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By Anthony Tripodi
Even if you’ve been saving your money since you were in grade
school, that may not be enough to have an enjoyable
retirement.
Of course having enough money put away is the number one
factor
as to whether or not you’ll maintain your desired lifestyle
once you stop working. But don’t overlook the small stuff.
Does
sitting in front of the TV sound like a fulfilling way to
live,
day in and day out? You’ll need something engaging to do with
your free time and remember you will probably have more free
time than you’ve ever had in your adult life. Having several
interesting hobbies is a great way to get the most out of your
retirement.
You probably started thinking about your retirement savings a
long time ago. Well you should start thinking about how you
plan on spending your time too. A satisfying hobby or a way to
spend you time really is required for your happiness. Perhaps
you’ve decided to spend more time with your family and just
enjoy life. That’s all well and good but you’ll need something
more.
Choosing a fun hobby is easy. Most hobbies are fun, that’s why
they’re hobbies. And I’m sure almost everyone has something
that they like to do. Whether it’s gardening, playing tennis,
building ships in a bottle or collecting stamps, I’m sure
there’s something out there that you’d like to do. Finding a
fun hobby shouldn’t be a problem for most people. It’s the
next
two criteria that may cause some problems for you.
Money always seem to be an issue. If you’ve found something
that you enjoy doing but can’t afford to do it, then you’re
out
of luck. How often to you hear people say that if they won the
lottery then would retire and spend their time traveling the
world? Traveling would be how everyone spent their retirement
if it was free. Going on a few vacations a year will probably
fit into even the most conservative budget. But even if you
add
some visits to see the grandkids or other relatives you’ll
probably still have about 40 weeks left in your year that
you’ll need something else to do. Gardening can be a
relatively
in-expensive hobby. Buying seeds are pretty cheap and will
provide you with days worth of tasks to take grow them from
seedlings to mature plants. You can even put some food on the
table if you plant a vegetable garden.
Lastly you’ll need to think about your health. If you suffer
from arthritis, then I don’t recommend spending your days
doing
something that will aggravate it. Let’s look at our previous
hobby examples and see if they make the grade. Gardening can
require some physical labor. Whether you’re turning the soil
or
bending over to pull weeds you’ll need a strong back to get
the
job done. Collecting stamps or other collecting hobbies would
be okay even if you require a sedentary lifestyle.
Many people spend their adult life saving their money for
retirement. This is a great way to secure your future but it’s
only a first step. Give some thought to how you plan on
spending your free time during your retirement. With some
interesting hobbies, you’re retirement can be more fulfilling
that you ever planned.
About The Author: Anthony Tripodi has created the
ReadyForRetirement blog to document how he’s preparing for his
own retirement. To read his entrees and learn more about
retirement planning, visit
readyforretirement.blogspot.com
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