EARLY RETIREMENT? UN-RETIREMENT? OR SOMETHING IN-BETWEEN?

Can you retire early? What if your circumstances change? Is there a middle ground?

WHY DID I RETIRE EARLY?

For those of you who don't know my long and winding road to admitting defeat and leaving my horrible job three years ago, you can read about it HERE. Basically it boiled down to - leave while I still had a shred of sanity left, or stay and be crushed by the weight of the drama and tension that was a constant in my workplace. I chose to leave.

I didn't realize at the time that I was also choosing retirement nearly ten years earlier than I expected to...

When I first left the horrible job, I thought I'd rest and recover for a while and then head back into the 9-5 daily grind. But, life (and a pandemic) had other plans.....time went by and returning to work became less of an attractive option - and more of a dreaded future fate.

HOW WOULD I HANDLE EARLY RETIREMENT?

The idea of being retired at 57 wasn't even on my radar when I quit my job. Who retires at 57? Didn't we need more money in our retirement fund? Didn't I need a job to define me? Wouldn't I be at a loose end with no structure to my week? Wouldn't my husband and I drive each other crazy? How would we survive on less than half of what we were earning? So many questions and no real answers. Until we sat down and actually looked at the reality.

And the reality was:
  • Anyone can retire at 57 if they've lived frugally and saved wisely.
  • We had savings and a retirement fund, so we weren't living week to week.
  • My job wasn't who I was - it was just one small part of my life.
  • I had already started filling my non-working days with other interests - so more days weren't going to be a problem.
  • My husband and I actually like each other and our house is big enough to have space if we need it.
  • If you're not a big spender and you're debt free then you don't need a lot to live on.

Once we checked our finances could handle me not working, early retirement actually began to look quite appealing - so why not give it a shot?

it's never too late for a new beginning

HOW DID EARLY RETIREMENT PAN OUT?

Well, all I can say is that I think I was born to be retired. It took a while to recover my mojo and feel like my resilience was back, then covid closed everything down for a while....but all in all, that gave me extra time to adjust my sails and see if living a slower life would work for me. I found that I actually really enjoyed being UnBusy. I liked the freedom and flexibility of not having to schedule my week around my work commitments.

I settled into a lovely loose routine that included long morning walks, volunteering, coffee dates, an exercise class, Tai Chi, blogging, trying some creative pursuits, reading, having time for family visits....and so much more. Life was very pleasant indeed and felt quite full. But life is never static and change happens.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE'S A GLITCH?

Towards the end of last year my hip began to really cause me problems - after many years of working around the issue, I had to admit that it was really impacting my life. And the pain started taking away a lot of the little things I filled my week with. My lovely morning walks became too painful to continue, the exercise class had to be given up, even my late afternoon strolls with my husband became shorter and shorter. 

My volunteering with a local children's playgroup became too hard - I couldn't bend to pick up toys, I couldn't walk far to serve coffee and tea, I couldn't sit on the low seats etc etc. So it was goodbye to that activity as well. With less on my calendar how would I fill my days?

IS UN-RETIRMENT WORTH A TRY?

The empty days in my week had me thinking about whether there was something I could take on that would keep me engaged in life without needing to walk too much. Most volunteer positions involved a fair amount of movement or standing, so they were off the table until I could have a hip replacement next year. 

Slowly the idea of un-retiring started to circulate through the back of my brain. I used to be a receptionist - that's mainly sitting.....could I find a little job somewhere that involved sitting and would give me a new interest, but at the same time not become a drudgery that made me dread Mondays again?

HOW EASY IS IT TO TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS?

I live in the country and jobs are fewer than in the city suburbs, so when a little one day a week job turned up just as I was feeling the need, it seemed too good to be true. Applying for it and getting it was quite surreal. Once I was over that hurdle, I thought returning to a similar job to my old one would be a walk in the park due to all the experience I'd gained over the years. 

