Liz Hodgkinson wonders whether it's not too late for a spending spree
Liz Hodgkinson wonders whether it's not too late for a spending spree
Now that I’m 82, is it worth buying new things or should I take the attitude ‘It’ll see me out’?
This dilemma was sparked off by my seeing some boots I liked for £250. My first thought was that, at my age, I would never wear them enough to justify the cost.
And then I thought, ‘No, I must keep myself up to date.’
So many old people continue to drive clapped-out cars, live with ornate, outdated furniture, ancient television sets and yesterday’s tech devices, even if they no longer function properly – because ‘They’ll see me out’.
Some are proud that they’re surrounded by musty old objects rather than succumbing to endless consumer pressure and buying new.
It is often nothing to do with how much money they have in the bank. One class indicator is to divide the value of your grand house by the value of your battered old car – the higher the number, the posher you are. Posh cyclists will ride the dilapidated bike they bought as a student and shudder at titanium frames.
The same goes for clothes. Rich older people, especially men, carry on wearing decades-old shabby jackets and moth-eaten jumpers. The late Professor John Bayley (Eton and Oxford) shuffled around looking like an old tramp and speaking with a clipped, upper-class voice.
Let’s ditch the concept of ‘It’ll see me out’. It marks you out as living in the past, being dull and dreary – and arrogant, as if you are above mundane things like the new and fashionable. However old we are, we all need to keep our eye in and constantly refresh the contents of our wardrobes and homes, so they don’t look like a stage set for a J B Priestley play. Dusty old velvet drapes with swags and pelmets have to go. Get light, filmy curtains and motorised blinds.
Paintings, frames and light fittings need updating. There’s nothing drabber than a lampshade that was all the rage 30 years ago.
Familiar old things can make you feel comfortable, but we must be jolted out of our complacency. Think you will live for ever rather than look as if you’re just waiting to die.
I bought the boots.
