevents impulse buying... and if you have been in the habit of ordering a lot from tv or on-line, you may want to curtail these activities for a while to get out of that habit.

I know I was born not to work, lol, and I can't express how thrilled I was to retire. It was everything I waited for... and more. The freedom to do as you please and not have to answer to anyone is indescribable.

Congrats and best wishes!

[pommom]

Congrats!!!  

Retirement:  where every day is a vacation day.

Enjoy!

[Yardlie]

First of all, congratulations on your retirement! I love retirement. To me, it's the best time of my life.

I just wanted to mention that my closest friend here is a teacher. She retired about five years ago. She knew things would be tighter financially, but after she retired, she freaked out about finances. Her house still was not paid off. So...she ended up going back to work as a full-time substitute teacher. She's been teaching ever since. She said that for her, besides the finances, she doesn't know what to do with herself. She is single.

I have another close friend in another city who said the same thing...too much time on her hands and doesn't know what to do with it.

I have never had that problem. I am a caregiver for my mother, but even before that, I kept very busy volunteering, taking up a couple new hobbies, meeting friends for lunch once a week, and joining our community band. DH and I also like to cook together, and we've taken a couple classes in cooking in different cuisines. Plus...I can never find enough time to read as much as I would like.

Besides seeing the financiall planner, I would recommend thinking out the types of things you would like to do after retirement...and then follow through. Best of luck to you!

[software]

Congratulations!

Like another poster mentioned, seek out any & all professional advice from your union, human resource department, there may also be a  council on aging with tons of advice, all free.    

Lock down your health insurance.  Be sure you sign up for everything you are entitled to.  Even if you can stay on your current insurance, don't forget about Medicare.  

Oh yes the Social Security website had a lot of information.

When I saw retirement on my horizon, I put myself on a tight budget.   I'll be ready in about 11 months!

@buyornot

[Jaspersmom]

Congratulations!  I am a retired teacher, so I completely understand your mixed emotions.  Every profession is unique, but I think teaching is very special and thus, it can be a tough choice to walk away from it. 

I wish I could speak to you in person to share all of the things that will happen, but since that can't be, I'll mention a few. 

Financially, you will probably need fewer "things", so you'll be able to stretch your money a bit.  For example, I buy very few clothes now which is big change from when I was working.  My closet was packed with suits, slacks, dressy blouses, shoes, etc.  Now, most of my clothes are casual since I don't have to dress to impress anyone. 

The best piece of advice is to be certain you have a social group of some type.  I find my retired friends fit somewhat into three categories:  those who spend a lot of time with their grandchildren, those who travel extensively and those who work part time.  That's not to say others don't do other things.  Of course they do, but those are the biggest interests.

When I first retired, I did a lot of lunches.  Meeting this one for lunch and that one for lunch.  It got old after a while and I knew I needed something else.  The two big things in my life are working part time at a college and volunteering for Canine Companions for Independence. CCI is a national organization that provides service dogs for people with disabilities. 

I don't know if you'll have a pension, but if you do and are eligible for social security, you should be fine financially.

Best advice?  Take that trip you've always wanted to take, join that group, get out in the fresh air and cherish each day.

Congratualtions again.  You are going to love retirement and although you will miss people you worked with and of course, the kids, the fun you'll have will make up for all that.  Enjoy!!!