Frankly, at this point I have no idea which plan I'm on!! Maybe Plan K?? Long term readers of this blog will know I've had to change my plans many times, mostly thanks to other people's actions or reactions to circumstances. That sounds rather cryptic but basically my ex husband and then my ex partner threw huge gigantic spanners into things that had been put in place.
I always knew at some point in the future I might need to sell this house or do equity release to get the money I have tied up in it. My 4 year challenge included me teaching until I was 60 and saving half my salary. I'd worked out that would be enough to keep me going until I got my state pension at 67. My son and DIL moved in with me on the understanding it would be until I decided to sell. We'd share expenses and we'd all be saving as much as we would over the next 3 to 4 years.
Sharing my house with them has been challenging (for many reasons) and I wasn't saving as much money as I wanted. The cost of living has gone up but that's only part of the reason. Things haven't been quite as I thought we'd planned and agreed at the start. And I'll leave it at that.
The current plan is to sell my house next year and buy 2 much smaller properties outright. One for me to live in and one for them to rent from me. Their rent will supplement my teacher pension and any part time job I might have by then.
Looking at property prices here it's totally doable. I'm hoping I can buy a wee bungalow/cottage with a garden locally but they're rare and often go for a lot more than the asking price. So I'll just have to trust that things will work out the way they're meant to in the end 😊
Plans do have a habit of evolving or changing, don't they? Your new plans sound exciting but sensible too....fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteGood job I'm flexible!! I think this plan is sensible but then I thought all my other plans were too! LOL!!! :-)
DeleteIt's a good job you are adaptable and flexible with your approach. This sounds like another good idea. 🤞 this is the final plan.
ReplyDeleteYes!! This is the final plan, I hope!! :-)
DeleteGood luck with your new plan and it will be a challenge for you to start again in a new property. You can then give it your own stamp and make a comfortable home for yourself. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThanks, good job I like a challenge. And hopefully it will save me a lot of money!! :-)
DeleteAren’t curve balls brilliant, a lot like seagulls - they fly at us squawking, flapping, pooing everywhere, fly out & leave us to clear up the mess!! Ali you are strong woman who has had lots of ill luck but you will carry on surviving and life will become content - make it happen Warrior Lass 🙏😘xx Jan in Castle Gresley
ReplyDeleteLove the curve ball analogy!! Lol!
DeleteThere are plenty of folk who've had worse luck than me so I'm grateful for what I have. I come from a line of strong women so I know how to keep going. It will all come good in the end and if it doesn't, it's not the end :-)
Gosh, that has made me smile!
DeleteI hope everything goes as you hope next spring and you get your dear little cottage with garden at a fair price for you. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteThanks, fingers crossed :-)
DeleteThat's the thing about plans, isn't it - they are just words on a page, figures in a book and life does have this habit of adding extra stuff to our lives. What matters is that you still have plans, you can still see the way ahead.
ReplyDeleteSending 'lovely cottage' vibes into your area! xx
I've found that it's making plans including other people that don't come to fruition. When I was married I just went along with my husband's plans, never really had any of my own. After I divorced I then made plans with my new partner. One day I'll tell the full story of how that ended! I just feel more secure if I have a written plan that relies on no one else.
DeleteI'm putting it out to the universe that a wee cottage/bungalow will come my way at the right time xxx
It sounds like you have made good plans, and the best thing is you are flexible to allow them to wend and weave about a bit until they are just right. I do hope you find your wee cottage/bungalow as well as a suitable rentable property for your son, it sounds like a very sensible plan ... and as the meme at the top says there are plenty more if that one doesn't work out. I'm still drooling over the little cottage that I found last week ....
ReplyDeleteI've been looking at houses online and seen a few that would be perfect! But everything has to be right at the same time :-)
DeleteBeing flexible, as you are , is a skill worth having - your plan sounds an excellent one, really hope it works out x
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
I hope so too, as i'm tired of being flexible if I'm honest :-)
DeletePlans change and being flexible, as you are, is probably the only way to be. However, always being the one who is flexible is a pain in itself.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Good luck with your new plans. I adore my children (all adults) but the thought of having them back to live with me fills me with horror!! It's fine for a short while but longterm would drive me mad so I hear what you're saying (I think!). I hope you get your cottage and the flat next year. Onward and upward as they say! x
ReplyDeleteWith the best will in the world, adult children do seem to revert back to being teenagers when they move home again. And because neither of them drive, I've become a taxi service again as where I live there isn't a decent bus service or the amenities they had when they live din the city centre. But now my plan is in place I'm pushing onwards :-) xxx
DeleteDwight Eisenhower said, 'Plans are nothing; planning is everything.'
ReplyDeleteI love your 'It will all come good in the end and if it doesn't, it's not the end.' It's good to remember that.
~ skye
I can't take credit for the saying or know who said it but it's always stuck with me. It's good to remember when things are not going your way :-)
DeleteHi I was thinking of you while out walking today, you have probably done these things already but I thought I would mention them.
ReplyDeleteHave you applied for a pension forecast from Dept of Work and Pensions. Also have you made an enquiry of signing on at the dept of labour, they used to credit you with your national insurance contribution if you were not working, I don’t know the latest rules. Friends did this they had taken early retirement and did not want work but were short on NI contributions and they were credited with them therefore got their full retirement pension. You have probably looked into all these things, but just in case. Regards Moira