Retirement Update

I am transitioning from employment to retirement, with a slight detour through a pandemic.  This detour has taught me a number of things about myself and my impending retirement.

1.  I am ready to retire!  I love the peace and calm of retirement.  I do not miss anything about my job – I particularly do not miss the constant pressure and conflict. 

2.  I wasted money when I was working.  I spent a lot of money on fast food and going out for supper.  I spent money on clothes – not designer labels or anything, but working in a construction company office is hard on clothes.  I always needed a new shirt or jeans or jacket or boots. 🤷 I spent a lot of money on OTC drugs like aspirin, antacids, immodeum and the like. I do need them anymore.

3. I save money not working. Our shopping has gone from pricey porkchops, steaks and chicken breasts to stewing beef, ground beef, and ham, pork and beef roasts, and whole chicken – which has led to some creative use of leftovers. It isn’t that I suddenly love cooking, it is just that I have the time and energy to do it. I even made a homemade birthday cake for Dan. I save money on gas and vehicle upkeep. This is partly due to staying home because of the pandemic, but mostly because my driving was primarily to work and home. Also, I will save quite a bit on planting our garden this year. Typically, I buy a lot of bedding plants. This year, for the first time in decades, I have been starting my own bedding plants from seeds. 🌾

4.  My health was worse than I realized and it is improving more than I thought it would.  With my stress level down, my asthma has eased off considerably  and out of the construction dusty air  in my office, I am breathing way easier.   I cough much less  and my blood oxygen level has gone from 91% to 97%.    That alone makes me feel far less stressed and healthier. 

5.  Our house was seriously messy.  I have spent hours deep cleaning since I have been home.  I still have many hours left to go, but the improvement is already notable.    It is also pretty exciting finding things that have been MIA for months.  

6.  I am not hating the idea of starting a couple of renovation projects.  Once I get finished with spring cleaning, I plan to redo the grandkids room.  The last time we did it was before Genie was born.  The wallpaper pattern is an adorable mix of baby toys – a little juvenile now that she is sixteen.

7. I am spending way less time on social media than I thought I would. I do enjoy blogging and hope to spend more time connecting with others on this platform. I have just been getting busy making my ‘transition’ lately.

8. I am really enjoying spending more time with Dan. It is hard when one half of a couple works traditional Monday to Friday hours while the other works twelve hour, twenty four/seven shifts. This could be my favourite part of retirement. 😍 I wasn’t sure how it would go once we are both retired and together every day but honestly, I think it will be great.