Getting Some Help

One of the adjustments that are part of life once you end working is adjusting to living on a different kind of income.  We get used t that regular paycheck while we work. And while we may be very happy to leave the stresses of the workaday life, that paycheck is one part of that world that we may miss when they finally stop.

Of course, many of us have some resources going into retirement, such as savings, investments, a retirement program and, of course, Social Security.  But the thing that’s hard to get used to is that you are now drawing funds from a limited pool.  Whether the amount of retirement resources is big or small, outside of the income from interest and dividends, you are no longer replenishing those funds.

It seems strange to say it but we have to think about how long we can live on those funds.  While we would all like to live to 90 or older, from a practical point of view, we don’t want to “outlive our savings” and then become a burden to our children to support as they are working hard to raise and support their young families.

So life in retirement means going on some form of budget.  And anything we can do to stretch the use of those retirement funds means that they will last longer as we continue to do the right thing for our health with diet and exercise so we can live a long life of a senior citizen.

One resource that is worth taking a look at is the programs that are geared to helping senior citizens conserve their limited funds.  One such resource is the phenomenon of the “senior discount” which is often offered at restaurants and other retail institutions to help us out.  While you may be working to look young and defeat the influence of age on your health and looks when it comes to senior discounts, it's time, to be honest about your age and take advantage of any help that is being offered to stretch your fixed income as much as you can.

Public service companies such as your electric, gas or water companies also have programs that you can take advantage of to keep those bills under control.  The one thing you want for the sake of the budget is that your bills will stay the same from month to month.  But when your gas or electric bill changes a lot because of the influence of the hot summer temperatures or the cold winter months which use a lot of home heating fuel, those bills can get pretty erratic.

So contact your utility companies and see what they can do for you.  One program that is available to everyone is averaging your monthly utility bill.  The gas or electric bill can do a quick calculation of your last year’s usage and average that and then bill you that fixed amount each month.  In this way, you will know each month exactly what to expect so you don’t have any “surprises” in the mail when the bills come due.

Keep your eyes open for ways that the public institutions you use the most work to help out senior citizens.  They know that you are on a fixed income and nobody wants to see seniors struggle to make ends meet.  Sometimes your local or state government may even have programs to reduce your sales taxes at the grocery store.

Take advantage of these plans and don’t let yourself feel bad about it at all.  You have worked hard all your life to support others and to be a good citizen.  So let society pay you back with whatever help can be offered.  You certainly deserve it.

Finally Dealing with the question of god

There is an area of life that for many of us, is a big unanswered question.  When we are in the decades of working hard to support a family and raise kids, we don’t have as much time to deal with big unanswered questions.  Philosophy and things having to do with ideas often take a back seat to the necessities of life.  But as you move out of your active working life and into retirement and the life of a senior citizen, you finally have the time to ponder the bigger questions and try to resolve troubling issues of the heart and soul, now that you have the time to grapple with them.

The big unanswered question that may have waited all your life to be answered is the question of god.  It’s strange to think of god as a question.  But whether there is a god has implications either way if the answer is yes or no.  If we can decide with absolute certainty that the answer is no, then we have issues of meaning.  The issue of meaning comes from the need for us to feel we were put here for a purpose.  And some believe that if someone put us here, that someone has to be god.  So, if we conclude in our own logical abilities that there is no god, some will argue that we also sell away our ability to assign meaning to our own existence in this life. That is wrong as all lives have meaning and to think that if you don’t believe in a god, your life is meaningless is a pretty big price to pay.

If we decide that there is a god, then we are faced with the issue of which god. Most scholars estimate that there are around 4200 active religions in the world today and we are faced with the question of what to do with that.  How do we “deal with god” if there is indeed one of the 4200 gods we believe in, what does our god want and how can I communicate with this entity?  This is a question that has to be answered individually.  So, if you ask fifteen people about this issue, you might get back that many answers.

As we age, we have some compelling reasons for putting in the extra effort to figure out how to deal with the question of a god.  For one thing, we are statistically closer to the end of our time on earth.  And the outcome of our decision about the issue of a god will have a lot to do with the afterlife, which is to say, whether there is a heaven or some other form of living past the portal of death.  And if we determine that such a thing is a possibility, that introduces all kinds of new possibilities into the equation of approaching that transition in the next few decades.

Another compelling reason why are in a good place in our lives to confront the issue of which of the 4200 gods is the one we should believe in is that we have a lifetime of experience and time to think about this behind us.  Our alleged greater wisdom and knowledge that comes from being the elders of society give us an advantage in tackling this big question.  So, we should feel confident that we are equipped to take on the question, even though it’s a big one.

We owe it to our children and grandchildren to try to find an answer to this question.  If we provided no guidance to our children as they grew up about this issue, they may be still seeking answers even now.  And we want to be able to give wise counsel to those sweet grandkids when they crawl up on your lap and ask, “Grandpa, is there a god?”  It may be a good time to say, “I don’t know, but as humans, we have over 4200 religions to choose from, and each has its own form of a god. So, make your best guess and live a life full of meaning and joy.”

