Debt free and staying that way while I re-evaluate life and keep blood sugar levels down

joedenise

I think you'd be surprised how much less you seem to spend in retirement than when you're working.  We're probably on less than half of what we were earning but still manage very well including at least one or two All Inclusive holidays abroad and saving as well.

We used lump sums on retirement to get big household jobs done like new kitchen and bathroom and decorating.  DH doesn't take his pension monthly as he has a drawdown pension so just draw down when needed which hasn't happened for a few years now.  I have a final salary pension which increases annually in line with CPI.

beanielou

We are age twins @Humdinger1. 🥰

foxgloves

Hi @Humdinger1 - My vanishing post was really just to say that we are beginning to think along the same lines re having a good look at what our finances might look like in retirement. I am fractionally younger than you (59) & the bigger hairier half of the relationship is 54. We started this process earlier this year when I 'bought back' 7 NI years to boost my state pension forecast. Our next stage - once I have done all the number crunching - is to add both our work pensions into the mix, to get an idea of how much it looks likely we will be living on, & then to factor in our current savings arrangements. An additional factor is that it is our plan to relocate to a much-loved region where property prices are higher than the area in which we currently live. This means that we will almost certainly need to use some of our savings as a 'bridge'. We do have savings, but I think we need to assess how that is all going too, in terms of both retirement & making a house move. As I won't get a full works pension (I took VR in the 2nd half of my 40s when the public sector austerity cuts were pretty grim even by the usual standards), I would be reluctant to end up using part or most of my lump sum to bridge the property price gap. So our savings & whether our plans are realistic will also be coming under scrutiny & discussion early next year.
Overall, I was wanting to agree with you that it is indeed fortuitous that you 'saw the light' re the drag of debt & got it paid off a good long while ago. I feel the same. I suspect that if we had continued spending at our old rate, by which I mean constantly outspending our monthly income & heavily using credit (we were also serial consolidators which made matters worse), we would now be looking at taking stupid consumer debt with us into retirement. I feel grateful that the LBM (which admittedly landed primarily because I was having a bad case of 'Poor Little Old Me' at the time over not being able to afford to buy a campervan!) did actually arrive when it did, because despite coming to budgeting later in life, it did give us time to clear the decks of our debts before we were needing to think seriously about retirement. I couldn't go back to my Spendy Era, @Humdinger1 - it feels like a lifetime ago - although we have only been debt-free for about 12 years, & mortgage-free for 4.
All the best with your planning. Knowledge is power, is it not, as with all these things?
F x

Pink12345

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for inspiring me to do something about my diabetes.  I was diagnosed in 2014 with type 2 diabetes, tried six different medications, each one of these had horrible side effects, so I tried controlling my blood sugars by diet and exercise.  My blood pressure has been high, I had tried several medications, but had to give up, side effects again.  I was put on a diuretic in September, which is working I have more energy and BP coming down, but side effect for me is increased blood sugars.  My Hb1ac hovered around 50 but after only 4 weeks on the diuretic it was 55. I read your diary from start to finish about a month ago.  I kept saying to myself if Humdinger1 can reverse Type 2, so can I.  I signed up to Michael Mosley’s Fast800, I dithered for the first week, now I have stuck to it religiously for 11 days.  The super news thanks to you is my blood sugars for the first time since I was diagnosed was 5.6 this morning, the first morning when I started this diet, it was 10.  I have also lost 3.5kg, the added bonus. Thank you again for your inspiration.  I am sorry that you have lost your way with your diabetes control at the moment, so easy to do, but you have done it once, so you know you can do it again.  And yes, I find my food bills so much higher too, but I am worth it.  I am sure you are aware too stress plays havoc with blood sugars, so give yourself a little slack.

Humdinger1

Darling  @Pink12345 thank you so much for your message.   Congratulations! Now you've inspired me!! I have Moseley's books and will reread! I am reassessing work patterns as I write to have more me time to walk beloved dog with beloved husband and just relax.  Onwards and upwards love Humdinger xx

jwil

Well done Pink   

Watty1

Inspiring post @Pink12345

Humdinger1

And I have decided to compress one major client into Mon to Wed from next month, to free up walking/thinking/relaxing  time.  You have set a rabbit running pink.  Thank you again love Humdinger xx

LadyWithAPlan

Humdinger1 said:

And I have decided to compress one major client into Mon to Wed from next month, to free up walking/thinking/relaxing  time.  You have set a rabbit running pink.  Thank you again love Humdinger xx

 This is a great idea - always good when the client agrees - as one of mine tends to wander into other days as work requests - but the others I have in line

Great you in a position to look at retiring and are planning well for it.

Sorry to hear you back on the diabetes type 2 border. I am sure you know and now have the focus to get back to well again. I had a family member who didnt sort this out, got worse, then a delayed amputation led to death at 56 earlier this year.. So the consequences can be huge. 
 I have been eating a half plate of kale, broccoli and spinach at least once a day since. I am v healthy but I used to eat some harib*/candy  type stuff so I am having to give it up 100% as I cant have just one. Both my parents wandered into type 2 and managed to get out of it - they dropped a meal so went from break/lunch/dinner to brunch/dinner which has helped plus they make huge amounts of soup and veg based dishes.

@Pink12345 well done  on getting your blood sugars under control - 

Pink12345

@Humdinger1.  One good turn deserves another.  Several months ago,  I bought Michael Mosley’s books, but found them annoying trying to follow his plan and then finding his recipes and then writing a shopping list, so gave up   Whereas everything is so much easier to follow on the website, and yes it is at a cost, just my tuppence worth.  Good idea compressing your clients’ hours, I work part time for my husband, but now I only work when and if needed, I don’t spend any unnecessary time on his business premises and he is not allowed to bring me work home. . Definitely keeps my stress levels down.

Thank you @jwil @Watty1 @LadyWithAPlan