Quit everything , and start again over 50?

enthusiasticsaver

another_casualty wrote: »

There are a few things I have overlooked. Probably .
One thing has just sprung to mind ..hi- fi !

In storage, I currently have 2 mid price amplifiers from Cambridge audio.
( 1 for bedroom,& 1 for living room ).
I also have a pair of b&b loudspeakers, bookshelf style .
Also speaker cable to put it all together.
For my tv in the living room, I have a soundstage.( basically , a sound bar on which the t v goes on top of it).
I will need a Bluetooth speaker ( maybe 2) , for the flat next week.
Will need to buy a cheap bedside radio,as that died over a year ago.

Can't see me being able to bring amp/speaker into the flat.
Not sure whether to offload the 'proper' hi-fi setup , or get a future proof setup. Not sure if blurpetooth is as good (maybe better), than my present systems. There is Black Friday . There is a Hmv in Poole . Not sure about richer sounds.
Thoughts?

My thoughts are exactly the same as LL in that these are toys and I like technology as much as the next person. You will be living in a flat which means people either below or above you and either side too so blasting music out at all times of the time and day is inconsiderate IMHO. Large amplifiers and speakers are for detached houses.

Get a bedside radio by all means, I bought a very good sony one a few years ago off amazon and I can dock my ipod on it. My advice would be before you start splashing the cash, you think to yourself Do I need this or do I want this? If it is a need fair enough but wants should come behind the cost of buying your home. You can listen to radio on modern digital TVs as well.

enthusiasticsaver

lessonlearned wrote: »

AC. Re pension and NI.

They keep moving the goal posts. Phone Newcastle and get a pension quote. They are brilliant.

Several years ago I rang them because I realised I had a shortfall.

I had 33 years, at the time you needed 39. The lady said "yes you are short but wait until April before you decide" The following April they changed the rules and you only needed 30 years. She obviously knew in advance about the changes but wasn't allowed to tell me. Instead she just hinted and advised me to wait, so she saved me a lot of money.

I think it's now 35 years for current retirees but I'm not 100 per cent sure.

However, if you are not eligible for state pension for another 13 years you may find 35 years isn't enough. You need to speak to them.

There is a new state pension calculator online now. You could go on there AC and it will tell you straight away whether you have enough years contributions. I will see if I can find the link for you.

MrsPorridge

Slimming club also a great way to meet new people in that area.

enthusiasticsaver

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

There is a new state pension calculator online now. You could go on there AC and it will tell you straight away whether you have enough years contributions. I will see if I can find the link for you.

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

Smodlet

What everybody else has said, AC. I had a feeling this might happen: You are behaving as if you have won the lottery and not thinking ahead at all.

If you really have to spend money on music stuff, get some headphones! Unless you want to start your new relationship with your neighbours by peeing them off, of course.

lessonlearned

Smodlet wrote: »

What everybody else has said, AC. I had a feeling this might happen: You are behaving as if you have won the lottery and not thinking ahead at all.

If you really have to spend money on music stuff, get some headphones! Unless you want to start your new relationship with your neighbours by peeing them off, of course.

Lottery winner......:rotfl::rotfl:

Or as we say in Derbyshire. "Chucking money around like a man with no arms" ......yes I know it doesn't actually make sense...... but we northerners know what we mean.:rotfl:

AC. I deliberately didn't touch on the neighbour issue........but it is one of the reasons why I won't touch flats and why I am so keen to buy a detached property.

Most of the time I like peace and quiet but I also like to turn up the sound system and dance without fear of alienating the neighbours.

I am with Smodlet - If you want good neighbour relations then get some headphones. And buy all means get a bedside radio now.

But seriously everything else can wait.

As you know I too am house hunting. I am viewing 3 next week.

I have also resolved to buy myself either a Mercedes or a Jaguar whilst I'm still fit enough to drive one. Preferably a convertible.

But......guess what. The house comes first, so for now my choice of wheels is my dad's Ford Fiesta. Nice little motor and only cost me £1300. It's fine for now.

AC. Like anyone else I love toys and gadgets, I'm a petrolhead, I love clothes, shoes, handbags, jewellery and girly stiff. I love eating out, weekends away and as you know cruises!!!

Like you I have money sat in the bank......it would be the easiest thing in the world to blow the lot. But I'm not going to.......and neither should you.

I once listened to Michael Winner. He was on the Richard and Judy show and they were talking about someone who had won £22m on the lottery. Richard was pontificating saying £22m was far too much money for one person.

Winner just scoffed and said. £22m - I could blow that in an afternoon. A man after my own heart!!

