It’s fun to start a new phase of life when you retire. Big Blue Squirrel Storage looks at some of the many things you can do when you reach retirement age. People used to retire and expect to live for only a few years. In 1950, the average life expectancy was only 69 years. Today, the average life expectancy in the UK is 82 years, which means that many people have a good number of years of retirement to look forward to. Once you retire, you start a new part of your life, and with that come choices:
Do you want to keep working?
There is no longer a set age for state retirement in the UK. In 2011, the law was changed so that employers couldn’t force people to retire at 65. Whether we want to keep working because it’s a habit, we need the money, or it’s our passion, as we get older, we need to start getting our affairs in order. This can be a great time to get things in place and make our lives easier so we can enjoy them more. For example, maybe your kids have been using your house as a place to store all their rubbish (they don’t consider rubbish) but obviously don’t want it at theirs. They might not want you to get rid of their old toys for example. Retirement is a great reason to tell them to come get their stuff.
Downsize
When you retire early, it’s great to have a beautiful garden to spend time in. When arthritis, lumbago, and “gardener’s elbow” make all that work harder, it may be time to hire a gardener, downsize, or move to a place with a smaller garden. In the same way, you may want to downsize to save money.
For example, a new study by Energy Saving Trust found that a typical three-bedroom, gas-heated home’s energy bills could go up by £240 in 2022. This means that a typical three-bedroom, gas-heated home could spend a total of £1,360 on energy. From a pension, that’s a lot of money. It could be that taking care of a big house is too much trouble, so people decide to move to a smaller place. Time and energy are both very valuable.
Getting to a place you’ve always wanted to go
When you retire, you have freedom that you don’t have when you work. Most of the time, where we live depends on where we work. You might be drawn to wilder areas. Maybe a beautiful place by the sea sounds good. You might want to be closer to your kids or grandkids. Or even out of the country. Or taking a narrowboat through the picturesque canals of the UK. Now is the time to do it while you are fit and able to make these changes. As time goes on, it gets harder and harder to make that move. Now is the time to make that dream come true, but do it with your eyes open. It’s one thing to move to a similar area where you already know people.
To change our whole way of life, we have to do a lot of planning and think about the future, when we might not be as strong or when we might need help. Just go for it with your eyes open. Before selling your home and moving to a new place, it can be smart to rent there first. Moving is stressful and can cost a lot of money. Moving twice because the first move didn’t work out is even more stressful and expensive.
Spending the winter away
If you have sufficient funds, you can now run away to a second home when it gets cold, if you want to. For people who haven’t got that choice, maybe take advantage of one of these great deals for pensioners staying in hotels with full board, which looks appealing, especially when you have to take heating your home into consideration over the winter months. There are many companies that might be able to rent out your home while you’re gone.
Finally…
No matter what you decide, Big Blue Squirrel is here to make your life easier. Our are flexible and helpful, and can make their storage services fit your needs. Our team wishes you a happy, healthy and long retirement, no matter how you spend it.
