4 Fun Luxuries You Should Budget for in Your Retirement

Just because you're retired doesn't mean your life has to be boring. In fact, with no job to report to, your retirement can be one of the most fun stages of your life.

Of course, to take part in these fun activities, it's important to budget for them while you're still saving for retirement. To help give you an idea of how much you'll need to save, here are four fun luxuries you should budget for in your retirement.

Travel

If you've always wanted to see the world but never had the time to do so, retirement is your perfect opportunity. Whether you choose to travel the country in an RV, fly off to faraway places, or take things slow on cruises, travel should definitely be something you budget for. By prioritizing which destinations you'd like to visit most, you can be more accurate in your budgeting for these indulgences.

Experiences

Even if you don't feel like traveling far from home, you can still budget for experiences that are right in your own backyard. Whether it's season tickets to the local orchestra, some front row seats to a show by your favorite band, or a membership at your local zoo, experiences can add so much richness to your life. If you can include others in on your experiences, you'll likely find that your enjoyment increases that much more.

Sports

While you probably shouldn't use your retirement years to take up tackle football, retirement can be a great time to try your hand at calmer sports, such as golf. You may find a hidden talent for a sport that you never got to try during your working years. 

You could even find yourself becoming so passionate about a sport that you spend some money to buy country club properties for sale so that you can always be ready to play.

Hobbies

During your working years, your hobbies are what you do with your leftover time and money after the essentials are taken care of. With the right budgeting, though, your hobbies can take a much more central role in your retirement. 

You can use extra disposable income to upgrade to better equipment that's required for your hobby and use your extra time to perfect certain skills within the hobby.

With so many activities to do during your retirement, you may encounter a "fear of missing out." In other words, you may see retired friends doing things that you wish you could do, putting stress on you to find the money and the time to do the same things they do. However, as long as you're enjoying what's right in front of you, you can relax and know that you're making the most of your retirement.

5 Ideas To Follow Your Passion In Retirement Years

As retirement get closer, many people find themselves struggling to figure out what they are going to do. While some individuals will just continue working, others view retirement as an opportunity to pursue their passions or find new ones. 

If you are new to the idea of retiring, then you might want to consider following your passions. It will allow you to find fulfilling ways of spending time, helping others and feeling good overall. 

In this post, we’ll cover some of the best ideas for following your passion during your retirement years.

Travel Around The World

One of the most common passions, travel eludes many people during their working years. Now that you are coming up on retirement, take the opportunity to plan all of the places that you would like to visit. 

In the beginning, do not set a budget. Unless you have been investing in annuities already, just list all of the amazing places that you want to go. Then, when you are retired, you can consider options like downsizing and moving to an apartment so that you can travel the way you want to. 

Of course, the experience of seeing the world first hand is a great way to pursue your global interests after leaving the workforce.

Get Politically Active

After so many years of working, you could apply your passions to the political world. If you have a successful track record in communicating with others, you could run for political office. 

This is a great way to have a meaningful role in the community while making a positive impact. If this would be too much of a commitment, you can always use other skills to support politicians that believe in your views. 

As a politically active citizen, you will stay engaged in the community and society around you. It will certainly present the opportunity to pursue your interests and maybe find some new passions along the way as well.

Start A Blog About Your Passion

Thirdly, you could write about your passion online. It is easier than ever to start a blog and share it with people you know. Especially if you are passionate about a particular topic, you will find other bloggers online to connect with. 

Regardless of your technical ability, you can write on a blog and start building an audience. Using a partner like https://www.DreamHost.com, all of the technical parts are fully managed for you. 

This gives you the time and freedom to write and talk about your passion. As people find out about your blog, it can be highly rewarding to read their comments, feedback and suggestions. In effect, you could build your own online community around your passions during retirement.

Open A Local Business

If you are one of those people afraid of not working, maybe its time to open your own business. Since you would be doing this to pursue your passion, it should be a local business with low overhead. 

This way, you can do business because it is important to your rather than to make money. As it turns out, this will probably make you very successful in your endeavor. Just remember to keep your passion first and enjoy spending your time in a business that you control. 

If it ever gets too stressful, then you are missing the point. Open a business to pursue your inner passion and share it with others.

Mentor Others Who Need Help

For anyone who doesn’t have a defined passion, you can still pursue a meaningful retirement by helping others. Since you probably have experience in life or a specific industry, mentor those around you. 

When you truly help others achieve their goals, the feeling is absolutely gratifying because you are selflessly helping them. You will feel some ownership in their success and manage your retirement well. 

Moreover, they will appreciate and remember your influence. This is a great way to help others even if you are unsure of what to do many years into your future retirement.

In addition to spending time with friends and family, retirement gives you the chance to pursue your passions to their fullest extent. You can do this with many ideas. 

Travel around the world. Get involved in your community. Start a blog to build an audience. Open that business you always wanted to have. Or, mentor others who need help. Using these ideas, you can pursue your passions for many years into your retirement and have a fulfilling life.

Where do the Over 50's Spend their Money?