I should have realized that nothing is ever easy - it's been a steep learning curve with a new computer system, no previous employee to train me, a new field of medicine to familiarize myself with, a REALLY long work day...lots of things for my poor brain to process. But, you can teach an old dog new tricks, I've learnt what I need to make the day run smoothly, I have an offsider now who does a few hours at the end of the day so I can leave earlier, and this little sojourn into un-retirement has turned out to be a great choice (at least for the short term).

IS RETIREMENT WRITTEN IN STONE?

No, retirement isn't written in stone - it changes, it flexes, it slows down and speeds up. You can stop and start, you can coast along or leap into new adventures. I love the freedom it offers and how it allows me to navigate the problems I'm having with my hip - it would be so much harder to manage the pain etc if I was working several days a week.

I'm enjoying my little part-time un-retirement, but I also love the idea that I can leave at any stage and know that I'll be able to settle into retirement quite happily. This new phase of life is such a joy and I'm grateful for it every day. So... retirement or un-retirement? I think I like something in-between for now.

you always end up where you're meant to be

RELATED POSTS


Can you retire early? What if your circumstances change? Is there a middle ground?

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Can you retire early? What if your circumstances change? Is there a middle ground?

26 comments

  1. Leanne, It appears that you have found exactly where you should be, somewhere in between and again your lovely talent for accommodating change has surfaced.

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    1. Hi Judith - I think I'm learning to go with the flow more these days. I used to have a much more rigid idea of how my life should look (or how I wanted it to be). Now I'm happy to respond to the changes - and that's something I'm quite proud of :)

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  2. Hi Leanne, I think I was born to be retired too ... so long as I have interests to pursue to keep my mind occupied. But I love not having to rush off anywhere and if I feel like a quiet day I can have one. I left work a lot younger than I had planned to but in hindsight, as things have panned out, the timing was spot on. The hiccup for me these days is the time spent over the other side of town looking after my Mum. I hadn't expected that but that's life and she deserves to be looked after after raising five kids and being such a lovely mother. I had wondered if you were still doing your 1 day a week job. Sounds like you've got it all sorted now and I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it. I'm grateful every day that I don't have to rush off to the train for the daily commute to work, especially during these pandemic times. Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Hi Min - being retired takes some of the added pressure of caring for your mum because you're not juggling it round a job. I know it was easier to care for my mum when she had her knee replacement when I wasn't doing it around my work days. The key really is to be grateful for the extra time we've been blessed with to pursue things that we could only do on weekends for all those working years. I love my life now - and I'm even enjoying the little job because it's "one and done" each week - not something that takes over my week or that I dread getting up in the morning for. I think we're rocking this early retirement gig!

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  3. Hi, Leanne - I've greatly enjoyed following your retirement and unretirement journey. I look forward to following more!

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    1. Hi Donna - my retirement is certainly not as active or social as yours, but what I love is that it's different for each of us and we get to shape it around what feels "right" rather than what has to be done to pay the bills. Life is sweet indeed :)

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  4. It does sound like you have found that perfect blend between retirement and working now with the "new" job!

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    1. It feels like that to me too Joanne - I don't see it being long term, but it's really good timing for where I am atm and I'm happy to re-write the ending of my working life - so much nicer than how the last job finished up!

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  5. Hi Leanne, transitions are all about how we adjust and you seem to do that beautifully. I tend to do a thing for as long as it is satisfying or serves a purpose, then I'm off to something else. Right now, I am simply enjoying being free of demands of any kind, including volunteer work. When you leave this job, no doubt it will be on your terms and with positive feelings. It's good that you are giving yourself a do over. You will certainly be ahead of the curve in terms of what to expect in your next retirement.

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    1. Hi Suzanne - I like the "do over" idea. It feels like I get to finish on my terms, rather than as the fallout from someone else's bad behaviour. I'm not doing any volunteer activities atm - first time for decades, and it's actually really nice to have a break. Things will change again next year, but that's the joy of this stage of life isn't it? It's all on our terms for a change :)

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  6. Hi Leanne. Yay. I think I fixed things, so that I can comment! For the longest time, I, like a lot of people, thought that I was defined by my job, or career. It took me years to realize, that I am so much more. I'm so glad that you are happy at this phase of your life. Have a great week, dear friend! xxx

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    1. Hi Christina and YAY! that you can comment again! Yes, I defined myself by all the different hats I wore and it felt quite strange to throw away one that society respects so much......but once I adjusted, I don't give a hoot about what other people use to judge me on now, I love my life, I love my freedom - and I'm so grateful to be where I am right now (a privilege a lot of others haven't been prepared for).

