Skip to main content
SummerOnTheWay1
SummerOnTheWay1
January 6, 2026

👴👵 How to Stick to Your Retirement Budget in 2026 (AARP Article)

  • January 6, 2026
  • 10 replies
  • 3417 views

FROM THE ARTICLE.

 

13 Ways to Stick to Your Retirement Budget in 2026.

 

How to save more and spend less in the new year.

 

By Bruce Horovitz and Daniel Bortz, AARP. Published January 05, 2026.

 

For retirees on fixed incomes, setting and sticking to a budget has never been more critical. Even though income is limited, many expenses are not. Health costs, for example, can be wildly unpredictable for people over 65. Rising prices of consumer goods is also putting pressure on older adults' wallets.

If the past is any predictor of the future, there’s lots of budgeting work to be done. When asked what financial challenges they faced in 2024, 28 percent of Gen Xers (ages 44 to 59) and 14 percent of boomers (ages 60 to 78) said they took on debt, and 19 percent of Gen Xers and 13 percent of boomers said they depleted their savings, according to a survey by Credit Karma, a consumer financial platform.

 

USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.

 

https://www.aarp.org/money/personal-finance/retirement-budget-tips/

10 replies

WebWiseWoman
WebWiseWoman
Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
January 6, 2026

Great post, Nicole; Problem is I now have to go to the SSA office to prove I am me AGAIN; that will cost me about $50 both ways. so a weeks worth of food; that's okay, I need to lose a few pounds...

    SummerOnTheWay1
    SummerOnTheWay1Author
    January 6, 2026

    Denese @WebWiseWoman , lol - I hear you!!! The life of keeping it simple my friend. Learning NOT to plan too much ahead these days & roll with the waves. I am guessing that is Uber??? 😱 So sorry about all this dear friend. Nicole 💛

    WebWiseWoman
    WebWiseWoman
    Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
    January 6, 2026

    TY dear friend, Nicole!

      GailL1
      GailL1
      Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
      January 6, 2026

      I didn;t see anything that would help me since most of it I am either already doing or it does not pertain to me,

       

      I saw NOTHING on how to keep down a government (in my case, local) raise in taxes or some of the fee based services they provide going UP.  In my case, water, sanitation pick up and recycling fees.

       

      From the article, I did not understand any purpose for this one

      7. Put bills on autopay

      NOBODY even for some discount has access to my money.  I pay the bills electronically but not by them having access to take it out of my accounts.  I like to know the amount of my bills since they should not vary by much or what I have calculated. I just don’t understand why AUTP PAY would help out a budget or stick to one. If one is so old that they may forget to pay something, then it might be time to activate that POA and/or a Social Security Representative Payee and let somebody else of your choic take over the bill pay and the budget.

       

       

       

      IT‘S ALWAYS SOMETHING . . . . .. . . . Roseanne Roseannadanna
        SummerOnTheWay1
        SummerOnTheWay1Author
        January 6, 2026

        Gail @GailL1 , I have a few things on autopay not because I will forget to pay them.

         

        For example my AAA is less with autopay.

         

        The same with my Allstate Car Insurance.

         

        I recently started paying on a Pre-Planned Cremation Plan when my daughter visited Virginia last year September 2025. I feel better having it in place in case I die BEFORE I make it back to Florida. I think there is another option to pay each month, but autopay works for me.

         

        Take care,

        Nicole 💛

        GailL1
        GailL1
        Community Champion ⭐⭐⭐
        January 6, 2026

        I pay my auto, homeowners and liability umbrella insurance ANNUALLY - so once and done.  I get the best discount rate that way.  

         

        I already have a dedicated CD for my cremation expenses and also have a columbarium site - all anybody has to do is supply the plastic bag for my remains and since I am pretty small, a quart-size will do fine.  Then the only other thing they have to do is add my DOD to the stone that is already there.  

         

        So that takes out auto-pay for me on those thing too.

         

         

        IT‘S ALWAYS SOMETHING . . . . .. . . . Roseanne Roseannadanna
          C
          CassidyP703881
          Contributor ⭐⭐
          January 19, 2026

              I think it's more worthwhile to help people make money than to just talk about these things. I've seen many difficulties people face after retirement. But my employees will never have to worry about retirement or bills. I'm 40 years old, and in five years I'll be traveling the world. Money should always be about giving you choices, not causing you worries.

           

            Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement