101 Ways We Save Money in Retirement

With retirement incomes staying pretty much the same but expenses increasing substantially over the past several years, being retired these days seems kind of scary!  Hubby and I lived just fine on his retirement income over the past decade but a year ago, a new job kind of just fell into my lap, so while we aren't only subsisting on hubby's retirement income these days, I am still kind of worried about my own retirement (who knows when that will be, I currently love my job) and we still live very frugally in order to continue to save and invest money.  Here are many of the ways we save money during our retirement years...

1. When we decided to retire, we moved from a high cost of living area to a low cost of living area.
2. We bought a house at the bottom of the market (soon to be paid off in a couple of months) so we wouldn't be subject to ever-increasing rent prices.
3. We moved to a state with no income tax and low property tax.
4. In addition to low property tax, our property tax has a tax cap so it won't increase more than 3% each year no matter how much house prices rise (which is good because house, and thus property tax, prices have increased substantially over the past several years but our property tax is still based on the very cheap price we started at years ago).
5. We also live in an area that gives veterans a great discount on property--both house and car--taxes.
6. We do not carry any debt (except a very low house payment which will be paid off soon).  We do use credit cards to earn cash back but we pay them off each month and never buy anything that we don't have the money in savings to pay for.
7. We share one car which we bought when our last old car was nearing the end of its life span. We sold the old car, bought a brand new car at a 0% interest rate, and paid the car off in only a few years.  We hope to keep this car running for years to come because the cost of brand new cars today is insane!
8. Every six months I call around to various insurance companies to make sure we have the lowest-cost car and house insurance we can find.  Note that both of these insurance costs have risen exponentially over the past several years.
9. If we had to live without a car, it would be fine as we are on a bus line plus we can walk to grocery stores, restaurants, Target, Ross, etc.  Also, our city offers a very inexpensive door-to-door bus service for seniors, and there is always Uber/Lyft if needed.
10. We maintain both our house and car to keep them in good working order so we won't end up with very expensive repairs due to neglect.
11. We downsized to a much smaller house than we had before we retired.  It is much cheaper to heat, air condition, and maintain a small house than a large house.  Cleaning takes much less time too.
12. We also have a much smaller yard with desert landscaping which saves money over maintaining a big yard or hiring it done.
13. We have bidets on all toilets which saves a fortune in toilet paper.
14. We are frugal with water, natural gas, and electricity in order to save money on these expenses.
15. We have a basic cable internet plan.  Since we don't do gaming/video production we don't need an expensive high-speed plan.
16. Both of our cell phones (which we bought outright when they were on sale) use Mint Mobile plans which cost $200 a year each.
17. Another way I save money on tech is buying things like computers, cell phone, and tablets "open box" from Best Buy.  Items that are listed in excellent condition are usually just like brand new but maybe the original buyer opened it, tried it out, and decided that it wouldn't work for them.  This can save you hundreds of dollars.
18. Also, when it comes to tech (or many other things), you can usually save money buying what you need instead of a top-of-the-line item (ie: a basic i5, 12gb laptop is great if you mostly type documents; you don't need an i9, 64gb, 2tb gaming laptop for basic email and social media use!).
19. We use an over-the-air antenna (a one-time $25 purchase) plus a Roku device (also a one-time $25 purchase) plus the cheapest Netflix plan (under $10 monthly) for all of our television needs.  With all of the channels offered, we don't need to pay for cable TV!
20. Health insurance is often hugely expensive for people whether they are employed or retired.  Fortunately hubby is retired military so his health insurance which covers everything, including prescriptions, is free (Medicare plus TriCare for Life) while my plan is only $30 a month which also covers everything (regular TriCare).  Needless to say, this saves us A LOT of money every month.
21. We don't drive everyday and we usually don't drive far when we do leave the house so this saves us a lot of money on gas as well as wear and tear on the car.  I often do errands on foot so our overall car expenses are pretty low.
