Or for those who is not retired yet, what is your plan?

 

Feet up and Margaritas in Paradise? 

 

How to make the best out of the time left when retired? 

 

For those who already retired, what have you learned and what would you done different?

 

 

 

Almost same, not much different.

Now I work with computers and get paid for that. And I do some computer things, and Arduino, ESP32, Home Assistant, etc. for fun.

Now, if I have a lot of work, then I do little of the other parts. If I have not so much work, then I play with whatever computer things come to my mind.

Obviously, I do also some other things, not just computer. That won't change much.

In retirement there won't be computer work, just computer fun. 

I really enjoyed my place of employment of 40 years. Then management brought in this so called hot shot who made 30% of the work force redundant which turned into a real s**t fight. I was 55 yo then so  I  pulled then pin and decided to give Thailand a try. So after 23 years years I'm still here. Things can get difficult in Thailand at times but just think would you be any better off in your country of origin. Especially if you're a retiree.

I was meant to be feet up in a pub on the Isle of Wight, but ended up here, though I can't complain.........

2 hours ago, Hummin said:

How to make the best out of the time left when retired? 

 

For those who already retired, what have you learned and what would you done different?

I quit my high stress position in New Zealand, did some part-time property investment work for a friend in Sydney, and then decided to retire completely the moment I arrived in Phuket at the age of 59 years old.

 

My dream/plan was to get out of the rat race, relax and not do anything in particular, and I've achieved that, however I have unofficially adopted the daughter of my live-in girlfriend (my ex) and put her through high school and now University, where she is very successful, with only 10 more months to go before she finishes and gets her diploma (we hope). And I love her to bits.

 

I've learned how to relax (and I believe this was a major factor in curing my Barrett's oesophagus problem) which was something totally alien to me for decades, and I do enjoy carrying out odd jobs for folks here, whether it be fixing up something electrical, or helping out a couple of guys I know with their computer problems.

 

Apart from that, I can't say that I would have done anything differently.

I always dreamed of retiring to an old wooden shack in rural Chainat among bug munching people I cannot communicate with on $900 a month. 

 

Luckily it all worked out perfectly. 

4 hours ago, Hummin said:

For those who already retired, what have you learned and what would you done different?

I learned that since retiring here at the young age of 55, some 8 years ago that the pace of life here is how I always dreamed it would be.

 

Since 2015 not working 6/7th's of my life back in the old country just to survive, and support a young family, with the wife not working because I am an old school kind of guy, e.g. I wanted her to be a stay at home mum raising the kids, and taking care of the man of the house, and so did she, even on a 6 figure salary that I was earning, it was quite a challenge, but with a some good property investments it all worked out in the end. 8 years on, it is much worse, i.e. if both aren't working with 12 interest rate rises and sharp rental increases for those unfortunate to have a property.

 

Living here on my (tax free) investments has shown me that working hard for 4 decades and investing in property paid off, i.e. if your prepared to live in another country when you get there, because back home it would be a very different story and the accommodation would be tight vs what one can build here for 1/10th of the cost back home, e.g. $100,000 vs a million for the same dwelling, and then you have to fork out an extra million + to come up with the land to buy, depending on the area vs here.

 

I know living in the sticks here has no capital appreciation, but to me it is a trade off, i.e. living in a huge house with all the comforts one wants till the day they depart, and being cash rich vs living in a place 1/3rd the size albeit it would appreciate more in value, I would be asset rich but cash strapped and what quality of life would we have back there, especially when I hear everyone I know back in the old country complaining how expensive things are today.

 

Would I have done things different, no, it has all worked out and to think that all of my friends have worked for those 8 years that I have been here, for $'s to survive, and their property values increasing makes me feel for them, but at what cost, you can't take it with you, in simple terms to me I have a life, to me they don't, but the same glove doesn't fit everyone as the saying goes, each to their own.

 

I wouldn't trade places, unless I won the lottery of course....LOL

 

Retired, and plan was simply to stop working.  Done.

 

No timetable/schedule, (not that I ever had one), and now, simply do what I want, when I want, how I want.

 

Life is good.

 

Felt like going O&A this we, so I went, with no real plan,  We get back home, when we get there.  

Retired from what?  I am more busy now that I ever was including when I ran my international consultancy.

 

I am in the last stages of building  a dive compressor for my speed boat.

 

High season awaits with back to back fishing and spearfishing.

My dream was to spend all my time on forums

16 hours ago, Celsius said:

My dream was to spend all my time on forums

We moved to Sa Kaeo for a year 2010 and soon after arriving I was told there was an Englishman living about 15km away (he's now deceased) I 'had to meet' for he was a writer and apparently of considerable intellect.

 

Living the dream; married a bg from Pattaya and living in a village in his farang palace, biggest house in the village. Ex British army with many an exciting tale to tell anyone willing to listen.

 

Turns out his journalistic efforts were limited to what was then the Thai Visa forum; thousands upon thousands of inane posts kept him occupied in his computer room with beer fridge.

 

He died about 2014-15 (unclear natural or self-inflicted) while his wife was serving a three year jail sentence, she'd gone back to running a bar in Pattaya with his support, and had been convicted of procuring youngsters for farangs.

 

Takes all sorts.

 

 

 

 

On 9/19/2023 at 3:23 AM, Celsius said:

My dream was to spend all my time on forums

That was never my dream, but seems to be my reality, or at least I spend far too much time on forum.

 

My actual dream was to live by the sea and watch DVDs, but I'm so busy doing other things that I don't get to watch as many DVDs as I'd like, and living by the sea is just too expensive.

On 9/21/2023 at 8:38 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

That was never my dream, but seems to be my reality, or at least I spend far too much time on forum.

 

My actual dream was to live by the sea and watch DVDs, but I'm so busy doing other things that I don't get to watch as many DVDs as I'd like, and living by the sea is just too expensive.

Your so busy ? Doing what ?

16 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Your so busy ? Doing what ?

Mainly getting my life sorted while I'm able.

I was overseas for 40 years so there is a lot to sort out, and getting old involves unexpected things to happen health wise, all of which take time and money to sort out,

Eg, I never expected to be having to go to a chiropractor twice a week for a couple of months ( hopefully that will be enough ).

 

Of course I'm not just doing that, as I do like to relax and do other things as well, like watching a movie or reading a book or doing a bit of DIY etc.

If I could afford it I'd like to be doing some sightseeing as well, but the price of petrol is too high now.

I need more input from forum members before I can even hope to decide! ????