How Debt Consolidation Can Help You In Later Life

Posted on March 23, 2022March 23, 2022 by rosie

No matter which way you look at it, the word debt seems to strike fear in the hearts of many people, and none more so than children of the 60’s.

For some reason, the older generation sees being in debt as a tad shameful and something to be avoided at all costs. As if to give themselves some moral high ground, I’ve often heard mature people proclaim ‘I don’t owe anybody anything’.

But is that something to be proud of, or, could it indicate that you’ve denied yourself some luxuries, or not enjoyed your life as much as you might have otherwise if you’d taken out a loan, however large or small to live more comfortably or to help your family perhaps.

But despite your best intentions, what happens if, in later life, you do find yourself with a few different loans which are all incurring interest, and are in fact causing you some worries.

Most Important – Don’t Worry!

If you are living life to the full it’s likely you may have invested in a motorhome, or a new car to enjoy during your retirement. You may have kindly helped your children with a deposit for a house or supported a Grandchild or two through University. You may have enjoyed some long-haul holidays courtesy of your credit card, or revamped your home or garden. All these things cost money and are things over and above the cost of day-to-day living.

Sometimes all of a sudden you decide to take a look at your finances and realise that you have 3 or 4 outstanding loans which are all incurring interest at an alarming rate.

To alleviate some of your concerns, it could be time to consider if debt consolidation might help you.

How does Debt Consolidation work

Quite simply, you replace all of your outstanding loans, such as credit cards, car finance, house improvements, with just one loan, and one interest rate. Very often this can be at a lower interest rate than the ones you are already paying. It tidies up your outgoings and is more manageable than having your money going out to so many different organisations.

Secured or Unsecured Terms

There are two types of consolidation loans, secured and unsecured. If you choose secured, the loan will be offset against your home and will take into account the amount of equity you have in it. The interest rate for this type of loan can be lower as the lender knows it is exactly that – secured. But don’t forget any loan secured against your property immediately puts your home at risk, you must be sure you can meet the monthly payments for the length of the loan term.

An unsecured loan is riskier for the finance company as the security is merely backed by your promise to repay it, thus the interest rate could be higher. Things to consider here are that if you fail to pay back the loan or miss a monthly payment, your credit score will be affected. Before taking out an unsecured loan make sure it works for you.

When Debt Consolidation is NOT the right choice

If you are already having difficulty meeting the monthly payments of your outstanding loans, having them all under one roof, so to speak, really won’t make much difference unless you manage to fix a considerably lower interest rate. You will still owe the money, and you will still have to pay it back, but just to one lender, instead of maybe 3 or 4, and let’s face it, in later life the opportunities to earn extra money diminish by the year!

No matter how old you are, if you are already struggling, then you need to seek a different kind of solution and talk to a debt counsellor, or your local Citizens Advice office.

Spring Competition Time

Posted on March 9, 2022 by rosie

Spring is in the air, and it’s always a great time for new beginnings and possibilities, so here is our latest free competition giveaway. This M&S Hampton Gift Box is packed with goodies, to lift your spirits after these past few months of grey skies.

There are plenty of ways to enter, simply scroll down to the Rafflecopter widget below to see the options. You will also see the terms and conditions below as well as all of the blogs taking part – please do take a moment to visit them to show your support to them.

Bloggers Taking Part

Here is a list of all of the bloggers taking part in this giveaway – please show your support by visiting them.

The Prize

This prize is an M&S Hampton Gift Box.

