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09th May 2022

Retirement

Ready for Retirement? When we have spent many years working for a living, we can often find ourselves dreaming our lives away, yearning for the day when we can finally retire. In the UK at the moment the age that men and women can claim their state pension is 66 but this will increase to 67 by 2028, younger people won’t be able to claim until they are 68. Of course if you have been able to pay enough into a private pension or you have a good work pension you may be able to retire earlier.

At work we often find ourselves clock watching and daydreaming about the day we can do the things we would much rather be doing, like spend more time with our family and friends, relax more, have fun, learn new things, get fitter and maybe even give back to society in some way. All this and more is possible once you are able to retire

Whatever age you are able to retire, when the big day does come, it’s probably wise to have some idea and a bit of a plan in your mind of what you are going to do. Quite often people finish working and end up floundering because they have only thought about how much spare time they will have without thinking about how to spend it wisely. We tend to stick to routines when we are at work and it may help to continue this when you do actually retire. Once you have decided what you want to do with your time, you can work out which days you want to do what and how much time you are going to spend doing these things, or indeed not doing anything at all some days, it’s your life and you will be able do whatever you want if and when you want to…happy days.

Travelling

Many people like to travel and once retired the freedom to go where, when and however you like is there for the taking.  You will be able to stay for as long as you want and return whenever the fancy takes you (personal circumstances permitting of course) whether you are travelling by air, sea, road or rail you are free to do whatever you want and have fun at the same time.

If you don’t want to travel too much, hiring a caravan or camper van/motor home is a great way to spend time away from home and get you out in the fresh open air.  There are many sites across the UK to park up and camp and there are many beautiful places to visit across the country in a motor home.  The freedom of the open road, how exciting!

Once you have reached State Pension age you can apply for an Older Person's Bus Pass and then you can travel wherever you want for free - local or further, the choice is yours.

Gardening

If travel isn’t your thing, how about learning a new hobby? or indeed continuing with one you already have, after all you now have the time. Gardening is a great way to while away the hours, especially during the summer months, when we can relax in the garden  afterwards with a beverage and admire the fruits of our labour.

Growing your own plants is very satisfying, especially growing your own food.  There is nothing quite like eating fresh home produced tomatoes in a salad, or potatoes that have been picked by your own fair hands.  You don’t need a large garden to grow your own produce, many things can be grown in tubs and small raised beds. In fact a grow bag can yield a fine crop of tomatoes and you don’t need that much room for those.

Dancing

Perhaps dancing is your choice of activity.  With the ever popular “Strictly” on our screens, more and more people are joining dance classes or accessing online classes and learning routines in their own home.

Dancing is a great way to exercise whilst having fun at the same time.  Going to a dance class could also provide the benefit of meeting new people, allowing your social life to take a boost from it.  Depending on your physical ability you could learn anything from the Waltz to the Jive, imagine impressing your friends and family with your new moves at the next get together.

Walking

Walking is an activity that can be enjoyed anywhere and at any time.  Going for a lovely long walk in the countryside, on the beach or even just locally can be a real pleasure and if you are a dog lover, having their company is even better. 

There are many benefits to walking: just getting out in the fresh air enables you to soak up the vitamin D your body needs to keep healthy (don’t forget the sunscreen in Summer) and the low impact activity can help to maintain bone and muscle strength. It’s not only good for your physical health, your mental health will also benefit as it can reduce stress, improve your mood, increase energy and as a result can help you to sleep better. 

You don’t need expensive clothing to go walking, just wear something comfortable and dress according to the weather and the kind of walk you are going on.  Walking shoes or trainers are good for this activity, make sure they are comfortable and won’t rub your feet or give you blisters.  Not only will you feel better for walking, your bank balance will be happy as it’s completely free…win win.

Learning

You’re never too old to learn new things and there are lots of classes and courses available nowadays that can be done in the evenings, or you could do part time/full time, day/weekend classes and even online if you so wish.  The Open University’s Open Learn has lots of free courses on offer with a large variety of subjects to choose from and which can be done online in the comfort of your own home. 

If you are more interested in learning via a course where you can interact with people, you can find details of where classes are in your area from your local council or library.  They can point you in the right direction for adult learning.

Volunteering

Maybe you have decided to give something back to society. One rewarding way of doing this is to do voluntary work. It’s a great way to learn new skills or use your existing ones, it can help you to meet new people and you will be making a difference to the community. Do-it.org is a database of volunteering opportunities in the UK. There you can search over a million volunteering opportunities by location, activity or interest and then if you find anything you would like to do, you can apply online. You could check your local paper for any volunteering adverts or contact various charities in your area. You could also try the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) to look for volunteering opportunities in your area.

So the above are just a few of the ways that you could use your time once you have retired, there are many more ways you will be able to keep yourself occupied (and moving) but in the meantime just relax in your riser recliner chair whenever you get the chance and have a think about all of the things you want to do yourself and maybe work out a routine to follow when the big day comes.  Happy Retirement!