6-5 Special

Another year of life completed. When I was growing up - and for the first half of my working life, to be honest - 65 was the magic age when you stopped working, picked up your gold watch, got your bus pass and received your Old Age Pension. Then it was just a case of finding something to fill your days before you did the decent thing and shuffled off, having not been too much of a drain on the Exchequer.
But things are very different now. I stopped working full time when I was 50, and retired when I was 60. A combination of savings, an occupational pension I could access early and a small inheritance meant I would be able to last until the State Pension kicked in. But because we’re all living longer these days, that now won’t be until I’m 66 and a bit. Should still be able to last but there won’t be much in reserve! And I bought myself a nice watch when I was made redundant at 40, so that box is ticked. The bus pass would have been nice though.
A lazy day today - into town for a coffee this morning and then just chilling at home this afternoon. Mrs C had sourced some sparklers to go on my “birthday” cake and my present is the little car ornament you can see in the picture. It complements the little red one she got me a couple of years back.
Just need to maintain the healthy lifestyle now, until I officially become an OAP, and then keep it going for as long as possible thereafter. I intend to get as many years of payments out of the State as I can!
Mrs C has to wait even longer than me to get her State Pension - I wonder what the pension age for children born today will be? Or if there even is a State Pension when they come to retire…