AsleepInYorkshire wrote:Hi Salvor,
Hope you're well and perhaps still have your helmet.
My good lady and our daughter love stories. Books, cinema, theatre, and TV. I have no idea if you watch TV or if you have a super-sized deluxe TV already. We have a 65" (curved) TV in our lounge. And before I go further, I need to diversify. If we had the money I think we'd get an 80". Watching some films like Star Wars or The Mandalorian on a large TV is just crazy. I love a good documentary, especially nature and that kind of stuff. Some of the images on our TV are breath taking.
So based solely on my experience of a large TV, which I would never have purchased just for my needs, and having no idea if you already have one, I need to give you some advice, if I may please.
Get one and if you already have one, get a bigger one
Got a 43 inch Toshiba Smart Fire TV off Amazon for £256. More than enough for me as I sit relatively close to it. I watch quite a bit of TV on my Samsung Galaxy A10 tablet. And in the event that I'm in the pub or otherwise out of the house whilst the cricket or football is on, the smartphone comes in very handy for a bit of viewing.
Back to a few tips on retirement spending and budgeting for everyone; I been doing this for just over 20 years.
Try different supermarkets, in particular Aldi and Lidl if you haven't before. Retirement means that people should have enough time that you don't have to do everything in the one shop. You might find something new to try that you really like. Many years ago I used to go boardgaming at friend of a friend's place ( I didn't know the hosts very well). They provided a few snacks and it was decided that next week it was our turn to bring the snacks. I did so and got everything from Lidl. There was a puzzled look from our hosts, yet when they started eating they quickly decided that they would give Lidl a try. Particularly for the pistachio nuts which were twice as much for half the price.
Do your big holiday trips in the first few years after retiring, rather than later as your health might deteriorate. There is a tendency (at least with me) that as I grow older there become more excuses / reasons to stay at home. Holidaying doesn't have to cost a fortune; there are many interesting places for a decent day's visit and you can be back in your own bed the same evening. A couple who a friend knows take full advantage of their bus pass to visit lots of towns and locations in the county; they never stay away overnight.
Keep track of your spending. I still have my ancient Excel spreadsheet with multiple categories such as "pub", "horse racing meetings", "supermarket", "day trips" and "streaming services". It's surprising how often you find some spending that you could cut back upon if needed.
There are a lot of businesses and organisations that are happy to hire the more mature citizens for a bit of work now and again. I know a lot of people who are retired and work at local and not so local sporting events on matchdays. Particularly at racecourses and County Cricket. You can't live off it but it's a nice bit of beer money and it gets you out of the house.