Any Ladies In Their Early 60S Here?

[barry1010]

My wife is a gentle and reasonable woman who rarely loses her temper but today she is raging.
She has known this day has been coming, she is not surprised.
She was been aware of the changes the government has made in recent years and has begrudgingly accepted them but now that day is nearly here.
She is 60 tomorrow and is furious that she won't be able to claim her state pension, she won't be entitled to a bus pass and she will still have to pay full price at the hairdresser's, the theatre and the zoo.
She is adding up exactly how much the government will be stealing from her.

I am trying not to laugh and desperately searching for an extra surprise present to help sweeten her special day.

Any ladies of a similar age had the same reaction?

[anneasquith]

Barry. Did not your grandmother not work ‘ at raising a family ‘ ?

[puzzled54]

Yes I found it a very unfair system. I had to wait until I was 65 and 10months get mine. Because I am a July birthday, people in my school year were getting it 18 months before me. I was looking forward to getting my bus pass, but when it arrived, we were in lockdown so I couldn’t even use it!
I did feel like the government had stolen a lot of money from me!

[barry1010]

anne, no, not really. She had two children 5 years apart mainly raised by her lodger who also did all of the housework, shopping and laundry.

Both children were in full-time work at 14 and left home by 17.

[anneasquith]

Good for her :-)

[barry1010]

puzzled, at least you didn't have to wait 6 or 7 years.

My wife has got over herself now and is laughing about it. As I said in the OP she has always fully understood the reasons for the change and mostly agrees with them. At least she will get her prescriptions free (for now).

[barry1010]

Not surprising she lived to be 100, anne. Widowed in her 20s and a life of idle indulgence. She did love her two bottles of Mackie stout every night and her snuff. I don't think she ever did anything she didn't want to apart from the war work.

[anneasquith]

Not unlike the queen mother Barry ?

[brainiac]

If she lives in London she can get free travel:

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/60-plus-oyster-photocard

[barry1010]

brainiac, we don't live in London

[puzzled54]

5 years and 10 months

[anneasquith]

The motto of this op. Marry a rich man .

[eleanor2]

Yes barry, I'm telling myself that the years will fly! ;0)

[rowanwitch]

Felt totally betrayed by the government. When I started work my pension age would have been 60, then it was pushed out to 65 in the name of equality, and now it will be 66. Wouldn't be so annoyed but in London you get a free oyster card when you reach 60, free travel would make a massive difference. The only things you get at 60 are free prescriptions and eye tests. There was a fairly big campaign some years back, including a challenge in the high court I believe but it was a case of the country can't afford it! I feel any changes should have been applicable only to those entering the workplace at that time, so you knew what you were committing too. When so many choose not to contribute and get so much help it's just unfair. Before men go on about unfairness research has always shown that as well as working women still do the bulk of childcare and tasks around the home, so a few extra years of retirement were seen as compensation for that.

[rowanwitch]

I had forgotten about the speed, the court challenge was about lack of notice, all I had was a letter attached to a payroll saying a change in estimated pension age was currently being considered. Next I and many others knew was media announcements of a done deal.

Barry, not sure that your ON has it right my sister is older than her and her notification said her pension age would be 67 not 66

[barry1010]

Yes, you're right, Rowan, for now - they'll probably put it up to 70 next year