I would be giving you guys false hopes if I were to tell you that retirement life is starting to look sunny and comfy again after the economic crisis. That would be a blatant lie since nearly half of the senior population lost their family homes–forced to work again just to keep their families afloat. However, I found some old friends starting to live their retirement life in blissful happiness amidst all. Their secret:  the willingness to adjust and adapt.
In order to have a peaceful, contented life, one must accept circumstances as they come—whether good or bad and be able to make the most out of it. The economic crisis may have been bad but it was certainly not the worst, if you come to think of it. It just presented a whole lot complexity to what should have been an easy, straightforward retirement life awaiting millions of seniors worldwide. I would like to think that the crisis only taught us to look back and live within the basics—something we forgot how to do many years ago. Below are some of the things you can do without during your retirement:
•    Dining out. Or frequent dine-outs. With lots of time on your hands, it will be easy to just cook your meals and enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. No service fees, no tipping required and most of all, no tripled-priced dinner.
•    Unnecessary international trips. Retirement is almost synonymous to exotic trips in some far away land or cruises to the Caribbean. While seniors deserve these things, they need not be a twice, thrice-a-year kind of thing. If possible, limit yourself to one a year and opt to explore local in-betweens.
•    Home improvements. While some are warranted due to safety reasons, renovating your home even if it’s not necessary anymore will only make a dent out of your savings. Make a short trip to your friendly contractor and inquire about current prices—just consider yourself forewarned.
•    Extra car. You don’t need an extra car to get you to where you should be going, in fact, you can get there just by riding the public transportation available in your area. Extra car means extra fees to pay.
•    Debts. Most seniors are aware that debts can ruin their “supposedly” good retirement life. However, it is quite common nowadays to be retiring with lots of debts to pay in their wake. With careful planning, debts you carry over to your retirement years can be eliminated painlessly—albeit slowly.