22. We pay the sewer and HOA bills annually which give us a small discount over paying monthly.
23. Our local library system is amazing and it is totally free.  Besides free books and movies, the library also has free entertainment events, free classes, a free check out system for state parks passes, and many other things.  This is an amazing cost-saving resource!
24. Living in Las Vegas, our entertainment costs are pretty low.  Hubby bowls a couple times a week ($10 each day), we enjoy the occasionally matinee movie ($4 each), bingo session ($7 each, plus we each get two free drinks and the chance to win money), free rodeo events, free walking and hiking club events, and lots more free entertainment options that come up randomly.
25. For food, we tend to eat out way too much lately, but meals out are still relatively cheap here (but seriously, we need to cut back on this!).  Our favorite Mexican place has a $10 special we can split because it is so big, our favorite dim sum place is still pretty cheap, a new lobster roll place just opened near our house with $10 lobster rolls (these are $20 each at our favorite place in Connecticut!), plus hubby plays poker so his player comps pay for free meals at the casino steak house/Asian restaurant/Italian restaurant.  
26. We do cook most meals at home and from scratch though.  Hubby is a great cook and I like to bake bread and desserts so we very rarely buy processed food.
27. We also tend to cook large batches of food (soups, stews, curries) and freeze these in single-serving portions for days we don't feel like cooking.
28. Actually, we tend to freeze a lot of things.  When corn is on sale, we cook it then freeze it for future use.  When we open a jar of spaghetti sauce, we freeze what we don't use for future meals.  When meat is on sale, we stock up and put it in the freezer for future use.
29. We buy cheap food from local grocery stores (mainly loss leaders and app specials), cheap and inexpensive produce from local Asian and Hispanic grocery stores, and other inexpensive food from the Dollar Tree/Walmart/military commissary if the prices are good.
30. We also have a good stockpile of food that we use often (bags of rice and oats, canned goods, etc) that we buy when they come on sale.  This is good for emergencies (like if the stores were to shut down or there was another type of disaster) plus it allows us to always have enough food on hand to cook for big groups of people who show up without notice (hubby's family is notorious for this...a dozen people sometimes show up without notice so we immediately go into cooking mode!).
31. Every time we leave the house we bring drinks with us (in Contigo insulated tumblers) as well as sandwiches and snacks so we don't end up eating fast food if we are out all day.
32. I clean out our fridge and pantry every week both to rotate food and to use up leftovers/older produce on a regular basis rather than letting it decay in the back of the refrigerator.
33. We buy nearly all of our clothes (except socks, underwear, and shoes) from the Goodwill (the Goodwill is amazing here!).
34. We buy socks and underwear from Ross (on sale), and shoes from Ross/TJ Maxx/Sierra.com.
35. For basically anything else we need (soap, makeup, tools, tech, etc), we search for the lowest prices between amazon.com/Walmart/Target/etc. and buy in bulk if needed.
36. We also have a Sam's Club membership (gift from hubby's cousin) and Costco membership (needed to get a good discount on our house and car insurance as they have the best plan currently) so we occasionally shop at these places as well.
37. Overall, we tend not to buy too many things as we have a smaller house and don't need much more than consumables at this point.  I don't change out decor by the season like I used to do, and we both like a sparsely furnished house with no clutter so this limits how much stuff we buy.
38. I try not to change out tech (cell phones, tablets, laptops) too often but when I do buy a new tech item, I give the old tech item to one of the kids or grandkids who needs it.
39. When we do home repairs/renovations, we try to do as much as we can ourselves to save money but as we age, we do tend to spend more to have a professional do work we don't/can't do.  
40. We save money every month.  This money goes into our emergency fund, savings accounts, investment accounts, and my retirement account.  This way, if we do have a big expenditure (I'm pretty sure our AC system is going to need replaced by next year), we have the cash to cover it.
