8 splurges that make my small retired life fun

Being retired does not mean all the fun is over. Though I am careful with my finances there are still things I buy or experiences I spend money on. These "splurges" bring joy and meaning to my life. This is not about excess but about ensuring that I am living a meaningful, small retired life.

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This video is NOT sponsored, however some of the product links are affiliate, which means if you buy something using these links I will receive a small commission. The links below direct you to the Canadian Amazon site.

My favourite books:

My favourite camera gear:

Kitchen stuff:

Favorite skin and body care:

[kristinam]

Now that I am in my sixties, I will splurge on good quality shoes. They still need to be cute, but I also want the comfort of a well made shoe!

[helenaville]

My special splurge is a beautiful cup+saucer set. Just a single cup and saucer that's beautifully designed and crafted. I use it in my twice weekly ritual. So twice a week around 11:00 mid-morning I put on one of my favourite classical music collections, I make a coffee in one of my beautiful cup+saucer sets, I then sit in my terrace, surrounded by my beautiful flower pots, and I sit for a half hour, admiring all the plants and beauty surrounding me, and I sip my beautifully tasting coffee and write in my beautiful gratitude journal with my beautiful fountain pen, while listening to my favourite classical music. I believe these two hours of gratitude and beauty are the most important two hours of my week because they establish my mind-set of abundance and appreciation and gratitude for the rest of the week. I have about seven beautiful single cup+saucer sets that I use only for this purpose. Life is beautiful! 👍💚🎵🎵

[kristirichards]

Husband and i retired two years ago. We live in a small home, rarely go out to dinner, dont buy expensive clothes. Our big splurge is going on trips, staying in nice accommodations and enjoying good food and wine.

[kathymcgill]

Once a month I take myself out into the city, go at an art gallery or show, play and dine out with a glass of good quality wine.

[theskiesthelimit-qk]

I think retirement should be a balance of saving and spending. I want to enjoy my life while I'm on the planet.

[JelaneJ]

I have two splurges: art and craft supplies and audio books. I listen while I paint and craft. So peaceful.

[groovysociety]

I love buying fresh flowers, books, and pretty nightgowns. These things give me a lot of joy. I also love buying my grandchildren little unexpected gifts. Thanks for sharing this video, I really like it.

[herefortoday-es]

Hi Raina, I got Invisalign in my early 50's, I'm now in my mid 60's and while it was a big expenditure, it was the BEST decision. After Invisalign was completed my dentist suggested whitening my teeth and I agreed. I felt like a movie star and couldn't stop looking at my teeth! For years it was always kids first, then the house, dog, ect. So fun at this age to spend some money on ourselves.

[barbararadzeviciusbondi]

I only buy the best quality toilet paper and paper towel. That is my lifelong splurge. Growing up we used newspaper for the loo and soft toilet paper is a gift.

[janpeterson]

I really enjoyed this! My splurge is once-a-week daycare for my dog. He’s a mini dachshund and the light of my life, but he’s ALOT! Once a week I don’t have 13 pounds of this guy following me everywhere and sticking his cold wet nose near my lunch! The best part is that I know he loves it there. He has play time twice a day with other dogs and that is his favorite thing ever! When I pick him up we are both so happy to see each other! Hugs, kisses, and cuddles. Win/Win

[jeannettelee]

We are retired 63 yo female. My husband is 67, we wear great lounge wear and slippers, we wear ❤ our favorite perfumes/cologne, our iPads are very important to our daily lives, we don’t watch tv, listen to radio or buy magazines the iPad do it all. We do buy good quality outdoor clothes ( shoes, coats, jackets, gloves, sweater). We do keep our home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I’m not being to uncomfortable where I spend the majority of my time. We do take mini trips 2-3 days and 1 big trip every 2 years.

[raewebb]

New to your channel….subscribed! I’m 72 and going thru my 2nd fight with endometrial cancer in less than a year. Your video gave me inspiration that if I beat this again, I’m spending the $$$$ to have my crooked front tooth replaced with an implant. Something I’ve always wanted but couldn’t justify ….. the hell with the $$$$

[lyndacarrow]

I agree 100% about the IPad. I absolutely love my IPad and use it everyday. I love it so much more than my phone. I had to get a phone because even to pay my bills online, they have to send a code to my cell phone to verify my identity. I find that so ironic because I am trying to give them money, and they make it so difficult sometimes. Keep up the interesting videos.😊❤

[paulabaldasaro]

Hi Raina. I have followed a number of YouTubers over the past couple of years, yet never post a comment. After watching your video today I want to say that you are refreshingly "real", humourous but also share your sensible, intelligent side with us. I really like your approach to life and always look forward to the next video.

[belindavanderwalt]

Love your videos Raina! my phone, laptop and love splurging on fresh flowers, plants and books. Enjoy your visit in Australia, God bless

[marciabell]

Really nice sheets and my favorite perfume. Those make me happy.