Gift Contents

Luxury Gold Tea Tin (250g/80 bags)
Sparkling Normandy Apple and Pear Juice (75cl)
Collection Apple and Fig Chutney (100g)
Collection Italian Chocolate Assortment (300g)
Collection Black Truffle and Olive Oil Hand Cooked Crisps (150g)
Collection All Butter Cornish Cruncher Biscuits (80g)
Roasted and Salted Large Peanuts (200g)
Collection Belgian Milk Chocolate Florentines (170g)
Collection Rye Sourdough Crackers (130g)
Hat Box

Terms and conditions

1. There is one top prize of an M&S Hampton Gift Box
2. There is no runner up prize
3. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding all bloggers involved with running the giveaway
4. Closing date for entries is midnight on 23.03.2022
5. The same Rafflecopter widget appears on all the blogs involved, but you only need to enter on one blog
6. Entrants must log in to the Rafflecopter widget, and complete one or more of the tasks – each completed task earns one entry in the prize draw
7. Tweeting about the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget will earn five bonus entries into the prize draw.
8. 1 winner will be chosen at random.
9. The winner will be informed by email within 7 days of the closing date and will need to respond within 28 days with their delivery address, or a replacement winner will be chosen.
10. The winners’ names will be published in the Rafflecopter widget (unless the winner objects to this).
11. The prizes will be dispatched within 14 days of the winner confirming their details.
12. The promoter is Drew Media LTD t/a www.MakeMoneyWithoutAJob.com
13. By participating in this prize draw, entrants confirm they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions

Enter now

Simply complete any or all of the Rafflecopter entry widget options below to be entered. You can also tweet about the giveaway daily to earn bonus entries.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are You Single and Ready to Mingle?

Posted on February 19, 2022February 19, 2022 by rosie

When I mentioned my latest crazy ideas to an (available) male friend, I was met with derision wrapped in a pastry case of pitfalls.

And of course, in many ways, he was right, HOWEVER, in the same vein, let’s acknowledge how many times ‘some’ great manuscripts have been rejected before they are critically acclaimed and become bestsellers.

Yes, some crazy ideas just need a little bit of spit and a polish with a Granny’s lacy hanky, and they are good to go. Unlike my friend, let’s not be too quick to judge. It may be a YES from you dear reader…..

I was pondering the dilemma probably all of us face at one time or another, when you spot an attractive man, or woman, in the supermarket. Maybe you lock eyes and do that thing where you hold their gaze for a couple of seconds longer than necessary, or even, do a double-take. Obviously, that’s reserved for very attractive shoppers only.

If you are really a smitten kitten, you might even casually follow the attractive shopper around the store to judge by the contents of their basket, if they are shopping for a meal deal for one….. or two.

And of course, we mustn’t forget that in these modern times, depending on the contents of your pants and persuasion, do their 10 items or less, indicate the contents of their own pants and persuasion, and basically, are you likely to be compatible. It’s a minefield of genders out there, one cannot be too careful.

But you can follow the attractive person all around the store, via home cooking, and artisan bread and cakes, and sadly it will all still be futile if they are not actually available. But how will you know….and here’s where my crazy idea came in…..

If there was some visible indicator of a person’s availability status, or their willingness to be approached for a quick chat, and possible exchange of numbers, then things would be a lot simpler.

Picture the scene. You spot someone at the checkout. You lock eyes more than once, you are checking each other out. But their queue is moving quicker than yours, and they are heading off far too soon out into the car park, whilst you are still trying to find your loyalty card. Within seconds, they are lost forever. AND yes, possibly going home to their significant other. But possibly not.

So if you did happen to know that they were free and single, you could abandon your shopping for one, and follow in hot pursuit, ready to strike up a car park conversation. And who knows what could happen.

I stand by my original idea, that all free and single, and happy to mingle with people, (note my nod to gender fluidness) should have a badge of availability honour. Like those old Rotarians, but far less classy.

That way, you could be sure you weren’t approaching a man living with a coach load of children, or a lady living with a man. No woman would live with a coach load of men. It would be just plain silly. One is more than enough.

Armed with all this knowledge, you could bag yourself a mini Supermarket Speed date in Sainsbury’s, a Micro Date in Morrisons, or a Winner Winner Chicken Dinner in Waitrose.

The possibilities are endless. So whose up for an availability badge, I’m ordering some sticky back plastic as soon as possible.

Wedding Anniversaries – Perfect Stones for Every Milestone!