41. Our hobbies are fairly inexpensive.  I like walking so a good pair of shoes is all I need.  Hubby likes bowling (he buys a new bowling ball every few years), trying new recipes he finds on YouTube (no cost), and playing poker (he has a $50 limit when he plays and tends to win as often as he loses).  We have several friends who like golfing, boating, and international travel but we've "been there, done that" and don't feel the need for expensive hobbies these days.
42. We haven't traveled in several years.  Living in a popular vacation spot, friends and family like to come visit us instead of us traveling to visit them.  This suits both of us just fine!
43. We don't have pets.  Sort of.  Pet care is very expensive these days who while we don't have actual pets, we have kind of adopted a few feral cats in the neighborhood (the only expense is a big bag of cat food from Sam's Club every few months.
44. We have a lot of old-fashioned frugal habits (mending our clothes when needed, saving food containers for future use, using rags instead of disposable items, etc.).  Yu can find a million and one of these frugal tips on YouTube.
45. My work needs are minimal.  No travel (I work from home), no big office stuff (I only need a laptop and cell phone), no professional clothing (they only see me in online meetings so I don't need fancy clothes)...this saves a lot of money over my previous job expenses.
46. We don't have memberships (besides Costco) or subscriptions (besides Netflix).  Many people join gyms, pay a monthly fee for online services, etc. so by eliminating as many fees and monthly costs as possible, we save money.
47. For our hair, we color our hair at home and get haircuts at Great Clips, using senior discounts and coupons.  In order to stretch out the time between my haircuts, hubby trims my hair at home so this also saves money.  I tried cutting hubby's hair at home during the pandemic...that's didn't work out so well.  
48. For our laundry, I do full loads and only use a fraction of the laundry soap it says to use.  Our clothes aren't really dirty and I haven't noticed the difference between using a full cup of soap and a third cup of soap.  I also cut the dryer sheets in half which is something I have always done.
49. For paper towels, we get the rolls that are perforated for half sheets then hubby cuts the roll down the middle so we only use a quarter sheet each time which is enough for most uses.
50. I don't use much makeup.  When I was younger, I wouldn't leave the house without a full face of makeup (yeah 90s!), but these days, a bit of lipstick, brow liner, and eyeliner is pretty much all I need.
51. I use lists for everything--to do lists, errands lists, and shopping lists.  This allows us to get everything done at one time and buy everything we need so we don't need to make emergency trips to the store because we forgot something.
52. We carry a battery jumper, spare tire, jack, and tire inflator in the car so we don't need to call a tow truck if we get a flat tire or the battery dies.  When we did travel a lot, we had an AAA membership which was well worth the cost.
53. We regularly get the air in our car tires checked for free at our local Discount Tires.  I think having adequate air in your tires also improves fuel mileage as well.
54. I buy a big roll of "forever" postage stamps and these tend to last for a few years since I don't mail many things these days.
55. I pay all of our bills online which is safer, and cheaper, than mailing out checks.
56. We tend to just send money to the kids and grandkids for birthdays and holidays.  We used to send gifts but the cost of buying the gift plus mailing the package, it has become pretty expensive now so we see more value in cash gifts these days.
57. Social events these days tend to be big potluck gatherings when friends or relatives come to visit.  We tend to cook a lot anyway so instead of taking everyone out to a restaurant (expensive!) we just host a party at our house and if there will be a lot of people, we tell them what to bring (paper plates, a fruit tray, etc).
58. We avoid scams.  I could write an entire book on all of the scams that are out there these days but we tend to not answer calls from numbers we don't know, pay attention to our bank accounts, and read up on the latest scams so we will be aware of what to watch out for.
59. I always check the notices from our utility companies to see what they offer.  So far we got a free energy usage inspection (they added an air gap sealer around the front door for no charge) and a rebate on a dryer we bought.
60. I read the local and national news sites everyday.  This is another good way to learn about free and low-cost events, give-aways, etc.
61. I also check dealnews.com, techbargains.com, and slickdeals.com everyday and have found some great bargains on those sites over the years.
62. Over the years we have signed up for several birthday freebies and still get notices for freebies each year on our birthdays.
