Money thoughts …

Ha, middle ground would be divorce :)
 
Tulipone said:
Well yes but was looking at getting the kitchen replaced tail end of last year. Bearing in mind that this is 7 boxes to hold stuff in, a couple of worktops, a sink and a bit of flooring - £12k. We decided to see what our winnings would be today but sadly our £50 ‘winnings’ wouldn’t pay for tea and biscuits they’d probably want to fit it.

The thought that spending it to improve lifestyle is an interesting thought, but I lean more towards a new lens and she’d prefer a kitchen. If only we could find some middle ground!
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Hmmmm! middle ground for a peaceful coexistence. ...

A large kitchen and a small lens :thinking:
 
Nice photos of new kitchens?
 
Box Brownie said:
This, on the basis that care costs are stupendously high and for any quality of life in latter life care you need money.......as the state will not cover to 'that standard ' ???
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Mrs WW tells me that lots of westerners are heading off to Thailand for their much cheaper and much better retirement and elderly care. Compared to possibly iffy "care" in a care home in the UK costing 40-50k a year and Thailand could start to look very attractive. And their internet seems to work. Ours was unusable yet again for hours this morning.
 
woof woof said:
Mrs WW tells me that lots of westerners are heading off to Thailand for their much cheaper and much better retirement and elderly care. Compared to possibly iffy "care" in a care home in the UK costing 40-50k a year and Thailand could start to look very attractive. And their internet seems to work. Ours was unusable yet again for hours this morning.
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I know of one small UK company where the owners setup home & administration office in Thailand because of the low cost of living and (for them) reliable internet. IIRC very few of their customers or indeed suppliers knew. The guy running the UK works was their son & a long time employee who was defacto running the operation.

Also, indirect family........one person I know of moved there some years ago but health issues AFAIK meant he ended up moving back to the UK to ensure the health care he needed.
 
woof woof said:
Mrs WW tells me that lots of westerners are heading off to Thailand for their much cheaper and much better retirement and elderly care. Compared to possibly iffy "care" in a care home in the UK costing 40-50k a year and Thailand could start to look very attractive. And their internet seems to work. Ours was unusable yet again for hours this morning.
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Must confess to having a cursory look at Bali, which is similar to thailand, at least superficially, with regards cost of living in retirement, however I couldn't bring my self to leave the UK with my daughter still here, so didn't take it very far. Perhaps I should try convincing her to emigrate too....
 
woof woof said:
Mrs WW tells me that lots of westerners are heading off to Thailand for their much cheaper and much better retirement and elderly care. Compared to possibly iffy "care" in a care home in the UK costing 40-50k a year and Thailand could start to look very attractive. And their internet seems to work. Ours was unusable yet again for hours this morning.
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It works here, provided you don't use a cheap and nasty ISP. If you do, well, you get what you pay for.

In the almost 21 years I've been with my current ISP there have been two major outages, each lasting around an hour. I'm happy with that. It's way more reliable than VM business that we use at work.
 
Tulipone said:
Well yes but was looking at getting the kitchen replaced tail end of last year. Bearing in mind that this is 7 boxes to hold stuff in, a couple of worktops, a sink and a bit of flooring - £12k. We decided to see what our winnings would be today but sadly our £50 ‘winnings’ wouldn’t pay for tea and biscuits they’d probably want to fit it.

The thought that spending it to improve lifestyle is an interesting thought, but I lean more towards a new lens and she’d prefer a kitchen. If only we could find some middle ground!
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Does that price include fitting?

Have a look at DIYKitchens https://www.diy-kitchens.com/
I replaced a large kitchen a couple of years ago. Two sets of pan drawers, two large pantry cupboards, a side dresser, 4 lower cupboards with pullout shelving, 7 upper cupboards and built in bins for around £6.5k add on a bit for solid oak tops and a sink.

I also had under floor heating put in, new tiled floor and a range cooker plus professional fitting. The whole lot cost about £15k.

wren initially quoted £21k and that was just the the units and tops.
 
Good start to the year on PBs, £1050 to herself, although she spent a bit on herself, daughter and SiL got something, me fat zero! Ah well, kept her smiling for a couple of days.
 
Me £0
Wife £100
 
PBs February
Mrs C £50
Me £125

We live in hope of winning the big ones....
 
