Pros:
- Being able to set your own daily schedule. It’s a relief to avoid commute traffic, although that means errands are squeezed into the middle of the day. But there’s always tomorrow, LOL.
- Getting enough sleep. Not a small thing; many people are sleep-deprived.
- Traveling at your own pace, instead of thinking, “Gee, I only have a week and I want to see/do XX number of fun activities – can I fit everything in?”

Cons:
- Your friends/family are still working, so get-togethers are still on the weekends.
- You’re now on a budget. How you spend money matters a great deal, as inflation/price increases nibble away at your $$. In today’s economy, it’s unlikely you can just ‘go back to work part-time’ to earn additional money to ease a budget deficit. You need to have already planned for unexpected expenses and disability/death, not just trusting to luck, Providence, or government aid as your sole backstop.
- Start working on creating a new social circle. Time will inevitably scatter your friends and former co-workers, so you need to keep reaching out to invigorate your personal contacts.

Despite the inevitable ups and downs, my DH and I were fortunate to be able to take early retirement and can live very comfortably. We’ve done a lot of planning, so were able to take the recent market gyrations in stride. I’ve been retired for several years but DH just retired last December, so this is our time to travel together – nothing big, just some fun places we’ve wanted to re-visit – while our health still permits it.

We have a lot of hobbies, so retirement was not a big adjustment for us as it might be for some. In fact, we often don’t have time to do some things we thought we would! Most important is fitting in physical activity. We like to walk and hike, which can take up quite a few hours in a day! I can’t walk as far as DH, so half the time we’ll separate. I’ll take an easier, shorter walk while he goes to a state park and hikes 2-3 hours up and down hills. My family and I are super-foodies so gotta do something to keep the pounds from multiplying!