Posted on February 14, 2022February 14, 2022 by rosie

Some may say, that by the age of 60+ you have probably got all the jewellery you are ever going to need/want. But can you ever have too much?

As Valentines Day approaches and ‘much younger’ people turn to the internet to order huge, overpriced bouquet’s, and book vastly expensive restaurant tables, in an attempt to impress their loved ones, what is it that floats the boat of the mature, been together years and still loved up, market? Is it confined to 14th February? What about those other all-important relationship milestones, such as wedding anniversaries.

Personally, I love the idea of marking a special date with a romantic gesture, such as gifting your loved one with a new necklace or earrings to recognise the importance of a milestone wedding anniversary.

Yes I know, Bernard, c1950 will look pretty daft in a matching set, but you know what I mean. Us women love all things sparkly and there’s a stone for all occasions!

Recently, I was lucky enough to be gifted THE most gorgeous sparkly bracelet for my birthday. It was such a lovely surprise, and all the more appreciated because it was totally unexpected. My wrists are fairly small, and my gift was very fine and delicate and is absolutely perfect for me. It arrived unannounced in a lovely presentation box from CARAT and is one of the nicest presents I have ever received.

RUBY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

The ruby traditionally marks 40 years of married life and is possibly one of the richest coloured stones for those couples married in their 20’s, and about to celebrate this milestone in their 60’s.

Let’s be honest, reaching the all-important 25 year Silver anniversary is a drop in the ocean of relationships, compared to this one.

There are lots of lovely ruby collections to mark this achievement from CARAT of London which will melt your good lady’s heart, and ladies, it’s definitely one to have on your wishlist.

GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Now we are talking big figures, 50 years of wedded bliss. Time to really push the boat out and buy something beautiful for your partner. Many women find chunky bracelets a bit annoying and restricting, so a fine, elegant yet stunningly pretty bracelet will be the perfect answer. This one will work daytime through to the evening, and will also be the perfect accessory for special occasions.

DIAMOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Well, you’ve well and truly nailed the marriage lark, congratulations! 60 years is a wonderful achievement, and this wedding anniversary should be marked by something special – and I feel that nothing less than a matching set of jewellery will do. Yes, this milestone calls for something fabulous, such as earrings, a necklace, and bracelet. Especially if you are going to celebrate with a luxury cruise or trip of a lifetime. What better time to show off your new jewellery collection.

Even if you don’t normally wear many accessories, it’s still nice to have a few little bits tucked away in your drawer to bring out on special occasions. And for those who really love to rock some stones, these gems really will have you smiling!

60 Is The New 40 – How To Live Your Best Life In Your 60’s

Posted on February 2, 2022 by rosie

Sixty may seem like a scary age, but it doesn’t have to be! In fact, 60 can be the best decade of your life. You’re finally out of your 20s and 30s, and you’ve learned a lot about life by this point. You know what you want, and you’re not afraid to go for it. Here are some tips for living your best life in your 60s.

Travel

Take a trip somewhere, preferably overseas. You have time to travel now that you’re not working full time and don’t have kids at home. This can be a great way to see the world before it’s too late for you. It’ll also give you some perspective on life outside of your home country, which is always good when trying out new things or learning about other cultures.’

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Stay Active And Healthy

Now that you’re a little older, it’s more important than ever to stay active. You don’t have to go to the gym every day or run a marathon, but try to find some way to move your body every day. This will help keep you healthy and strong as you age. It’s also vital to never skip any of your annual check-ups. That means doctors and dentist appointments. If there are any problems, they can be mitigated quickly—especially your teeth. If there is a problem that arises, find out if you are suitable for getting porcelain veneers.

Keep Learning

The more you learn, the more you’ll realize just how much there is left to explore. So continue pursuing those interests you’ve always had, and try something new too.

