3 Home Improvement Tips For When You’re Retired
Reaching retirement is a huge and very exciting accomplishment for many people. We spend our entire lives working, so finally getting to a point where we no longer have to work is a great feeling. It can also be stressful depending on how much money you have saved up or what type of retirement income you are receiving, and the state of your health as well. There are many things you may not have had time to do when you were working all the time, such as home improvement. Let’s face it, you’d probably rather go to the spa than work on your house. But as you age, these types of tasks can become more difficult too. Here are 3 home improvement tips for when you’re retired.
Hire Help
Trying to do everything yourself when you are younger and more physically capable is fine, but when you retire you may need to slow down a little bit, especially when it comes to physical tasks such as lifting heavy objects, being on your feet for long periods of time, or climbing on ladders. Don’t be too prideful to hire help whenever you can, or ask younger family members to help you out with work that needs to be done around your house.
Downsize
When considering home improvements that need to be done, or ways to make your life easier as you age, you may want to consider what many other seniors are doing which is downsizing. Owning fewer items as well as living in a smaller space overall can help make things feel a lot less overwhelming which will also help reduce stress. Retirement is supposed to be a time of relaxation, not extra stress! Downsize wherever you can and you will see that there are much less home improvements that actually need to be made.
Think About The Long Term
Is your long term plan to stay living in your house until you die or do you plan to leave it to your children? Do you think you’ll end up moving to an assisted living facility at any point, or do you want to hold onto your home until it’s a good time to sell and you can make a large profit? These are heavy questions, but ones you really need to ask yourself when you are of retirement age and thinking about home improvements that you want to get done. Certain things may not be necessary depending on your answers to the questions and what your long term plan is.
Doing work on your home can be stressful, exhausting, physically demanding, and expensive. This can be even more true the older you get, but don’t let it scare you! Hire help, consider downsizing, and always remember what your long term plan is and home improvements will be a lot easier.