I retired in January 2023 at 56, and time has flown. I sleep better 8-9 hours a day, blood pressure is down, and above all no stress. Travel is my priority, and I agree I don’t miss work at all. I too have started a UA-cam channel. Just remember, there are no days off in retirement lol. Congratulations the both of you.
Just loving your channel. My hubby and I are 59 and I'm desperate to retire but he is still at the stage of saying he is going to continue to work for as long as he can😢...so I still have a lot of work to do to get him even to be thinking about retirement one day😅....official retirement in NZ is 65. Keep your news flowing...helps us live in hope😂
Thanks for sharing this Debbie. The retirement decision is a really tough one and everyone has their own view that is right for them. I think that is what makes the decision making process so challenging... as it really is a very personal decision- with no two people alike. If it is any consolation- we are obviously loving what we are doing at the moment and we are quite happy to keep documenting it. We feel really grateful for what we have and what we are building together. Have a lovely weekend. R
Another great episode. Losing your father and brother suddenly would indeed cause you to pause and ask “What is this all about?” As noted in another episode comment, I lost my wife to cancer not quite a year and a half ago. She battled for nine years and I can look back now and recognize how traumatic it was for me. Having come out the other side of a very dark period (and also having lost my father suddenly 30 years ago), I too recognize the cliche that life is short and we never know what the the next day will bring. I know some have questioned my decisions but they do not know my story; I feel like I have a new lease on life and am now embracing life. Work? No thanks. One of the few things that have come out of massive loss and change in life is I am now financially secure. Travel is top on my list as well- my new partner (who is amazing and SO good for me) and I did the west coast of Newfoundland last summer, spent a week in Boston in December, and leave for Iceland later this month. Last May, I spent a week in London with my brother-in-law as well. In between, like you, my days seem to get filled without too much trouble. Enjoy your time! Enjoy every day! Keep up the great work👍
Thanks Jeff- always good to hear from you. It's quite amazing out of all the pain can come some positive things in our lives. I. wouldn't have believed it a few years ago. We try to be relentlessly positive, but in the dark time it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I take quite a bit of wisdom from my daily guided meditation that has helped me understand the concept of impermanence- and it is a great comforter. When things are bad- that pain will always come to an end. Similarly, when things are good- value them and hold onto them as they too will also end. Love your travel adventures- you are having a blast! We are very envious of your North America adventures. R
Brilliant video guys. You are definitely living the life and good on you. Karen and I met when she was 17 and I was 20 and 43 years later we have been retired for 8 years and like you guys we are too busy to be bored. We have very much always believed in “Shared Memories”. It’s better to say “Do you remember that fantastic trip to New Zealand” or “Weren’t those sunsets in Fiji amazing”? Rather than “Karen, I wish you had been with me to New Zealand” or “Irvine, the sunsets in Fiji were incredible, I wish you had been there”. That’s always been our motto - do things together and have no regrets. It’s stood us in good stead. We love watching your videos as they fill us with inspiration. Take care. Irvine & Karen. Hope we haven’t bored you with all of that.
Wow 43 years is awesome. Definitely enjoying making lots of new memories together. NZ and Australia are on our bucket list as we have never travelled that far. They may have to wait until we get our teachers pension 😬
I have watched every one of your videos, they are great and I have learned a lot from you. I’m retiring at end end of August and, like you, wonder about finances, what will I do and will I lose touch with people. However, having watched you videos, I can’t wait to follow some of you’ve examples of retirement, one being going abroad in our motorhome. By the way your cottage looks beautiful. Looking forward to the next one 😀
I have just stumbled onto your channel and love it. Just watched this vid I’m 54 and want to retire at 55 my children are still at school so I think it will be semi retiring first but keep working do I keep working a bit longer !! You both are truly inspirational as I love what you have done with stripping things back. Looking forward to watching all your backlog of vids. Cheers Graham.
Thank you! We are certainly enjoying our retirement and travels. It seemed hard at the time having the children when we were relatively young and our friends were travelling and enjoying but it has certainly helped us now! Good luck with your plans x
Happy first anniversary! I have really enjoyed your content. I am retiring next year and husband and I are relocating so your channel has given us food for thought.
