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Could you live off the state pension?
A 26 year-old man from Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire is being asked to live on the state pension for a week.
John Mitchell is one of 11 people across the country chosen by a pension's firm, to take part in the experiment, to see how people survive on just 61-pounds-25.
The recent graduate, is currently unemployed and house shares with two flat mates.
Ahead of the week which started yesterday John Mitchell said he was anxious about how he was going to cope on the budget.
Each day this week John will be telling us how he's getting on - read his daily blog below.
Day 7 - Sunday 8th November
Didn’t feel fantastic this morning but after some bacon and hash browns I was at least standing again. By the end of match of the day I was drinking tea and by the time we were ready to go back home I was positively chirpy.
A friend came round for lunch, we cooked some burgers from the mince I bought on Tuesday and had yet to use. This afternoon I went with my housemate, Simon, to Evans Cycles to have a look for a road bike for him. Afterwards I headed on to the Watford bowls club for a free induction and a chance to meet the team. I really enjoyed it, though I wasn’t as good as I imagined I would be. Of course the average player was considerably older than I am, the majority of them pensioners, all of them with opinions ready to share.
I arrived back home with £5.13 left from my pension, and with an evening at home failed to spend it. Instead I watched back to back films (Star Trek followed by Ratatouille) and ate my remaining potatoes with some sausages.
And that is the end of my week. Overall I got through it without too much trouble really. I am aware though, that this was just one week, I sacrificed expensive activities, eating out, more expensive beers and so on. I wonder how I would feel after a month, I would probably be much better at guitar, but also probably bored of reading and wanting to travel to the coast for a surf, or head into London or any of those activities that were comfortably outside my budget this week.
Day 6 - Saturday 7th November
The weekend arrived at last. Not too sure why it matters but there it is. Saturday, I looked in the TV guide and saw that England were playing Australia in the rugby. Actually I looked at that a while ago but I had been getting increasingly excited about the game, especially with the return of Jonny Wilkinson to the number 10 position.
So, after breakfast and before lunch my housemates and I had brunch, which was a sizeable affair and very filling, which set us up nicely for the day ahead. The rugby... well I don’t want to talk about the rugby but after that we got ready to go to see a fireworks display. In fact it was a £7 entry, which seemed a bit steep, and which I probably wouldn’t have paid if it weren’t for the fact that all my friends had already paid and gone in. That £7 along with some basic supplies this morning (including a slab of beer) took me down to £5. Luckily I had the fuel to see me through the day and after fireworks we headed to a houseparty. Chilli was provided in return for a party trick, I did the one with the match in your mouth and now it tastes like cooked chicken.
So that was Saturday, just one day to go this week, with food bought and £5 remaining for whatever miscellaneous costs I might incur.
Day 5 - Friday 6th November
It was another morning in the flat whilst I waited for two interviews. It gave me time to look through the food I have left and I realised that I might actually struggle to finish it, maybe I should have bought less and had more money for... well I’m not sure, beer maybe, or fireworks. Also this morning I still had £32 left, I’ve been making sure to do things that are free, not buying lunch out, things like that. And so with my reduced bills (from sharing with two others) I still have money. It seems silly to save it for emergencies, will it cost much to see fireworks tomorrow night?
This afternoon I took a bus to a neighbouring town to go to a photography exhibition. I really love photography and having a look around really inspired me. Well, it was a free event, and of course the buses are free so I still had that £32 left, burning a hole in my pocket. I think it’s because I got used to living on a tight budget when I was travelling, I become very strict with myself about what I can or can’t do. I try extra hard to win at pool because winner stays on and so it saves money. I read, write and play guitar. I make my own tea and coffee. I don’t drive anywhere (I don’t even have a car). I don’t cut my hair or buy new clothes. But I’m not sure how I would feel about all these self-imposed restrictions were they to last more than a week, for the rest of my life in fact. Yes, that would be something else.
But this is a one week experiment and that money was itching to be spent and so I went to the pub with Simon, sticking to my cheap pint (Ruddles at £1.35), managing to get through almost £7. I’m going to have to try harder this weekend. But there is rugby, and fireworks, and boxing, and football, all to be accompanied with a hoppy drink. I don’t doubt I’ll see the end of that cash.
