What are we saving FOR?

Errata

Charlotte - great post and great contribution.
Margaret - I agree we should all save if we can. There are still many older people who live in relative poverty for whom saving may be a luxury they simply can't afford.

seven-day-weekend

Errata wrote: »

Charlotte - great post and great contribution.
Margaret - I agree we should all save if we can. There are still many older people who live in relative poverty for whom saving may be a luxury they simply can't afford.

This is true and we should not forget those less fortunate than ourselves.

Making sure everyone is getting what they are entitled to is one way we can help.

margaretclare

Errata wrote: »

Margaret - I agree we should all save if we can. There are still many older people who live in relative poverty for whom saving may be a luxury they simply can't afford.

While this is true, is the implication that those of us who can afford to save, should not do so, because by not saving (a) we can assist those who can't and (b) should we not save, out of a misplaced feeling of guilt?

I grew up among people who had very very little. But I was still taught to save, as you yourself pointed out, taking a few pennies to school every week. At that time, my grandad was on old age pension (as it was then), my granny had just died and they had to pay for her funeral in stages, my mother was scrubbing floors for a living (literally), my polio-survivor aunt did most things while sitting on the floor by the fireplace so that she could cook on the open fire and when she moved, she moved on hands and knees. I think you could call that 'absolute' rather than 'relative' poverty.

Now, those were people who could easily have taught me that 'we are too poor to be able to save, every penny is hard-come-by and every penny is needed'. But they always managed those few pennies for me to take to school.

Margaret

margaretclare

daisyroots wrote: »

Margaret, looks like you've chosen a good time weatherwise for all this outside work as well - dry and sunny is the forecast for this weekend.

Just a thought about those lead pipes. Don't let them dig them up and cart them away without paying you for them. Lead is fetching very high prices these days - a church in London (forget exactly where) had the entire roof stripped recently - it is worthwhile for crooks to undertake such dangerous enterprises because lead is so costly. Don't let anyone persuade you they are doing you a favour for taking the lead off your hands, or worse - charge you for "disposing of it"

Yes, we'll bear that in mind. If the lead analysis comes back 'no problem' then we are likely to leave that part of the front alone because it's not bad - the base was well-laid and it will last another few years. We won't replace the lead pipes unless we have to. The other half of the drive is another matter - it really does need doing, but whether we do it this year or next is still to be decided.

I've been pottering today, sorting my pots out, weeding them and putting them back along the bottom of the wall. Next year DH will make me a couple of brackets for hanging-baskets so that we can see them out of the bedroom window. My petunias are nearly finished and then I have a lot of bulbs to re-pot where the petunias were. I've also been planting onion sets in pots for next year.

Margaret

Savvy_Sue

Just a thought about water pipes, you may be able to replace them by bypassing but leaving in situ, IYSWIM.

We had a cracked pipe when we moved into our last house, and the old one ran under a stretch of concrete at the side of the house, then round the back into the kitchen. But they laid new pipe alongside the concrete drive, up the front wall and straight into the bathroom, to avoid having to disturb the path at the side of the house. Much cheaper, AND it meant that we could flush the (downstairs) loo and run water in the kitchen even if someone was showering because the flow to the bathroom took priority over everything else! Marvellous system!

So you might be able to lay a new pipe under the dodgy side of the drive and leave the lead in place under the good side. I know that means you won't be able to flog it ... but it will always be there for a rainy day! :rotfl:

conspirator

Saving for a holiday with my daughter to Las Vegas in Dec.

jago25_98

Tropical Island, passive income, sipping on a pinacolada

margaretclare

Hello all

Well, the analysis on the lead content in our water-supply is well within the required limits, so we won't need to replace the lead pipes. We've decided to put off the drive re-laying until next year, not urgent. We now know where the water-pipes run, and it's under the part of the drive that doesn't need any attention.

That's that. So, we've been talking for ages about replacing the car, which is a 1995 Fiesta. It would need re-taxing this month and re-MOTing next month, and we decided that this was when we would change it. We saw a red 2003 Peugeot automatic which 'ticked all the boxes' of things we were looking for, and today we went for a test-drive and then put a deposit on it. DH has spoken to his bank and arranged to transfer £3,500 of his savings from his cash ISA to his current account. I've sold £1,000 worth of units from my equity ISA so between us, we can manage it. And then go back to saving for whatever we might need next!

We haven't really had a holiday this year, a couple of weekends away but that was all. We've decided not to go away for Christmas this year - we've booked Christmas lunch at an old pub locally, the 'Bull' at Hockley, formerly an old coaching inn.

Margaret

[Deleted User]

:rotfl: I save out of habit and upbringing I think. I followed my old Mums example, and saved a third,spent a third, and the last third was for bills ,food ect.
I have always divided my cash up like this .I always pay all the bills first, then what's left over is savings ,food ,and what I have always called 'Happy Cash'
This is what I can use to buy what ever I want to make me feel good ,whether its a cream doughnut or some perfume (if flush) or anything really.That way you don't feel any guilt as its cash to spend on what ever makes you feel good .:rotfl:

Last month I spalshed out from my savings on a reclining chair for my sitting room. Its wonderful, and when I start my chemo in 10 days time it means that instead of having to climb my steep staircase to go to bed on the first week of the three week cycle when apparently one feels at their worst, I can recline in my chair and sleep through the worst side-effects. My bathroom is also on the ground floor (another reason for having a nice chair to sleep in):D
It was the first new armchair I had bought in over thirty years, so I think I deserved it.:beer:

After my treatment is over I am going to use some of my savings to take my two smashing DD's away for a lovely long week-end as a treat for all the running around they have done over the past few months since I was diagnosed with breast cancer. They are two lovely hard-working Mums who always have time to help me out no matter what I want .They were the best legacy that my late husband left to me .:j

I think once you start the savings habit it will last a life time .My eldest Granson who is at college, started a part-time evening job last month and he treats himself to something every week, then stacks the rest in his bank account.He has a healthy balance from his past birthday money, and now his earnings, and is going to treat his Mum (my eldest DD) in December for her 40th birthday to some jewellery, possibly earings he thinks.:j

He is 17 next month and a very bright young man and he got the savings habit from me I think as when he was little, I pointed out that if he wanted something it was better to save for it rather than just keep wanting it.:D

I like to pay for everything if I can with my own cash as I am not keen on credit as its the way to debt if your not careful. I think maybe its a generation thing, as my generation( growing up during and after W.W.2.) never had any money anyway and it was hard to get credit in those days.
Anyone remember those little sixpenny saving stamps with a very young Prince Charles' head on in 1950 that were saved in an oblong book at school:D
Or even saving for the Sunday School outings once a year.It became ingrained in us at an early age:D

Toto

Talking of inheritance. My mum died aged 54, 6 years ago and she died penniless. But the wonderful thing about that was she had lived 3 lifetimes in her (little more than) half a life. There wasn't a continent she hadn't spent time in, she had been everywhere, done and seen everything she wanted to. For me that was the biggest comfort I had when losing her so young. I'm glad she was poor when she died, because her gift to us was the lesson that you only get one shot at life and it needs to be lived to the very fullest. Now that's an inheritance.