Early Retirment Test Drive - Month 1

So it has almost been a month now. I would like to share my current experience with my early retirement. 

It feels a little strange that I no longer need to get up early in the morning and getting ready for work. However, it feels good when I no longer need to rush and it lets me slow down a bit. I usually did not eat breakfast until I rushed into work. Now I have been eating a proper breakfast. 1 health point! 

Now that I have more time, I have been spending more time on our blog. I have been trying to do one post a day and preparing a bunch of posts ahead of time. It has been much better than having no updates for a few months. It is true that writing is therapeutic. It heals. In writing about our experience and our goals, it makes me more certain of our goals of early retirement. 

Another great thing is to have grocery shopping done on the weekdays. We used to do that on Friday nights or Saturday morning, meaning bad traffic or long lines at checkouts. Late weekday mornings or early afternoons have less traffic and almost no lines at checkout, which saves us more time. Also, most stores start their sales on Wednesday or Thursday, so some of the items run out (no rain checks in some stores). Now we do not have to worry about that. Time is money!!!

With Mrs Y at home all day, that means more home made meals. I cook daily almost now. Less sandwich lunches for Mr Y, and more lunch boxes from home. Home made meals use more fresh meat and vegetables, and less processed food. Processed food contains much more sugar, sodium, and chemicals. Another health point!!!

Now on the things I haven't enjoyed. I used to only have about 8 hours or less between work and sleep. Now I have 16 hours - taking out the 8 hours of sleep a day. With all the extra time, what am I going to do? It is true I get to keep the house cleaner, write more blog posts and cook meals; however, I still end up with lots of time on my hand. It gets a little boring after the first few weeks. This makes me think about what we really want in early retirement. 

The difference between now and later will be that we both will be retired, not only me. Since we have been married, we have been doing most things together when we are not at work. Now I am alone at home, it feels strange. Also I am actively searching, meaning I am not 100% relaxed yet. 

However, one thing is certain. To achieve happiness in early retirement, having a hobby will be really helpful. Or early retirement will really just be a semi-retirement instead to avoid getting bored all the time.
 

Comments

  1. I'm not quite sure that I understand the situation. You mention that this is a test drive, so is the current no-work situation temporary? Your About page states that you have about 15 years to go.

    Please fill me in! Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Mr Y is still working. Mrs Y is currently staying at home, but searching for a better opportunity. The current no-work situation for Mrs Y should be temporary and hoping it is not going to be too long. That is why Mrs Y wants to try out to see how it feels like to be not working.

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