Retirement

[BigMan]

I am luck to be retiring in November at 59 and we are looking to get out camping more and do other stuff as we don't want to become typical retirees by pottering around in the shed and going to garden centres for lunch every day.

I think we have quite a few retired Cali owners on here so it would be good to hear how you divide your time without becoming bored?

How do you motivate yourselves every day to get out of bed?

 

[Walrus]

I wake up, remember I don't have to go to work, smile and get up to enjoy another day of freedom! It's worked for the last six years.

 

[MarkVw2017]

....... typical retirees by pottering around in the shed and going to garden centres for lunch every day.

Think im must living the typical retired lifestyle but unfortunately whikst still working.

 

[Jay586]

I've not been in a employed job for years, super busy doing not too much at all. Not even had time (or vehicle due to windscreen this summer) to actually camp. Must fix this.

What currently motivates you to get out of bed? Do more of the things you like.

 

[Meoncoast]

typical retirees by pottering around in the shed and going to garden centres for lunch every day.

When you retire you can potterer around and make the tea & lunch and in your, Cali to avoid the garden centre.

 

[Ocean Spirit]

See this >>>2020 Freedom<<<<
Thats my plan.
That would be an early retirement date so I would like to do some part time work but then, I intend to to stay active by increasing my running and and cycling. Free adventures from my mobile changing room.
No doubt I'll have ups and downs because sometimes I just don't feel like it and the less you do the less you want to do IME.
Play my sax more often and plenty of things to do around the house too.

 

[Bellcrew]

I am luck to be retiring in November at 59 and we are looking to get out camping more and do other stuff as we don't want to become typical retirees by pottering around in the shed and going to garden centres for lunch every day.

I think we have quite a few retired Cali owners on here so it would be good to hear how you divide your time without becoming bored?

How do you motivate yourselves every day to get out of bed?

What do you do on Saturday? just think that everyday is part of a continuous weekend without worrying what you boss/client/customer wants etc.
The fact that you have a California should keep you busy exploring the UK and Europe for a few years, if you have good health please yourself and make the time count.

 

[larrylamb]

When you retire you can potterer around and make the tea & lunch and in your, Cali to avoid the garden centre.

You can fit a lot of plants in the Cali, do both lol.

 

[westfalia]

I know some retired people who don´t have much
time at all.
Even they say that they don´t know how they found the time for working.

 

[Duncan]

Plenty of herbs in my Cali

 

[westfalia]

Plenty of herbs in my Cali

Hi.

No but i will be later.

 

[GrannyJen]

I am incredibly busy and hardly have time to fit everything in

80 nights away in 9 months with Alfie and so much in the itinerary the next five years are booked up

The odd speaking engagement, less than some would like me to give:

Walking my Dogs:

Running events all around the country:

Friends and family taking up a lot of my time:

Writing silly things instead of boring history books

cooking: food and wine is a passion:

 

[H Marriage]

I retired at 59 last December. My husband, who is 60 decided to take a ‘gap year’! So in January, we set off for our year long adventure around Europe in Oscar, our Acapulco Blue 4 motion Ocean. We haven’t looked back! We started off with the North Coast 500 (yes - in January!! Mad, but very quiet), then travelled down through England visiting friends and family, before catching ferry to Santander. So far, we have travelled to Spain, Portugal, Italy (including Sicily), Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and now currently in Greece. We still have three months or so left, working our way back up through Europe to Scotland, before my poor husband has to go back to work. Our three sons have joined us at various points, the youngest in Croatia, the eldest in Iceland, and the middle one on a road trip up to Nordkapp. We’ve been having a ball. I would recommend it to anyone contemplating retirement with their Cali!

 

[SimonB]

We retired in 2015 and bought our California 3 months later. I volunteer as a tracklayer on the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland railway in Snowdonia. I also volunteer on the Lynton & Barnstaple railway in Devon. I have been volunteering building cycle paths around the country. My wife keeps equally busy.
In the time that is left we go away in the Cali for long weekends to gardens, NT properties and meeting friends.
There are now 6 Saturdays in each week and 1 Sunday. We don't know how we managed to fit work in and certainly don't have time to get bored.

 

[Rich20]

I retired in May and took on some part time work to keep me active. I have strong will power to stop me sitting around thinking about doing things rather than getting on doing things.

 

[Borris]

I am luck to be retiring in November at 59 and we are looking to get out camping more and do other stuff as we don't want to become typical retirees by pottering around in the shed and going to garden centres for lunch every day.

I think we have quite a few retired Cali owners on here so it would be good to hear how you divide your time without becoming bored?

How do you motivate yourselves every day to get out of bed?

"Time", "bored", if only!

Sadly, despite our dreams of regularly driving off into the sunset, we sold our gorgeous nearly new SE 4motion last year because we discovered that we just didn't have the available time to use it as we had originally intended. It just sat there and our local feathered fiends got more use out of it for their target practice.

