When talking about saving money, the conversation usually veers in the direction of budgeting or spending less. Both of these are definitely important to consider if you’re trying to save, pay off debt or be better with your money. One item that’s less talked about but is equally (if not more) important has to do with your health.
Depending on what you reference, the top 3 costs in retirement are:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Health Care
All three of these can be planned for and taken care of. Paying off a car can be easy enough by making a smart choice with the type of car you purchase. Paying off a house is harder to do; however, this can also be done with smart money planning and by sacrificing over a period of many years. Both of these are done through choices on how and where to spend your money. The third item, health care, can actually be done by spending little to no money at all.
The largest cause of death worldwide is heart disease. The American diet is riddled with fast food and other terrible choices. These choices are largely made out of convenience or a need to fulfill the desires of our stomach rather than what we should be eating. What we consume, coupled with the laziness that creeps into our lives as we become busy and stressed, leads to a lack of movement and sense of despair for what the future may hold.
The choices we make on a daily basis are directly correlated with future probabilities. If you’re someone who smokes 2 packs of cigarettes a day, the chances of you having lung cancer are greater than someone who doesn’t. This is obvious to most people. What’s not as obvious is the same correlation when it comes to heart disease.
I’m not a doctor and don’t pretend to be. It doesn’t take a doctor to figure out that eating a diet of burgers, fries and shakes on a daily basis for 30 years is not the best life choice. It’s possible you may have a metabolism that allows you to avoid gaining weight; however, other internal factors like cholesterol and high blood pressure could be impacted.
My point is, how you decide to eat and exercise will impact your budget later on. The best way to avoid major expenses is to plan for them. It’s easy enough to budget and pay off your house or your car. It’s harder to think about avoiding heart disease and other major health factors by eating a salad instead of a cheese steak or waking up to run rather than sleeping in.
A friend of mine told me many years ago, “it’s not what you make, it’s what you spend.” If you’re making healthier choices now, you’ll have the ability to not only live longer but be happier later in life. You’ll be free of the worry and stress associated with medical costs resulting from years of neglect to your body.
Paying off your car and your house are both attainable and worthy goals to have. This would check off 2 of the 3 large expenses in retirement. Taking care of yourself now through exercise and diet would also account for your heart, fully rounding out your retirement plan.
Are you getting frustrated by this unsolicited advice?
You should go for a run. It’ll make you feel better.
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