63. Occasionally I will use coupons at the grocery store or haircutting place but more and more, deals can be found on apps these days (I'm not even sure if the 90's double couponing/stacking coupons is still a thing now).
64. We don't have lots of extra things laying around the house these days so we no longer have garage sales but if there is something I want to sell or give away, I use Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
65. I do like to shop garage sales, however.  We don't go out of our way to find garage sales but if we see someone having a sale in our neighborhood, we will stop by and check out what they are selling.  I've found quite a few good--and cheap--things this way.
66. I also like trashpicking.  Not actual "jump in a dumpster to find things" picking but often the night before garbage day, people will leave still usable things out for the garbage truck to pick up.  I've found chairs, weights, a desk, and several other items we picked up this way and either kept for our own use or resold.
67. We don't have (many) vices.  Hubby used to smoke but fortunately he quit many years ago.  We were both shocked recently when we saw a carton of cigarettes is now $100!  Hubby uses his "fun money" to play poker (if he loses his allotted amount of money, he quits playing which is good).  If I could just get rid of my Baskin Robbins Blast habit...but I do save $1 on each drink by submitting the survey found on each receipt so that's something...
68. When we go grocery shopping, we always check the receipt.  More often than not, a sale price didn't ring up, an app coupon didn't get credited, or something else happened that caused us to pay more than we should so we get a refund on the spot.  Hubby also adds up the cost of each item we put in our shopping basket so we know about how much our total should be when we check out.
69. Speaking of groceries, I make a point to get a rain check for any sale item that is out of stock so we will still get the sale or loss leader price when the item comes back into stock.
70. I bake a lot and often give the things I make to friends and neighbors.  This is a nice way to treat people and sometimes they return the favor (for example, a neighbor I bake brownies for always picks up my Amazon packages if we are not home).
71. We never buy plastic bags of any size, instead we use grocery bags to line small garbage cans and big bags from the Goodwill to put in the big kitchen garbage can.
72. When we leave the house, we always turn up the AC or turn down the heat so we aren't paying to heat or cool the house when we aren't home.
73. Because the water coming out of our faucet tastes like it came straight out of Lake Mead, we used to buy bottled water but that is both expensive and leaves a lot of plastic waste.  Now we have reusable five-gallon water jugs and refill them for 50 cents a gallon at the water stations that can be found all over town.
74. I use the Kindle app on my tablet to download free books from the library instead of buying a separate Kindle device for this.  This works as I always have my tablet with me but other people prefer the much smaller and lighter-weight Kindle device.
75. I wash our car by hand.  It's kind of a toss-up whether this saves money over the drive-thru car wash but I like the extra exercise.
76. One thing we don't do is wait in the huge lines at Costco to get gas.  This does save money but our time is worth more than the couple of dollars we will save over the price at the local gas station.  My friend who has an RV. however, swears by Costco gas as it saves him a lot of money when he fills up his huge gas tank.
77. We are avoiding lifestyle creep.  We are still living like we are both retired even though I have a new job.  We thought briefly about getting a new house or a new car but figured our old house and old car are still fine so why waste the money.
78. We don't have a garden (I've tried but in this extreme desert heat I kill every plant I try to grow!) but I know several people who raise huge gardens and this saves them a lot of money on food.
79. We keep good credit scores.  The last time I checked, my score was 847(!).  Not that I ever want to take out a loan again but having a good credit score also impacts things like insurance costs, background checks for work, loan rates, etc.
80. Gig work is a thing for retirees (and everyone else).  I like doing short-term jobs when they come up and I know several people who drive for Uber, rent out AirBnBs, walk dogs through the Rover app, etc.  There are lots of ways to make a little extra cash when needed.
81. Keep up with your investments.  I "manage" my investments as best I can, but paying attention to your investment options can save/make you extra money.  For example, a friend had a CD invested at 1% from ages ago but by paying the early termination fee and putting the money in a 5% CD, they were able to make a lot more money on their investment.
