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I knew I was really ready to retire when I no longer wanted to hang on to the garage full of teaching materials that I had collected over 30 years.  I taught Spanish and ESL  and various other subjects at grade levels from elementary to high school.  I began my career in Houston ISD in 1964 and have taught in Chile and Canada as well as lots of small town districts in East Texas.  It was a lot of  hard work and a lot of fun.  But I am ready for a change. 

It took me many years to develop a routine for doing my job effeciently and effectively.  Since I have only been at this retirement thing for a year, I haven't yet developed much of a plan or routine.  Rather than having a schedule, my days just flow.  This is a unique experience but I'm liking it more all the time.  I'm learning to be more spontaneous but I still like to plan ahead.   It is really inconvenient that the economy crashed during my first year of retirement.  When things were looking scary back in October I started remembering pictures of people in line at soup kitchens, and in hopes of not having to be part of such a bleak picture,  I converted my meger annuity into a meger CD and I bought some stocks at bargain basement prices only to see them fall even further and lay gasping for breath beneath the bargain basement.  That is why my retirement doesn't include stories of cruises and interesting trips.

So I am trying to develop some interests that don't involve spending money.  Happily I found that I still remembered most of the dance moves I knew in the 50's and 60's and we have a senior dance club that only costs 6 bucks a head.  I have always liked biking and walking for exercise and I now can enjoy those activities any time I feel like doing them.  I really need to join a local bike club.  I've seen a group that looks like people I could keep up with but haven't gotten around to hooking up with them yet.  My daughter moved in with me while she is getting settled and looking for a place of her own which is why I have way too many dogs at the moment.  She has 2 and I have 2 but since our inclination to pick up strays grows stronger when we are together,  we also have 3 new additions that belong to both of us .    I know that is not a reasonable number of dogs to have as pets but as Scarlotte O'Hara said, "I'll think about that tomorrow."   Anyway, sitting on the patio late in the evening after it cools off, having a glass of wine and watching the dogs cavort in the yard is fun and costs nothing.  I volunteer two nights a week teaching classes for adults who want to improve their English speaking skills.  Hopefully that will be enough to keep some of my brain cells alive and kicking.   And that about does it for my list of cheap retirement activities. 

All in all, life after retirement is pretty good.  If you haven't yet taken the plunge, I say go for it.  Life can be good even on less money.