The Retirement Budget Makeover: Trim Costs Without Sacrifice

Implementing and sticking to a strategic budget in retirement can help you go from stressing about money to feeling in control of your financial future.

And those budgets don’t have to feel restrictive or take away from the parts of retirement you’re excited about. Read on for how to give your budget a makeover so that it balances saving and spending.

5 areas of your budget to refresh

There are a lot of areas where you can trim your spending, but here are a few to get you started:

• Housing: If your housing costs are eating away at your budget, consider downsizing, especially if you’ve long lived in a large house but are now an empty nester. In addition to potentially lowering mortgage payments, a smaller house can result in lower property taxes and utility bills. You can also consider refinancing your home loan if you want to potentially snag a lower interest rate and reduce your monthly payments, or shop around for cheaper utilities.
• Food: Using a meal plan and making meals at home can minimize costs and make you less prone to impulsive meals out or overspending at the grocery store. Take advantage of loyalty programs, senior shopping hours and discounts, and the best credit cards for groceries, too.
• Subscriptions: Review every subscription and get rid of any that you aren’t using anymore. Then set a reminder to check in on your subscriptions every few months to make sure that you aren’t losing money on ones you don't need.
• Insurance: Compare policies regularly to determine if you can get a better deal with another provider. You may also be able to negotiate the costs or bundle plans.
• Transportation: Carpooling, senior transit passes, walking and biking can all help you cut down on transportation costs (and, in the case of walking and biking, serve as good exercise).

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Small wins add up

If you cancel a $50 per month subscription that you weren’t using, you may not immediately feel that breathing room in your budget. But those savings amount to $600 per year. Stretch that out to a decade, and you saved $6,000.

Try implementing small changes in each of the above categories to trim a bit of your spending. The change could be as easy as using a smart plug to lower your electricity bill.

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Make your budget refresh a habit

Managing money can, understandably, be stressful. But effective budgeting can free your mind from at least some of those worries because instead of pondering what each purchase means for your nest egg, you can reference the budget you’ve determined makes sense for your life. Refreshing your budget regularly means it’s more likely to be aligned with your current goals. A budgeting app can help with this.

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You don’t have to complete your entire retirement budget makeover in a single day. Making small changes over several months can lead to significant savings over the long term.