Stay Social

Spending time with friends and family is a great way to stay connected and feel supported. Make time for the people you love most, and enjoy doing things together. Spending time with the people you love is important for both your mental and emotional health. Make sure to schedule regular gatherings with loved ones so that you don’t miss out on all of their wisdom, support, and laughter.

Embrace Change

Things will change as you get older, and that’s okay. So let go of what’s no longer working for you and welcome the new opportunities that come your way.

Make Time For Yourself

Taking a little time each day for yourself can help reduce stress and improve your overall well-being. Take a walk, read a book, or take a yoga class – whatever makes you happy.

Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels

Find A Hobby

Having something that brings you joy is essential to living your best life at any age. Consider starting gardening, painting, knitting – whatever makes you happy.

Enjoy Life

This is your time! Don’t spend all of your time worrying about work or retirement or what might happen in the future. Instead, enjoy the present moment and live each day to its fullest. You only get one chance at life, so make the most of it!

The best way to live your life in your 60s is by embracing the new you. This means taking care of yourself both mentally and physically by doing things that make you happy. Living your best life in your 60s is about embracing all that this stage of life has to offer. It’s a time for reflection and celebration while also embracing new challenges and opportunities.

Coping With The Loss Of Your Four Legged Friend.

Posted on February 2, 2022 by rosie

As strange as it might sound, even for those of us that have had children and grandchildren, becoming a “puppy mummy” can be life-changing. There are no creatures that are as loyal and dependent, and as genuine in their affection as dogs. As such, when you lose your four-legged friend, it can knock you for six. The grief that hits can be a lot more potent than you might expect. As such, here are some tips that can help you deal with the unexpected impact of losing a dog.

Source – Pixabay License

Let yourself grieve

It’s a callous person that would say that you don’t have to grieve or feel loss over the death of a beloved pet. They are members of our family, after all. However, when you lose a pet, it can feel like there is that pressure to simply “get over it.” Bottling up your emotions is not healthy, nor is wallowing in despair. It can help to talk to professionals like Pet Eden, which can help you process your emotions healthily, while still giving yourself room to grieve over your beloved pet. You deserve the freedom and space to feel what you’re feeling without judgement from others or from yourself.

Take the time to say goodbye

Once you’ve given yourself the room that you need to grieve and really feel the loss of your pet, then you need to think about how you’re going to say goodbye to them. For a lot of us, finding some way of giving them a formal farewell can really help in expressing our love and our loss. There are services like Paws To Heaven that can help you take care of all the practical aspects of them, like what happens to their physical remains, allowing you to focus more on remembering them. To that end, you might want to consider what kind of memorial you can set up for them, even if it’s something as simple as a photo gallery on your wall.

Thinking about the future

A lot of us who have lost a pet might feel a new hole open in our life after losing a dog that we have been especially fond of. Some people think to “fill” that hole by getting another dog and, indeed, that might be the way to go after some time. However, getting a new dog too quickly can invite some unpleasant feelings, such as a feeling that your new dog doesn’t compare to the one that you lost, or that you can’t cope with looking after them while still feeling sad about the loss. As such, it’s important to give yourself time. When the time does come, consider looking at adopting from shelters like PetRescue instead of buying a new dog.

Saying goodbye to your dog, finding a way to remember them, and giving yourself some room to feel the loss and cope with it is important. You have to allow yourself to go through the grieving stage or else those emotions can bottle up in an unhealthy way.

New Year Voucher Giveaway – What Will You Buy?

Posted on January 5, 2022 by rosie

Happy New Year, and I hope that your New Year has gotten off to a bang!

Here is a brilliant giveaway for you for a £50 Amazon Gift Voucher! Yes, you could win a free Amazon Gift Voucher, you know, to buy that present that ‘someone’ has forgotten to get you.

Bloggers Taking Part

Here is a list of all of the bloggers taking part in this giveaway – please show your support by visiting them.

