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Preparedness for when

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  • ALIBOBSY
    ALIBOBSY Posts: 4,527 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 20 October 2013 at 2:47PM
    Ali, I can assure you I don't feel at all smug about my £110 a week pension that I worked 40 years for!


    I am sure you aren't Hester :). But the reality is for some, it is easy to sit there having benefited from years of house price rises, wage rises, amazing leaps in living standards etc. to have a go at younger generations based on their experiences when we live in a different world, many still suggest you just need to get out and move to find work, borrow as much as possible on a mortgage as inflation/wage increases will eat it up over time.


    The bigger issue is TPTB made promises they would never be able to keep. My generation and our children will work just as hard as previous generations, for longer, for lower living standards and probably get no pension at all. I don't blame my parents generation at all, anyone would take any advantage the world throws at them. But the biggest chunk of so called "benefits" is the money paid to pensioners, far more than any unemployed benefits and yet there seems to be a trend to target the weakest and poorest group whilst never daring to cut any pensioner benefits (I do realise there are some very poor and vunerable pensioners, but a large majority of over 65's did very well and still live better lifestyles than many will ever achieve in the generations after them)

    At the end of the day its all about turning all us "plebs" against each other I suspect, but eventually non of it will be able to be paid so I guess we will all end in the same boat. We need to stop letting them turn us against each other and direct our anger at those who created an unsustainable government structure.

    Ali x
    "Overthinking every little thing
    Acknowledge the bell you cant unring"

  • pineapple
    pineapple Posts: 6,934 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 20 October 2013 at 2:50PM
    I don't think I'd like a 'higher' standard of living,
    Agreed - to me, 'higher standard' means all those things I don't actually need - including posh restaurant meals where they arrange little towers of food in a huge expanse of empty plate with a little smear of foam as decor. :rotfl: Sometimes I enter those free online TV competitions - and am actually put off by the ones that offer a ton of gadgets as part of the prize. Apart from anything else, I'd need a new house to fit them in :(
    So I prefer to think in terms of quality of life. I have to discount family cos I ain't got any :cry:. So I suppose it's things like health, warmth, shelter, freedom, friendships, fresh air.... And being able to indulge interests - whether it's travel, animal husbandry etc.. Unfortunately a lot of these things still require a certain amount of dosh. So all I can say is - if anyone comes into money and they don't want to be sullied by it - pineapple is prepared to take it off your hands. I promise it will be spent responsibly and won't be wasted on superficial bling! :)
  • fuddle
    fuddle Posts: 6,823 Forumite
    No one would take away any thing from pensioners because that would leave them with nothing. Ok, the system is flawed and we know know it, we can't sustain it and changes need to be made but we can't cut any income for pensioners at the moment because there are no plans in reserve, nothing for pensioners to fall back on.

    The changes afoot are needed and I know I have to provide for my own retirement, so with 34 years left to work I will try my best to. In my opinion it will take 30 years before we can even begin to think about reducing help for pensioners.

    A society is only as good as the support it gives to its most vulnerable don't you think? I have my stances on benefits but I wouldn't dream of denying our older generation an income at the moment. It would feel far too much like pulling the rug from under a frail gentleman. Sits very uneasy with me that idea.
  • ALIBOBSY
    ALIBOBSY Posts: 4,527 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Wyre wrote: »
    Morning one and all,

    Regarding the demi-john, it has been kept in the garage for 30 odd years since my Dad gave up home brewing, so it is pretty yuck - cobwebs and all. If we had a dishwasher I would give it a go through after a thorough hand wash but we don't unless we count the boy child! I'll clean it out and stick some sterilising tabs in. I have no problem using ood tins and stuff that has been in the freezer since year dot but I think I will err on the side of caution this time.

    I do agree, though, that in general folks are too clean. When you go to a family home, several young kids and the place looks a show home, I feel so uncomfortable, as well as wondering how they do it! My home is cosy, it may not be the tidiest place in the world but neither does it have the clinical antiseptic feel that so many places have. My kids played in the dirty and made a mess, they climbed trees and *shock horror* played outside. They also never needed antibiotics for illnesses, which I realise can be necessary, but I feel are often over prescribed.

    When I see the washing powder ad, you know the one that goes on about killing bacteria at low temperatures, I despair. How do they think the human race got where we are if every little bug is going to kill us? Most of us have an immune system, so let it work for us, don't fight it!

    :j I hate that ad, there is an underlying implication that if you are a "good" mother you will ensure your kids clothes are germ free. Like the one where it says about germs in your bath and shows kids splashing in water where the implication is if you don't use their anti bac stuff your kids will be splashing around in bugs and germs and swallowing the stuff. Or the ad were the kids clothes aren't "soft enough" for their "delicate" skin unless you use a certain fabric softner.

    There is kind of a stepford wife, guilt trip feel to these ads. Definitely aimed at mothers, there is a strong implication that without using these certain products you are letting yourself and your kids down.

    We have 4 children and our house is "lived in" :rotfl:. Given the choice between playing with the kids or cleaning I know what we will do.
    Now I am not saying its dirty and everything does get a clean, just that we are not obsessive about it and my kids get to be real kids. I have even gone out in boots and coats and jumped in puddles al la peppa pig not so long ago :T.

