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How much do you spend in retirement ?

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  • enthusiasticsaver
    enthusiasticsaver Posts: 16,133 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Whilst I will maintain that, relative to my professional peer group, I have a pretty modest existence, it is nonetheless one that many (most?) would consider wildly extravagant. And yet at the same time I get a small thrill from being MSE in some ways. I haggle ruthlessly on holidays, phone contracts, broadband, TV and the like. I exploit TopCashback, credit cards and other rewards wherever possible, and a few years back I even played the 'bank switching' game for a bit of fun. 

    I do not think being an active MSE, is necessarily related to the real need to do it.

    Many people who do not really need to do it ( like you ) are very active, whilst many people who really should do it ( low income etc) do not do it .

    It's more to do with your personality than anything else.

    I would agree with this.  I have always looked for deals and researched but we do not do cheap for the sake of cheap.  So we look for bargains or deals on 4 or 5 star hotels.  We look for rewards wherever possible and haggle on insurances and utilities but when it comes to holidays we like to treat ourselves and fly premium or go for the luxury cabin.  We do not really need to save money on these things but old habits die hard and the more we save on some things the more we can spend on others so we like luxury holidays and nice restaurants rather than cheap although we will do that too if they are a good bargain. 
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  • MallyGirl
    MallyGirl Posts: 7,326 Senior Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I would agree with this.  I have always looked for deals and researched but we do not do cheap for the sake of cheap.  So we look for bargains or deals on 4 or 5 star hotels.  We look for rewards wherever possible and haggle on insurances and utilities but when it comes to holidays we like to treat ourselves and fly premium or go for the luxury cabin.  We do not really need to save money on these things but old habits die hard and the more we save on some things the more we can spend on others so we like luxury holidays and nice restaurants rather than cheap although we will do that too if they are a good bargain. 
    Same here - I shop around for insurance/bills, have switched bank accounts several times for signup or regular saver deals, was happy to go to Aldi until lockdown, and have holidayed in the UK mostly for the last 18 years. However if we do a city break, or for last year's big bang holiday, then it will be in nice hotels with a decent hire car if required and long haul will not be in straight economy any more. We got a campervan last year so that will be the holiday option for some time now once they open campsites.
    I’m a Senior Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Pensions, Annuities & Retirement Planning, Loans
    & Credit Cards boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
    All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • tigerspill
    tigerspill Posts: 859 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    chiefie said:
    For those that love business class - remember in a plane crash it’s better to be at the back 😂
    And dont forget - never sit in Row 13.

    We sat in row 13 and the guy behind said "you're brave, I would never sit in Row 13"
    I just said that if my row was going down, that there was a pretty good chance his was as well.
  • tigerspill
    tigerspill Posts: 859 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    fred246 said:
    The whole idea of business class is that you only do it because someone else is paying. It's not meant for retired people. It's nice but very poor value for money.
    I dont agree with this at all.
    We have been using BC as we approached retirement.  And we will try and fly BC from here on.  You can get very good prices if you are a little bit flexible.
    It may be poor value for you, but not for many.  Personal choice.
  • ratechaser
    ratechaser Posts: 1,674 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Oh dear, one throwaway comment from me a few pages back and this has now turned into a pseudo travel thread  :p

    It is however fascinating how polarising and socially divisive the subject of premium versus economy travel on planes can be. As others have said, the price can be managed down very effectively by being flexible (plus use of airline miles, indirect routings etc), so to me it's just more of being MSE - getting what I see as good value for money. 

    My body is not one that appreciates small seats for any length of time, and it's a simple fact that airlines have made those small seats even smaller over the years. When I die and get reincarnated as a sardine then and only then I'll see you down the back!


  • Jaco70
    Jaco70 Posts: 249 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    Oh dear, one throwaway comment from me a few pages back and this has now turned into a pseudo travel thread  :p

    It is however fascinating how polarising and socially divisive the subject of premium versus economy travel on planes can be. As others have said, the price can be managed down very effectively by being flexible (plus use of airline miles, indirect routings etc), so to me it's just more of being MSE - getting what I see as good value for money. 

    My body is not one that appreciates small seats for any length of time, and it's a simple fact that airlines have made those small seats even smaller over the years. When I die and get reincarnated as a sardine then and only then I'll see you down the back!


    Yes it does seem socially divisive, but not for me. I'd trample over my granny to fly Business, just unlikely to ever be able to afford it. Its difficult to justify (to yourself, you don't need to justify anything to others) to spend probably four figures on comfort when that could be used for spending money when you arrive. If my lottery numbers come up (I don't actually do the lottery but I'm making a point), I'm never turning right again. We went to New York for xmas in 2018 and I was genuinely shocked at how many people were in business when we walked through it. No reason to doubt that first wasn't the same.
  • fred246
    fred246 Posts: 3,620 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I would rather spend my money at the destination rather than paying for an expensive journey. It's nice to experience business class but once you've done it there's no need to keep repeating it. You realise the freebies are really cheap in comparison to the extra that you pay. I am fit and healthy and there's no need to pay a fortune for a few extra inches. I have had some really nice conversations with people I have never met before in economy. I have never done that in business class.
  • MallyGirl
    MallyGirl Posts: 7,326 Senior Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I am fit and healthy - I am also tall so spending multiple hours with the net pattern of the seat pocket in front embedded in my knees does not lead to a happy first day or 2 of my holiday. Everyone has different ideas on what they value.
    I’m a Senior Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Pensions, Annuities & Retirement Planning, Loans
    & Credit Cards boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
    All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • OldBeanz
    OldBeanz Posts: 1,438 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    MallyGirl said:
    I am fit and healthy - I am also tall so spending multiple hours with the net pattern of the seat pocket in front embedded in my knees does not lead to a happy first day or 2 of my holiday. Everyone has different ideas on what they value.
    Absolutely, you could spend all your time debating whether you should fly first class or passage; whether a motorhome is better than a caravan. The ethos of this site is not that you should not buy the latest phone/best seat/best car but you find it at the best price.
    The only things I would suggest that are not worth it are illegal 'things' and tobacco, everything else is up to the individual and how they spend their money.
  • fred246
    fred246 Posts: 3,620 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I thought we were on a money saving site. If you want to go somewhere how do you save money getting there. Going business class is exactly the opposite. That would be for the money wasting site.
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