Spending Your Way to Retirement
Submitted by MIRUS Financial Partners on August 22nd, 2016Healthy spending habits should be as important to you as your 401(k) balance, and your financial advisor can help educate them with these tips.
Fast Food vs. Healthy Food
Hitting the drive-thru on the way home from work is convenient, but it may not be the wisest decision for your health or wallet. More than one-third of American adults—or 78.6 million people—are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
While healthy food may seem a bit more expensive up front, healthcare costs down the line may be significantly reduced due to a healthier lifestyle. In retirement, your health is one of your greatest assets, and that extra money spent now might save her hundreds of thousands later.
Pay Now, Consume Later
Making a big consumer purchase like a car or television can be tempting; however, the stress of making payments can take the fun out of the experience. By saving money over time and paying the purchase price in full, you can reap the rewards of your discipline and enjoy your new TV without the monthly payments (and interest) looming.
Budget-Friendly Travel
If you love traveling, you’ll likely want to continue doing so in retirement. Take the trip, but to do it in a way that allows you to save money. Groupon and Living Social deals are great for travel packages, and you can choose dates a few months out, which gives you something to look forward to.
Sites like Airfordable allow you to put your plane ticket on layaway and make small payments until it is paid in full—with no interest. Once paid, the airline sends the ticket to your email. This helps save spending money during the months before the trip and allows you to lock in a good price on airfare ahead of time.
Spend Wisely; Save More
While saving money is one of the best ways to ensure you have enough in retirement, wise spending habits are just as important. After all, your goal is to enjoy your time in retirement. You can help yourself achieve that with a balanced mix of good spending habits and saving the appropriate amount of your income.