Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 09-05-2019, 10:46 PM
 
10,103 posts, read 19,310,501 times
Reputation: 17432

Advertisements

Retirement is just around the corner for us!


Here's some thoughts I have on how to spend my time:
(no particular order of importance, just as they occur to me)


Learn French -- again! I was somewhat proficient in it in high school and college, but I've all but forgotten most of it, or so I thought. Recently my dh and I started watching French Village, a multi-part series about the German occupation of a French village during WWII. Its mostly in French with English subtitles. I find, much to my surprise, much is coming back to me! I still rely on the subtitles, but its coming back. I still have my old French textbooks from college, I might brush them off and see if I can re-learn it!


Learn how to cook -- again! I cooked for my family of four, but our kids are grown and out of the house. I'd like to start learning to cook healthful meals for two


Foster kittens. I love kittens, but at our age I don't think it would be fair to take on kittens who would probably outlive us! I would like to foster some to help them become adoptable.


Vegetable gardening, flower gardening


Get going with Genealogy! I've played around with subscriptions to sites like Ancestry, My Heritage, etc, but I would like to really delve into the topic. Maybe take some college courses, perhaps even do Heritage travel tours!


So, how's this sound for a retired lady's activities?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 09-05-2019, 11:51 PM
 
Location: Sierra Nevada Land, CA
9,455 posts, read 12,476,082 times
Reputation: 16449
One piece of advice find stuff you like and pursue it. Socialize. And most important. Don't have 12 cats. That will doom you to mental illness. You might laugh, but in my former career it seems most mentally ill women I dealt with lived with 12 cats. Cause and effect? Or just a coincidence. Well....just my professional observation.
Look it up on google
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-05-2019, 11:56 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,596 posts, read 57,546,778 times
Reputation: 46013
While you are learning languages and BEFORE you adopt more pets... hit the road (if you so desire).

I spent a few years in Thailand and witnessed so many Euro tourists coming for healthcare and they were in pretty rough shape and sometimes very old. And I know many who say... "wish we would have traveled when we were able". So...(If you desire) head out.

Exchange rates and travel costs are very favorable (at the moment).

We got a one way ticket to Australia (in Dec... great time to leave USA), and figured out how to get home from there (no hurry to return.. it was an election year in USA). We were gone about a year and total cost was under $40k (mostly for rental cars and camper vans... next time we will BUY a used one and stay in one area for 3-12 months). or.. ship our campervan ahead of us via a shipping container.

We stay with locals https://wikitravel.org/en/Hospitality_exchange
(~$20 / night WW), it is a good way to get hints / and favorites from locals. Next month we will be with some lobster fishermen and sugar maple farmers, that will be nice (and a first for 'lobstering' with commercial fishermen on east coast of USA). This month we were with farmers (harvest + Fairs), and retired teachers, librarians, lawyer, Judge, CEO's, Veterinarian, baker, several scientists and profs, a few mechanical hobbyists (setting world speed records (Bonneville Salt Flats), and different car show themes).

We usually do themes and learn about local cultures and customs while traveling (very few tourist events or places). RTW was mainly Botanical Gardens, AG producers, fiber arts, horticulture (Tulips were nice in Holland, but kinda chilly, so we went to Portugal for a month+ and studied the 'frontier' (between Spain and Portugal)). The last month was State Fairs, talking with 4H kids and educators and University Extension.

Normandy / WWII history was great in France. Belgium had the privilege of being occupied during both WW's and was really interesting for our kids (while living abroad as a family).

If going to UK?.. get a Royal Oak membership BEFORE leaving USA (400+ free historical sites)

Lots of very interesting volunteer opportunities when traveling. We stayed 6 weeks in Philippines helping at a trade school for troubled / addicted young adults, and 8 weeks in Australia at a trade school situated adjacent to a nature preserve.

Be creative on routing. We needed to get from SE Asia to Europe and found a very inexpensive route via ship (through areas I would have never ventured if planned / if on my own). We alighted in Venice and it was great (first time 5 yrs earlier it was terrible, but we were in no hurry this time and it was wonderful. So was renting a car and touring the Italian Alps (again))

So much to see, so little time (getting older).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-06-2019, 05:48 AM
 
Location: Cebu, Philippines
5,869 posts, read 4,166,995 times
Reputation: 10940
Travel. You can live on the road cheaper than at home.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-06-2019, 05:58 AM
 
4,141 posts, read 3,869,765 times
Reputation: 10879
Quote:
Originally Posted by cebuan View Post
Travel. You can live on the road cheaper than at home.
How is that possible with food, lodging and transportation cost?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-06-2019, 08:37 AM
 
Location: A Yankee in northeast TN
15,966 posts, read 20,932,306 times
Reputation: 43216
Quote:
Originally Posted by MaryleeII View Post
So, how's this sound for a retired lady's activities?
Sounds pretty good, similar to my plans.
I'll swap out genealogy for jewelry making or some other crafty type of hobby though, and maybe adopt a lap dog instead of fostering cats. Hoping that travel would still be feasible with a little eight or ten pound dog along for the ride.
Oh, and I'll check out the local senior center for the low cost day trips they take, since I'll be on a budget.

Marylee have you thought about those meal kits you can buy online? I've used them and they make a great starting point for getting a little more into cooking. I've picked up all kinds of new ideas from using them.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-06-2019, 08:54 AM
 
10,103 posts, read 19,310,501 times
Reputation: 17432
Quote:
Originally Posted by DubbleT View Post
Sounds pretty good, similar to my plans.
I'll swap out genealogy for jewelry making or some other crafty type of hobby though, and maybe adopt a lap dog instead of fostering cats. Hoping that travel would still be feasible with a little eight or ten pound dog along for the ride.
Oh, and I'll check out the local senior center for the low cost day trips they take, since I'll be on a budget.

Marylee have you thought about those meal kits you can buy online? I've used them and they make a great starting point for getting a little more into cooking. I've picked up all kinds of new ideas from using them.
You mean those kits like Blue Ribbon, Fresh Start, etc? We did use them a few years ago but got out of the routine. However, I did find them to be very good. They also have recipe cards so you can duplicate them. I think I will order some more today and give them another try!


Oh, BTW fostering kittens is time-limited. You provide a temporary home for kittens until they are big enough to adopt out. I have no intention of having 12 cats as permanent residents! We could travel between batches! I figure that's how to get my kitty fix without the lifelong responsibility.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-06-2019, 08:58 AM
 
Location: A Yankee in northeast TN
15,966 posts, read 20,932,306 times
Reputation: 43216
Yes, those are the kits i mean. I enjoy them and can stretch them out by adding more of my own vegetables, yumm.
The fostering sounds like a win win.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-06-2019, 09:05 AM
 
Location: southern california
61,289 posts, read 87,117,353 times
Reputation: 55550
I did all of that later but first order of business is to sit on the steps and watch the sun beam crawl all the way across the kitchen takes about 2 to 4 hours depending how big your kitchen
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-06-2019, 10:29 AM
 
Location: Sierra Nevada Land, CA
9,455 posts, read 12,476,082 times
Reputation: 16449
Quote:
Originally Posted by cebuan View Post
Travel. You can live on the road cheaper than at home.
Not really. Figure in the cost of the RV, poor gas mileage, cost of food is the same or higher than home and staying in campgrounds isn’t free. And if not doing it by RV, eating at restaurants and staying at decent motels is easily well over $3000-$4000 a month.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top