How would you describe retirement? Sunsets, beaches, tequilas, parties, travels, and relaxation may be the top answers.

We know that retirement is important but what some of us don’t know is it takes actual rigorous planning before anyone can leave the workforce – in short, it’s not just about the things you may have imagined first. If you plan to retire someday, here are valuable tips from people who have done it:

Be Frugal

This may perhaps be the most obvious way to save more money: stick with a budget, avoid overspending, and live within your means. For Karen and Joe Stermitz, who both left their jobs in 2017, it’s all about knowing your priorities.

She advised to let go of things that don’t really bring you happiness and added that they don’t usually focus on tangible things. For the couple, they sold their Washington house to travel the world because they greatly value experiences.

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Couple Corky and Patti Ewin also believe that spending well-below what you can afford is the key to a comfortable retirement. Although they didn’t earn so much from their previous jobs, they decided to live within their means and the money saved went to maxing out their retirement accounts.

Stay Away from Debts

It’s easy to be distracted by shiny new things in the mall but remember, this will add to your monthly expenses. If you are not a wise spender and you avoid tracking your purchases, then your bills could balloon eventually making it hard for you to pay your dues, which will cause your credit score to suffer.

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Fernanda Dorsey shared she made sure she had the perfect credit rating and also to never incur debts just to sustain her lifestyle, gold pieces of advice that came from her godfather. This became extremely helpful when they left their work and traveled.

James R. also recommends remaining debt-free as much as possible so you can retire anytime you want. He and his wife have been mortgage-free for the past 25 years, which is why he didn’t have any problems when he decided to stop working at 59.

Start Early

David Fisher retired at 65 but if he had a piece of advice for his younger self, that would be to invest your money and save whatever you can. That’s because he admitted that he used to ignore quarterly TIAA statements in his early 30’s to early 40’s.

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After that, once he paid attention to these documents, he learned the value of his money and the importance of retirement.