When you look back and sum everything up, you've done/achieved such a lot in the past 12 months. Looking forward to seeing what the next 12 months bring for you (and also me!).
Just found your wonderful channel!! We are retiring at 59 this year and you have given us lots to think about and strive for. We are relocating to Florida to renovate a much smaller home and to be close to my father. We look forward to you vlogs!! Enjoy your summer!!
Thankyou for you lovely comment, we are really looking forward to a summer of having friends and family visiting. Relocating to Florida sounds very exciting! We love visiting the Sarasota area. Hope all goes well with both your retirement and relocation x
Just found your channel and binging lol.........great stuff guys I look forward to following your journey.......im hoping to retire in April at 61.......have a great job but ready for some me time
Great video! Very helpful for those of us working towards and planning for early retirement. Looking forward to seeing your garden projects and travels this year!
Thankyou. It’s a good job we did not plan to get the garden project going this summer. It has rained pretty much for the 2 weeks we have been home from Europe!
The last 2 years have certainly been a journey for us but we have definitely come out stronger and happier. Good luck next year, we actually embraced and enjoyed the planning for retirement once we had made our decision x
Happy Anniversary Sounds like your first year of retirement has been really great Hope you had a fabulous time in Europe Your cottage is looking fantastic Love to both Andrew 💜💐xx
It has certainly been a busy year with a fab trip in Europe to finish it off! What was so nice was coming home after 5 weeks to the cottage that was fully completed. No builders or wallpaper stripping or painting! Thank you for your kind comments, we love our little cottage x
Could i ask how early retirement was financed? Savings, inheritance etc! Im looking for budget ideas! Its ok retiring early if youve won the lottery or have 500k savings!
Hi we are able to access our teachers pensions at 55 which we know we are really fortunate with - until then we are using all our savings and equity from down sizing our family home to a small 2 up 2 down mid terrace. We do a little bit of free lance writing for a couple of magazines on our van life travels which helps to pay for most of our travel costs 😊
Love watching your videos, I'm just curious whether or not you think early retirement is attainable for those with lower incomes? I'm guessing that as both of you were teachers and reasonably well off and may have already been mortgage free? What strategies helped you bring your retirement forward? Thanks
Thank you ☺️ Our main focus from our early 30’s was to keep bringing down our mortgage number of years. We couldn’t have retired early if we still had our mortgage to pay. We also cut up our credit cards and made sure we paid off any debts once our kids were no longer financially reliant on us. Looking back - we know we were extremely lucky in that we bought our house when properties were much more affordable, sadly something our children’s generation are not so lucky with.
Yes we have definitely retired and currently living of our savings until we can access our teachers pension at 55. We do get a small passive income from the magazine articles and we are monetised on you tube which helps a little bit! We don’t want to take on jobs that would tie us down so we couldn’t travel and we are definitely never going back into teaching!
I retired in January 2023 at 56, and time has flown. I sleep better 8-9 hours a day, blood pressure is down, and above all no stress. Travel is my priority, and I agree I don’t miss work at all. I too have started a UA-cam channel. Just remember, there are no days off in retirement lol. Congratulations the both of you.
It is amazing how quick and easily you adapt to being retired. We will look up your UA-cam 😊 happy retirement x
Just loving your channel. My hubby and I are 59 and I'm desperate to retire but he is still at the stage of saying he is going to continue to work for as long as he can😢...so I still have a lot of work to do to get him even to be thinking about retirement one day😅....official retirement in NZ is 65.
Keep your news flowing...helps us live in hope😂
Thanks for sharing this Debbie. The retirement decision is a really tough one and everyone has their own view that is right for them. I think that is what makes the decision making process so challenging... as it really is a very personal decision- with no two people alike.
If it is any consolation- we are obviously loving what we are doing at the moment and we are quite happy to keep documenting it. We feel really grateful for what we have and what we are building together.