For the last few years we have regularly looked after our three nearest young grandchidren whilst their parents work. When we are not looking after them we are either clearing up the devastation the little dears have left behind or are playing catch up on the tasks we haven't had the time to do whilst they've been with us. Don't get me wrong it's a privilege to be so involved with thier early years and I wouldn't have it any other way. However, we don't need motivation just peace and quiet and that's where our Cali Beach comes in handy. We often go off out for the day, park up somewhere nice, read, cook, eat, doze and generally have a superb time.

The youngest little one of this trio started school on Monday, went down with tonsillitis on Wednesday and by yesterday I had her and her sister at home on the sick list whilst Mrs B was out doing her one day a week job. It was the perfect storm! They were too ill to go to school but well enough to wreck the house in their usual highly efficient manner. So today it was off to the National Trust site above the docks at Dover. We had a fabulous picnic, listened to a play on radio four had forty or more winks and tested the parking heater. Perfect.

So I wouldn't worry as almost everyone that I have ever spoken to about retirement have said the same thing. You'll never have been busier.

 

[SimonB]

I should have added on my earlier post, the benefit of our retirement to our neighbours.
We have become the "Click & Collect" point for many of the delivery firms that come to our street. I know most of the regular drivers now and we often have a pile of parcels in the hall.

 

[Tetley2]

I wake up, remember I don't have to go to work, smile and get up to enjoy another day of freedom! It's worked for the last six years.

That's exactly what I do. Retired 4 years ago at 52, now enjoy many happy days/trips with our greyhound (also retired)!

 

[Richardmk]

I retired 7 years ago at 62, and wish I had done it at least 10 years earlier. I bought a Cali and a Collie at about the same time, drive one and walk the other, and can’t believe where time goes.

I find that I watch less TV, read more books and write for interest rather than to earn money. I’ve discovered foraging, fermentation and real food. I do still take on the odd consultancy task - but from interest rather than necessity.

Retirement has been very liberating for me, and has opened my mind to numerous opportunities that I had never considered.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WelshGas]

Retired 30th November 2014 and picked up my California SE on the 1st December 2014, and have clocked up 74,000 miles since.
Toured Scandinavia and most of Europe on numerous trips. Off to Venice and Padua this Autumn for 3 weeks.
In between visited one son in California 3 times and another in Australia twice so far.
Have found time to join a Social Bowls club and taken up Archery. Daily walks, when home . Multiple visits around the U.K., day trips to London courtesy of GWR and Senior Rail Card - £45 Return 1st Class. Gardening & tinkering with this that and the other.
No time for work and the NHS have finally got the message - they’ve stopped phoning me offering Locum Anaesthetic sessions.

 

[hirsty]

I literally cannot bloody wait - we all spend far too much of our limited time on earth working & for what benefit? I’m hoping my next job will be 4-days a weeks as a minor consolation ...

 

[Trev]

Currently weighing up on an almost daily basis "should we chuck it all in and go off in the Cali?". Not realistic today due to the ages of our children but it's becoming an increasingly attractive option. We will not have anywhere near the same amount of money but when you sit looking at a view somehow the money doesn't seem as important. As long as there is enough to pay the bills ...... Good luck!

 

[Ocean Spirit]

We will not have anywhere near the same amount of money but when you sit looking at a view somehow the money doesn't seem as important. As long as there is enough to pay the bills ...... Good luck!

Thats how I feel exactly....
Some people prefer to amass a maximum pension (and wouldn't that be great!!!)
But others (like me and you by the sounds of it) would prefer to maximise the time once it becomes affordable to get by

 

[soulstyledevon]

I literally cannot bloody wait - we all spend far too much of our limited time on earth working & for what benefit? I’m hoping my next job will be 4-days a weeks as a minor consolation ...

I dropped my working hours once our first born arrived. Went from the usual 36.5 hr week, down to 24. Which was 5 days, down to 3.

It was difficult at first taking the drop in money, but you quickly learn what’s important and where you money needs to go.

Loving the extra time, to spend with my little guy and generally enjoying the extra free time.

 

[Verity]

When my dad retired he didn't get out there and do stuff, and he just sat around watching tv and drinking too much so the parents never went out and enjoyed themselves. Dad had a good pension, so the money pot grew and grew as they weren't spending anything. Now they are 83 and both have dementia, I've just had to find them a care home which is costing £1600 per week so that's where their lovely retirement fund is going. I will not let this happen to us. My folks saved hard, never had holidays or extravagances, had a very dull life and now all their money will go to the care home. My inlaws spent every penny they had (admittedly not a great deal) on caravans, holidays and generally enjoying themselves and now have a nice little council bungalow and a free pass to a care home when they need it. Who were the clever ones here?