Frugal Ways To Fullfill Your Life:

Frugal Ways to Fullfill Your Life: Tips for Baby Boomers

Frugal ways to fullfill your life can be found here.  Baby boomers benefit in several ways, enjoying healthy pensions and rising housing prices. But this generation  faces an expensive retirement due to higher health care costs and longer life expectancies than previous generations. On top of this, CNBC reports that about one-third of baby boomers have nothing saved for retirement by the age of 58.  They can still enjoy a fun retirement while living frugally. Here’s how to live it up responsibly.

Be Prepared for the Worst

First of all, one has  a couple of important responsibilities to attend to before you can start to have fun. One of these is to ensure your health care coverage can meet your changing medical needs as you advance in age. Many seniors rely on a combination of Medicare and supplementary plans to fund their health care expenses. Remember to sign up for Medicare as soon as you’re eligible.  Otherwise,one may end up paying more for your premiums and deductibles than others. Plenty of online resources, like MedicareAdvantage.com, that can guide you through the sign-up process can be found online and help you learn about supplemental plans that cover things like prescription drugs or vision care. 

Life Insurance:

Furthermore, people can save a good chunk of money by not having a life insurance policy or canceling a policy.  Although life insurance is invaluable for families who would face financial hardship in the event of a death, it’s not necessary for everyone. It makes sense to opt out of life insurance if you don’t have dependent children or your estate is small enough that you won’t have to pay estate taxes.

Cancel Your Cable

Thirdly, according to Fortune, people who switch from cable subscriptions to streaming services save an average of $85 per month. These days you can find most of your favorite shows on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, or Amazon Prime.  Services costs less than $10 per month .  A significant difference from the price of cable. Plus, you’ll discover fun movies and shows you wouldn’t have thought to watch otherwise.

Plant a Big Garden

Fourthly, gardening is a fun hobby with numerous health benefits, including exercise and mood improvements. But it’s also a great way to save money. Focus your gardening efforts on low-cost, high-yield plants that you will actually eat. Only grow plants that will produce well in your region since these will be the cheapest and easier the care for. Some of the most cost-effective plants to grow yourself include herbs, lettuce greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans.

 Enjoy Low-Cost Activities

Furthermore, several studies show that when people spend time with friends, go on vacation, and participate in sports, this  contributes to higher levels of life satisfaction. When you engage in leisure and recreation activities on a regular basis you full fill your life. Go out for a date night with your partner or a reunion with friends.  There are plenty of low cost fun things you can do.  For example: play board games or cards; have a potlock dinner with friends; attend free events; have a movie night, or go on a hike or walk.

Volunteer for Something You Care About

Lastly, per Forbes magazine, baby boomers have a hard time finding volunteer opportunities where they can provide meaningful help. Instead of helping at the local soup kitchen, skills-based volunteering may be a more exciting and fulfilling way to way to spend your time. These volunteer jobs use your real job training and life skills to help others.  You can volunteer at organizations that help unemployed people land a job and advance their career. Other great options include volunteering at your local hospital or joining a search and rescue team.

Like all generations, baby boomers have their own set of values that seem to dictate how they live their lives. A strong work ethic, a money-saving mindset, and a forward-thinking approach to life have given them greater financial security. Now it’s time for all this hard work to pay off!

 

This article was written by Jim McKinley at [email protected].  If you would like more ways on how to save money email Jim directly.