Day 4 - Thursday 5th November
As ever I have been seeking free activities today. This morning I ate my bacon and eggs and then played guitar until my fingers were raw – soon I will rule that song. Then I had to think of something else to do. One thing I’m finding is I’m not too sure how to spend my time. I love reading, writing, playing guitar, walking cycling and so on so I’m not short of activities but they are all things to do alone. Almost all my friends have full time jobs and so are not around during the day, the few that don’t have jobs live too far away to go and see very easily. However, I am used to time by myself from my travels and really don’t mind it but I know from conversations that loneliness is something a lot of pensioners suffer from and I can understand why.
I saw an advert yesterday for bowls, and it looked like something that a pensioner might well do, and something I also might secretly enjoy. So I went to the address to check it out only to find that it is an outdoor green and so of course closed for the winter. I did later speak to a member and he suggested I might go to an indoor venue on Sunday and meet the team. Perhaps I will.
So I found myself once more alone, resisting the urge to go to the pub. When my housemate got home she insisted I go to the supermarket, though I already have all the food I need and it seemed like a dangerous temptation. In fact I did find myself in the alcohol isle, looking at beers, although I found myself looking at prices and drifted from the speciality ales to the Tesco value bitters. Realising that this would take all the pleasure out of a favourite hobby I hastily left the isle and so managed to pass a day without spending a penny, with still about £32 for the rest of the week.
So, this evening I watched a film and repaired my friend’s bike. Down to about 20 teabags, not too sure if that’s enough for another 3 days.
Day 3 - Wednesday 4th November
With my week’s food bought and in my cupboards I wondered where the remainder would go. I needn’t have worried of course. Today I comfortably drank away four pints in my local, leaving me with just under £32 for the remainder of the week.
I started the day catching up with friends who I should have contacted sooner. Then I played the guitar for a while and when I caught myself watching scrubs I decided it was definitely time to go outside. My wanders took me to the village church and I went in to have a look around as I have never been there before. It is a lovely place really with the only disappointment being that the door to the tower was locked. Later in my walk I passed my local, or rather I didn’t, hence the earlier story. It’s a great way to pass a rainy afternoon, and at £1.35 a pint it wasn’t too pricy either.
I found a communal invite to the bowls club and plan to call about it tomorrow. It seems like something a pensioner might do, and an excuse for me to try it. There’s also a (free) photography exhibition in a neighbouring town that I plan to go to at some point this week.
Day 2 - Tuesday 3rd November
I went for a long walk today. It is a pleasure to do so when everyone else is at work. Also it is free. The sun was out and for some reason it smelt like bonfires. Then I headed out to do a little more food shopping, determined this time to conquer my thrifty tendencies and buy food for more than a single meal.
Shopping on a budget is fun for people who like that kind of thing, though I don’t count myself as one of them. I was in Tescos today, scouting around for the yellow signs telling me of deals. Like buy one get one free on potatoes and tomatoes. Great, I now have both of those things. And then the same with peas and wedges. I didn’t really want the wedges as I already had potatoes but it was that or fish fingers and the cod wasn’t sourced from sustainable fisheries. No, I decided to maintain my moral standards, no barn eggs or cheap meat either. Surprisingly it came to just over £25, which leaves me with £37 for the rest of the week.
I was then invited to my friend’s nan’s house for dinner. She was interested to hear about the experiment but assured me I had it easy because I share bills with two housemates. Also, she said, one day I might need the house a little warmer, while I ate my stir fry in the sweltering heat of her lounge.
Still feeling pretty confident and I’m enjoying the free time.
Day 1 - Monday 2nd November
The first job of the day, actually the only job, was to go and get food. My nearest shop is M&S food and so I wandered there without really thinking about it. Half an hour later I wandered back out with just a tin of beans and a loaf of bread - the only things I could afford. So, beans on toast for breakfast, no tea because I had forgotten teabags. That realisation was almost enough to ruin the beans on toast and so I went back out again, walking a little further this time and got some ‘essentials’ from a cheaper supermarket. I had planned on doing a shop for the whole week but decided against it as I wasn’t ready to part with so much of my precious pension all at one time.
I spent a lot of time today reading and playing guitar. Both things I’ve been looking forward to doing but not especially interesting, and less interesting to read about I’m sure. So tomorrow I will go looking for something a bit more exciting to do. This evening I went to the local pub to play some pool, limited to a single pint of course. If I had won I would tell you all about it but due to an outrageous stroke of luck my opponent won the decider. Fancy picking on a pensioner like that!
And so that was my day, definitely short of my five fruit and veg. I am down to £62.55 but I have half a packet of ginger nuts, a bag of porridge and 36 tea bags too. So far it’s going very smoothly.
Check out his video diary here.