About to join those on permanent vacation.....and a fixed income

Congrats to the OP and wife, as well as all others who have 'made it' to happy retirement. I'm on the younger side of the demographic here personally.
As I recently mentioned to another member; after years in corporate management I got an unexpected chance a few months back to go into business for myself, albeit in a small way, and am hoping about 20-25 years with my 'new' little company will see me joining the retired by 60 club. 😀

Congratulations on your retirement and your diligent and discipline planning over the years.

My wife retired from the teaching profession last year at the age of 58 and I'm semi-retired as I only work two days a week. I have always believed that you need a few interesting hobbies, projects, and friends to make retirement successful, besides money and a good spouse if you are married. My Dad retired at the age of 44, did a few odd and end jobs and finally stopped working altogether at the age of 54. He had a great pension, a wonderful companion ( my mother passed at 42 ), fun hobbies and traveled the world. He lived till 92 and was healthy and driving till 91.

I'm considering retiring next year, but, since I work for myself and as long as I'm enjoying what I do and still have time to do the fun stuff... I can go like this for years. But, it's good to know I can retire at any time.

Congrats to the both of you and best wishes for a long & happy retirement.

My wife and I also lived life below our means, saved & invested diligently. She retired last year in her early fifties and I left industry to teach at a local college, so I’m working 9 months per year at a slower pace. It’s been great! But I have learned that preparing for retirement is more than just a financial exercise: you need to plan your time. Sure, a few weeks of doing nothing is cool but gets boring if you have 30 years of it. Despite my many hobbies & interests, I’m glad I do have a job to go to for part of the year. It keeps my energized. So get involved in something and keep in touch with your friends: that’s what keeps you young!
Cheers

Congratulations!!!!! I retired from law enforcement last March, just before all the fun started (covid-19 and the rioting). I have a nice pension, 403 (b), and some investments. Other than a tiny house payment, no debts. Now the fly in the ointment. Health care!! It all went bye bye when I retired, zilch!! I have a wife and a ten year old son, so I needed to find a way to get it. I got a commercial drivers license and work for my local school in transportation, my wife also works part time in the same school system. My PT job pays for our family health care, and all three of us are on the same schedule with summers off. Life is good!!!

@pdxleaf, Wow! I was going to say long post, but I will instead use the term, well thought out post. LOL You make some good points, let me address a few bullet points.
I wouldn't have retired without my wife doing so also. She wasn't as miserable at her job as I was, but I have always told her, it was a "package deal". I wouldn't expect her to keep working if I wasn't willing to do the same myself. I will try and spend only a respectable amount of time on the Forum, but it is winter here and I am not much of an outside person in the winter. I shovel, snow blow and get back in the house asap. 10-4 on the watch wearing, I wear one every day, whether a work day or a day off now, so don't imagine I will stop wearing one.....even though my cell goes everywhere with me. We have 2 cats. And even though I don't have to walk with them, I do spend time with them. The male has some needy, dog like qualities about him and is always looking for attention and to be with one of us. I don't just stretch, I walk 2 miles at least 6 days a week, do crunches and 2 sets of just over 100 pushups. I started my unionized, semi sedentary job at age 26 and 166 pounds and I am retiring 32 years later at 173 and with better muscle tone, abs and larger arms than I started. So, I am going to tell you the weight gain is in muscle. That is my story and I am sticking to it. LOL I don't nap, never really have. Once I am up in the morning, I am done sleeping for the day, just how my body works. I do have projects planned and plan on doing "just one thing" each day. I have been practicing that for 3 or 4 months now, as I planned on my retirement. Today, I went outside and moved around some trees that had fallen earlier in the month when we had a wet, heavy, snow fall and high winds. The yard isn't completely cleaned up, but I have some firewood for next year and as soon as the branches dry out from all the rain we had yesterday, I will burn it off in the fire pit. Some days, when I don't have yard work, I have told my wife, my just one thing will be to help her clean a room that needs to have a deep cleaning. I have never been domesticated, but I do plan on getting better at that. The other day, while she was at work, I vacuumed all the rugs, swept and mopped the tile and linoleum and cleaned up the rooms I knew our company would be in the next day. And it didn't even kill me! Who knew?? We do take trips, even did go to the ocean 4 times this summer and fall, during Covid. We have a camper and normally we travel a few times each year. I expect to do even more of that when we get beyond this mess and we can strike out for parts unknown, even on a Tuesday if the mood hits us. We will do some real traveling, overseas in a few years. It will time up well that our daughter will be about 22 and into full adulthood when SS kicks in at 62. Then I will happily take my wife to any English speaking country she wants to see. She and her sister have been to France, Japan and Spain. Now I will take her to England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and New Zealand. As for the coffee....I enjoy the first, second, third and sometimes 4th cup of coffee. That is my real computer and OF time. Thank you for all your thoughts, I plan on just breathing for about 4 months, but kicking it up a notch when Spring hits.

McK

@Evitzee....I don't plan on changing our spending at all. I don't want to go backwards one inch on how we live. That is why we went to the financial planner. I told him what we had for a nest egg, what we spend each month, that I didn't want to change our habits, what amount I wanted leave for my daughter, who wants to be a teacher, and asked how long our money would last. He answered "virtually forever". He will now take over running our accounts and use a mixture of stocks and bonds and probably be much more disciplined investing our money than I have ever been. I know I will start drawing SS early, as men in my family don't live much into their 70's. I have already outlived a couple of Uncle's on my father's side. Your meticulous financial record keeping sounds like my own. I always judged my returns vs the S&P 500 and have separate savings for emergency, vehicles, and college funds, etc. Now I fear I might be in danger of telling too much about myself, as I mentioned some others are prone to do on other forums I belong to, LOL. Enough about me....I was just so happy to retire, I had to share.

McK

Dad!! I’m so glad we found each other on OF.
I just started the rat race 2 decades ago. 2 more to go.
I’ll see you and Mom in 2021.

ps. Your granddaughter loves old watches too.

Sorry was going to post something, then thought better but pushed the wrong button. Again congratulations and best of luck

Don't hold back on my account....I can take a jab every now and then....probably deserve it too.

Oh one more thing...EXERCISE and lots of it along with eating properly. Running , Jogging walking fast out in the great outdoors along with push ups and sits ups and curls..You can do this all for free and It will get you out of your comfortable chair and away from your monitor and the wrist watch forums.

Thanks to my wise choices in investing many years for multiple college degrees, 15 years as driver for a touring drag race team, another 12 working and living in the tropical Philippine islands, I can look forward to finally being able to afford retiring from work when I'm oh, say, 104 if I'm lucky. 😁

Retirement is overrated - I don't think I will bother (because I financially cant) retiring until the day I die...

My in laws made the decision to finally retire this past summer. I have never seen them this happy and busy! Their social circle/calendar, even with COVID and social distancing, has never been more full.

I can find myself very much in all of this. Made the decision end of 2019 with the idea of going overseas for 2 years of travel starting mid 2020. Obviously Corona put a stop to that.
After 48 years of working mainly in the building trade, retirement has its challenges for me. I often felt unfulfilled and as if my days were wasted when not working. Talked a lot about this with a friend who went through the same when she retired. Keeping busy with long walks and swimming, generally keeping fit and active has been a major relief valve. Going for a coffee in town is now a regular happening. Also keeping in touch now more with relatives and friends.
And going overseas? I am hoping for sometime in 2022.