Retirement? You're Having a Laugh - Hyacinth Bucket

RETIREMENT? YOU'RE HAVING A LAUGHS Age creeps up on all of us - even the nation's beloved TV stars. The actors who starred in iconic sitcoms like Only Fools & Horses, Keeping Up Appearances, The Royle Family and I'm Alan Partridge are now firmly established national treasures - but how would the characters they played cope with the financial challenges of retirement? At My Retirement Options, we took a look at how much it might have cost some of Britain's most popular sitcom characters to maintain their on-screen lifestyles. Hyacinth Bouquet: Keeping Up Appearences Sts pronounced Pensión/ P-E-N-S-I-O-N! £8,859 Cost of living The exact location of Hyacinth and Richard's home was kept fairly vague, but the show was shot in suburban Coventry, where the average annual cost of living for a pensioner is £8,859. This is assuming Richard and Hyacinth have paid off their mortgage by the time they retire - class conscious Hyacinth would presumably never dream of renting. Coventry A4114 £3,000 Candlelit Suppers and High-Class Engagements Social-climbing Hyacinth had a taste for the finer things in life, whether it was her beloved Candlelit Suppers or attempts to ingratiate herself with the upper classes at local events. If she spends an average of £35 per week on fine dining and attends at least one ticketed social function a month, she'll spend an estimated £3,000 per year. £3,000 Home Improvements Hyacinth was forever competing with her neighbours for the title of best-kept home on Blossom Avenue. According to Standard Life, general maintenance plus an allowance for home improvements would require a budget of around £3,000 per year for a typical family home. LAURA ASHLEY £120 Avignon Fine China One of Hyacinth's proudest possessions was her collection of Royal Doulton China Tea sets ("with the hand-painted Periwinkles"). Unfortunately, her overbearing presence had such a nerve-shredding effect on her long-suffering neighbour Elizabeth that she was forever dropping them. If Elizabeth broke an average of one teacup per month, replacing them at a cost of £10 per item would amount to a not-inconsiderable £120 per year. Total: £14,979 per year Conclusion: Something tells us 'cutbacks' isn't a word in Hyacinth's vocabulary, but the Buckets would have to rely on a fairly lucrative retirement package to keep her in the lifestyle she's accustomed to. ) My Retirement Options Guiding you through a changing market