Kitchen dilemma. Will I won’t I ?

When i worked for Age Concern (as was) I was always visiting much older peoeple (then) who had sums of money stashed a way for a rainy day. Yet whatever happened to them or their house they would never spend it, because it might be needed for a rainy day.

All my protesstations that it was already pouring with rain and their roof was leaking with a damp patch on the ceiling in the room we were sitting in was to no avail, and most of them died, often living in cold damp houses, which they could have made comfortable, but with their rainy day fund still intact.

I don't think the OP is planning to sell. She is asking whether to spend a chunk of her savings to improve her home while she's living in it, or whether to keep them for something unspecified in the future. I doubt this thread has helped her much though .

Don’t do it. Some new buyer will come along and tear out everything you’ve replaced and do it their way.

Save your hard earned money for something more important that might pop up in your life.

I did say that I would ban the crew if it were my kitchen, but if they were going to provide 3 great meals a day I might reconsider

Well we got paid one time for the use of the house and they were very professional. It's because the house is old and they needed authenticity for a period docudrama. It was a film company but was shown on BBC as part of the Timewatch series.
I don't remember much cleaning.
We cleared a space!
I do remember the catering crew who set up a camp kitchen and fed us, the small army of crew, makeup, sets and costume dept, plus actors 3 great meals a day for a week. All good fun
I digress!!

Grammaretto

Doodledog
Wonderful. Except that in that studio/kitchen the bit you don't see is full of camera crew etc
When my DS was a trainee film producer he used our sitting room as a film set. The crew came and transformed it but just the part visible in the film.

When houses are featured on TV in programmes like Escape to the Country does the production company send in a crew to clean, perhaps paint and present the house beautifully before filming?
Or do the owners have to do this?

Doodledog
Wonderful. Except that in that studio/kitchen the bit you don't see is full of camera crew etc
When my DS was a trainee film producer he used our sitting room as a film set. The crew came and transformed it but just the part visible in the film.

Get a nice handyman to paint the kitchen doors and possibly replace the worktop if it is damaged. There are lots of cheap ways to update.
My daughter paid for a new kitchen in my house when she moved in with me with her two children. She extended it by taking a chunk out of the big living room to create a kitchen diner. I always wanted a bigger kitchen but I would never have spent money on it. So for me it was win, win and I have company.

I’ve still got a 2 drawer stainless steel dish washer ( fisher and paykel) and I love it. You can’t get them here anymore. We have had it nearly 20 years now , hope it keeps going .

Oh yes, that goes without saying. He can tend to the garden too.

I'd probably keep Nigel handy to do the cooking 😁

My dream kitchen would be a bit like that - more specifically, it would be Nigel Slater's one on his TV programme. A herb garden directly outside, a vegetable patch a bit further down, massive fridge and freezer, a huge wooden table and worktops that never get scratched, every expensive gadget you could possibly need and a permanently spotless state of the art oven and hob.

I'd ban the camera crew though .

Many years ago when I had a large garden my larder shelves were stacked with all sorts of preserves and home made wine and being on the north side of the house was always cool. The kitchen was large without built in cupboards. A lovely big table Deep sinks.

Bijou

My kitchen is the original which was put in 40 years ago. It is WOOD. Has no wall cupboards which I wouldn’t be able to use any way at my age. I have a larder.
When the lady next door died another neighbour spent 18 months renovating the whole bungalow and added a new conservatory.
New owner ripped absolutely everything out ad demolished the conservatory.
When I die my son says he will sell my bungalow a it is.
Any way these new kitchens don’t make a better cook.

We have a large walk-in larder. My grandparents reversed some of the space out with a wall, added a wall nook outside in the kitchen, for "new fangled" big fridge and little fridge (farmers cook a lot for others). This works well for us and we still have a walk-in larder! I love having that space.

I have a larder
I'd love a larder! A proper walk-in one with shelves.

Any way these new kitchens don’t make a better cook
They don't and I am less interested in cooking now than I used to be.

