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Escape to the country & living off savings

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Comments

  • Skint_yet_Again
    Skint_yet_Again Posts: 8,787 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Hung up my suit! Mortgage-free Glee!
    edited 3 October 2025 at 2:44PM
    Are these two pensions linked? Can't you take Pension A Option 1 and Pension B  Option 2?
    Yes
    No. 
    Its option A or B
    ❤️Mum 2018
    0% credit card £1360 & 0% Car Loan £7500 ~ paid in full JAN 2020 = NOW DEBT FREE 🤗
    House sale OCT 2022 = NOW MORTGAGE FREE 🤗
    House cash purchase completed FEB 2023 🥳🍾 & left work. 🤗

    Retired at 55 & now living off the equity £10k a year

    ❤️Dad 2025

    Previous Savings diary https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5597938/get-a-grip/p1

    Living off savings diary
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6429003/escape-to-the-country-living-off-savings/p1
  • Skint_yet_Again
    Skint_yet_Again Posts: 8,787 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Hung up my suit! Mortgage-free Glee!
    Great idea dia ☺️

    Really enjoyed trip to the city. Fish and chips, mushy peas and pot of tea £8.50 each. DF paid. I spent £6 on bus fare and £7.50 on half price shoes 😁 at D mann. Lovely warm sunny weather. Have been sat in the garden reading a book since I got back. 
    ❤️Mum 2018
    0% credit card £1360 & 0% Car Loan £7500 ~ paid in full JAN 2020 = NOW DEBT FREE 🤗
    House sale OCT 2022 = NOW MORTGAGE FREE 🤗
    House cash purchase completed FEB 2023 🥳🍾 & left work. 🤗

    Retired at 55 & now living off the equity £10k a year

    ❤️Dad 2025

    Previous Savings diary https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5597938/get-a-grip/p1

    Living off savings diary
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6429003/escape-to-the-country-living-off-savings/p1
  • Tresinia511
    Tresinia511 Posts: 317 Forumite
    100 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 11 June 2025 at 6:54PM
    Sya, nice to be in the garden with a book.  Is it all sorted now?
  • Skint_yet_Again
    Skint_yet_Again Posts: 8,787 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Hung up my suit! Mortgage-free Glee!
    Do you mean the garden Tresinia ? I wish it was. Have chopped back the bushes near the fence. DF is coming down tomorrow to remove the paving which was the base of the shed. Then we can check the measurements again and go to see the fencing company to order posts, gravel boards and fence panels. Once fencing is done I will see how much money is left and decide what to do about plants & seating 
    ❤️Mum 2018
    0% credit card £1360 & 0% Car Loan £7500 ~ paid in full JAN 2020 = NOW DEBT FREE 🤗
    House sale OCT 2022 = NOW MORTGAGE FREE 🤗
    House cash purchase completed FEB 2023 🥳🍾 & left work. 🤗

    Retired at 55 & now living off the equity £10k a year

    ❤️Dad 2025

    Previous Savings diary https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5597938/get-a-grip/p1

    Living off savings diary
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6429003/escape-to-the-country-living-off-savings/p1
  • Doris17
    Doris17 Posts: 989 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Have a lovely afternoon.

    "My Life Is About The Journey Not The Destination"



  • Tresinia511
    Tresinia511 Posts: 317 Forumite
    100 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper
    Sounds like a lovely weekend coming up sya
  • SuzeQStan
    SuzeQStan Posts: 2,002 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Homepage Hero Photogenic
    Excited you are getting back into sketching SYA - great idea to begin using it for planning your garden.  Sounds like you have quite a lot sorted so far.  You can get alot of materials free from places like visage volume marketplace, oli@, tr@sh nothing etc. you can put up wanted ads for free as well if you need something specific.

    sorry not posted on your diary a couple days - have caught OH’s flu sleeping the days away 
    Lancashire
    PV 5.04kWp SW facing
    Solar Battery 6.5 kWh 
    🐙 Intelligent Go

    Mortgage freedom January 2024 - paid off 7 years early by making overpayments where we could.

  • Skint_yet_Again
    Skint_yet_Again Posts: 8,787 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Hung up my suit! Mortgage-free Glee!
    Thanks Doris, Tresinia and Suze 😊 Sorry to hear you have / had flu Suze sounds like you are getting plenty of rest hope you feel better 😘 

    Ive been looking at outdoor rugs as a possibility for covering the cracked concrete outside the back door as a cheaper/ easier option. Also looking at click together pvc / composite deck tiles. My friend is keeping an eye on visage volume marketplace (😂 love this Suze) for me

    Aquafit this morning then looking forward to seeing niece and little lad. I have a bag full of toys from my other sisters decluttering (her child is 18!) including a tea set so we may end up in the garden with water getting wet! Warm sunny day so far. Tomorrow I am cleaning my oven. I have been putting it off but I’ve had one of those shelves in a bag cleaners for months and bought some muscle spray for inside and the glass door so hopefully should be fairly easy. Famous last words and all that 😉
    ❤️Mum 2018
    0% credit card £1360 & 0% Car Loan £7500 ~ paid in full JAN 2020 = NOW DEBT FREE 🤗
    House sale OCT 2022 = NOW MORTGAGE FREE 🤗
    House cash purchase completed FEB 2023 🥳🍾 & left work. 🤗

    Retired at 55 & now living off the equity £10k a year

    ❤️Dad 2025

    Previous Savings diary https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5597938/get-a-grip/p1

    Living off savings diary
    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6429003/escape-to-the-country-living-off-savings/p1
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