It seems that New Year’s resolutions tend to be centered around ways to make yourself healthier, a better person, or how to save yourself money in the upcoming year. The truth is: this isn’t something that just feels common; the most popular resolutions actually center around one of these themes of health, self-care, or budgeting.
The best news is that you don’t have to overwhelm yourself with new tasks to complete all year round to try to make a better life for yourself. There are ways you can be healthy, practice self-care, and be eco-friendly all while saving yourself money.
Making eco-friendly changes
This year, strive to make changes that will help you and the environment. Being retired, you have more time to focus on things that really matter, like making the planet a better place so it makes sense for your resolutions to not just be focused on yourself. I am sharing some eco-friendly changes to make to your lifestyle that can actually save you money too!
Reusable water bottles – If you are still using single-use plastic water bottles, 2020 is your time to make a change. Reusable bottles are a great investment. They may be a pricier one-time payment, but they can prevent you from spending money on water bottles and wasting plastic every week for years to come.
Contact lenses – You may think that something as small as your contact lenses wouldn’t matter. However, just like water bottles, you have to think about how the small amount of plastic you use daily can add up quickly. Switch your contact lenses to a brand that uses less plastic and is affordable! You can’t go wrong.
Clothing – There are even ways to be conscious of the environment with your clothing. Shop from sustainable brands that source their materials naturally and ethically, as well as brands that are mindful of their carbon footprint and employee treatment. To save yourself even more money, you can shop second-hand. Thrift stores are a good way to save money on clothes while giving a second life to clothing that others no longer wanted.
Budget-friendly health changes
Being retired means there is more time to do things you enjoy – and it’s a plus if any of those things include exercising and being active. Oftentimes, people waste money on gym memberships they don’t use or seek out classes and don’t end up enjoying them. Fortunately, there are alternatives to these typical go-tos! Make better use of your funds and keep yourself motivated by doing things you actually have fun doing. If you like tennis or golf, then you should do those things to get your daily exercise in if that’s your plan for the new year.
Another option is to invest in items for a home gym so you don’t have to leave your home to get a good exercise into your day. Simply dumbbells, yoga mats, and resistance bands can offer a great workout. However, you can take your dedication to fitness a step further this year and invest in a product like a stationary bike. There’s the top of the line exercise option the Peloton bike which can give the feel of a workout class in your home. But there are also lower cost options like the Schwinn IC3 Indoor Cycling Bike and L Now Indoor Cycling Bike that can be purchased at a reasonable price! Both have a media shelf and if you crave that interactive workout class feel and motivation then you can still get Peloton’s classes via their app.
Make sure you’re investing your money and your time in something you enjoy doing for any health changes you consider in 2020. There is no point in spending money on a gym membership, classes, or workout equipment if you aren’t having fun while doing it!
Self-care practices for the new year
Self-care is another practice that is important to better ourselves and is often a focus of New Year’s resolutions. The eco-friendly and health resolution ideas we’ve discussed are actually both forms of self-care in themselves – it’s important to feel good about yourself and the life choices you are making.
Budgeting – Yes, budgeting in itself is a form of self-care. Being smart with your finances can give you peace of mind, help you spend your money more wisely, and encourage you to save money for things that are important. It’s especially wise to budget around the holidays, when we tend to spend a lot of money at once.
Be outdoors – Something as simple as being outside for 30 minutes every day has a lot of positive benefits. Whether you choose to work out, go for a walk, or just bask in the sun, be sure to get outdoors every day for a free way to boost your health and mood!
Journaling – Writing in a journal is something that can help your mental health by expressing gratitude and working through any feelings of stress, anxiety, or depression. It can also help increase memory capacity and comprehension. Writing is a simple, free practice that many people aren’t doing on a regular basis after retiring.
Health, self-care, and living a green life luckily all go hand-in-hand. If you’re looking to make a New Year’s resolution for 2020, consider some of the budget-friendly options on this list to better yourself, the planet, and the people around you too!
One area I’ve been focusing on is being less wasteful and trying to recycle as much as possible. Look at all the trash being thrown out every week in just your town alone. Then add that to the rest of the country and it seems like we are going to run out of space to put it eventually. Some of those hard plastics we throw out probably take 50 to 100 years to break down if not longer. Add in population growth and it cant be sustainable. Everyone needs to do their part to help the planet.
Thanks for the comment Arrgo. We too have been recycling as much as possible. We are fortunate that we have a dedicated recycle can pickup every two weeks. Also, trying to reduce the plastic we buy. After seeing how it never really decomposes but gets smaller and smaller where it ends up everywhere and inside every living thing.
Tommy