My kitchen is the original which was put in 40 years ago. It is WOOD. Has no wall cupboards which I wouldn’t be able to use any way at my age. I have a larder.
When the lady next door died another neighbour spent 18 months renovating the whole bungalow and added a new conservatory.
New owner ripped absolutely everything out ad demolished the conservatory.
When I die my son says he will sell my bungalow a it is.
Any way these new kitchens don’t make a better cook.

NotSpaghetti

I confess I was surprised Callistemon21 but the couple who collected were pretty excited!

A couple of people I know always say "Don't change your kitchen, we like it!" surprisingly, and a neighbour says her new units are nowhere the quality of the old one which was the same as ours.

Norah

Doodledog

Also, I'm another who loves your cupboards, Norah!

Thank you.

You believe you have carved bits which are difficult to keep clean -- move in with us, help oil cabinets/cupboards here!

Have you considered having your carved bits filled with paint accepting wood putty, sanded, painted? GD had that accomplished, you'd never know they weren't always solid (not carved wood) and white.

Which oil do you use, Norah?

I used to wash and oil mine regularly but haven't done it for some time. I'm sure it will all look better if I make the effort!

My house was a new build in 1988. The kitchen was made up of wooden doors and drawers. It looks OK now perhaps a bit tired to some people bur I rarely cook in it now. I keep thinking I need to do it, but then ask myself why. It is only because it is the first impression of my home, as everyone uses the back door.I have decided to leave it for now. Hopefully forever.
If I was you in your circumstances it would not get done.

Doodledog Anyway. None of this helps the OP, does it?

Boilers? Roof repairs? What sorts of things do people see as the sort of possible future emergencies that we should prepare for with savings, even if they stop us from doing things we can enjoy now?

Car repairs/ replacement auto, replacement white goods when ours fail, helping our children with their children's needs, medical/ dental care if the wait is quite long, solicitor fees (wills POA), whole house painting.

Doodledog our savings are for any future care need. This might be longer term care in a care home or even private medical procedures if required.

My kitchen is over 30 years old and I can see its faults. Worktops and cupboards were built for my height but in the last few years I have shrunk which means I need DH to get herbs and spices down. I’ve never liked kitchen dining but now there’s only DH and me we use the breakfast table all the time. I’ve always maintained that if I stood inthe middle I should be able to reach everything and that helps the more immobile me.

I wouldn’t recommend a kitchen remodel either. Could you replace a window with a bigger one to let in more sunlight? Change “tired” curtains or paint your kitchen set or treat yourself to something new? Is it cramped with an extra standalone cupboard that you could do away with? Repaint walls and/or paint the trim a refreshing color? Replace the handles? You are only 73 and can make sprucing up a fun project.

Anyway. None of this helps the OP, does it?

I know we can't come up with a formula for working out how much it is sensible to spend as a percentage of one's savings as there are too many variables (including whether people think that kitchen are worth spending on), but I think it is a valid question in general terms. What sorts of things should we (in an ideal world) put aside money for?

Care has been mentioned, but there are arguments for spending money, rather than saving it where that is concerned. What's the point in scrimping on making your house comfortable when it will be taken off you to pay for care anyway? Health is something else that could end up being free only for those with no (or few) savings, so it could be counterproductive to save for future rises in prescription charges or fees to see a GP. Boilers? Roof repairs? What sorts of things do people see as the sort of possible future emergencies that we should prepare for with savings, even if they stop us from doing things we can enjoy now?

We all have different financial circumstances, so I am not asking for people to outline their bank balances or health insurance provisions, or to tell us about the cost of their expensive home improvements grin. The question is hypothetical and much more general, but an interesting one, nevertheless, I think.

ExDancer

I'm 84 and wish I'd replaced my units 10 years ago and would say - Go for it! but don't go all expensive over the units.
There are plenty of economic kitchens available such as B&Q which are perfectly acceptable and will 'see you out' - whoever moves into your house after your time will replace the kitchen anyway.
I read that the first thing new house owners do is rip out the kitchen and bathroom and replace them.

Take care where you go for a quote, B&Q were relatively expensive when we were looking a few years ago. Most builders recommend Howdens or Magnet Trade. IKEA kitchens are inexpensive but I think that the sizes would be very different to your existing kitchen.