When you retire after a lifetime of hard work, you want your retirement years to be enjoyable and fulfilling. Even if you are going into retirement with a healthy pension and considerable savings, you don’t know how long your life will be or how many years your money must stretch. Preparing for this reality means that you must ways to do the things you like on a reduced income.
Here are seven ways to have a great life, even though you have less money to spend.
1. Live out of the farebox
Going into debt as a senior will only complicate your future. Pay your expenses out of your pension or other retirement income rather than relying on credit cards that you cannot pay back at once.
2. Use a 30-day list
Aside from food or medicine, write down other items that you want on a 30-day list. If a month passes and you still want to buy something, only then make the purchase after it has passed the test of time. Having a list like this reduces impulse purchases that can add up quickly.
3. Reevaluate what you need
As a retired person, you may no longer need to buy as many clothes and shoes as you did when you were working; you may not need to purchase business clothing ever again. For many people, changing buying habits can be hard even when the reality of life has changed. The 30-day list concept can ease you into this new way of thinking.
4. Substitute your guilty pleasures
If you enjoy watching cable TV, reading magazines, and eating out, you can enjoy these things in a more economical manner. By cutting the cord and signing up for streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu, you can retain access to great TV programming. Viewing magazines online cuts down on subscription costs as well as clutter. Going out for lunch instead of dinner can give you the tasty food you occasionally crave for less cost.
5. Reduce transportation costs
Owning and operating cars is costly. Retirement is the time to evaluate whether you could scale back to one car or take public transportation to fill in the gap. If you don’t go out much, renting a car for a weekend trip or using car services such as UBER to get to a special event might save you money.
6. Find a low-cost way of doing what you want and need to do
For example, when you want to stay active and healthy in retirement, you do not have to join a fancy health club to stay in shape. Consider joining the Y or looking for low-cost fitness classes offered by churches, schools, or local communities. Walking in your local mall or park is a great way to get free exercise.
7. Evaluate your housing situation
Especially if your home is costly to maintain, moving to a smaller house or, better yet, an apartment might be the budget-friendly alternative. If you prefer to stay in your home, renting out a room or basement apartment can bring in extra income; be sure to check out the legality of renting out an income suite in your area.