Have a lovely weekend. R
Another great episode. Losing your father and brother suddenly would indeed cause you to pause and ask “What is this all about?” As noted in another episode comment, I lost my wife to cancer not quite a year and a half ago. She battled for nine years and I can look back now and recognize how traumatic it was for me. Having come out the other side of a very dark period (and also having lost my father suddenly 30 years ago), I too recognize the cliche that life is short and we never know what the the next day will bring. I know some have questioned my decisions but they do not know my story; I feel like I have a new lease on life and am now embracing life. Work? No thanks. One of the few things that have come out of massive loss and change in life is I am now financially secure. Travel is top on my list as well- my new partner (who is amazing and SO good for me) and I did the west coast of Newfoundland last summer, spent a week in Boston in December, and leave for Iceland later this month. Last May, I spent a week in London with my brother-in-law as well. In between, like you, my days seem to get filled without too much trouble. Enjoy your time! Enjoy every day! Keep up the great work👍
Thanks Jeff- always good to hear from you. It's quite amazing out of all the pain can come some positive things in our lives. I. wouldn't have believed it a few years ago. We try to be relentlessly positive, but in the dark time it can be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I take quite a bit of wisdom from my daily guided meditation that has helped me understand the concept of impermanence- and it is a great comforter. When things are bad- that pain will always come to an end. Similarly, when things are good- value them and hold onto them as they too will also end.
Love your travel adventures- you are having a blast! We are very envious of your North America adventures. R
Brilliant video guys. You are definitely living the life and good on you. Karen and I met when she was 17 and I was 20 and 43 years later we have been retired for 8 years and like you guys we are too busy to be bored. We have very much always believed in “Shared Memories”. It’s better to say “Do you remember that fantastic trip to New Zealand” or “Weren’t those sunsets in Fiji amazing”? Rather than “Karen, I wish you had been with me to New Zealand” or “Irvine, the sunsets in Fiji were incredible, I wish you had been there”. That’s always been our motto - do things together and have no regrets. It’s stood us in good stead. We love watching your videos as they fill us with inspiration. Take care. Irvine & Karen. Hope we haven’t bored you with all of that.
Wow 43 years is awesome. Definitely enjoying making lots of new memories together. NZ and Australia are on our bucket list as we have never travelled that far. They may have to wait until we get our teachers pension 😬
@@earlyretirementwanderlust Yeah there’s plenty time ahead to continue travelling guys. Never look back and always do it together.
I have watched every one of your videos, they are great and I have learned a lot from you. I’m retiring at end end of August and, like you, wonder about finances, what will I do and will I lose touch with people. However, having watched you videos, I can’t wait to follow some of you’ve examples of retirement, one being going abroad in our motorhome. By the way your cottage looks beautiful. Looking forward to the next one 😀
Thankyou, we love the house in the Dales! Have a great time on your retirement travels, where are you planning for your first trip?
Love the positivity ….love the plans !
Thank you ☺️
Wow that is amazing what you have managed to achieve in the first year, renovating the house and all the amazing travel experiences.
When we look back on our last 18 months since we retired we can’t believe what we have actually done!! It has gone so quickly
I retired this year at 52. It’s interesting to see how my contemporaries are doing it. I enjoy your channel.
Hope you are enjoying retirement as much as we are! Thankyou for your kind comment 😊
I have just stumbled onto your channel and love it.
Just watched this vid I’m 54 and want to retire at 55 my children are still at school so I think it will be semi retiring first but keep working do I keep working a bit longer !!
You both are truly inspirational as I love what you have done with stripping things back.
Looking forward to watching all your backlog of vids.
Cheers Graham.
Thank you! We are certainly enjoying our retirement and travels. It seemed hard at the time having the children when we were relatively young and our friends were travelling and enjoying but it has certainly helped us now! Good luck with your plans x
Very honest and very appreciated cheers both
Thank you 😊
I’m enjoying a simple life too. Enjoying your videos. Just found you today so got a bit to catch up on. Thanks.
Thank you ☺️
Happy first anniversary! I have really enjoyed your content. I am retiring next year and husband and I are relocating so your channel has given us food for thought.
Thankyou 😊 hope your retirement and relocation go smoothly, like we said we have no regrets so far.
When you look back and sum everything up, you've done/achieved such a lot in the past 12 months. Looking forward to seeing what the next 12 months bring for you (and also me!).
