Planing for getting older, what have you done?

lilac_lady

Having my own door to a garden means more to me than I can say. That's a priority for me.


My plan for retirement is to live life and worry less.

desert_rose

We downsized to a bungalow three years ago and used what equity we had to upgrade both kitchen and bathroom, rewired the whole house and had a top spec combi boiler installed with a service guarantee (for peace of mind)

I do love my garden, so haven't had the heart to pave it over and will carry on maintaining grass, borders, shrubs and hedges, until it becomes too much.

With no debt or mortgage now and both of us five years off retirement, we're saving hard to build up enough capital to cover emergencies, take one or two amazing holidays and upgrade the car when we need to in another two or three years.

Someone said (on another forum) that she was stunned at how much she didn't spend once retired and I'm looking forward to seeing if its true!

Farway

desert_rose wrote: »

Someone said (on another forum) that she was stunned at how much she didn't spend once retired and I'm looking forward to seeing if its true!

It is true, once you realise you do not have to keep up with Jones's [sp?]and can please yourself & not others

paddyz

One good idea is to get the attic emptied out as its a nightmare to do in later years

expatasia

lilac_lady wrote: »

My plan for retirement is to live life and worry less.

Agree with that one but easier said than done.

Question for all on this thread. If I decide to retire back in Britain what are the unavoidable fixed costs? Tax on pension & worldwide income(unless living in the UK abode less than 180 days/year), council tax, (land taxes?) tv license fee, road tax, maintenance costs of car & property of course, utility bills ....er what else? Several types of insurance?

Thanks.

seven-day-weekend

expatasia wrote: »

Agree with that one but easier said than done.

Question for all on this thread. If I decide to retire back in Britain what are the unavoidable fixed costs? Tax on pension & worldwide income(unless living in the UK abode less than 180 days/year), council tax, (land taxes?) tv license fee, road tax, maintenance costs of car & property of course, utility bills ....er what else? Several types of insurance?

Thanks.

You have a tax-free allowance of (I think) about £8.5k on your income and after that tax is payed at the standard rate (or higher rate if you have a high income).

Council Tax depends upon the band of the house and the area you live in. Mine is Band A (the lowest) and is about £1000 a year.

TV licence is £145.50 per year for a colour licence.

Car Tax varies on the type and age of your car.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/motoring/owningavehicle/howtotaxyourvehicle/dg_10012524

Utility bills - mine are about £1000 a year for gas and electricity in a three-bedroom mid-terrace house.

You will need Buildings insurance (if buying a house) and contents insurance. Insurance for your car too.


Hope this helps.

expatasia

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

You have a tax-free allowance of (I think) about £8.5k on your income and after that tax is payed at the standard rate (or higher rate if you have a high income).


TV licence is £145.50 per year for a colour licence.

Car Tax varies on the type and age of your car.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/motoring/owningavehicle/howtotaxyourvehicle/dg_10012524

Utility bills - mine are about £1000 a year for gas and electricity in a three-bedroom mid-terrace house.

You will need Buildings insurance (if buying a house) and contents insurance. Insurance for your car too.


Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot, never heard of 'buildings insurance' is that again dependent on the area you live in or the cost of the house when you bought it? Give me a sample amount, please.

Do they still do b&w tv licences? And dog licenses? (I might outlast the missus)

"£8.5k on your income" - so double that allowance if one is married?

margaretclare

This is something we've decided on recently - a VegTrug!

http://www.alton-gardencentre.co.uk/search_results.php?q=vegtrug

We have quite a big garden at the back which is a wildlife haven. We have a lady gardener comes to prevent it getting too wild! I don't mind a wildflower meadow but I do need to be able to get down there to hang out washing. The VegTrug will reside just outside the back door and it has been designed for older or less able people - no bending, lifting, stretching, digging etc. As it's getting late in the season and this one in particular had been used as a demonstration, is already made up etc, we're getting a bargain. It's going to be delivered on Wednesday and we'll be able to grow fresh veg, herbs, salads, whatever we like.

DH and I are increasingly of the opinion that we have to look after our own health in later life so, growing some of our own food is not only beneficial for us but cuts down the 'food miles'.

lessonlearned

I have one of those veg trugs - bought it last year. It's very good, saves a lot of bending.

I'm in the process of making my garden easier to manage. I currently live in a four bedroomed detached house. I am aged 61 and plan to sell up within a year or so and downsize.

I've already started on the de-cluttering. I definitely need to sort out the loft. I did it a couple of years ago but you've guessed - it's pretty full again.

I'm currently storing a lot of my children's stuff because they have had to move around such a lot - universities, jobs etc. In future years the only stuff to be kept in the loft will be their treasures. All my bits and pieces will be easy to get to.

The other thing I will make sure I have is an easier kitchen. I already struggle sometimes with getting stuff in and out of base cupboards so I will make sure I replace those with drawers, pull-out larder cupboard etc.

Although I am still fully active I do have some experience of dealing with wheelchair access etc. My next house will be fully wheelchair accessible, wide doorways, etc - either a bungalow or a normal two storey house with room to add a bathroom and bedroom downstairs for when required.

Interesting and helpful thread.

seven-day-weekend

expatasia wrote: »

Thanks a lot, never heard of 'buildings insurance' is that again dependent on the area you live in or the cost of the house when you bought it? Give me a sample amount, please. It depends upon the rebuilding costs of your home, which will obviously vary.

Do they still do b&w tv licences? And dog licenses? (I might outlast the missus) B/w TV licences yes, dog licences, I thin k only for classified dangerous breeds, not sure though.

"£8.5k on your income" - so double that allowance if one is married?

You each have a tax allownance but if one of you earns all the money, only one lot of £8.5k applies. It is an individual separate allowance, not as a couple.