How To Supplement Your Retirement Income.

It's not ALL doom and gloom but...

Hey people and welcome. I'm Derek. Todays economic climate means that some retired folk are looking for easy, proven and ethical ways to earn a few extra pounds on a regular basis. If that strikes a chord with you, I can definitely help you... please read on.

Now I'm not about to insult your intelligence with promises that you and your loved ones are gonna be moving to the Seychelles, live the life of Riley whilst watching the sun go down from the balcony of a ten bedroomed villa with sea views but, I will share with you how, with minimal financial outlay, and with no special technical skills or specialist knowledge, you WILL be better off, and that's a promise.

Upon reflection, the title of this post should have related to everyone and not just retired folk. I've spent the last forty odd years of my working life as an antique restorer, and now retired and being a pensioner myself, I naturally can relate to us oldies. (The child within STILL appears on a regular basis though)

Let's start off with small wooden item restoration...

You know the sort of things, small wooden boxes - usually made from English oak - typically eighteen inches to two feet long and a foot high, with little draws?... people keep their pills and jewellery in them.

Five years ago I bought two at a car boot sale - after a bit of haggling and if memory serves me correctly - I gave £7.50 for the two, took 'em home, restored them with my "Magic Solution", polished 'em up with Briwax, and a week later took them to a craft and antique fair, sold one for £25 and the other for £35 !! I've been doing it on a regular basis ever since. Total cost of materials? Two quid top whack.

So what's this "Magic Solution" I hear you ask...

I'll tell you what it isn't folks. Because these two items weren't painted, they didn't need to be stripped with sandpaper or chemical paint stripper... oh dearie me no. Simply brush on a liquid, wash it off when it's done its work - sometimes instantly but five minutes at most - let it dry, a quick sand with the correct gauge paper, rub in a bit of wax, buff it up, job done.

Painted items do require chemical stripper, and I'll be covering that at a later date, I'll also be offering advice on how to apply the stuff to get maximum usage of it, and the simple tools and equipment required to ensure a clean and easy job. I'll also be advising on the use of electric paint strippers, the type to buy and the cheapest place to buy wire wool, scrapers and wax etc.

I've also got a brilliant idea to earn extra cash from home using air-dried clay. Don't mock lol, it's a little gold mine done right!

That's it for today; my granddaughter has just walked in from work with a lovely old stool that her boss had no further use for. It's absolutely filthy, black with stain but showing beautiful oak on the worn parts.

I'll bet my next months pension, that with an hours TLC, I'll get forty quid for it. (Sing) Oh the good-life... tra la la.

Cheers...