We couldn’t believe just what we have packed into a year! I am sure we will all find lots to keep us busy in the coming months 😊
Just found your wonderful channel!! We are retiring at 59 this year and you have given us lots to think about and strive for. We are relocating to Florida to renovate a much smaller home and to be close to my father. We look forward to you vlogs!! Enjoy your summer!!
Thankyou for you lovely comment, we are really looking forward to a summer of having friends and family visiting. Relocating to Florida sounds very exciting! We love visiting the Sarasota area. Hope all goes well with both your retirement and relocation x
@@earlyretirementwanderlust ❤️
Really enjoyed this one year update. Can’t wait to be there myself.
Thank you, we can’t believe a year has passed by already!
I bet! And the older we get, the faster time goes, or so it seems.
Just found your channel and binging lol.........great stuff guys I look forward to following your journey.......im hoping to retire in April at 61.......have a great job but ready for some me time
Thank you ☺️ and happy retirement when it arrives!
Brilliant. Can't wait for your future videos.
Thankyou, we have got a few weeks of family and friends time in the Dales and then who knows where we will be!
Really enjoy your videos guys. I’m not at the point I can retire yet but you inspire me to make it happen sooner!
Thank you x
Great video! Very helpful for those of us working towards and planning for early retirement. Looking forward to seeing your garden projects and travels this year!
Thankyou. It’s a good job we did not plan to get the garden project going this summer. It has rained pretty much for the 2 weeks we have been home from Europe!
🎉keep doing what you love 👍
Really enjoying your journey
Hubby and I hope to retire next year and listening to your story is really resonating x
The last 2 years have certainly been a journey for us but we have definitely come out stronger and happier. Good luck next year, we actually embraced and enjoyed the planning for retirement once we had made our decision x
Happy Anniversary
Sounds like your first year of retirement has been really great
Hope you had a fabulous time in Europe
Your cottage is looking fantastic
Love to both
Andrew 💜💐xx
It has certainly been a busy year with a fab trip in Europe to finish it off! What was so nice was coming home after 5 weeks to the cottage that was fully completed. No builders or wallpaper stripping or painting! Thank you for your kind comments, we love our little cottage x
Happy anniversary 🥳guys …Here’s to many more 😀🍻x
Cheers, we can’t believe it been a whole year! X
Could i ask how early retirement was financed? Savings, inheritance etc! Im looking for budget ideas! Its ok retiring early if youve won the lottery or have 500k savings!
Hi we are able to access our teachers pensions at 55 which we know we are really fortunate with - until then we are using all our savings and equity from down sizing our family home to a small 2 up 2 down mid terrace. We do a little bit of free lance writing for a couple of magazines on our van life travels which helps to pay for most of our travel costs 😊
Love watching your videos, I'm just curious whether or not you think early retirement is attainable for those with lower incomes? I'm guessing that as both of you were teachers and reasonably well off and may have already been mortgage free? What strategies helped you bring your retirement forward? Thanks
Thank you ☺️ Our main focus from our early 30’s was to keep bringing down our mortgage number of years. We couldn’t have retired early if we still had our mortgage to pay. We also cut up our credit cards and made sure we paid off any debts once our kids were no longer financially reliant on us. Looking back - we know we were extremely lucky in that we bought our house when properties were much more affordable, sadly something our children’s generation are not so lucky with.
Love it guys. Does a pension take a big hit not paying into it from now till 55?
Not as big as we thought! But yes
What have you found the biggest compromises you’ve had to make?
At the moment having no income until we turn 55! We are just living a more simple life 😃
Have you read JL Collins, Simple Path to Wealth? Great financial teachings on retirement. I'm 10 years away but feeling inspired, thank you.
No but we will have a look Thankyou
are you guys really retired in the true sense of the word or are you working part time for side income
Yes we have definitely retired and currently living of our savings until we can access our teachers pension at 55. We do get a small passive income from the magazine articles and we are monetised on you tube which helps a little bit! We don’t want to take on jobs that would tie us down so we couldn’t travel and we are definitely never going back into teaching!
I thought teachers were poorly paid lol.
🤣
I think teachers are burnt out, I am not sure about the pay in the UK 😊 but I doubt its enough for the stress involved