Today I am Retired from UPS for one year. 2nd best year of my life!

[The Milkman]

that's the way i looked at it. retired as soon as i was able. no regrets. and i did not want to leave money on the table if i stayed working. am making $20 an hr to stay home and do whatever I want.

I saw too many drivers stay too long and then retire . they would be dead within the first year or two. it was really scary when we would hear about another driver passing away so soon after retiring. I made up my mind a long time ago that it would not happen to me. ( knock on wood )

we have so much fun things to do and so many places to go , it is going to take a long long time to do it all.

almost feel guilty about being so happy.

I feel blessed like yourself that we were able to walk out on our own terms. I knew a fellow driver who was about a month short of retiring (because of age) he was off the road working inside filling in for some clerks during the summer. One day after work (nights) he was outside his home doing some yard work,then his wife went looking for him and found him dead. Knew him well, another clerk friend of mine saw him that night and was stunned to hear he died. Just had lunch with him hours before. I was thinking that that clerk would of gotten a so called wake up call, after what happened and he said it had him thinking about retiring asap. Well some time after our friends death my friend said "I make easy money, it is a gravy job etc. etc." So he is still not retired. I said to him what good is the extra $$ you are socking away if you make an early date with your dirt nap? Again almost 9 years of retirement, it went fast, looking back as we all know, you never know when you will die. I didn't want to be one of those that worked many years just to retire and have others say " Oh he was a good guy but died too young" I want to be that one that others say "The Milkman hung it up at 55 and lived another 30 years before he died, enjoying that hard earned pension that many do not get to use" Nuff said

 

[twoweeled]

with the exception of the first year after high school , the past year has to be the best year of my life.

the first couple months of retirement was kinda strange. sleeping at night like regular people , waking up realizing i did not have to go to work , having so much time on my hands , etc. I did not know what to do with myself at first.

the next several months was taking care of the "to do list" did all the stuff that needed done around the house and yard . going on day road trips to lakes , up to the mountains, the high desert, seeing friends , etc .

the last 3-4 months has been so busy that i can't believe i ever had time to do them while I was working. we used to have to cram things in or go to places during vacations . now we can stretch things out as long as we want to. it's great.

now when we go someplace , we can extend the trip as many days as we want without worry. or we can take weeks working on a home project instead of cramming it in a couple days.

lots of extra time for exercise, cooking , travelling, gardening ( we have the biggest garden this year ) .visiting friends and family, hobbies , you name it , there is plenty of time for it.

the reason i am posting this is to let everyone know that all the hard work , the hassles at work , and every other negative thing you can think of about working , is worth it in the end. the pension checks come in like clock work. If you pay off your house before retiring and get rid of all your other debt, you'll be OK. we have money left over every month. it's amazing how much you spend just because you are working. those expenses are gone now.


I'm so glad that I came to the retirement forum to see how other retirees were handling and enjoying their retirement. It gave me the courage to retire as soon as I was able. No regrets there.

thanks fellow retirees.

One thing has really baffled me about retirement. It's as though I never worked there. When we go on Vacation or off on injury for a longtime - I used to still be able to feel the job or the tractor. Clearly recalling walking into the building. But now. I have no feeling of the place. It's as though I never worked there. Strangest thing to me! I like it, but I'm surprised so much by it.

 

[twoweeled]

had my annual physical checkup in may and I am in better shape now than i have been in 10 years. lost almost 10 pounds and body is healing up pretty well. the doctor was very pleased. i spoke to a former co-worker at costco a couple weeks ago and he said our hub has 30 feeder drivers that are qualified for retirement but are staying.

can't understand leaving all that money on the table.

I can't stop gaining weight. Some drivers just don't want to leave the paycheck. Of course we have the drivers who wanna collect a bunch of checks (triple dipping) Knock yourselves out!!

 

[burrheadd]

Took me a year before I didn't get that crappy feeling on Sunday nites
Iam good now rarely know what day of the week it is

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Took me a year before I didn't get that crappy feeling on Sunday nites
Iam good now rarely know what day of the week it is

Does the weed have anything to do with that?

 

[burrheadd]

Does the weed have anything to do with that?

