When I was growing up you had to go to the Post Office with your pension book (or Family Allowance book) every week to collect your pension in cash. Where I lived it was a Thursday and there would be a queue of OAPs (including my Gran) standing outside before 9am waiting for it to open. Then they'd take that hard cash and go to the Co op supermarket, butcher and greengrocer to get their weekly supplies. My Gran would famously visit every shop to get the best price on everything. She never bought everything in one place.
All this to say I got my first pension payment this morning. Electronically paid into my online account and I was notified by text. I did have a mild panic when the text said a much smaller amount than I was expecting. But I get 3 separate payments from the 3 different schemes that I paid into over 35 years 🙄 so I only got 1 text instead of 3. I checked my account and it's all there! Phew!! Grand total of £729.14 a month. It doesn't cover all my expenses (car payments/car insurance/council tax) so I'm relying on my savings to pay those until I sell the house and pay off the car next year. But reality has now set in! 😱
My dear Gin Queen friend was 60 last week so I splurged and got her a very special gin that has her name on it! I hope it's a good one!! 🍸 From now on presents will be small and hopefully hand made.
And my last internet spend for a while (possibly ever!!) was some sock yarn! I like to have socks on the needles as a pick up and drop activity for Winter. Someone will get a pair for Christmas and there will be some lovely new colours to add to my leftover sock yarn blanket.
Thank you so much for the good wishes for my Lovely Mum. I spoke to her last night and she's doing well. She might get home tomorrow (Saturday) and I'll hopefully be able to go visit her soon 😊
I remember my Family Allowance book being just the same as that photo, and yes the queue after school drop off time on a Monday morning was always at least a dozen deep, which seemed a lot in a tiny Post Office. That payment kept us alive in all the food basics and cash was king.
ReplyDeleteIt's not quite the same when it just goes into a bank account is it. Perhaps you could draw your monthly 'housekeeping money' out in cash each month to keep you on track during this lean year.
That wool is brilliant, I used to love crocheting with wool that changed colour, it seems to keep you doing it for longer just to see th colours change ... well it did me. :-)
Yep, I used to go to the PO with my mum's Family Allowance book on a Tuesday after school as she didn't get home from work in time. You could get someone to countersign it to allow a third person to collect it for you. I'd then go home via the supermarket to get stuff for tea. I'm considering using cash although I get free vouchers if use my credit card. It needs more thinking!! :-)
DeleteI remember taking my granny to the post office to get her pension after we moved into town; I had to forcibly restrain her at the road - she had no experience of traffic at all. During the week she would give me cash to go to the Co-op too Ali, they must have been of an age. I've got the blue regia wool waiting in my stash :)
ReplyDeleteMy Gran would walk the length of town to save a penny on a bag of sugar! The colours are so pretty in the whole Arne and Carlos range :-)
DeleteI am now thinking about my grandma with her books full of green shield stamps, collected at the co-op where she spent her pension money and also our local postmaster, who refused to cash my giro cheque until he had seen i.d. I was 21. He had seen me grow up. He knew both my parents, all four grandparents and my great-grandma!
ReplyDeleteYep I remember them too!! That was a thorough post master! :-)
DeleteI am glad your Mom is doing well and could get home soon. Yea on the receiving of your first pension cheque.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I 'feel' retired now!! :-)
DeleteYay - congratulations. It's really real now!
ReplyDeleteI love that sock yarn and I love the socks I have made from similar. They are so warm and comfy! xx
I love my hand knitted socks especially in the Winter! If I give you a pair I've knitted myself that means I love you very much!!! :-)
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