advice from children

My D is exactly the same. I know now what it is. It's because I know i can spend it if I want.
I remember the day back in 1998 when I was given a cheque for a 6 figue sum. After putting it in the bank I remember walking down the high street and thinking: there's not a single thing I want. Srange.
In fact, I got more joy seeing the cashiers face when I deposited the cheque.

I found that when I was first widowed it took me a while to spend money on the spur of the moment. It had always been "our" money, and big purchases were discussed thoroughly before action. Suddenly having all "my" money was very strange.

My sons have both said the same thing to me, jenn. They and their partners have worked hard and are well on the property and careers ladders. They have told me it doesn't matter if I have nothing left to leave them, though it does concern me that I need to have something to maintain me if care is needed in my declining years. DS1 and DiL have plans in hand in case I need to come to live with them. Even GD1 says that when she gets rich (???) she will have a granny flat for me.

If only we knew how long we were going to live! As it is, it's a balancing act, because we need money to maintain the house/car etc and pay the bills, alongside having that meal or the holiday.I don't think we should worry about leaving large sums of money for our DC though, if we have a property, then they can share the proceeds of that.If it has to be sold to meet our nursing home fees then so be it.