Brew beer, fix motorbikes, make bird boxes, travel, walk, read, volunteer, cycle, write software, build electronics, sit in the sun with a cat on me. I can't wait to retire.

This is actually my life right now. I retired from the US military at 38 years old and received a pension which I will collect monthly for the rest of my life. On top of that, they messed me up enough that I got the coveted 100% Permanent & Total disability rating from the VA. So I'm getting free medical and dental for life, plus a monthly paycheck from the VA that's bigger than my pension. My wife also got the same VA deal (she was actually medically separated from the military), so we have double the VA benefits coming in.

All this passive income means we don't have to work for the rest of our lives. I just turned 40, and after spending the last couple years getting settled back into civilian life, I'm starting to invest my free time into hobbies and projects.

My father just passed away a few months ago and I inherited his house (my childhood home) and its 6 acres of property. My dad didn't take care of the house or land (he was a bit of a hoarder), so I'm working on fixing up the house and cleaning up the property. That takes up a lot of my free time during the summer.

I wanted to get involved in my community, so I'm on the parks committee and communications committee for my local township, where I help to improve our local parks and trails, and ensure information about our local area and its events is disseminated to all our residents.

I've been playing a lot of video games lately. I have a steam library of over 3,400 games and I've been picking through my library, trying to discover hidden gems that I've missed. My library is so huge because I've been a Humble Bundle subscriber for a long time now, so I get nearly a dozen games a month. I also play online co-op games with some old childhood friends of mine every week.

My wife and I picked up Duolingo again recently and we're trying to learn a foreign language. I'm juggling both Japanese and Norwegian right now. I learned some basics of Japanese when I was stationed there 2 decades ago and I really love the language, so I'm hoping to master it. Plus, I have living descendants of my ancestors who still live in Norway and I'd like to communicate in their language one day instead of forcing them to use English to communicate with me. I also took 4 years of French in high school, and I was stationed in Germany for a couple years, so I have both of those languages cued up to learn if/when I get bored of my first two.

When I was 13, I discovered I was a prodigy at the piano. I taught myself how to play because I heard Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and really wanted to be able to play it myself. My wife is actually sore about it because her bachelor's degree required that she take 4 years of piano lessons... and I'm still better than her at piano, without ever having a single lesson. Unfortunately, I haven't touched a piano in nearly 2 decades, so all my skill has gone to waste. So I bought an electric piano recently and plan to re-learn how to play. In my childhood, I had to read sheet music and sort of figure things out myself, but in today's world, there are all sorts of training and tutorial programs and videos online that I can use, so I imagine it'll be super easy to get back into it.

My wife and I watch a ton of movies and TV shows. If we're ever tired and just don't want to be productive for a day, we'll just sit on the couch and binge shows or movies all day. When we're extra lazy, we'll order DoorDash so we don't have to cook. We live in the countryside, about a 15 minute drive from the nearest town, so it's easier to order DoorDash than head into town for food some days. We always tip extra for the drivers, because we know our home is out of the way for them.

When I used to work, I always looked forward to the weekends. But now that I'm retired, I actually find myself hating the weekends and looking forward to weekdays. On the weekends, it's always so busy in town. So many people running errands, eating out with their families, partaking in local events, crowding parks and trails, etc. But during the weekdays, everyone's at work, so the town is quieter. Sometimes I like to go downtown and sit in a coffee shop or restaurant for a few hours and just idly browse my phone or read a book. Or go for a walk or bike in one of our parks and just enjoy the peaceful nature. Or browse some stores, knowing it's just me and the shop owner. I'm not bumping into other customers, I can chat with store owners, etc. I'm starting to understand why old people like to chat up employees so much. It's kind of nice when it's not busy.

As a 100% disabled vet, I get free passes to all national, state, and county parks, and there's a public park with a beach just a couple miles from my home, so I go there in the summer to swim and try to build my strength back up. It's especially nice on weekdays because there's no one there. I can swim laps and not worry about bumping into people. And since it's just down the road from my house, I can head over there anytime, all summer long.

