When you no longer have children at home you find that you don't need as much room to live as you did when they were living with you. With or without a spouse, you just don't need as much space to live. What are your choices?
Here are a few choices for older adults living alone or with a spouse:
1. Apartment living
2. Condo living
3. Stay in own home, shut some rooms off
4. Buy a smaller home, but still big enough to house visiting family
5. Buy a travel trailer and see the country, rent a spot at the lake or ocean
6. Buy or build a tiny house behind your main house and rent out the main house
7. Travel the world living in house exchanges
8. Build a tiny house on a trailer and pull it around, living like a nomad
9. Move in with family members
10. Get some room mates and form your own "Golden Girls" environment
11. Move into a retirement village
I am sure I have left other options off, but you get the idea. There are lots of options for older people either living with a spouse or alone. The problem is choosing the best option for you.
There are lots of considerations before you make this decision:
1. Will you be able to pay it off and not have a mortgage?
2. Will you be starting a mortgage where you don't have one now?
3. Do you have hobbies that require space to do them?
4. Are you healthy enough to travel the USA or overseas?
5. Do you want to be close to grandchildren and family?
6. What are the total living expenses for the type of change you want to make? Can you
afford it?
(Taxes, utilities, insurance costs, etc.)
7. Do you want a lawn to mow and shrubs to trim?
8. Do you want to move periodically or stay in one place?
9. Can you afford to stay where you are now and is it suitable for your needs?
10. Do you need to be around other seniors, do you crave companionship?
11. Do you want to live in a different environment, such as
the mountains,
or the beach,
or in the desert?
12. Do you have special needs that are not being met where you are currently living?
(need a warmer climate,
need drier air,
access to fitness centers, etc.)
13. If you decide to move, can you manage the move by yourself?
If not, do you have friends or
family that are willing and
able to help you move?
14. What do you really want?????
The most important question is what do you really want. Once you know what you want, then you must determine if it is something you can do and something you should do. I have found that if we want something bad enough, we will find a way to make it happen.
However, with dwindling funds, health issues, and lifestyle needs, you need to be completely and totally honest about what you are able to do. For example, if you always dreamed of living at the beach, but you can't afford a home on the ocean front, perhaps a house that is a few blocks away or an apartment/condo in a high rise will provide the view you desire and the costs you can afford. It may be a matter of minor compromises or sometimes, a complete change in dream. Be honest with yourself about what you want, what you can do, what you can afford, and what you need.
Have you changed your lifestyle recently due to retirement or an empty nest? Did you downsize? Did you move to your dream location - mountains, beach, desert, etc.? How did you decide to make this change? Do you have any tips to help someone else who is making this change?
XOXO
Here are a few choices for older adults living alone or with a spouse:
1. Apartment living
2. Condo living
3. Stay in own home, shut some rooms off
4. Buy a smaller home, but still big enough to house visiting family
5. Buy a travel trailer and see the country, rent a spot at the lake or ocean
6. Buy or build a tiny house behind your main house and rent out the main house
7. Travel the world living in house exchanges
8. Build a tiny house on a trailer and pull it around, living like a nomad
9. Move in with family members
10. Get some room mates and form your own "Golden Girls" environment
11. Move into a retirement village
I am sure I have left other options off, but you get the idea. There are lots of options for older people either living with a spouse or alone. The problem is choosing the best option for you.
There are lots of considerations before you make this decision:
1. Will you be able to pay it off and not have a mortgage?
2. Will you be starting a mortgage where you don't have one now?
3. Do you have hobbies that require space to do them?
4. Are you healthy enough to travel the USA or overseas?
5. Do you want to be close to grandchildren and family?
6. What are the total living expenses for the type of change you want to make? Can you
afford it?
(Taxes, utilities, insurance costs, etc.)
7. Do you want a lawn to mow and shrubs to trim?
8. Do you want to move periodically or stay in one place?
9. Can you afford to stay where you are now and is it suitable for your needs?
10. Do you need to be around other seniors, do you crave companionship?
11. Do you want to live in a different environment, such as
the mountains,
or the beach,
or in the desert?
12. Do you have special needs that are not being met where you are currently living?
(need a warmer climate,
need drier air,
access to fitness centers, etc.)
13. If you decide to move, can you manage the move by yourself?
If not, do you have friends or
family that are willing and
able to help you move?
14. What do you really want?????
The most important question is what do you really want. Once you know what you want, then you must determine if it is something you can do and something you should do. I have found that if we want something bad enough, we will find a way to make it happen.
However, with dwindling funds, health issues, and lifestyle needs, you need to be completely and totally honest about what you are able to do. For example, if you always dreamed of living at the beach, but you can't afford a home on the ocean front, perhaps a house that is a few blocks away or an apartment/condo in a high rise will provide the view you desire and the costs you can afford. It may be a matter of minor compromises or sometimes, a complete change in dream. Be honest with yourself about what you want, what you can do, what you can afford, and what you need.
Have you changed your lifestyle recently due to retirement or an empty nest? Did you downsize? Did you move to your dream location - mountains, beach, desert, etc.? How did you decide to make this change? Do you have any tips to help someone else who is making this change?
XOXO
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