About working once retired.

lessonlearned

Yes I do get the single person discount... Sorry I perhaps didn't word it very well.

I meant full council tax to mean no state help in the form of council tax relief.

Living_proof

I am staggered that Candy thinks her situation is so bad. There are millions of us out here worse off who manage perfectly well and have the self-discipline to save, even a little, on quite a meagre income. I will be retiring soon (as long as they don't change the date for the third time!) and will live on a full state pension of around £700 a month. I have a lodger whose rent pays all the bills including the full council tax of £160 per month. Under the rent a room scheme this is tax free. This has been planned over several years, and I am amazed that the OP has not shown any curiosity in the past as to what the family's financial situation would be in the event of retirement. It simply cannot be take, take, take from the State - there has to be an element of personal responsibility. I am sorry if this seems a bit harsh but this attitude of entitlement has to change.

margaretclare

Living_proof wrote: »

I am staggered that Candy thinks her situation is so bad. There are millions of us out here worse off who manage perfectly well and have the self-discipline to save, even a little, on quite a meagre income. I will be retiring soon (as long as they don't change the date for the third time!) and will live on a full state pension of around £700 a month. I have a lodger whose rent pays all the bills including the full council tax of £160 per month. Under the rent a room scheme this is tax free. This has been planned over several years, and I am amazed that the OP has not shown any curiosity in the past as to what the family's financial situation would be in the event of retirement. It simply cannot be take, take, take from the State - there has to be an element of personal responsibility. I am sorry if this seems a bit harsh but this attitude of entitlement has to change.

Couldn't agree more. I was a bit scared that my post on page 1 might have been seen as a bit unfeeling, and you've put it in a nutshell - personal responsibility. Candy asked 'what are pensioners supposed to do' and I pointed out that most people have half a century of a working life before retirement arrives.

I'm reminded very often of the women I worked with over many years, who laughed at me for paying the 'full stamp' and for paying into the pension scheme. Those women are not laughing now. I did it in response to my mum's example, as I described in an earlier post.

All the times in my life when I've been able to save, I've never regretted it. I've always regretted it when I didn't.

Living_proof

margaretclare wrote: »

Couldn't agree more. I was a bit scared that my post on page 1 might have been seen as a bit unfeeling, and you've put it in a nutshell - personal responsibility. Candy asked 'what are pensioners supposed to do' and I pointed out that most people have half a century of a working life before retirement arrives.

I'm reminded very often of the women I worked with over many years, who laughed at me for paying the 'full stamp' and for paying into the pension scheme. Those women are not laughing now. I did it in response to my mum's example, as I described in an earlier post.

All the times in my life when I've been able to save, I've never regretted it. I've always regretted it when I didn't.

Ha ha margaretclare - I have just seen your signature, and that just says it all!!

lessonlearned

I had noticed that Candy hadn't posted again. Perhaps she took umbrage. Pity because she could have learned a lot from our experiences and she might also have been comforted and reassured by the fact that so many of us manage very well on considerably less than her budget.

There is so much help and advice in these forums. I guess she just wanted to rant.

I think the thought of looming retirement can seem a bit scary and I did rather get the sense of panic in her post. I think many people do worry about how they will cope but I do think many people also get a pleasant surprise as to how much their outgoings are reduced.

I think I live very well on what some people might regard as quite a meagre income. I mentioned earlier that I am actually classed as being in the lowest 10 percent in the U.K.

According to the stats I should be living in poverty.......Far from it my sons think it's hilarious, they call me "The Duchess" because they say I live like royalty.........although as a widow I suppose I should now be called "the dowager duchess". :rotfl:

As for personal responsibility, well I certainly had that drummed into me, that and a prodigious work ethic.

The best piece of advice I was ever given was from a dear aunt, a widow who had been left penniless with three young children. She said "whatever you do, don't put your faith in the State, because it will let you down, just when you need it the most".

She spoke from bitter experience when her husband died and I have to say she spoke the truth, because when my husband got sick the State let me down too.

That is why I am determined to stand on my own two feet and be totally self reliant.

And although I'm now 66, I still try to save for my "old age" :rotfl:

Keep_pedalling

Candy53 wrote: »

Yeah well they were wrong. Governments always think people are in well paid jobs and can save! They don't think about people being in menial. work, if that's the right word. We have never been able to save.

Candy

Your husband is an HVG driver, I would hardly call that a menial job, and the average wage for that type of work is over £30k pa. Are you seriously saying that in all that time none of his earnings were saved or put into a pension scheme?

pollypenny

To some extent I can understand Candy's fears; I worried about retirement finances initially.

However, at risk of unleashing the boomer-bashing brigade, we're better off than we've ever been. I don't quite know why - less petrol expense, more time to shop wisely, needing fewer clothes, not paying NI etc all help.

Of course, we both have final salary pensions and I bought AVCs as well. That's another story - bad advice from unions and Teachers' Pensions.

Keep_pedalling

pollypenny wrote: »

To some extent I can understand Candy's fears; I worried about retirement finances initially.

However, at risk of unleashing the boomer-bashing brigade, we're better off than we've ever been. I don't quite know why - less petrol expense, more time to shop wisely, needing fewer clothes, not paying NI etc all help.

Of course, we both have final salary pensions and I bought AVCs as well. That's another story - bad advice from unions and Teachers' Pensions.

Why would buying AVCs be bad advice?

margaretclare

Living_proof wrote: »

Ha ha margaretclare - I have just seen your signature, and that just says it all!!

I'm glad you like my Old English quote.

For me it's true - it has taken many years, a long lifetime, to gain wisdom.

margaretclare

pollypenny wrote: »

To some extent I can understand Candy's fears; I worried about retirement finances initially.

However, at risk of unleashing the boomer-bashing brigade, we're better off than we've ever been. I don't quite know why - less petrol expense, more time to shop wisely, needing fewer clothes, not paying NI etc all help..

I'm not a boomer, DH and I are the previous generation.

Growing up in a time of real poverty and remembering the period of rationing has helped us.

DH often cooks a meal and says 'How much did that cost? Best steak mince, a few spuds, some frozen veg, fresh fruit - total a few quid each? Anyone can make a meal at home far cheaper than a portion of fish and chips'.