The Prize

This prize is a £50 Amazon Gift Voucher

Terms and conditions

1. There is one top prize of a £50 Amazon Gift Voucher.
2. There are no runner-up prizes.
3. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding all bloggers involved with running the giveaway
4. Closing date for entries is midnight on 23.01.2022
5. The same Rafflecopter widget appears on all the blogs involved, but you only need to enter on one blog
6. Entrants must log in to the Rafflecopter widget, and complete one or more of the tasks – each completed task earns one entry in the prize draw
7. Tweeting about the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget will earn five bonus entries into the prize draw.
8. 1 winner will be chosen at random.
9. The winner will be informed by email within 7 days of the closing date and will need to respond within 28 days with their delivery address, or a replacement winner will be chosen.
10. The winners’ names will be published in the Rafflecopter widget (unless the winner objects to this).
11. The prizes will be dispatched within 14 days of the winner confirming their details.
12. The promoter is Drew Media LTD t/a www.MakeMoneyWithoutAJob.com
13. By participating in this prize draw, entrants confirm they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions

Enter now

Simply complete any or all of the Rafflecopter entry widget options below to be entered. You can also tweet about the giveaway daily to earn bonus entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Creative Ways To Make Money With Your House.

Posted on December 7, 2021 by rosie

Image Credit: Edvaldocostacordeiro from Pixabay.

If you’re anything like me, then you could use a little bit of extra money every once in a while. I say that as if it’s easy to do. It could be complicated, especially if you can’t work extra hours.

You could make money with your house. You could be as surprised as I was to find out that there are multiple ways of doing so. You might’ve thought that the only methods of making money from your home are by renting or selling it.

There are more ways to do it. I’ve found that there are a few that could be much easier than others. You’ll have to put in some effort, but that shouldn’t be off-putting.

If you’re on the verge of buying a house, then you could end up paying off your home repayments with this, depending on what mortgage quotes you get. That could make them more than appealing.

Make Money With Your House Quickly & Easily

Grow A Garden

Most people grow a garden because of how nice it looks. I know I certainly do. You could make money with this too, too. If you grow food, for example, you could sell any extra produce.

Then there are the seeds, among other things. The possibilities are almost endless here. Alongside the financial aspect, I like this because of how nice it can make your garden. While you’ll have to get your hands dirty, I don’t see a reason not to consider this.

Host Events

If you’re lucky enough to own a large property, then you can make money with your house in many more ways. One of the largest is by hosting events. While this will be more of an option if you have gardens and other outdoor spaces, it’s still worth looking at if you don’t.

I like this approach because it involves relatively little effort on your end. Instead, you should only need to advertise what events you’ll host and then interact with anyone that’s interested.

Share Your Parking Space

I’ve seen quite a few people deciding to rent out their parking spaces over the past few years. In many business hubs, and some nearby areas that are densely populated, it could be quite profitable.

If you have a parking space, then you could put it to work. You can even do this if you already use it. There might be certain parts of the day or week where your space isn’t being used.

Renting it out during these times could be more profitable than you’d think. I know I was surprised. You can use multiple apps and platforms to do this, which takes away almost all of the hassle.

Wrapping Up

I’ve found that trying to make money with your house shouldn’t be too difficult. You can take advantage of quite a few methods and strategies. If you already work from home, the above could be ways to boost your revenue stream.

It could even help you make your dream home a reality. If you’re like me, then that should be more than welcome. Who’d argue with extra money with relatively little effort?

Online Games – Not Just For Your Grandchildren!

Posted on November 26, 2021 by rosie

If like me, you are really fed up with the gloom and doom of evening TV news, and need a little distraction, then why not dip your toes into the world of online gaming.

By this, I do NOT of course mean, the ones that (sadly) today’s younger generation seem glued to. Which let’s be honest, seem to be extremely violent, both in noise, and image. I expect like me, it can seem a bit worrying when you overhear them on their various gadgets, and see the concentration involved.

But online gaming can encompass many things; word games, mahjong, card games and so on.

One I’ve found that might appeal to you is called hidden objects.

