I retired from being an educator after 37 years in June of 2013 and am loving it! While I liked my career, I was definitely ready to move into this next stage. My DH had retired 2 years earlier and that was probably wise for him to figure it out before I took the plunge. I love to quilt--both piecing and long arm, and am very active in my Guild. I kept up a water aerobics class, too.

Several people have given some really good advice--to be wary of committing to too much volunteer work. Everyone assumes you will so miss school that you will teach every Sunday school class, school volunteer work, etc. Know ahead of time what you think you might be interested in doing and for about how many hours weekly--and stick to your guns!

Also,Jeanne's comment about knowing your finances is important. We'd always been saving for retirement and I'm still struggling with being so frugal and not adding to savings. My husband keeps reminding me not to be freaking out about that!

What I really like is not setting an alarm except on rare occasions, being able to change my plans if I decide I want to at the last minute (yes, some would call that procrastination!), generally a slower pace and more relaxed. our son lives 3 hrs away and his days off are Sun & Mon--so now we get to see him and his family more. We haven't done as much travel as we plan--do have some trips planned, and love that we can go during the school year instead of peak season! Oh--the other thing you'll find different is clothing---no need for those work clothes--or at least very little--I keep weeding my wardrobe each season--anything that I haven't worn that season goes to charity--love that I don't wear "professional" anymore! Have fun!

Welcome to the club! Just make your daily tasks easier for yourself by acquiring tools that will save you time for doing the things you've always wanted to do. Congratulations and Enjoy!

A big welcome to the retirement club. You will never have enough hours in the day to fit everything in that you WANT to do.

Enjoy every minute of your retirement. Over time your routine will change and you will settle in doing the things that really matter without worrying about the time.

I'm not really retired....we are working our small business from home after the company we both worked for closed....and watching our DGD every day for her folks. My advice.....LIBRARY CARD. I stopped buying books a couple of years ago (ok...except for Nora Roberts)....and the fact that we have a great library in our little town is a real treasure. Great source for quilting books too.

I knew the Quilting Board would come through for me again. What great advice! I thank you all for sharing your thoughts and advice.
Got a phone call @ 5:30 a.m. saying that we'd have a delayed opening this morning due to slippery road conditions. I'll have to remember to be taken off that list at the end of June!
I'll have my teaching certification for three more years but I don't think I want to teach or volunteer in a school. I agree that after 32 years in the driver's seat, it could be hard to be a helper. There are some young writers' organizations in Florida that at some point, I may want to check out. When we are in Maine in the summers, there is a local literacy task force that might be a possibility. I've joined a guild in Maine already and have found some very friendly people. I'm working on doing the same in FL.
Most of all, I can't wait to see a project through to completion on my terms. I have a lot of stash and yarn to play with and I can't wait to dive in. In FL we'll live right near the Pinellas Bike Path and I can't wait to walk every day. I just have to make sure I'm safe with the sun.
Your posts have made me so much more excited! And relieved, too. DH and I have a lot of changes in a short amount of time. It's felt a little overwheming.
Thank you all again. Happy quilting!
PS i think I'll splurge on that Aurifil thread set I've been eye-ing while I still have the bigger paycheck.

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy every minute of it!

My philosophy is that I want to wake up every day and feel like I'm a kindergartner waking up on the first day of summer vacation. All those possibilities and excitement just floating out there in front of me!!

I agree with the others...take the first year off of everything. Just do what you want to do. See what appeals to you. Don't make any commitments to anything for at least a year.

I do think it wise to have some hobbies or some things of interest planned. My husband retired two years ago. The man had no interests or hobbies (he's impossible to buy bday presents for because he has no interests) and was bored out of his mind. He ended up going back to work as a consultant for his old company in just a few months, and works now more than he did when he really was working. It's kind of sad.

I'm going to retire in two years, and am following the advice of stock up now on spendy items....I'm going to buy a Crescendo sewing machine as soon as they're on sale. In fact, I'm so excited about that machine I may *not* wait for it to go on sale!

I do kind of wonder about my clothes. I finally have a nice collection of professional work clothes with which I am in love. (I didn't pay much for anything, it always had to be on sale/clearance AND a coupon to go with it; I inherited my mother's frugal genes. :)) But there is a *lot* there.

I love my clothes and don't want to part with them, but it's ridiculous to keep all of them. I can't imagine where I would go that I would need much in the way of professional clothes. I'd be interested in hearing what others have done about their work wardrobes.

One thing I am going to do right away is be a hospice volunteer. You know how they're always needing people to stay with someone that last week, on the overnights. I want to be that person. And that is one place I will wear my nice work clothes. I want to show up looking my very best as I escort someone into the next life. I'm going to wear my pretty scarves and my pretty shoes and send them out in style.

I also plan to join a gym or the Y or some other exercise program, and go every day. I really want to lose some weight and get into better shape. I guess that's my number one goal for retirement. Take yoga classes. And piano lessons. And painting classes. Look into sculpture classes. Join a regularly playing quartet (I play violin). Maybe investigate water gardens. I have my own greenhouse...I'll probably start raising plants to sell. Do anything the grandchildren want to do. And take a photography class.

Right now I volunteer to take photos of people in assisted livings in November so that they can use the photo for their Christmas cards. It's a lot of fun. I bring props, such as hats, feathers, boas, canes, fans, gloves. The people have so much fun choosing which prop to use, and it brings some of their personality into the photo. And the props help them to relax and just enjoy their 'photo shoot'. Maybe I'll start going in once a month and do a photo shoot for everyone who has a birthday coming up.

So many possibilities! I can hardly wait!!!!

sleep late, quilt often and eat chocolate anytime you want.
Nowis you time, so do what you want to do and do it full heartedly. Enjoy

I picked out about 10 outfits that I kept and donated the rest of my work clothes to a shelter for abused women. I am (ahem!) of a larger size and the people at the shelter said they could really use the clothes for women going on job interviews.

Retirement is the first time in your life that you will manage your time on your schedule, not someone elses. I've been retired for 7 years and loved every minute of it!

I am kind of semi-retired. When my folks retired, so many people thought I was going to have them babysit. They were so wrong. I ended up often dropping by their house because they went for a ride and ended up spending the night elsewhere often couple hundred miles away. After the first time I bought them an over night bag and had it filled with goodies. Stuck one in the trunk of their car and one behind the seat of their truck. After that they always had their go bag. I also fixed one up for their meds. May want to think about that. They headed to my aunt and uncles house one time about 5-6 miles away and ended up in southern Indiana another 4-5 hour drive from their house. so keep a go bag in each of your vehicles incase you decide to just go for a short drive.

I have been home a year now and it is great. I do have to watch what I spend, and if I was working and wanted something I would usually get it. its not a big sacrifice, you just learn.
I have a 2x month commitment with the Womens Club and we are busy Sept thru May.
I do not like to be over extended with commitments.
I also spend Way too much time on Ancestry.com and QB.
Enjoy your retirement. Where in Fl are you moving to?

We will be moving to Dunedin just above Clearwater. Lots of great quilt shops in the area and a neat little yarn shop.