82. YouTube has also saved us a lot of money over the years.  I've lost track of how many things we were able to fix for ourselves just by using a YouTube how-to video.  The car dealership wanted to charge me $80 to change the car engine filter but with a YouTube video and a $12 filter from Amazon, I was able to do this myself and save over $65!
83. When people start taking control of their money, they should make a budget vs actual spreadsheet each month.  This is a great way to estimate your monthly expenditures then see where your money is actually going so you can make adjustments.
84. Refinancing loans is another way to save money.  While I don't recommend refinancing credit cards and other smaller consumer loans (just use the debt snowball and pay them off ASAP!), this can make sense if you have a higher interest mortgage loan and interest rates drop considerably.
85. Speaking of mortgages, you can usually drop the private mortgage insurance (PMI) coverage, and thus save money, when the equity in your home reaches a certain level.
86. Do things to reduce your insurance costs: have a higher deductible, drop full coverage auto insurance on old cars, quit smoking, choose your new car with insurance costs in mind, ditto when you buy a new house, etc.
87. Look for free community services if you are in need.  You can call 211 or just Google for information on everything from food banks and free diapers or car seats to senior services and meal programs for the elderly, etc.
88. Have a will, living will, and medical power of attorney.  This will not only save you a great deal of drama and hassle, but it can save your family legal costs associated with your death.  Also, these documents can often be found free online and you can usually get them notarized for free at your bank (if you have a complicated estate or legal questions, consult an attorney!).
89. We buy all of our party supplies, gift wrap, gift bags, and greeting cards at Dollar Tree.  This is the cheapest source of these items that I have found.
90. If you are a veteran, make sure you have reviewed your options for disability claims (especially since the new PACT act was enacted).  There are for-profit companies that can help you with this or you can do it yourself online or with the help of veteran's assistance programs.
91. Also, if you are a veteran, Google for veteran's discounts, veteran's services, and veteran's benefits.  There are SO MANY programs, discounts, and freebies for veterans out there!
92. Similarly, if you are a senior citizen, student, tribal member, or belong to any other group, Google around and see what you can find.  There are scholarships for redheads, super cheap park passes for seniors, discounts on software for students, various programs for tribal members, etc.
93. At the end of each year, complete an "end of the year" financial checklist to make sure you haven't forgotten to do something that can save you money.
94. Don't do things that can sink you financially: loaning money to family or friends, paying bail for someone, buying a timeshare, taking out student loans you can't afford, investing in a shady "good deal", etc.
95. Stay away from the legal system if at all possible.  I've seen more than a few people financially ruined by a divorce, a DUI, a civil judgement, etc.
96. Polish up your resume, tap into your network, and see if there are better/higher paying jobs you can apply for.  Sometimes the only way to get a significant raise is to jump to a competitor/company related to work you currently do.  In a similar vein, some people wind down their career by officially retiring then working as a part-time contractor doing the same work as they did before they retired.
97. Live within your means.  Only four words but probably the most important thing when it comes to retiring well--make your lifestyle fit within your current (and future) means.  If you always have more month left than money, you aren't living within your means.
98. Plan for your retirement as soon as possible (even if you are only 20 years old now).  Create investments that will pay out when you retire, take advantage of employer matching programs for your 401k, consider the validity/probability of pensions you are entitled to (some will pay out well decades from now, some pension funds may end up bankrupt), know the best time to start taking social security, etc.
99. Take care of your things so you won't need to fix or replace them.  Our old carpet still looks great because we never wear shoes in the house.  We have a 20+ year old vacuum that still works great because hubby keeps in cleaned and maintained, ditto for our old air conditioning system.
100. Be a minimalist.  This will leave you with fewer things to clean/maintain/insure/etc.
101. Always ask.  Let friends or family know if you are looking for a specific thing, ask for discounts everywhere, etc.

Whew!  That's all I can think of now.  Also, sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes, I am terrible at editing my own writing!