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Started the year well but Feb? Back to normal, herself £50. Still better than sweet fa.
 
I'm quite surprised that they have not

1; Raised the maximum number of Premium Bonds that we can hold.

2; Started drawing the prize numbers every fortnight, instead of once monthly.
 
Tulipone said:
I'm really going to need to look for alternate options as another poor month. Understanding that the way Premium Bonds work is some win and most loose, I seem to be firmly on the loosing side and it'll need to take a hell of a win to recapture lost interest.
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I was same.. Moved nearly all mine out and now currently earning me 5.50% left a small amount in for the excitement of checking haha but winning nothing
 
lindsay said:
For savings with ready access, fixed rates are quite good, with various notice periods, but tax will be due.
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not tax on ISA paying out 5.50% and no tax on first £1000 profit from other savings.. a couple can have £60k savings in first year no tax and £100k the next and not pay tax.

lindsay said:
The question has to be asked (of oneself): do I actually need to preserve additional wealth (shrouds have no pockets), or can I improve my lifestyle with the extra money?
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I really dont like the spend it while you can approach.. or the you cant take it wihth you.... You can improve your lifestyle now but what happens when your income is set and you need a new car or something else.. I like knowing I am set for life.. I earn a nice amount in interest and I never have to worry about ever needing money... But if i spend it all then ?
 
KIPAX said:
not tax on ISA paying out 5.50% and no tax on first £1000 profit from other savings.. a couple can have £60k savings in first year no tax and £100k the next and not pay tax.




I really dont like the spend it while you can approach.. or the you cant take it wihth you.... You can improve your lifestyle now but what happens when your income is set and you need a new car or something else.. I like knowing I am set for life.. I earn a nice amount in interest and I never have to worry about ever needing money... But if i spend it all then ?
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This is worth knowing as needed? Though obviously depends of ones income.....as detailed in the information. Up to £5000 interest tax free......

www.gov.uk

Tax on savings interest

You do not pay tax on your savings interest if you're on a low income.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk
 
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Just came across this thread, very interesting. On the topic of premium bonds my wife and I have £20K in between us and have won nothing for 6 months. However previous to this we won nearly every other month. Probably look at other options and just leave a small amount in for luck.
 
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silure130 said:
Just came across this thread, very interesting. On the topic of premium bonds my wife and I have £20K in between us and have won nothing for 6 months. However previous to this we won nearly every other month. Probably look at other options and just leave a small amount in for luck.
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Even going back to the days of 'Ernie' IIRC it was said that new customers won more regularly than those whose PBs were a few years old.

Now, is that just anecdotal or statistically accurate I have no idea but stories such yours add weight to the 'theory'.

Therefore I wonder is there any value in withdrawing the money and leaving it a month or two and then putting it back in???
 
I have had two £1 PB's for over 60 years and none of hem have won a thing.
 
silure130 said:
Just came across this thread, very interesting. On the topic of premium bonds my wife and I have £20K in between us and have won nothing for 6 months. However previous to this we won nearly every other month. Probably look at other options and just leave a small amount in for luck.
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£20k ? You could be earning £20 a week tax free in an ISA
 
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Box Brownie said:
Even going back to the days of 'Ernie' IIRC it was said that new customers won more regularly than those whose PBs were a few years old.

Now, is that just anecdotal or statistically accurate I have no idea but stories such yours add weight to the 'theory'.

Therefore I wonder is there any value in withdrawing the money and leaving it a month or two and then putting it back in???
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Funny thing is I posted this morning about not winning, then my wife checked her account today and has won £50.
 
Me £50
Wife £300
 
April;
Me £0
Wife £700

I was actually going to cash in some of her bonds today but her account is above average returns.
Hmmm
 
My March win was £600 this month only£75
it all averages out over the year.
Really big wins are the rare exception that most of us never experience.
Had two blank months last year.
 
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every month blank for me.. But when I had the full amount in I was winnign every month.. Now I only have a 5th in its no wins month after month ... I miss that youve won! notice haha.. However the fixed saving (5.5% from nationwide) is giving me a better return juts not as much fun :(
 
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admirable said:
April;
Me £0
Wife £700

I was actually going to cash in some of her bonds today but her account is above average returns.
Hmmm
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Keep hers cash yours seems a no brainer :)
 
Wife in a mood, “sorry, not this month, seems to be the cause.
 
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