    Ali x
    "Overthinking every little thing
    Acknowledge the bell you cant unring"

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts I've been Money Tipped!
    edited 20 October 2013 at 3:19PM
    ALI I think not all of us older folks have got the easy life as pensioners, we've enough for our needs but I only get the basic pension and that's only because we paid ALL the extra stamps I needed to qualify for it because I stayed at home to rear the girls. We have what we have today because we made decisions that made it possible. When we were overseas for the company we, unlike our other ex pat aquaintances, didn't spend, spend, spend and go off every weekend for breaks all over europe, we saved and lived as we had done before we went. When we were made redundant as our time there finished we didn't blue the lot on a new car and a trip to Disneyland Florida ( I know some who did!!!) we paid off the mortgage and made sure we had no debts. We came here to Hampshire after another redundancy and because the house prices here are so very much higher than Kent where we came from, we used to redundancy money from that to buy this house outright along with all we sold the Kent house for. Then we lived the way we always have and have managed to save a little, a very little to give us a buffer. We don't claim any benefits, the only thing I've ever had from the Government is Family Allowance and my Pension, same for He Who Knows, just his Pension. We do have a small works pension too so we can manage, and we manage because we've done everything we can to the house to insulate and keep it in good repair and we live frugally, providing a good proportion of what we eat by growing it ourselves. I don't think you can generally lump a whole generation together and lay blame for the ills of the world love, I think maybe some folks have played the system to thier advantage but it certainly wasn't us or anyone else I know personally!!! Lyn xxx.

    Forgot our Bus Passes in all that, and I really do value having them, they give me the freedom to get to the town where I can shop and get much more for my £1 than I can here, village shops are very expensive. Having said that I only use the Bus Pass when I need something specific, and not like lots of folks I see using it every single day to go out as a way of spending thier time, I go at most twice a week to the bigger town, I'm too busy with the rest of life to go more often than that!!!
  • ALIBOBSY
    ALIBOBSY Posts: 4,527 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    fuddle wrote: »
    I think a higher standard of living for me would be meats and cheeses, fruits and veg in abundance, being able to experiment with food and not worry about the costs but still, I dare say there would be scope for waste so how is that improvement. Just another want at the end of the day.

    If an idea of a higher standard of living is to be able to consume more then I kind of think the standard we have now is pretty good too.

    In all honesty if money was no object I would build myself a small home that was as economical/green/self sufficient as possible complete with small holding and relaxing garden.

    TBH that would be our dream to simply have some land and be as self sufficient as possible. We are doing what we can in the house we are in, but we would really like to have enough land to keep animals and have a smallholding. Don't want a massive mansion, or BMW's or fancy holidays, or designer clothes etc.

    Ali x
    "Overthinking every little thing
    Acknowledge the bell you cant unring"

  • pineapple
    pineapple Posts: 6,934 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 21 October 2013 at 12:33PM
    ALIBOBSY wrote: »
    I don't blame my parents generation at all, anyone would take any advantage the world throws at them. But the biggest chunk of so called "benefits" is the money paid to pensioners, far more than any unemployed benefits and yet there seems to be a trend to target the weakest and poorest group whilst never daring to cut any pensioner benefits (I do realise there are some very poor and vunerable pensioners, but a large majority of over 65's did very well and still live better lifestyles than many will ever achieve in the generations after them)
    As one of the oft maligned baby boomers I have to step in and say many bought their houses during sky high interest rates and lived extremely frugally to do so - without the gadgets thought of as 'essential' these days and at a time when there wasn't the current raft of benefits even with todays cut backs
    It is estimated that a quarter of all pensioners are living in fuel poverty and many die of hypothermia each year.
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9078273/Hypothermia-deaths-double-over-five-years.html
    The double wammy is that as you get older and more infirm and are confined to the house more, your heating needs actually increase :(
    Things might be changing now due to the Greece and Spain debacles - but for years, UK pensioners have been considered amongst the worst off in Europe
    http://think-left.org/2013/07/22/uk-neglect-of-the-elderly-is-a-disgrace/

    Personally I don't see this majority of pensioners who are living it large (I wish I was one of them!). But I do agree with things like cutting bus passes, fuel allowances etc for weathier pensioners. A lot of better off pensioners would agree with this too. Maybe the savings could be redistributed to those in need - of whatever age. But then we are back to the government's argument that there would be little saving because universal benefits are cheaper to administer.
  • standard of living is relative though isn't it? My standard is living is lower than usual at the mo as I have a little debt which I used to support my kids through Uni. Once that's gone my standard of living will go back to being the best it can be - it isn't really about money, it's about having enough for your needs, a little extra for wants (i'm talking a book or some yarn here, not a yacht) and a bit put by for emergencies. It's about enjoying your life to the fullest, in whatever stage of life you are in, to the best of your health and ability. Happiness is rarely about money
    WCS
  • Hi. I had a 'significant birthday' last December and oldest son and dear DIL were are bit confounded when I answered the 'what do you want' question with 'something practical like warm, comfortable slippers or a watch I can wear round my neck' (arthritis means can't ear anything on wrists). What is the point of expensive bling I can't wear or gadgets I won't use? Being the lovely people they are I got my watch but they also organised a lunch at a local restaurant (not anything fancy) and invited my friends as a surprise. It was lovely and much appreciated. :A

    I'm not entitled to my state pension for a while since they changed the rules, so I manage on a small widow's pension from my husband. If could have a slightly higher standard of living it would just be so did not have to worry quite so much about rising fuel bills.:eek: Don't think I want to 'consume' more.

    The village I live in is being overtaken by a small(ish) town and we are just outside city limits. I wouldn't change it - I overlook the sea and city shopping is available for a bus ride - steadily getting more expensive.

    Nowadays I ALWAYS check the date on cans - and jars, packets and bottles.

    fuddle, thanks for sharing that list. I'm sure I'll find it very useful for reference. :T
    Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Do without.
  • Well said WCS, it's quality of life that is more important and making the very best use of what you have available, and a big part of that is being content with the life you lead and satisfied with the material posessions you have accrued. Hell for me would be a feeling that I had to keep up with the latest trends or be pittied by my peers!!! We both count riches in terms of our family closeness and each other and in not wanting more than we currently have, that's a comfy place to be and lets you sleep at night!!! Lyn xxx.
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