I’m not anywhere close to retiring yet, but I’ve started to dream about what that stage of life might look like. The idea of having more time to travel while visiting with family sounds amazing! Maybe it’s taking the grandkids on a beach trip, exploring small towns, or seeing more places I’ve always wanted to go or return to since I was a kid. But I’ve realized that getting ready for retirement isn’t just about saving money and being frugal, it’s also about letting go of things that quietly drain my accounts. Not having to juggle certain expenses can make a big difference and free up more for future adventures. For anyone preparing to retire, making the hard choice to sell things in our life that bring us comfort, can really help simplify, save, and make room for what’s ahead.

Oversized House

Is your house outrageously enormous in your empty nest syndrome? Do you live in a place that you enjoy? Have you done the math on all the maintenance and expenses in having a house versus renting a condo or apartment answering some of these questions can be very helpful in deciding if you should use your equity in your existing home to buy a new house somewhere else or not.

Stop Helping Adult Kids

It’s definitely worth thinking about a change of mindset to consider if you should stop helping fund your adult children’s financial needs at the expense of your own retirement money.

Collections, RVs & Other Expensive Toys

This one hits a little bit too close to home, but do you really need that travel trailer still also consider how long it’s been since the last time you’ve played with that high-end collection or driven all of those show cars that you have in storage.

Are You Really A 2 Car Family

Now that the kids are out of the house, and you’re both either in retirement, or facing retirement, it’s definitely worth considering, do you really need both cars still?

A special thanks to Streamline Financial on YouTube for these ideas!

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I’m on Instagram @matt.w.sweeny