We have resources.  There are many religious texts that might provide insight.  And there are churches, mosques, and synagogs on virtually every corner to help you sort out this problem.  We must be courageous and not sidestep the question as we may have done throughout life.  The issue of god is a serious question and it's one that deserves our mental time to try to resolve.  By giving the question serious consideration and the benefit of the doubt for both sides of the issue, we will be taking a journey into knowledge that will benefit everybody that knows us once we determine the answer once and for all.

 

 

Stretching Your Retirement Savings

There is what we call in the business world called a “paradigm shift” when you move from the working world to the world of retirement.  A paradigm shift means that the rules we live by and the economy that regulates our lives will change dramatically.  Whether you have a large retirement package or you have retirement savings that are going to take some care to stretch out, you will begin to live on a fixed income and stretching your retirement savings will become a hobby, a passion and a lifestyle that you will get good at over time.

If you are just stepping into the retirement paradigm, learning the ropes from the old pros at the skill of stretching the retirement dollar will serve you well.  It will be these old experts that will know how to have a fun evening out on the town for under twenty dollars, when the right time is to buy at the supermarket and how to leverage coupons to your best advantage.

If you have left the active working world, you may need a way to focus your attention since all of that business energy can be used well to focus on how to use your retirement funds to your best advantage.  One way to use all of that business expertise is to take on the challenge of what is commonly called “home economics” to learn the best ways to economize and cut the expenses of daily life.  Home economics is something that is commonly associated with young women preparing to become housewives but the wisdom of how to recycle household items, how to take care of household utensils and tools to reduce the amount they have to be replaced and other important economic tips can go a long way on cutting down on expenses, so you see that retirement nest egg gets depleted more slowly.

Little things mean a lot when it comes to home economics.  Turning off lights and not running the heater when you can put on a sweater seem like petty savings but by not consuming power, you are not only saving on utilities, but you are also living green as well which is good for the earth.  Similarly, you may be able to do more without going out in the car than you thought.  Perhaps you can walk to the store rather than drive.  Perhaps you can take public transportation for a low cost rather than use up expensive gas and cause more wear and tear on your vehicle.  These little things can do a lot to stretch your funds, so they are there for the important things.

 

Another way to use your business sense is to find ways to supplement your income or use your retirement savings intelligently.  With the internet, you may be able to find ways to invest your savings more shrewdly so you can actually generate revenue by making your money work for you.  You can even find part-time jobs that can be done from the internet or perhaps in town that do not put stress on your “retirement status” but bring in a nice little revenue stream while giving you a chance to get out and be with people.  Lots of businesses like to use senior citizens in this way so everybody wins.

By taking on the challenge of stretching your retirement savings by both becoming a guru of home economics and finding new revenue streams, you can protect that precious nest egg, so it continues to be there for you year after year assuring that you are cared for and have everything you need to live a happy and productive retirement lifestyle.

Smart Traveling for Senior Citizens

Travel is on the rise as the Pandemic, although not over is being controlled. One of the real joys of retirement and enjoying your senior years may come in the form of travel.  Travel is broadening and many senior citizens save for a lifetime to enjoy a lifestyle of travel once they are retired.  The image of becoming a world traveller in their senior years is one of those dreams that kept them going when life was tough in their working years so they certainly deserve to hit the road and enjoy the fruit of a lifetime of work.

If this is the kind of retirement fun that you have in mind, it pays to plan ahead so you travel smart.  Being prepared for a long trip makes sense for anybody but if these trips you will be taking care to be the dream trips you want them to be, you don’t want to see those vacations turn into travel nightmares.

A big part of smart travelling is knowing well in advance what you are going to need on the trip.  But it may be even more important to know what you are NOT going to need.  By packing light, you make the chore of pulling large pieces of luggage through the airport less difficult.  And if you are going to be staying in several places on the trip, packing light means less repacking as well.

It will take some experience as to what works for you in a travel situation to know how to pack.  You may wish to build a special travel wardrobe of garments that wear well under stress, don’t wrinkle and can be rinsed out and used again on the road thus extending their usefulness and cutting down on excess clothing.  Another way you can cut down on the bulk en route is to not take very much with you that can be bought when you get there.  By not taking a lot of toiletries, you cut down on the problems with airport security and the chance of toiletries leaking into your bags.

Smart travelling for senior citizens also means having your prescriptions all up to date and well documented.  You should get good copies of all prescription drugs, eyeglass prescriptions and other documents that you may need to get refills on the road should you lose or run through your medicines.  Alert your local pharmacy so if they need to consult with a pharmacy where you are going, that phone call won’t catch them by surprise.  And file copies of all of your travel documents with a loved one so even if you lose everything, you can still get your documents sent to you by email or fax.  These kinds of precautions eliminate panic in the event of a problem while travelling.

Similarly, make sure your itinerary and copies of your passport and credit card numbers are kept in secure places and on file with a loved one.  Go through your wallet and think about each card and important document you have and how you would handle having those cards cancelled and replaced should you lose your wallet or purse.  By keeping those important numbers where you can get to them quickly, you can move fast to cancel credit cards and get replacements virtually immediately from your hotel should you get robbed or lose your valuables while travelling. By thinking ahead like this and staging in your mind every possible problem and planning how to respond, you eliminate the chance that your trip could be stopped, and your fun brought to an end because of difficulty.  Then when things do go wrong, you just shift to plan A-B-C or D and you are right back in business.