I have a few other hobbies and projects on the back burner. A buddy of mine wants to build furniture and I've always been interested in woodworking, so we've talked about maybe starting up a workshop in my garage. Plus, I was a pro at electrical engineering stuff in my high school years, so I'd be interested in learning more about that field. My house is in rough enough shape, my wife and I have been talking about just tearing it down and rebuilding from scratch, so we're currently designing our dream home right now to see if that's a feasible project. We have enough land that we're interested in learning how to garden. Ideally, being able to live almost completely off our own produce. I'd also like to set up a giant solar panel array in our back field, so we don't have to pay much (if anything) for electricity anymore.

Plus a bunch of other little interests that I want to indulge in over time. In the meantime, I don't have much of a schedule. I go to sleep whenever I'm tired and I get up whenever I naturally wake. I'm a night owl, so that means I'm usually up most of the night and then sleep until almost noon most days.

I dunno what else... I guess I'm just living in the moment now, trying to focus on what makes me happy each day and not worry about trying to be productive or accomplished. I did all that when I was working, and now I can just focus on being comfortable. It's a wonderful feeling, knowing that I have no commitments outside of my control. My wife wants to go back to work one day, but I think I'm done. I much prefer the ability to plan my own days on a whim and not get tied down with long-term commitments. Every day is an adventure that I get to choose.

I'd finally finish some of my personal projects.

Over the last few years, I've had so many ideas for stuff, both video games and just basic useful software. This is where the curse of being a professional software engineer kicks in. I know that I'm experienced enough to actually make those things but after a full day of work, preparing dinner and getting the apartment in order, there is just not enough time and energy left to get my ass in front of an IDE again. I'd love to have the opportunity, even if just for a year or so to pause my day job and spend my energy on something that is actually mine and has emotional value for me.

On top of that, I have a couple of hobbies that would benefit from having more time. Photography, HEMA (fencing with proper swords), board games, 3d printing and painting miniatures... one thing is for sure, I wouldn't get bored any time soon.

I know a lady who is retired but wealthy, and she spends her spare time in a sewing club, making really high quality beautiful clothes for low-income families in smaller low-income areas, and provides those clothes to those families for free.

When she told me that the first time, my estimates of her went through the roof.

Find a job I'd love.

I don't want to be useless, but now I wouldn't have to be worried about money.

Work on projects that I think are important instead of just profitable.

I'd do nothing. Sleep as long as I want, go to bed when I want. Being online, being offline, it really does not matter. Like holidays, but forever.

I have disability income so I'm kind of in this situation already and what I spend my time doing is contributing bug reports to open source software and answering questions for people on how to get started with different things and just helping the communities in general.

Create and contribute to open source projects.

Write music.

Make little video games.

Write short stories.

Learn a new language.

Basically, a lot of stuff I already do as a hobby, but I would have more time/energy to devote

I would play the piano more, read all the science fiction (Azimov, Herbert, HG Wells, Orwell, Bradbury, AC Clarke, UK Le Guin...), play Boardgames & Magic the Gathering with my friends, probably start making content for youtube or twitch, make pastry everyday, do gardening and building projects around the house...

The question is, do I have any budget to do all that, or are my basic needs covered but I can't choose where to live, what I eat etc?

Honestly, I don't find any satisfaction in work because I love doing so many things and would rather do one of them for money.

Realistically? I'd play video games all day and die at 35. I kinda need work for the daily structure and the socialization.

Probably work on Château Picard. Like living in a hypothetical post-scarcity world, having all of your needs met is not an excuse not to do productive work, or to adopt selfish goals.

Reading, hiking, backpacking, cooking, brewing, fixing, loving, caring, dreaming, building, gaming, growing, learning, teaching.

Get more sleep

Probably dick around in Garage Band.

Spend most of my time with my family. We'd do lots of fun day adventures. I'd also get out on my mountain bike more and try to get back into shape. It would also be nice to hang out with my close friends more than once a month.

