Well now I have gone and done it!!

[ZIZI]

Well from 1st October I shall be working four days a week. I have had a lecture from the husband already (and I have only known for two hours) about not opening emails or work laptop on the days I am off. The plan is that I will have 2 x 4 days weekends a month. This is going to take a while to pan out as I have events and appointments for several months to come. It does not mean I will see much more of husband as his shift roster is set more or less but it does give me an opportunity to do nothing if I fancy but ultimately it will give me time to look at what I am going to do in the future as I when I finally retire. I am not a sitter arounder but neither am I a gym bunny etc.

We have discussed this at length and how much money we will be down but there is an injection of about £400 a month coming our way plus, if I am honest, I do spend a lot of money on fancy cleansers etc. Not so much on make up these days as I am getting lazy!! One thing I will not compromise on is my ironing fairy. If it works I will go to three days this time next year.

I am a a happy bunny

[Gemini]

That all sounds good Zizi! There is more to life than money

[Oma]

Well done you , a bit of belt tightening and you will be fine , and you will get used to less money very quickly , So pleased for you lovey xxxx

[ZIZI]

Oma if I am honest I don't really need to tighten a belt, I wouldn't say this to him (of course) but I have enough of everything and I only spend lots of money on face stuff etc because I can. I will still have my company car, that will be the thing that I will miss when the time comes and we have to pay the insurance and everything ourselves. I will still have all the perks like BUPA etc. Until I finally leave and I think that is important at our age.

[Plantaholic]

Sounds good to me Zizi, can't see you as a Gym Bunny.

[Clover]

Good for you Zizi. You'll wish you did it ages ago.

[Nanto2girls]

About time ZIZI.

[Shemadee]

Glad to hear you are taking back control. I cut back my days before I retired and felt so much better for it.

[Daisy]

Zizi - I'm sure you're making the right decision. You need time to be yourself and do nothing at all if the moods takes you.

It's amazing how the money works out, too. When I decided I wanted to give up teaching I was 56 - 4 years off any pension. But we didn't really feel we had less money. I was a bit more careful with the supermarket shop - but I had time to cook, and I didn't need to buy 'work' clothes and lived in jeans and t-shirts. But I would never have had my final 'career' as a photographer if I had carried on teaching until I retired. Like you I knew I wanted to do something else - but you need time to work out what that is and how you can make it happen. Good luck with your planning. xx

[Glammanana]

You will wish you took the decision earlier once you get into it,I retired early as you know before we moved to Spain with the intention of just doing part time work for a builder over there but ended up running our own restaurant/bar for 7yrs when we came back I had no intention of working again but I somehow ended up manageing the Charity Shop (a totally different career style) for a further 3 yrs since I retired again in March I have not missed my monthly salary as I never included it in the household budget so you will adjust easily and look forward to the next few years when you can sit back and do what you want when you want,ps.I've just volunteered for charity shop newly opened in our town for 2 x afternoons for when I come back from Majorca in a couple of weeks time.

[Mimi]

Zizi its surprising what you will find yourself doing on your days that have to yourself.
I am always busy , and I know it may sound like a cliché , but I don't know how I managed to have time for work. The first thing I enjoyed was not constantly watching the clock, being able to get up when I want, having a coffee when I want, even going to the smallest room in the house without finding someone to 'watch' the shop.
You deserve some 'me' time Zizi , you have worked hard and as for money, remember we are the generation who could make a Sunday roast last a few days by making a meal out of left overs. ! It should be a doddle for someone like you

[Enfys]

Good for you Zizi. I retired early and it's amazing how little difference the less money made. Your health is far more important and I'm sure it will all work out fine and you will feel all,the better for it. Good,luck x

[Qwerty]

Good for you Zizi like Daisy I finished at 56 best thing we both did, a good works pension helps and I only had to wait 4 yrs for state pension to kick in but by then the grandchildren kicked in lol 👶🏻👶🏻👶🏻

[Gemini]

My OH retired at 60, and no state pensions until 66 Grr!! (Same for you Zizi, I know)

She had a couple of small works pensions, and we bought half a house (with a friend) so we have have half the monthly rent from that. We are not rolling in it, but we get by.
Mind you, if we didn't have 3 cats and use lots of petrol driving GC about each week we would have more money! But I would rather have them than money

[ZIZI]

Mimi we have always cooked from scratch and I always have a freezer full of homemade stuff. Oh but yesterday when I took a home made sausage casserole out of the freezer and husband put it in the microwave. Our microwave is incorporated into a conventional/fan oven and he set it wrong, no sorry I am correcting myself, the oven reset itself because he knew he didn't set it wrong. Bruddy plastic pot melted, good job I was in the kitchen to catch it before it went everywhere. Husband said the casserole would be fine to eat. Errr I do not think so.....

We had roast chicken tonight and as husband is away at the funeral in BGI for the weekend (I will miss him) I will have chicken salad tomorrow night and then mince or dice the rest of the meat and put in the freezer and use the carcass for soup so yes, you are right, we are the generation who can feed ourselves. Husband says that if he stands still long enough some days he would be vacuum packed (Oma got me into that - well worth having a look!).

Yes Gem GGRRRR re pensions.

Daisy I think I know what I am aiming for and am going to use the first two or three months carefully looking at the options and how to work it. I have told dils I am going to four days a week and already, only 24 hours later, one of them is asking me to do childcare and pick the kids up from school on my off days. I must admit at one point I would have jumped at it but I need a couple of months to get myself sorted out. Plus we are starting or rather re-starting the refurbishment of the flat shortly. I want the sitting room and hall to be completely finished by Christmas including all new furniture (ordered some gorgeous chairs today) and then the two bedrooms need to be done. Hopefully finished by Easter next year at the latest! Holidays allowing. Then I just need to persuade him I need a new bathroom and we are done.....

At the moment Gem I only get charged for my private mileage on my company car which rarely comes to more than about fifteen quid a month but I do have to pay tax on my car, my BUPA and my travel allowance. We have factored in the buying of a car, money is sitting waiting to be spent. A bit worried with my employing company being in the situation it is that I am going to lose my travel and parking allowance which is worth a lot of money and will affect me if it goes. Still we will have to wait and see.

I am sorry all all my posts are so serious at the moment.