Case Studies...
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Affording a Pet on a Low Budget
Once you have downsized your life and have time to spare you may well be contemplating owning a pet. Will you be able to afford a pet and its upkeep now that you are on a limited budget?...
Camping Holidays as Alternatives to Hotel Breaks
When downsizing your life it does not mean the end to holidays. Rather than spend your money on expensive hotel breaks why not try camping instead? By travelling with your own accommodation the world ...
Car Boot Sales or Jumble Sales
There are many ways to raise extra cash once you downsize your life without having to find another job. By selling items in your home that are no longer needed you can utilise the cash for more import...
Caravan Holidays: a Cheaper Alternative?
When downsizing your life holidays will often be an expense that cannot always be afforded. By considering a caravan holiday either touring or staying in a holiday park your family will still be able ...
Cheap Travel When Your Downsize
With time on your hands you are able to trawl the internet and look at cheaper air fares. If you know the country that you are flying to then book the flight when it is at its cheapest then book a hot...
Choose and Care for a Pet
Once you have downsized your life you will have more time on your hands to think about having a pet. But what sort of pet and how are you to care for it?...
Coach Tours Holidays to Save Money
When you have downsized your life you will have time for more leisure pursuits. You may have planned to travel more often but how and where? Have you considered ever taking coach tours or even coach h...
Cycling as an Alternative to Car Ownership
With the cost of petrol climbing steadily day after day the thought of driving your car less is very appealing. By cycling instead of using the car at every opportunity not only will you be saving mon...
Deciding to Downsize After Redundancy
Redundancy can affect anyone at any time of their life. Not only will you have to cope with the shock of no longer having a job but you will have to start to plan for the future....
Discover your Local Libraries
Once you have downsized your life you will have time on your hands to follow new interests and spend more time on current hobbies. However, the last thing you should be doing is spending more money at...
Divorce or Separation Forces You to Downsize
It is not always a pleasant situation that forces you to downsize your life. One such unhappy event is divorce or separation. Not only do you have to sell your home and change your lifestyle but you a...
Doing Several Jobs or Careers Simultaneously
When downsizing your life you may want to leave your highly stressed profession and retire to a quieter pace of life but the cost of living may dictate otherwise. But had you considered taking a part ...
Downsizing Became Too Expensive: A Case Study
Ann Wise took early retirement from her job and sold her modest home in London. She moved to the country to follow her dream to train to be an artist and thought pension and savings would see her thro...
Downsizing or Moving to a Smaller Home
In order to downsize your life you may find that you have to move to a smaller home. This move should not be undertaken until you have thought the decision through carefully. The value of your home is...
Downsizing when your Children Leave the Family Home
The time will come when your children leave the family home either for further education or to start their own families. Have you thought about your future life and how it will be without the children...
Downsizing Your Life by Clever Budgeting
By spending a few hours looking out your income and outgoings it is possible to not only possible to live within your means but to save money as well. For anyone wishing to downsize their lifestyle co...
Economical Shopping: Special Offers
Taking advantage of special offers can make a big difference to your shopping bill at the end of each month. Plan carefully and you will have money left for a special treat or even your holiday....
Entertaining Friends After Downsizing Your Life
After downsizing your life you may not be able to spend as much money on entertaining friends as you did in the past. Here we show ten ways in which you can still entertain and enjoy yourself without ...
Extra Income for Exotic or Adventurous Travel
An enjoyable part of downsizing your life is to be able to have the time to travel to exotic places and have adventures that you only dreamt of while building your career....
Finding Holiday Special Offers and Travel Deals
When downsizing your life you still need to be able to take a holiday and enjoy yourself. There are many ways to do this without finding yourself overdrawn at the bank....
Finding Work After Downsizing
For the older person seeking work during this recession it is hard but once you have left work and downsized your life it can be even harder. Here are some ideas for seeking and generating income that...
Flexible Hours to Fit Around Family
Downsizing your life may mean that you can say goodbye to your full time job and work part time. Working flexible hours is another option that means you will be able to spend time with your family or ...
Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree
Once you have downsized your life and have time for new leisure pursuits why not research the ancestry of your family and leave a lasting legacy for your family? Genealogy is a fascinating hobby...
Giving Money to Your Children Before You Die
When reaching later life it is important to decide what to do with your money before you die. By not make a will detailing your last wishes you will find that most of your hard earned cash will go to ...
Grow Your Own Food
Growing your own vegetables and fruit must be one of the most of the most satisfying pastimes. To be able to grow something that you will nurture until it has grown and then to present it to your fami...
Having to Change the Family Car
When downsizing your life it can be cost effective to change the family car to a smaller vehicle not just for the money element but to be more environmentally friendly as well....
Helping or Volunteering for a Charity
Many people have a favourite charity that they support with donations of cash over the years. Once you have downsized your life and have more time on your hands you may wish to expand your interest in...
Holidays for Elderly or Disabled
When planning trips or holidays in the company of elderly or disabled persons it is advisable to plan ahead and check that the holidays are accessible and suitable for their needs. A holiday should be...
Home Maintenance as you Get Older
If you own your own home maintenance and home improvements can become a problem as you get older. If you are planning to downsize your life it is important that you consider carefully the maintenance ...
Homemade Meals on a Budget
In these uncertain times we all have to make every penny count, one way we can do this is to budget the household food bills and stick to a budget. By cooking at home we can go a long way to saving mo...
