Retirement looks different these days – it’s about having more freedom to live how you choose, regardless of your health or finances. Here’s how one Kiwi – Katherine – is enjoying her Freetirement.
Katherine and her husband John are ‘sandwich generation’ baby boomers. They’ve had adult children returning home, and lived in Katherine’s mother’s house, caring for Betty for eight years until she passed away. They then spent a year with John’s elderly father. That means money has been tight, but have kept afloat by both continuing to work part time.
While the couple were living with their elderly parents, they didn’t live in their own home. Instead, they invested their capital into a rental property nearby – with the idea that they’d live in it eventually.
“We didn’t have a lot of capital, but it was enough for a decent deposit on a small home,” says Katherine. “We knew this is where we’d end up, so we loved that it was already set up for oldies, and that it still backed onto the park.”
Their own space
When it was time for their own space, John and Katherine moved into their cosy unit. A “stressful” renovation – using Katherine’s inheritance – meant they had a bit more room, an extra bathroom and a nicer kitchen. John and Katherine say they seemed to be living with constant upheaval and dust forever.
It was worth it in the end – despite the renovations costing them a bit more than expected.
“Our smaller bedroom is now an office,” says Katherine. “We’re so modern, we even have standing desks!”
Love their work
Those desks were sorely needed – John had retired from his job of 45 years, but went immediately to work for his son. Katherine has been working part time for her daughter’s business for nearly a decade, and is busier than ever.
“I boast that we work for our kid-bosses,” says Katherine. “We’re so proud of them. This is the best job I’ve ever had – why would I stop working just because I’m over 65? I’ll keep working as long as I can.”
The big C
Just as Katherine and John were settling into the joys of freetirement, John was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.
“He was already at stage four, with a big lesion on his liver,” Katherine says. “If you Google that, the news is really, really bad.
“At that time I had a part in the local musical. We were well into rehearsal and I had to pull out.
“It was a very bad patch, trying to cope and update our wills and all that.”
Plant-based positivity
John found an extensive study on diet and disease, and he decided to take charge. Overnight the couple became vegans, and realised how delicious plant-based food could be.
“We’re positive people,” Katherine explains. “We walk a lot and keep fit, so the diet was part of that. John’s getting great results from immunotherapy, with very few side effects. We’re sure fitness and diet have helped.”
Set for the long haul
Things are looking up for the couple. John’s cancer has markedly diminished, treatments continue to look promising, and Katherine feels confident about the future. She even took on another theatre role – in a play about residents of a retirement community!
“We couldn’t be happier,” says Katherine. “We love our unit, and we own it outright, so our expenses are low. And with our diet, we’re saving John and the earth, one meal at a time!”
Katherine’s freetirement snapshot:
Katherine Ransom, 66, still working part time
The best part about retirement: “That John and I can spend time together, not tied to working hours. And with Super we can keep saving for when we need to stop working altogether”.
The hardest part about retirement: “Staying positive with an unknown future.”
Her advice for the best freetirement: “Make the most of every day. Keep active: walking, seeing friends and doing things. Avoid negative people, laugh a lot and have fun. And don’t look in the mirror!”