The over 50's SWANS (Stopped Working and Now Spending) is one of the most cash rich demographics even in these times of recession and cut backs. Many of these over 50's have already purchased their houses and paid off their mortgages so the money that us younger generation are spending on rents and our own mortgages are free for their own use. 60% of over 50's receive non state pensions and more than 2/3rds of over 50's have said that the recession has made little to no change to their spending habits. So what do they spend their cash on?

Entertainment

Now that they've stopped working and have started spending their savings following their children leaving the nest, the over 50's tend to start to enjoy themselves again. Whether it be going to the theatre, out for meals and down to the pub for drinks with friends they have no work or children commitments left so they can enjoy themselves and their money.

Holidays

Many over 50's have children and grandchildren spread around the world and with them now being the cash rich demographic with time to spare on their hands it is they, rather than the other way around of olden days, that does the travelling to see family members. On top of this, with their lack of commitments and large cash reserves they tend to take two or three holidays a year, often heading to warm and exotic places that they have wanted to visit but not had the chance until now.

Gambling

What is life without a little risk? the over 50's generation are asking as they enjoy a flutter on the nags and occasionally the football matches at the weekend, with large accumulators with many selections and big payouts from small stakes favoured by the older generation. On top of this they enjoy the old favourites too such as playing live bingo at the local hall, while the more technically savvy of the over 50's who would have invested in computers or laptops to keep in touch with family on Skype and by email are tempting to play online bingo on sites like this one in an attempt to increase their cash surpluses too.

Renovations

Having lived in their own purchased and now mortgage free homes for many years, many of the over 50's are now favouring renovating their homes to give them a fresh look and a new lease of life. Whether it be internal, such as new furniture, wallpaper or coats of paint, or external including redoing the garden or the brickwork of the house, the over 50's and their cash reserves are always looking to keep their residence fresh and up to date.

Hobbies

This is a big one for the SWANS as they are no longer working they have plenty of free time to do as they wish to do so. Whether it is growing their own fruits and vegetables in their allotments or travelling around the country to following their favourite football, rugby or cricket teams the over 50's have both the time and money to do this with a comfortable ease.

Clothes, Jewellery, Scents and Gifts

The over 50's generation like to look good and, as such, with the amount of cash readily available to them they enjoy purchasing clothes and jewellery that will make them both look and feel good about themselves. To top this off they spend a large amount of money on ensuring that they smell the best too so the top of the range perfumes and men's fragrances are on their lists too. It's not all about themselves either as they enjoy selflessly purchasing gifts for friends and family on birthdays, at Christmas and even randomly too.

Kill the Boredom: 2 Small Investments for a Relaxed Retirement

The retirement process is not an easy one, most people can agree on that. It is hard to prepare and accept the fact that starting tomorrow or next month or next year, you won’t have to do some of the things you remember doing since forever. And more, you won’t have to be as professionally active as before.

It is time to relax, to enjoy the results of your smart investments: a small business that generates steadily income, a nice family with the kids turned into grownups with families and responsibilities of their own, a small home, yet a paradise on earth. But here is the challenge: not having to do everything you did up until recently can receive sort of a boring etiquette. And because you’re entire life you were an active person, you can’t possibly accept the peace and quiet in your life. So here are a couple of small investment ideas to kill the boredom while enjoying a relaxed retirement.
 

#1. Interior Redesign

How much time has it been? Three years, five years or maybe ten since the last redesign initiative. While we are growing old, we also tend to grow tired of the same old theme. Every inch of the house is filled with memories of the kids, of the adult life, of the family’s ups and downs. But sometimes it is better to leave the past in the past. So why not try to add a fresh new touch and feel to the house?

Start by redesigning the interior. Here is an idea: brick design. Bricks give off a vintage, industrial feel. If you want to have fun, try redesigning on your own. It isn’t hard at all to order a couple of faux bricks and to cover old walls with new brick designs. Plus, it kind of looks cool and it is cost effective. Talking about ways to kill the boredom with small investments.

#2. Garden Redesign

Gardens are the business cards of the house. After retiring, you don’t know what might happen: maybe you need a change and want to move out or your children’s families need you closer. Who knows, maybe you want to sell the property to others so they can make memories of their own. And even in the event of keeping the house, a change is for the better. So why not investing in your garden? And we aren’t talking here about financial investments only, but also about investing your own energy into creating and maintaining your little paradise. But before you can enjoy your little paradise, here are three must have’s:

1. A  green yard can keep you busy during warm seasons. Green is always a good choice, not only from an eco, environmental point of view, but also from a psychological point. Recent studies provide proof that green spaces are beneficial for the elderly.

2. Flowers and plants always do the trick. First, you have to do a bit of gardening to maintain them fresh and alive. Secondly, they vary in colors and perfume, so sitting in the garden can easily turn into a natural aroma therapy session. Last, but not least, they will become the envy of neighbors. Planting flowers and taking care of them is an art itself.

3. A garden wouldn’t be the same without a relaxation spot. While kids enjoy tree houses and swings, adults prefer garden chairs and cushions. And if you want to add some personality to your garden, custom outdoor cushions do the trick.

Hopefully, these two small investments will kill the boredom in your life and ensure a peaceful retirement, where you can sit, relax and enjoy the beauty of the moment.