House Swap or Home Exchange Holiday
When downsizing your life you may not be able to afford an expensive holiday. There are ways to have an enjoyable holiday without it costing a fortune. Home exchange breaks are one way of achieving th...
How will Downsizing Affect Your Children?
Once you have downsized your life and have time for new leisure pursuits why not research your family history and leave a lasting legacy for your family?...
Income from the Equity in your Home
After living in your home for many years and having no mortgage you may not been keen to move to a smaller house. One option is to stay in your home and sell part of the value to a company who will th...
Join a Local Community or History Group
Once you have downsized your life and have more time on your hands you may want to get involved with researching your family history. Through research in genealogy you will become aware of local histo...
Joining a New Community: A Case Study
Fred Johnson moved 200 miles south to be near his son Darren after the death of his wife. Becoming part of his new community was a challenge he didn’t expect....
Keeping Fit & Gym Membership
Many people make a New Year resolution to get fit. This entails joining a gym or health club which is not always a cheap option at the best of times. Fuelled by good intentions and the excesses of Chr...
Looking After Elderly Parents
With many people living longer these days it is not unusual for our parents to still be living long after we retire. A decision to downsize your life and live either more simply or even take early ret...
Maintaining Old Friends and Relationships
When the time comes to downsize your life there will be many changes. You may move away from the area you have lived in for many years or perhaps stay in the area but move to a smaller house. Whatever...
Making Charity Donations
After downsizing your life you may find that you have spare money that you would like to give to charity. There are ways to do this whereby your chosen charity can benefit by not only your money but b...
Making or Changing Your Will
Everyone should make a will, not only for their own peace of mind but so that their loved ones know their final wishes have been carried out correctly. When downsizing your life your will must be chan...
Moving House to a Cheaper Area
Many People when planning to downsize their lives need to release equity from their current home to fund their future years. One way to do this is by relocation to another part of the country, or even...
Moving in With Your Children
It may be that you have no option but to move in with your children and downsize your life. Perhaps the cost of living, bereavement or illness means you are unable to continue living as you are now. W...
Moving to Smaller Property When You Retire
When you decide to retire you may wish to move to a smaller home, this can be for many reasons but should be thought about carefully as you plan for your future....
Off Peak Holiday Deals to Save Money
After downsizing your life you will find that you are able to spend your leisure time just as you please. Perhaps take up a new hobby or travel more? Unfortunately, travelling both home and abroad can...
Owning Your Home in Retirement
For most of our adult lives we strive to pay a mortgage to be able to own our own home. Come the day you retire you have to consider whether that property we really wanted has become a burden....
Planning Meals in Advance
If you wish to save money, eat well and not spend a lot of time cooking and shopping why not plan your meals in advance? By buying in bulk and making plans your money will go further and you will alwa...
Raise Money Via Online Auctions
When downsizing your life there will be times when you need extra money. With limited funds at your disposal you will have to budget carefully or find another way to raise funds. One way to raise fund...
Redundancy Forced Me to Downsize: A Case Study
When Mike Evans faced redundancy he didn’t realise it would mean him downsizing his home and his life....
Retraining in Order to Downsize Your Job
There may come a stage in your life when you no longer need to work such long hours, commute every day or have such a stressful job. It may be that your mortgage if paid off and the children have flow...
Run a Business from Home
When downsizing your life you may decide the time is right to start that business you’ve always longed to own. Rather than buy a commercial property why not start small from your home?...
Save Money by Skill Bartering
When you are trying to downsize your life being able to barter a skill with another person is a money saver and a way to find a part time job....
Saving on Insurance policies
When downsizing your life every home expense has to be looked at in order to save money.
The cost of insurance policies can eat into your household budget quite considerably so it is worth taking a l...
Stock Cupboard Essentials and Leftovers
Having a well stocked cupboard and using up leftovers can supply you with many extra meals and save you money. Being clever with store cupboard items can also be a boon when money is tight....
Taking in a Lodger to Help Your Cashflow
When downsizing you life there will be times when you need extra cash. Perhaps you didn’t budget as well as you could have for this major life changing venture or simply that you cash is not going as ...
Temporary Employment or Short Term Work
Once you have downsized your life there will be times when an injection of money will help your finances immensely. No one can be sure what the future holds and there may be times when you need to fin...
The Sports Car You've Always Wanted
Downsizing your life should be a time when you are able to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Some people want to travel, others to own that sports car that they have always coveted but how to ...
Unable to Cope with a Large Garden
When downsizing your life the size of the garden is often a big reason for deciding to move home. If you are distressed at having to leave your home because of the size of the garden there are ways to...
Using Stocks, Shares and Investments
When planning to downsize your life you must plan your finances carefully not just for the present but for the years ahead when you will be less able to work and increase your financial stability. For...
Using Your Pension to Downsize
When planning to downsize your life you may be depending on your pension to provide financial support in your later years. By careful planning you pension may help you downsize earlier than you expect...
Voluntary Work Once You Have More Spare Time
Downsizing your life will leave you with more spare time. What will you do with this time? Some people decide to devote their time to voluntary work for worthwhile causes whether it is full or part ti...
We Downsized to Live in the Countryside: A Case Study
Jean Simmons had always wanted to retire to the country and as her 40th birthday came round she decided to put her ideas into action....
Will Working in Retirement Affect Your Lifestyle?
While some people decide to retire early others will carry on with their jobs long past their allotted retirement age. While there is something to be said for having a salary cheque arrive every month...