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Jemima
9-12-11, 11:28am
September 3rd marked my first day off the payroll of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. There were many times when I thought I'd never make it to this point, but here I am. Many thanks to all of you for your encouragement and tips along the way.

Many of the best things about retirement are truly free, if not outright economical:

I'll never have to wear a bra again!

I can nap whenever I please...well, except for the times my immediate neighbors are out mowing, weed-whacking, and string-trimming. Or constructing something or remodeling. Or the loud-mouthed grans are visiting in nice weather. (Nothing is ever perfect.)

I can shop sales and bargain hunt and browse every thrift store in the area at my leisure. I can shop anywhere during off-peak hours.

I can use the bookmobile instead of spending a fortune on books, including the second-hand books I've been buying since my financial "adventure" of living on Workers' Comp a few years back.

I don't have to leave the house at all on bad hair days. :~)

I can listen to the morning traffic reports (for Philadelphia and surrounding 'burbs) and LAUGH. Ditto for the weather.

I've had time to declutter lots of closets and other storage areas and I'm making Purple Heart very happy. Love Purple Heart. They make weekly pickups and take loads as small as one bag of odds and ends. They are quite unobtrusive and quietly retrieve my donations from the front porch, leaving a thank-you note on the door knob. They never, ever call, but email me reminders of scheduled pickups.

Now I can make my own greeting cards, something I enjoy, along with all manner of arts and crafts.

Using leftovers is much easier when I have time to think about it.

No more packing lunches!

No more buying business casual clothes! I already have enough to last through 2030 or so, wearing them once a week to church and the occasional community event where jeans would be out of place.

And that's just the free stuff I can think of off the top of my head this morning. As for the down-side...well, I'll let you know when I think of something. :D
iris lily
9-12-11, 11:52am
Awesome! Excellent! Way to go!
CathyA
9-12-11, 12:38pm
Congratulations! Have fun!
Marianne
9-12-11, 2:48pm
Now, this is just wonderful - Congrats!

(Your bra comment is hilarious!)
Float On
9-12-11, 2:53pm
Congratulations!
Merski
9-12-11, 3:43pm
Jemima we are jealous! Don't forget to get a senior pass to your state parks and even National Parks. Meet the age requirement (my DH showed his license) and you can park at most of your state's parks for free! Put your feet up girl, and rest just a little while...you deserve it!
Sissy
9-12-11, 4:12pm
I cannot wait until I can go braless!!!!! ;)
Mighty Frugal
9-12-11, 4:22pm
Mmmm Jemima, you make it sound so wonderful! I'm still decades away but wow, what a great life you will have!

It sounds like the dream job I used to tell people I wish I had: 'to be a stay at home mom without kids'

Enjoy meandering through life
Gardenarian
9-12-11, 4:46pm
Fabulous! Take a nap for me, please!
frugal-one
9-12-11, 5:09pm
Congrats!! Yes, being retired is WONDERFUL!!!! You rarely will have to get up at a certain time and "hit the floor running". That is, IMO, one of the greatest perks!! You will have time to do whatever your heart desires. I am done working for the day. After all, tomorrow is another day... and I can... because I am retired. So sweet.
daisy
9-12-11, 5:30pm
Congratulations!!!
freein05
9-12-11, 5:59pm
My user name says it all. Freein05. It has been 6 years and I love it you will too.
fidgiegirl
9-12-11, 6:50pm
Excellent!! Enjoy!!

A question, tho: you weren't allowed to use the Bookmobile before?
Jemima
9-13-11, 12:42am
Excellent!! Enjoy!!

A question, tho: you weren't allowed to use the Bookmobile before?

Theoretically I could have used the bookmobile at any time, since it's run by the county library system and free to all county residents. However, most of their stops are for a few hours in the afternoon, and I was working full time, 27 congested, hair-raising, expressway miles away. I could barely manage to stop at the supermarket and keep myself in clean underwear during the week, and on weekends I caught up with everything else and took a lot of naps to make up for having to get up at 5:00 AM every weekday. There was just no time or energy left to avail myself of the very good library system we have. :( My town doesn't have a library of its own, and the closest one is about half an hour away.
JaneV2.0
9-13-11, 12:57am
A most excellent list--so much like my own. Enjoy your sweet new life!
razz
9-13-11, 9:03am
Enjoy! I love it as well.
Jemima
9-13-11, 9:09am
Thank y'all for the happy wishes! :D
jania
9-15-11, 11:05am
It's so inspiring to hear someone is actually able to retire these days, thanks so much for raising my hope. Continue to enjoy and let us know what wonderful, new things can come into your life (like the bookmobile) now that there is time.
Spartana
9-15-11, 2:33pm
Congratulations Jemima!!!!! I found my "freedom" from work years ago, and while I'm not quite living my ideal version of the simple life - which would be a tiny apt or condo in the heart of a very cool small city surrounded by vast open space and wilderness, car free, etc... because I have pets - I still live "small" and sparse and only ned a very small amount of money to fund my lifestyle. Works great for me and I now have the free time to do anything I want.
rosarugosa
9-16-11, 8:10pm
Congratulations Jemima, and another big thumbs up for the bra comment!
pinkytoe
9-17-11, 10:11am
Once a month, I meet my retired friends from work for lunch. It is interesting to me to be workring with 20 and 30 yr olds who are so into it and then see the opposite spectrum, those who have "put in their time" and are no longer interested at all. I will be sad to see my last friend at work that is my age retire in December but happy that she now will have time to drag out some canvas and paint again. What I note about my friends who have retired is how refreshed they look and how genuinely happy they are.
Jemima
9-23-11, 2:12am
Once a month, I meet my retired friends from work for lunch. It is interesting to me to be workring with 20 and 30 yr olds who are so into it and then see the opposite spectrum, those who have "put in their time" and are no longer interested at all. I will be sad to see my last friend at work that is my age retire in December but happy that she now will have time to drag out some canvas and paint again. What I note about my friends who have retired is how refreshed they look and how genuinely happy they are.

Know what you mean. My best buddy from work is a guy in his late thirties, married to a Polish immigrant who worked her way up from hotel housekeeper to banquette manager in a snazzy national chain. He and I hold similar values and we shared countless laughs, but we might as well be on different planets with regard to life goals. When Bill encouraged me to go for the gold or one-up a perceived rival, I had to stifle a yawn. (However, I do remember being quite ambitious at that age myself.)

I also have to give him credit for his efforts in simple living. Instead of a conventional suburban house, he bought a small, converted resort cottage and plans to pay it off ASAP. (Wish I had had that kind of wisdom at his age!) And he was genuinely happy for me when I told him I'd set a date to retire.