A lot of woodworking, a lot of fishing, and a lot of hanging out with family. It would be glorious.

I already try to collect skills but I'd learn things I don't have the time or energy for currently, like blacksmithing, or designing and producing electronic devices, or music production. I'd probably start a garden and get some chickens and a goat.

Embrace by creative side even further rather than creating for food and roof and thus limiting my ability to supply and demand.

I just sleep in and play video games and be depressed. It’s not good.

Mostly I’d just do the same thing, but for myself rather than anyone else. I’m almost there, because I started my own company, but I’m still coding to make money rather than coding for fun. It would be great just to write code for fun. Until I’m able to, I’m just working on my email service, Port87. It is really nice to work for myself, at least.

I'd work on my car and my computer/gamedev stuff, and teach others to do the same. Also more gardening.

Software development and computer stuff in general is my passion. I enjoy doing it as a hobby even after doing it at work. If I didn't have to work for money, I would probably work on some open source software. In fact that's kinda my dream / goal - achieve financial independence and work on open source as I please.

I'd love to learn more. I've wanted to go and do either another degree, or get my PhD, but it's just not realistic with being the only one bringing in money.

Probably finally finish some projects, too, rather than just starting them and losing interest.

Go on long walks with a litter bag cleaning parks etc while listening to books and music. Get really in shape. Cook every meal for my family. Write fiction. Get involved in helping local political movements. Attend more protests.

I would dedicate more time to exercise. My running would be more consistent and I would likely add yoga and weight lifting.

I would travel a lot more, with big trips to different places. This includes going cross continent in several continents.

I have some ideas for non-fiction writing, specifically an anthology on industrial era technology and how it caused societal change.

I might teach at a community college given my experience and education.

Depends on income. With more income, I'd travel a lot and do things. With no income, I'd try to make some things, be online and read pirated books :)

Get a couple of dogs and a camper van and travel with my wife, UK, Europe and then further afield.

I would do a lot more camping and cycling mostly. really give the bass a red hot shot. tackle my pile of plastic shame

I think I'd still work because it makes me feel useful to society.

I would get a house, get a dog and just chill with said dog.

I don't work I quit work at 35 and am now 58. It takes time Toni shacke from the societal indoctrination Misha bleeding work as worthy. I live off a small investment income from investments made decades past (I was buying shares from age 19 and have always been frugal growing up poor, I also own my own modest cottage in a small rural village) Those investments have only grown through no particular perspicacity of mine.

Eventually you can come to understand that freedom is and do what you want. My only regret ? Not quitting earlier, those years were wasted and I can't get them back.

This answer might be somewhat unusual, but honestly? I would continue working. I like to keep busy, and I feel like I would get bored quickly. Sure, a break might be nice for me to catch up with personal projects, but in the long term, I would like to work.

I suppose it also helps that I'm a rare case where I enjoy the work that I do

When I work I do my hobbies in my free time when I'm unemployed I do fuck all just playing games and passing the time.

Spending time with my wife

Working on open source projects

Learning new skills, musical instruments

Practicing karate

Spending time with my wife

10 hours/day on YT and Netflix

Depressed

Existential dread

Anxiety

Eat

Sleep

(In no particular order).

I have a friend who worked his ass off as a teenager and had founded a moderately successful IT business from the back of his garage. He sold his share of the firm at 21 and walked away with a seven digit bank balance.

He's one of those self-proclaimed alpha males who did a lot of stuff like playing video games a lot, martial arts (black belt in two martial arts), gym, partying, etc. He would also still work from time to time, not out of necessity but rather boredom

Unfortunately age and a nasty case of long COVID caught up with him, so he's mainly going back into IT.

I would keep working part time because I love my job (psychotherapist). I would also garden, knit, go camping a lot, learn a musical instrument, write fiction and non-fiction books, have a podcast about mental health, and spend more time with friends. Traveling would also be a favorite.