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  7. Hi Leanne,

    What we term as "retirement" generally means leaving a formal career. But none of us ever actually retire from activities that keep us engaged. The formal employment, which was the major engagement, only gets replaced by some other activity.

    In "retired life" the big difference, I guess, is that there are no cast-in-stone commitments and deadlines to chase. In most of the activities we are answerable to ourselves and no one else. That's a huge relaxation and help us lead a stress-free life.

    I recently turned 57. I will formally retire when I turn 60. But I have already decided to slow down, and step back from a few official commitments, as far as it's possible, giving way to youngsters.

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    1. You're so right Pradeep - I think retirement would be really boring if there weren't different activities during the week to break the days up. I think that's why I enjoy it so much....the variety and doing so much I enjoy, rather than all the stuff I "had" to do. And I definitely think it's important to slide into being retired by adjusting how much you have on your plate before you get here. Going from full on to having no plans can be quite daunting.

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  8. I love how you've made these choices based on your comfort and making sure to have enough time for all that really matters to you. Living frugally and saving well, gives one a lot more flexibility too, doesn't it?

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    1. Sorry about the comment above being posted anonymously, Leanne.

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    2. Hi Corinne - the Anonymous default is annoying isn't it? Hopefully that will sort itself out in the near future. And yes, I love that we've managed to reach where we have without having earnt big incomes in the process. Careful living, being wise with our money, and a dash of frugality - all paid off and it's surprised me how well we've set ourselves up for the years ahead - you don't have to be high income earners if you're good with saving more and spending less. :)

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  9. You always share great insights leanne and your retirement 'journey' is another fine example. It isn't set in stone and we have control over how it works for us. You are doing what works for you and so am I, now that I have (almost) forgotten how I came to be in this situation with great trauma at the time. Life is good!

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    1. Hi Deb - I think it takes a period of adjustment - especially when retirement happens as a consequence rather than a choice. But....once you get into the swing of it, you realize what a gift it is and that we're so fortunate to be able to enjoy it and all the extra time it gives us to do what we love.

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  10. I think it's the difference about feeling we need to work by their rules and demanding we work by our rules. If it's on our terms, I think work is one of the most satisfying things there is to do. The problem is for a lot of us, it takes us far too long to get to that point. Love your end quote. It's great. #WeekendCoffeeShare

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    1. Exactly! I think that's also why people with their own businesses often don't retire.

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    2. Hi Lydia - I'm so grateful to finally get a taste of what it's like to work just for the enjoyment of working - not for the income (well not entirely!) and not having to put up with a boss who has a god complex. It's a lovely way to finish off this stage of life and to go out with positive memories and not the dog's breakfast that the last one turned into!

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  11. Hi Leanne, Thank you for your weekend coffee share. I'm glad you found a perfect solution for you atm. I love the freedom and flexibility that comes with early retirement. Natalie

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    1. Hi Natalie - I love that we can finally decide what works for us and what is a good fit - instead of doing everything because we have to or because it's expected of us. The sheer joy of being in charge of my 'retirement' is something I won't be taking for granted.

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  12. Interesting coffee share post Leanne. I'm thinking about early retirement from my current career. If I go out early it would be in 5 years or I could push through the 10 years... I crunched the numbers and I would need to get a part-time job to maintain my current life style, if I retire early. Its a big decision...

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    1. I didn't get the opportunity to make a well thought out exit plan, but that might be a good thing because I'd probably have overthought it to death and ended up even more miserable than I was (if that was possible!) Fortunately we don't have a very extravagant lifestyle and we're debt free, so leaving was the best decision I ever made - and early retirement is absolute bliss.

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