What do you spend more on now you're older?

Holidays, just booked two for the spring next year.

ninathenana, I hope they can treat you soon too
Maggiemaybe, you may have changed my thinking!

Coffees out in nice cafés.
Good quality clothes in Charity Shops
Vintage necklaces from Charity Shops
Occasional brand new hardback books
Makeup, it rarely lives up to its promises
Masses of different nail varnishes

Malt whisky.

Plants

Plants, holidays, good shoes, more clothes than we need. Also an expensive bed, actually two singles joined together. We all seem to have similar requirements to make life comfortable in retirement. We are fortunate living in a warm house. Quite important when you are at home most of the time.

Nothing exciting I'm afraid. Loads more on heating because DH constantly feels cold, has the central heating on all day and sometimes overnight. We have also, since DH retired, lost our regular supply of wood offcuts for burning and after a couple of spectacular slides downhill, I have decided to give up regular foraging for wood. DH can no longer saw it up anyway and it takes me longer to saw a log than it takes to burn it. So if we want to use the open fire we need to buy logs.

Also now have to pay for most household maintenance/repairs that we used to do ourselves, even to have the windows cleaned and hedge cut, though still managing to grow our own fruit and veg, which saves a bit on the food shopping. As to bargains and my favourite Thrift Shops I used to spend my lunch hours browsing but now it is a rare treat as it means a special trip into town.

I think that as you get older if you want it and can afford it you should have it. Have had to be so careful for years as the children were growing up,and we had a mortgage. Family all settled now so things are a lot easier so DH and I can get things for our hobbies, I can get some nice clothes, lunches out, holidays and help for our charities.

Travel in comfort to Oz to see the family once a year. No longer drive to see the others so fly/car hire to SE which all adds up, but what the hell! Occasional gardening/house help for things I can no longer manage. Occasional meal out with friends and, of course wine..... Not particularly bothered about expensive clothes or makeup - Asda does me just fine. I just feel the need, in the absence of a DH, to treat myself more often than I probably should - nobody else does so I am enjoying Ski'ing. Oh, and I recently bought myself a rather nice picture which I fancied - don't really need it, but...

.. in mitigation, the picture was in a charity auction so I didn't feel so bad about it...

Health. Three years ago it didn't even warrant a separate category in the accounts, now it's about 10% of the budget.

Everything and anything we had b----r all at one time and will never forget how lucky we are with our lot now.

I may not have everything I want but I have everything I need, and for that I am grateful.

Well said Ruby

Lovely happy pic rubylady -as they used to say on the MasterCard ad - priceless

Plants,definitely. I am not good at gardening, but can't resist new plants.

We spend more on holidays, eating out etc than we used to. We help our daughter and her family when we can and we do most of the 'treating'. I am always more than happy whenever they treat us!

I think it's lovely if and when offspring want to treat their parents.
Trouble is, they don't often want to do it, even though they earn good money.

Let's face it, we have treated them nearly all their lives (well, I have) and I now feel,it's my turn.

Feather & down pillows, duvet and mattress topper - all reduced in M&S sales. Sleep beautifully now and buying for guest bed so they can too

Travel to see DGC in USA. Having a cleaner (started this 6 months ago - heaven!). Lunches out. (We've noticed that lunch menus appear to be cheaper than evening meals.)

The GC's clothes and shoes and sport and dance outfits. Next big outlay school fees.

Travel.

bANK OF MUM AND DAD!

Got most things I need so save any spare cash for traveling, though do help out our children sometimes such as with a loan to help our son buy their house and some money to help our daughter travel or go on interesting courses but neither of them would ask for or expect anything. Still love a bargain and do things like you gov surveys and have fun spending the odd fifty quid from that on a treat such as some fun jewellery