Absolutely

 

[twoweeled]

I feel blessed like yourself that we were able to walk out on our own terms. I knew a fellow driver who was about a month short of retiring (because of age) he was off the road working inside filling in for some clerks during the summer. One day after work (nights) he was outside his home doing some yard work,then his wife went looking for him and found him dead. Knew him well, another clerk friend of mine saw him that night and was stunned to hear he died. Just had lunch with him hours before. I was thinking that that clerk would of gotten a so called wake up call, after what happened and he said it had him thinking about retiring asap. Well some time after our friends death my friend said "I make easy money, it is a gravy job etc. etc." So he is still not retired. I said to him what good is the extra $$ you are socking away if you make an early date with your dirt nap? Again almost 9 years of retirement, it went fast, looking back as we all know, you never know when you will die. I didn't want to be one of those that worked many years just to retire and have others say " Oh he was a good guy but died too young" I want to be that one that others say "The Milkman hung it up at 55 and lived another 30 years before he died, enjoying that hard earned pension that many do not get to use" Nuff said

It's awful, how many people die within a month of retirement. I've never understood the statement I've heard so many times:
"No. I'm still healthy, so I'm going to keep working".
What? Are these people waiting till they aren't healthy, to retire? I don't get it!

 

[twoweeled]

Absolutely 100% totally disagree!!!

Hold off on taking SS until you are required to do so. (70?)

that's another opinion thing there. I may not live to 70. I'd be really angry if I waiting till 70, and died at 69. 62 for me!

 

[PT Car Washer]

It's awful, how many people die within a month of retirement. I've never understood the statement I've heard so many times:
"No. I'm still healthy, so I'm going to keep working".
What? Are these people waiting till they aren't healthy, to retire? I don't get it!

Yes, why not work until you are unable to. What do you have against work? You want to be one of these guys who just wants to get up and watch cartoons all day.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

that's another opinion thing there. I may not live to 70. I'd be really angry if I waiting till 70, and died at 69. 62 for me!

And if you live to age 90?
There is no correct answer to this question.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Yes, why not work until you are unable to. What do you have against work? You want to be one of these guys who just wants to get up and watch cartoons all day.

Cracking a beer around noon today, would have been fantastic.

 

[burrheadd]

Cracking a beer around noon today, would have been fantastic.

It was

 

[twoweeled]

I plan on having a PT job...... No idea what .....but will have one

I'm considering becoming an escort, part time.

 

[twoweeled]

Retiring at the end of January 2017, unfortunately with a central states pension that may be gone in 10 yrs. It sucks that after almost 40 yrs with UPS (8pt) that I'll be walking out with so much anxiety about what will happen in the future. And yes I do have a significant amount of $ in my 401k as a safety net but had planned to take some of it for travel and toys to enjoy in the years before I'm too old to enjoy it. Thanks CSPF for your lack of having the nads to make any type of adjustment to insure that those of us retiring soon could make any type of plan for our future.

Plan the best you can. Fortunately, I have a small house that's been paid well before I retired. Everything is paid, the cars aren't new, but new enough. When SS kicks in, I could limp along with SS, dividends from 401K, periodic withdrawals Roths, if I was to lose the pension. But that's only because I didn't live high on the hog, and paid everything off. I maxed out on almost everything, so savings are good. Point is, I tried to prepare for the worse. Looks like "worse," really can happen. Worse can always happen! Crap! I'll probably die young now! Or maybe it's too late to die young? Max out and save for the worse.

 

[twoweeled]

And if you live to age 90?
There is no correct answer to this question.

yeah, , , , , , I guess If I live till 90, I'm screwed? Your correct. No right answer.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

yeah, , , , , , I guess If I live till 90, I'm screwed? Your correct. No right answer.

 

[twoweeled]

Yes, why not work until you are unable to. What do you have against work? You want to be one of these guys who just wants to get up and watch cartoons all day.

Short answer. watching cartoons all day is better than having to go to work all day. If all you want to do is work till you can't work anymore - than why have retirement? What's the goal? Look at me and all the money I saved? I didn't have time to do a damn thing, because all I did was work and talk about how much money I made. Those points are only points you value. Others are wondering, what they heck are you doing with your life?
Bottom line? It's really up to you, what you do, or choose. But working till I can't walk, then retiring to enjoy life, just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[oldupsman]

I have no feeling of the place. It's as though I never worked there. Strangest thing to me! I like it, but I'm surprised so much by it.

Been 9 years now and I feel the same way. Can't imagine how I put up with it. Leaving the house at 7 in the morning and getting
home at 10 at night. How did I do that?

 

[oldupsman]

Kristie Alley used to look really good.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Kristie Alley used to look really good.

Another 6 pack and she still would