It’s really easy to follow, and the object of the game is to find the hidden objects in various settings, such as a garden, a castle, a kitchen, and so on. This one is accompanied by plinkety plonk music, not gunfire and screams!

The setting comes up on the screen, with the hidden objects shown beneath, and then you have to click on the corresponding things, as you find them in the settings. There is a timer, and you are playing against yourself, but trying to beat your own times, and levels.

At first, you whizz through, and there’s a nice little ping, as you kind of tick them off, but, as always, it gets harder as you go along and the objects become increasingly more difficult to find.

This does require a degree of concentration, but at the same time, its really absorbing, and challenging.

The settings are interesting, and well put together, I particularly liked the garden one, as it was full of weird and wonderful objects, but the colours are nice and bright and it’s uplifting.

The kitchen setting was quite involved, so many spoons, and utensils, and obviously the pre-requisite toasters, kettles and food mixers, that you might find in any kitchen in your home.

Most of us now have either a phone, iPad, or laptop to access these games, and when you get fed up with the newspapers, word search, or Sudoku, and need something to occupy yourself, I think these are a really good idea.

There’s lots to choose from. Nostalgic card games, like Gin Rummy, Black Jack, Crazy Eights, and if Word Search is your thing, then there is something there for you too.

These little online games can be helpful to calm your mind, or maybe even help you sleep if your brain decides to get busy in the middle of the night.

Good also for long journeys, by train or plane, ( probably best avoided if you are actually driving!). And for those tedious times in waiting rooms, you can just get down with the youngsters and whip out your phone, and do some online gaming.

One things for sure, at least it won’t be noisy, or aggressive, unless of course you can’t find one of the hidden objects, then you might just use some colourful language yourself, out of frustration.

Try it out, I guarantee you’ll be hooked!

If like me, you are really fed up with the gloom and doom of evening TV news, and need a easy little distraction, then why not dip your toes into the world of online gaming.

Turning Your Holiday Home Dream Into A Reality.

Posted on November 23, 2021 by rosie

Some times, there is never a right time to do the things YOU want to do, there always seems to be a reason to put things off.

It might just be a family birthday, an upcoming wedding, or even emergency child care, that stops you from say having a weekend away, or meeting up with long lost friends who happen to be in the area….only just at the wrong time.

All that is kind of understandable, it’s part of life’s rich pattern, on a day to day basis. But what happens if you really have a dream, that will be reasonably easy to fulfil, once all these family commitments ease, and you have more time for yourself, to really do the things you want to do.

Eventually, you come to a point in life when the children are off hand, retirement is within your grasp, and you start thinking to yourself, what’s next for me, I’d quite like a little adventure before it’s too late.

Perhaps you’ve had some happy family holidays abroad, and have thought how nice it would be to own a holiday home in your favorite place in the sun. Well once your ‘babies’ have flown the nest, either to University, or to homes of their own, surely you too can begin to explore some options of your own, and turn that dream holiday home, into a reality.

There are so many very accessible holiday home destinations, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, to name but a few. In the aftermath of Brexit, of course there are a few more hurdles to jump over than before. But nothing insurmountable. And once you’ve made the decision, and got that holiday home bug, it’s likely that not much will stop you, or get in your way.

So once your destination is decided, what comes next?

One of the main considerations of course will be finances. Will you want to downsize from your family home to raise some capital to put towards a second home. Or will you simply remortgage your present home, which may have increased in value significantly over the years.

There are now some handy online tools to help you work out deposits and repayments, to work out how much this could all cost you. Everything is to hand, at the click of a button, and once you have some figures in mind, you’ll instantly know if what you plan is viable, and more to the point, affordable. No tedious pen and paper budgeting, and it may even mean you won’t actually have to set foot into your building society. It can all be done online, at home.

Turning your holiday home dream into a reality doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Everything you need to know, is virtually at your fingertips. So start making a plan, no matter how long term it might seem to be, and one day, the time WILL be right, things will fall into place, and you can begin your own new adventure.