-
Woody75's latest comments
ViewDate:
1st Jul 2023Woody75 commented on:
Can you afford to retire?Having taken redundancy/early retirement and my Company pension nearly thirty years ago I continued to work. During those years I saved what I thought would be a good sum to provide any extras or small luxuries I might want. As a result of the cost of living, inflation and low interest rates the "pot" has diminished. I have enough left to be above the threshold for additional benefits. Looking back and forward saving money isn't necessarily the best way. I exist on my 2 pensions, all bills are paid, my aged car passed its MOT but the odd glass of wine, live television, eating what I fancy, buying new clothes etc have all gone out of the window. What is enough for retirement?ViewDate:
12th May 2023Woody75 commented on:
Paying Income Tax on State PensionI don't know how anyone gets more than the Personal Allowance on a State Pension but my Company Pension has suffered with only a 5% increase on that it effectively means that there is very little benefit after tax.ViewDate:
24th Apr 2023Woody75 commented on:
Budget 2023: What the new pension rules mean for your retirementWhile the increase in the State Pension is good, leaving the Personal Allowance the same my Company Pension has only increased by £5 per week due to extra tax. There must be many people with savings,. which mean you are not entitled to other benefits, who are existing and not living. It is only reasonable for the employed to want high increases in salaries when much of the raise will be taken in taxation and yet again the percentage increases will only widen the gap between between the well off and not so well off. The cost of goods and services will also go up to pay for improvement in salaries.ViewDate:
30th Mar 2023Woody75 commented on:
Splitting the billI used to take three friends (sadly only one is still alive) on day trips every week and never paid for my lunch. Petrol was cheaper in those days and although I haven't worked it out it was reasonable. Some journeys were short but some were in excess of 100 miles. I confess I miss those days and my friends. The remaining friend is housebound and knows better than to offer me money for the diesel when I visit her every week.ViewDate:
5th Feb 2023Woody75 commented on:
UK a third world countryI'm not a politically minded person and think all of our current Parties are pretty useless. However, the NHS has been in a bad state for at least 50 years and probably longer. My parents had me quite late in life and I saw how they and their contemporaries were treated both by doctors and nurses. I had hoped things would get better, there are all these adverts and people telling you to "talk" to your GP. Have you tried- I had the temerity to ask two questions in the last 20 years and it was made obvious by both doctors that I was an idiot for asking. As far as pay is concerned, any percentage increase will benefit the senior staff far more than those lower down the pay scale. If you get the State Pension and we get the 10.1% rise promised have you worked out what you will get?ViewDate:
19th Jan 2023Woody75 commented on:
Do you support the vote for Nurses to go on strike over pay?10.1% on my State Pension amounts to £941.36 per annum - somehow I don't think nurses should be too unhappy. especially the senior ones.ViewDate:
29th Dec 2022Woody75 commented on:
Do you support the vote for Nurses to go on strike over pay?I appreciate that some nurses work at a difficult, stressful job and need help. I've also seen 3 nurses discussing the merits of a Christmas tree and whether or not it was in the same place as the previous year. Two nurses discussing with the patient and her two daughters the merits of the Kosher meals provided but when the daughters had gone not one nurse responded to her buzzer. It might be kind if a patient has broken toes and decided to discharged themselves that they might be allowed to use the lift instead of being forced to use the stairs to leave the hospital. If a patient in a plaster cast from above knee to ankle needs to use the ladies that a member of staff might help rather than another patients relative being asked to take her. Why was it possible to visit a patient on a psychiatric ward and see several members of staff through a window in a door to another room and no member of staff in the ward. I could go on but I've obviously been very unlucky.ViewDate:
18th Dec 2022Woody75 commented on:
Do you support the vote for Nurses to go on strike over pay?I understand it was their choice to do long hours, less days a week but, are there many jobs where you can keep your concentration and be physically active for such long periods? Salary increases just to maintain a standard of living with the cost of goods and services continually increasing is an endless problem. Unless they save or invest for retirement instead of spending their salaries on luxuries they will be in the same position as present day pensioners - including nurses.ViewDate:
18th Nov 2022Woody75 commented on:
Do you support the vote for Nurses to go on strike over pay?There should be a flat rate increase offered and accepted to support the newly qualified and lowest paid nurses and the senior staff should approve this if they care about the profession. It might help if they went back to sensible shifts of eight hours to ease pressure on staff and increase efficiency-no one can possible be on top form after a long shift.ViewDate:
18th Nov 2022Woody75 commented on:
Would you support a pay-as-you-drive scheme on UK roads?Before I retired I was doing more than 100 miles a day just to get to work and then often more during the working day.. Now that I'm retired it's more like 100 miles per week. So my answers would be yes and no if I'm being selfish. In general I feel a bit that the more people use the roads the more they should pay. I used to feel that road tax should be abolished and that fuel prices should be increased. But now that fuel is so expensive and I'm living on my pensions I restrict my journeys which isn't easy living in a village with no shops I'm in danger of becoming a hermit. I don't know the answer to the question..ViewDate:
26th Oct 2022Woody75 commented on:
Pension AmountsWhile we continue to get percentage increases on our small pension we will continue suffer. It is only possible to exist and not live, Since the abolition of the free television licence I used savings to pay for this and since mine expired in July I have not watched the BBC because I haven't renewed the licence. I understand people want to maintain their standard of living and go on holiday and out for meals etc. but it's common for many on low incomes to have to choose between heating and eating..ViewDate:
20th Oct 2022Woody75 commented on:
NHS Pay for NursesI appreciate that nurses want more money as do most of us. What is the human cost of increases? I understand that nurses have chosen to work long hours instead of doing a five day week. I do believe adopting a five day week there would be less stress and more energy.. Since they cannot work from home they should get free parking or free bus passes plus one free hot meal per shift (breakfast, lunch, dinner) as appropriate. This would be fair for all levels of pay within the profession and perhaps those on the highest salaries might think of a way to help the lowest paid colleagues further. This is probably a stupid way to look at the problem and I welcome thoughts from others.ViewDate:
26th Mar 2020Woody75 commented on:
Keeping My Mum Safe - do you worry?It's a real problem, a 90 year old friend wants as many visitors as possible. We have had a rota covering all seven days of the week for some years. We are all now worried that we could be putting her in danger.