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Elderly parents
Original poster

At what point is it sensible to spend minimal savings and be on benefits

61 replies

backatchababy · 16/10/2025 19:30

So my MIL is struggling on a small pension barely leaving her with enough to live on. She has £30k in savings which gives her a £75pm top-up which definitely helps but is preventing her from accessing any sort of pension credit. She hasn’t had a holiday in decades and I’m thinking she might be better off spending her money for the next couple of years whilst she’s still fit & well ish then claiming benefits. Turn2Us suggests she would be entitled to £1,400 extra (pension credit, council tax and something towards her rent) if she didn’t have so much in savings which would be life changing for her.
I’m aware of deprivation of assets so she’d need to be sensible and careful but surely spending some money on some new furniture, a holiday and small gifts for a few years is acceptable? Anyone know about this or where she could get reliable advice as to whether this is indeed a sensible route to go down or too risky. We couldn’t care less if she has no money to pass on to DH or his siblings (although they may feel differently)

OP posts:
Stoufer · 16/10/2025 20:11

I would encourage her to future-proof the house as a pp suggested. So - what about a decent downstairs bathroom? Some ramps or dropping thresholds to allow flat access to all parts of ground floor and outside? A rise and recline chair (they are a couple of thousand). Getting hand rails fitted. There are probably also other things. Ooh, an expensive toilet with a higher seat and an integrated bidet function!

That would all be considered perfectly reasonable spending - and in fact is really sensible, as it may enable her to stay independent / in her own home for longer. So it is a win-win situation.

Florencesndzebedee · 16/10/2025 20:09

It definitely isn’t deprivation of assets to go on a holiday, buy replacement furniture etc.
She can also give small cash gifts away.

Lollypop701 · 16/10/2025 20:06

user1471538275 · 16/10/2025 19:57

It would be deprivation of assets.

It would be unfair to expect other people to pay for her when she has the ability to pay for herself.

If she's struggling on a small pension plus £75 from savings then is she living somewhere that is too large for her?

She doesn't need new furniture - why would she?

Holidays are luxuries that many cannot afford.

What you could do to help her is make sure she is living somewhere she can manage physically and financially.

It sounds like mil is living on the poverty line… I’m a tax payer and quite frankly I’d tell her to live her life, go on the holidays and enjoy the time she has left. She doesn’t have to blow it all On a 5 star trip to New York, but going for a lunch, putting the heating on and a week in Tenerife isn’t extreme… life is short and joy is precious

arethereanyleftatall · 16/10/2025 20:05

It must be really difficult as a pensioner to spend your savings. It’s literally what they’re for, but when ? It’s so hard.

dont spunk her £30k, but do dip in to it without guilt whenever she needs it over the next decade. It’s what it’s for!

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 16/10/2025 20:05

She's perfectly entitled to spend her own money enjoying life. Be it on holidays, meals out, new clothes, furniture, whatever. Why the hell not!

Algen · 16/10/2025 20:01

She doesn't need new furniture - why would she?

She might need things like a higher bed or rise and recline chair; her old furniture may be broken or uncomfortable. Plenty of reasons why someone might need new furniture.

user1471538275 · 16/10/2025 19:57

It would be deprivation of assets.

It would be unfair to expect other people to pay for her when she has the ability to pay for herself.

If she's struggling on a small pension plus £75 from savings then is she living somewhere that is too large for her?

She doesn't need new furniture - why would she?

Holidays are luxuries that many cannot afford.

What you could do to help her is make sure she is living somewhere she can manage physically and financially.

notnorman · 16/10/2025 19:47

She might as well enjoy herself with it and get house repairs etc to future proof the house as if she needs to go into a home that will be gone in 20 weeks of care.

Original poster
backatchababy · 16/10/2025 19:43

Ok that makes sense. We just hadn’t realised quite how little she was managing on and has this money invested only giving a small income as she was worried about paying her bills once it has all gone. It sounds like some modest spending and increasing g her monthly allowance is the way forwards. She’s not a spender so if she managed to spend the full £30k in her lifetime is doubtful but sitting on it just seems pointless when there is help out there if/when it runs out.

OP posts:
helpfulperson · 16/10/2025 19:37

I don't think she should deliberately spend her savings to get below the threshold but going on holiday, household repairs and using it to top up her monthly spends by more that £75 are all perfectly normal ways to spend savings and won't risk being viewed as deprivation of assets.

redskydelight · 16/10/2025 19:34

Why doesn't she just use her savings to "top-up" her pension and do the things she wants to do rather than deliberately plan to run them down in some short time frame (and of course spending the money in this way will run them down anyway, just less quickly)? After all, that's the reason she's not getting benefits - because she doesn't need them.

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