Preparedness for when

moneyistooshorttomention

ivyleaf wrote: »

MITSTM Glad you can get your State pension soon a huge relief! I'm 61, had to leave work at 51 due to ill health and now have my Civil Service pension, which is only small as I had to work part time for most of the time.

I can claim my State pension at about sixty-four-and-three-quarters - earlier than a lot of people on here, I know.

Last year a good friend died, and it spurred me on to start a Funeral plan; the one I'm using is about £77 per month over five years (the cheapest I found), which is a huge chunk of my income but at least once it's all paid up that'll be the end of it. I was managing okay until the lovely cat which adopted us a few years ago developed thyroid problems and will have to have expensive medicine every day for the rest of his life :eek:

Mr ivyleaf pays for it on the months when I'm paying the quarterly payment for the TV licence, but I often have to pay for it using my credit card, which has a high rate of interest. I can't get a card with a lower rate because my income is so low.

I could get the medicine cheaper over the internet, but the fee for the prescription means that the price difference is negligible.

Anyway, finished whingeing now, sorry. I can just really relate to MITSTM's relief that she can see her State pension on the horizon, while at the same time being very aware that I'm now quite lucky to be going to get mine before 65 (in theory, of course).

Yep...indeed...big relief. There is a bottle of champagne in the nearest supermarket with my name on it and I may just have a little "social" to celebrate. Correction - I may have several little party-ettes to celebrate:D Thinks - one with friends, one with one voluntary job, one with another voluntary job....errrm...how many can I think of?:rotfl:. Actually (admission time) and I haven't even dared budget as such since I retired - as I wasn't at all convinced my income would meet even my modest expenditure - and I've probably had my savings dribbling away on subsidising my work pension (as well as being used for what they're meant for). With being in different house/circumstances - money has been going out on all sorts of "odds and sods" little start-up type expenses (besides renovating the house and normal living) iyswim.

Still - bit by bit things are coming together. I'm starting to get a passable amount of food out of my garden and I get fed sometimes in my voluntary work:) and all that sort of thing helps a bit. Another day today at 2nd voluntary job and got asked whether I'd done that type of work before (in a tone of voice that implied I obviously had:)) and surprised reaction when I said I hadn't. I took that as a positive that I'd picked it up quickly.:) Mygawd - and I think I've been invited to join a choir - LOL - they've never heard me sing then obviously......(now I could treat them to a rendition of "We shall overcome" next time I'm there....as being about the only song I remember the words to....).

One thing that I hadn't expected of being on this lower income retirement to revised SPA was that I would find it harder to keep my normal "confidence levels" up. Its surprising how much it helps to keep Standard Confidence in place knowing there's soon going to be another bit of spare income coming in and no financial emergency can be that bad. You just feel that bit easier in your mind and "head up" knowing you can "drop down anywhere" and could fund yourself for any bits and pieces you needed (meal out/etc) if it came to it - rather than feeling you have to worry about whether you could.

1Tonsil

Does anyone on here shop online for groceries? We will be staying with my ninety year old MIL for Christmas and I was thinking of getting the groceries delivered to her house the day we arrive. Is this a good idea? She lives in the countryside near York, some distance from any shops and we would have to hire a car to go shopping otherwise.

fuddle

I shop online all the time 1Tonsil but yet to succeed in doing it around Christmas time. The delivery slots get booked up early and quickly so if you're going to do it, be on the ball

Karmacat

MSTM, congratulations! Thats good to hear.

1Tonsil - yes, I shop online all the time. Christmas slots, though, are like gold dust - you actually need to be hovering over the site as they're released, I'm afraid.

And do *you* need to be there to have them delivered? What about flight delays? Or even flooding, York is really well known for that.

HTH

CRANKY40

1Tonsil wrote: »

Does anyone on here shop online for groceries? We will be staying with my ninety year old MIL for Christmas and I was thinking of getting the groceries delivered to her house the day we arrive. Is this a good idea? She lives in the countryside near York, some distance from any shops and we would have to hire a car to go shopping otherwise.

My dad lives in London. Every Christmas instead of a present I order him a grocery delivery on my account to be delivered to his address. It works extremely well. There's not much difference between the supermarkets for what I send him so I tend to use whichever chain offers a discount for either orders over a certain amount or first orders. One possible problem if you're in Yorkshire is the weather. If it snows your delivery may be cancelled because the driver can't make it to where you are.

jk0

1Tonsil wrote: »

Completely off topic, I just became a Great Grandma to a little girl by the name of Lola Grace...

Congratulations 1T. I didn't think you were old enough.

1Tonsil

I am just coming up to my sixtieth birthday...but I am very young at heart...

moneyistooshorttomention

Just borrow my phrase 1Tonsil - of "I cant be old yet - as I'm not getting State Pension yet". Soon to be revised to "I cant be old yet - because I've not reached THE State Pension age yet (ie 66?)".

Frugalsod

1Tonsil wrote: »

Does anyone on here shop online for groceries? We will be staying with my ninety year old MIL for Christmas and I was thinking of getting the groceries delivered to her house the day we arrive. Is this a good idea? She lives in the countryside near York, some distance from any shops and we would have to hire a car to go shopping otherwise.

I do but usually try to avoid Christmas week because of the chaos. If you are there a few days before then that is better. It all depends on what you are getting. I usually opt for a late evening delivery as it means the roads will be clearer for the drivers and most people will have wanted it out of the way.

Most of my Christmas food shopping is done before December. We order the meat from the local butcher a few weeks before so collect it a few days before.

Congratulations on your new great grand daughter.

[Deleted User]

threellamas wrote: »

I'm thinking a stuck in the house emergency with no elec/gas.

Don't forget to get some means of cooking, as well as food and drink.

While it's possible to survive on cold beans, spaghetti, soup, spam, etc., it's a pretty miserable way to go about surviving.

Also, if the means of cooking has an exhaustible fuel supply (eg. gas camping stove), try to stock foods which cook quickly, thereby using as minimum of fuel.