AC I too could easily spend £22m in an afternoon. Spending money is easy, the easiest thing in the world for people like you and me.

Why do you think my nom de plume is Lessonlearned?

I tell you, I could spend for England, I could spend the UK out of a recession........

But..........I keep the breaks on. I know now that if I want the good things, the clothes, the toys, the holidays then I have to slow down and think first.

AC.......you need to do this. You need to practise the gentle art of deferring pleasure.

Don't go on a spending spree.

Rent the flat, rest, get fit, get the job and buy the forever property, secure your retirement........

......then and only then can you relax and buy the toys.

Here endeth the lesson.

But.........

You got in debt once, you know how debilitating it is, how soul destroying, how being in debt means you cant do anything, never go anywhere. Being loaded with debt is no fun.

Don't you want fun and good times.

Well first Secure your position and then the fun times will follow.

I know we all sound as if we are nagging you but it's because we are concerned.

Anyway, I've said my piece. I will leave it there. It's up to you, it's your money.

lessonlearned

AC. I have heard Bournemouth and a few other places along the south coast described as "Gods Waiting Room".

Something you might need to investigate although you might find a nice rich widow. :rotfl:

Consultant has cancelled, test results not back yet. Quelle surprise......

I'll pop over anyway, cheer him up. Have a nice "Golden Pond" moment. Lol.

dreaming

All of the above - seconded, thirded, fourthed - ad infitum. Especially about NI contributions - that's coming from a female who has been caught in the 6 extra years to state pension age and needing 35 years contributions. It may be that NOW you have enough but in 5, 6,7 or more years they (the booger government) are very likely to not only move the goalposts but pick them up and run away with them. £122 billion Brexit deficit has to be paid for somehow.
Love Gallygirl's piece about how long you would have to work to pay for any service charge. That's the sort of thing I used to do when I was planning my early retirement - would I rather have a Starbucks and cake every day or pay a bit more off the mortgage (£3 per day times 5 days a week times 47 weeks a year = £705). I must admit I can't get my head round the idea of buying a flat but then having to pay service charges - perhaps it is a London/big city mindset? Coming from a middle-sized, midlands town (only an hour from London though) I can't believe the price of property where you are looking (I admit to a bit of a Rightmove addiction), and then still having to pay an annual charge on top. :eek:

lessonlearned

Smodlet wrote: »

Location, location, location. Why do you think some areas cost more than others?

LL, I would have thought you, of all people, would know this. So what if Bournemouth is nearer to London than Poole? Poole is nearer to Devon... and there are the crime maps.

As I said, it's been years since I visited my friends in Bournemouth. They moved away so I had no call. So TBH I am not au fait with the finer details of price structure down there.

The thing is prices can vary from street to street, let alone from one town to another. Most places have a hot spot or a particularly desirable or fashionable area where property sells like hot cakes.

I just assumed that perhaps Bournemouth was better for commuting to London, therefore property prices would reflect that. Obviously I was wrong.

One of my friends lived at Canford Cliffs. The other near Branksome. But that was a long time ago and they have both moved on since then.

lessonlearned

Dreaming......you have hit the nail on the head.

Us yokels who live in the provinces do have a completely different mindset from those who are Londoncentric.

As you say it's a whole different world when it comes to property.

And I think you are right,I think AC is still in London mode.

For what AC is contemplating paying for a two bed flat, I could buy a very smart 3 bedroomed town house with garage in a gated enclave in my city's most desirable postcode or a nice 4 bed family home in a smart suburb.

Yes I am a RM addict too. . It's my preferred reading at the moment.

To me it's utter madness to be paying that much money and still have the potential to have issues with neighbours and to be shelling out good money in service charges.

AC will not be that much closer to London than you at 1 hour or me at 1hour 30 mins.

I will be buying a detached property in a good area for less than what AC will be paying for his two bed flat. And no maintenance charges.

With what's left I can have a comfortable retirement. I can visit London whenever I want. A first class rail ticket and a night or two in a good hotel doesn't break the bank. I can even have my Mercedes.

The only real draw back I have is I'm a long way inland. It would be nice to be closer to the sea, but it's not a deal breaker. If my boys ever leave the area then I would consider a move to the coast but for now I'm happy here. I love both Cornwall and Northumberland. I used to live on the west coast of Scotland and would be happy to go back there.

Britain is such a beautiful place I could settle anywhere. I have lived in Belgium and Spain, and I still like Britain best.

I've said it before and I'll say it again........

There is civilisation beyond Watford Gap.

We don't all run around covered in woad.