[b.l.wilson]

Hi Raina, we received government assistance for dentistry and I feel like the dentist hated seeing us coming. The care was so horrible I thought I’d become a dentist and treat people with compassion. Well, I didn’t become a dentist but I was a dental specialist for the Army National Guard for 23 years. There were many soldiers who needed a gentle hand to help them get through our station because of traumatic experiences they received at the dentist as kids. I also went on many medical missions outside of the U.S. I feel my childhood goal/dream was accomplished 100 fold.
Thank you again for awesome content 🙏🏾😊

[johnnymayo]

Great discussion! Because I grew up financially poor, I learned at a very early age to buy the best you could afford without going into debt and take care of/maintain that item. Additionally, I always think of the 'price' of an item in relation to the actual time/amount of usage. I will buy or splurge on certain 'luxury' items, such as hobby-related items, however, even those purchases must meet a 'value/cost/satisfaction' standard. As far as food...I purchase the majority of my food items from a local farm. My philosophy is that the food you consume is the best defense against sickness/disease and is a positive investment in your health. And as we all know, sickness is very costly.

[amelia]

iPad, bedding, dark chocolate and scarves are my splurges. It is so good to know that we have helped in some tiny way to get your ticket to Melbourne. Our grandchildren are so special and after living hundreds of miles away, I have now finally moved and they are only ten minutes away. This Christmas will be really special.

[papabear]

Just came across your channel - thanks for this video! It got me thinking ….

First, I’m so glad you’re going/have been to see your grandchildren! It’s so important for everyone involved, as you know! Definitely a priority for one’s money!

I’m a retired children’s librarian so I adore children and children’s books - that’s an understatement! And, when we retired almost 5 years ago, we significantly downsized (by choice, to a little 500 square foot cabin in the woods) we knew space was going to dictate our priorities, books included! My husband and I have always had thousands of books, and now we have less than 100 total! It was hard at first, but knowing someone else would enjoy them made it much easier and more enjoyable to eliminate from our collections.

And, we no longer by books! Amazing! Last year we each bought 1 book (!) and they were both older books we had been looking to find for quite a while. So …. we removed 2 of our others on our bookshelf to make room for them. This works really well for us even though we remain voracious readers. We’ve both now adjusted to ebooks and audio books - all available for free, remotely, from our area libraries! Win, win!

Like you, it’s cold where we are in the mountains for at least 6 months of the year. So, we prioritize warm, well- 0:00 made winter items -boots, coats and socks. Our quantity of each is limited but when we need to replace something, we don’t hesitate to spend the money, to do so. In the 5 years since retirement we’ve only had to buy one new pair of boots and 2 pairs of socks!

We also have little to almost no need any longer for the types of clothes we did before retiring. Now, we 0:00 each have 2 outfits we can wear when we are “social” and that’s all we need in that regard! We each have 5 changes of clothes for cold months and 3 changes of clothes for warmer weather (it rarely ever gets “hot” here, even in summer). It’s so freeing and makes laundry, maintenance, and choosing what to wear a complete breeze!

I stopped wearing any makeup after retiring - what a gift! I don’t miss it a bit!

We highly prioritize our monies for eating organically and/or locally as much as we can, as here in the states, the standard/typical commercial food production is honestly horrible, and quite negatively health impactful too! We also prioritize food for our sweet dog and 2 cats as such. So, we make food for them.

We each have our hobbies. My husband enjoys winter camping and ice fishing, so occasionally he will purchase things for those activities. In retirement I’ve taken up the new hobby of making and enjoying of dollhouse miniatures, so I, too, will buy supplies from time to time as I need or want. We each have a tiny art studio/ building where we have a bit of space for our respective hobbies.

We also allot 0:00 monies for health insurance here in the US where the entire for-profit business (!) is ridiculous and so very expensive. Since retiring, thankfully, our health care monthly premiums have actually gone down from when we were both employed.

However, we do pay a combined total of almost $600 each MONTH - and we still have deductibles to meet before coverage kicks in each year. And the standard senior health care (as we have), doesn’t include any coverage at all for dental, vision, hearing aids, prescriptions, etc. So, we pay $1800 each year for our separate prescription and dental insurance plans. Neither of these plans pays for the majority of prescription or dental needs by any means. But it’s too risky not to have the coverage they do provide. Like I said … it’s truly ridiculous!

But, we are grateful to be able to afford what we currently have. Each year, the premiums go up and there are hundreds of thousands - likely millions - of Americans with no health care coverage at all because it’s unaffordable. Bankruptcy over medical bills is sadly, not all that uncommon here. And now with the new political administration, things sadly indicate it ( and everything else) is only going to get much worse.

We also buy flowers - bulbs to plant and at least 1-2 times a month, we buy some fresh flowers. Their colors and lovely presence go a long way in helping me believe that Spring will indeed arrive at some point here in our winter wonderland! As a matter of fact, we have 2 indoor amaryllises just starting to bloom right now! Stunning!

Finally, we buy food for the many birds that come to our woods. The squirrels get their fair share and then some (!) but the birds are well kept as well! We so enjoy watching them in each season and experiencing the gift of sharing this place in the woods with them. From hummingbirds to pileated woodpeckers to grouse to 0:00 bald eagles and more - we are surrounded and enchanted by their feathery presence!

Again, thanks for your this video! Like I said, it really got me thinking!

Going forward, I wish you every happiness in your continuing retirement including many, many visits with your grandchildren - near and afar! And of course, happy reading too - with them and on your own!
Kathleen, USA