Averages are meaningless.
Never-the-less here’s a chart I found of various incomes in retirement and what the average person could use their income for. It’s a year or so out of date now after so many price rises.
The average income of a single pensioner was £246 a week between 2020 -2021.
I’m eternally grateful that Colin loved his County Council Bridge Inspecting job and they give me a spouses pension because of his death. I have a savings bond using the downsizing money and those and my state pension means my income is in between minimum and moderate………although closer to the minimum.
Have to say that £54 a week on food seems a lot, my spending is less than that and I see that those on minimum income are not expected to have a car – they all must live somewhere with public transport! because the majority of people in villages and countryside have no alternative. £580 for clothes and shoes is way more than what I spend too – thankfully.
Some people think I worked until 1980 and then never worked again, so have been retired for 40 years already! Not quite true. It is true that I never had a full time paid employment outside of home after eldest daughter was born. My library assistant salary was way down the pay grades and I really didn’t like being bossed about by the new young graduate librarian anyway, so it seemed sensible to stay at home and find ways to save money. Which, by never wasting a penny, growing food and watching all the spending, we achieved. Every now and again I did some part time work that fitted in around the children.
I have………
- Cleaned a house
- Cleaned a village hall
- Grown herbs to sell at the PYO fruit farm
- Picked fruit on the fruit farm for their freezers
- Saturday Library assistant job
- Been an after school and holiday childminder
- Run a small home based nursery group
- Been a lunch time school playground supervisor in a primary school
- and in a Middle school
- Sold herbs at a WI Country Market
- Census enumerator
- Poll Clerk on election days
And all the time we were doing up houses and moving up the housing ladder.
Then after moving to the smallholding I had animals and the campsite to look after and vegetables, fruit and herbs to sell and for several years we bought and sold country themed books at local country fairs and I also sometimes made cards and cakes for a WI Country Market.
Although my retirement isn’t as planned…… Colin dying aged 61 didn’t come into any retirement thoughts ………….I seem to be managing well and actually have spare pennies for those coffees out and second hand books.
I realise I’m one of the lucky pensioners that are so disliked by many!
Back Tomorrow
Sue
