We were going to extend our house. Plans were drawn, quotes obtained.
I've put it on hold as it was our plan but won't work for just me. I'm not doing anything for a while but will likely move into the city to an apartment that I can look after (and lock up and leave). I'll take our furniture though.

I'm so thankful I paid off this house with my 401K a few yrs back. We had been looking into moving. I can't imagine what I would do now if I had a mortgage and no job !!
What about moving into a townhouse ? No grounds to keep up and all the maintenance is done for you. It has to be cheaper than building or remodeling . Just a thought.

You don't mention your age but you are entitled to widows benefits through Social Security at age 60. Would you be eligible for that?

If not for the kids still at home I think I would buy smaller condo so I wouldnt have so much upkeep. Something where I could walk to a few stores and not need the car for everything.
Russ

She does say she's 7+ yrs until being able to collect SS. I know that feeling. I'm only 56...no one wants to give me anything. Even welfare...they say if I get benefits from them , because I own my own home , that when I'm either employed or dead I have to pay them back. HA !! I'll go live under a bridge first

Don't be in a hurry to do anything that costs a lot of money. projecting how much money you will need to live for the next 40 years is almost impossible. If you spend the mostly what you need to live on for a couple of years and postpone major decisions you will have a better insight into what it is going to take to support yourself and if you have enough for a major project like building a house. Go slow, a year from now you will have an entirely different perspective and a little more knowledge about living single.

I am in the same boat. My husband and I owned a business and we lived in the loft above the store. I have a contract on the building and will need to move before years end. I have thought of building a small house or buying a fixer upper. I think I am leaning towards the fixer upper. Because I can do it a little at a time. I feel like I will have more control over the money. I am 61 and got survivor benefits. That is helpful. When I think about spending a lot of money I get anxious because of the unknown future. Its been very over whelming going thru three stories of memories. Good luck. I like what MJ46 said....makes sense.

my advice, put any thoughts of moving until after the first year anniversary of his death. There is good reason to wait at least a year before making any major decisions and this is one of those major one. You will be able to figure things better once some of the fog has lifted. I thought I was doing good but at the 8 months mark I hit a major brick wall . It is very easy to make financial mistake when we are early in our grieving.

You might consider an apartment? A lock the door and go when you need a break. A garden is a big expense. When you feel up to it, try working on giving your home a "new" look with clever use of colour. I stayed put and waited until I was feeling a bit better before changing things to bring about the new look. It made me happy and contented and I am bond free and debt free, so money was not spent at all whilst I was not in my "right" mind.

I noticed your age was 53 and you mention getting widows benefits through social security. Do you work? Do you realize that if you make over $14,000 you do not get the full benefit?

Social Security told me I would get widows benefits at 60 and I wish at that time they had asked if I was working - because I will actually get nothing because of my income. If you look online under social security it will tell you how they figure out anything you might get if you earn more than $14,000.

Once you reach 66 you can get your husband's full social security regardless of your income. Good luck.......

I am so sorry you are in this situation. Making life changing decisions is very difficult when you are grieving. You should get some professional advice. Try Citizens Advice (they are free) or contact your bank but whatever you do - don't make any decision too soon. Good luck..

We owned two homes one in Ca and the other in CO. We were living in CA when my Tim passed. He was earning the bulk of the income. When we first purchased our home in CO I was making good money and we lived within our needs but below our income so we did a 15 year mortgage paying twice a month.
I had to short sell our home in CA, we did not plan on retiring there any way. I have been able to hang on to the house here in CO.
I was not working when he passed, I had been a flight attendant and he had me quit at the first of the year, he wanted me home with him more. Which was a blessing I got to spend the last 10 months with him. After getting moved back to CO I started working again. My income does not cover all the expenses, but it does give me peace knowing that the money I have will last longer. This house here in CO will be paid off in 2 years, because of the way we did the mortgage. That's about the time I will be able to get a loan to start doing the repairs needed.
My Tim could do all the repairs so we did not budget for paying for labor.
Back to your post. I don't know how much money anyone needs for retirement. I do know that I am on my own. I need to watch out for myself. If I was in your position I would make sure that I kept a tight budget for at least a year. If you can realize a good portion of the money you need from the sale of your current home. Then go for it, you need a comfortable, safe home to live in.
Sorry I'm rambling
Hugs, Sandi