When older adults enter retirement, having to live on a fixed income can feel like a challenge, even an impossible mission at times. Especially if they are dealing with large medical bills due to health problems, working out a feasible way of managing expenses can be a stressful task. After all, many challenges that older adults face like disabilities, health problems, and living support are all costly and necessary, making it even harder to find an avenue to cut costs.Luckily, there are actually many methods that you can adopt to help decrease expenses and stretch your spending money. We have compiled a list of tips and strategies that can help you and your loved ones make ends meet.Cutting Down on Unnecessary SpendingThis might sound like pointless advice; however, we actually spend a lot on frivolous things. It is good practice to take a look back on the things around your house, declutter, and reflect on what is truly necessary for your life.For example, there are ways to cut down your essential bills like choosing more energy-efficient appliances, turning off lights, heating, or fans in rooms that you arent currently using. No matter what, there are going to be some bills and purchases that you have to pay for at the very least, make sure that you are utilizing these purchases to their full extent.Choose to Pay With CashBefore we start on why this is a good way to save money, it is important to take note that having large amounts of cash in your house or on your body at any time is not safe.We would still recommend paying with cash instead of a debit or credit card as it is essentially, harder to spend. When you pay for your shopping with a card, you do not have the same sensation of handing over money as with cash payments. Moreover, paying with a card can lead to easily overspending on online shopping.Living Without a CarFor families with multiple cars, selling one car is an efficient way to save money. If you live in a walkable neighborhood, it is also possible to completely do without one as well. Maintaining a car and ensuring that it has fuel can become very costly. However, it is important to ensure that you and your loved ones still have transportation options when it comes to getting to the places you need and want to go.Our team at Aston Gardens At Pelican Marsh understands that financial planning for older adults can be extremely challenging. However, assisted living can sometimes be the best option to get the help you need with everyday activities. This is why we introduced our senior living rent protection services to minimize the economic uncertainty that you and your loved ones might face. This program ensures that your rent will not change for the first 36 months that you join our community. This means that your rent and access to our amenities will not be affected even if there is any inflation or rise in the cost of living in the area.More importantly, we do not require any long-term commitments, buy-ins, or large upfront fees to join us. For more information on our programs, senior living options, or amenities, contact us today and our senior living coordinators will get back to your shortly.

Your heart is definitely one hard worker! Beating anywhere between 60 to 90 times per minute, it is crucial that we take care of it. In fact, since we depend on it to circulate necessary oxygen and nutrients around our body, the thought of it failing can be extremely scary.Heart health, like other forms of health, can be protected by taking care of yourself. We have compiled some tips for you to better care for your heart and to live a healthier life!Maintain Blood Pressure Levels in Normal RangesBlood pressure refers to the force of your blood when it is moving through your different blood vessels. This means that when you are having high blood pressure, your blood is moving in a forceful manner through your body and your heart. Having prolonged high blood pressure can cause many problems within your heart and it shouldnt be ignored once discovered. In fact, it is easily treated.A healthy blood pressure should be 120/80, or at least somewhat close to this reading. It is important to check it at least once to twice yearly to monitor any sudden changes, doing it more often if you are recording numbers outside of a healthy range.If you are coping with high blood pressure, it is important to make some lifestyle changes like reducing your salt and fried food intake, exercising more, and cutting out alcohol.Keep a Look Out for Your Cholesterol LevelsIt is important to first note that cholesterol isnt all bad there is both good and bad cholesterol and it is important to keep both of them at optimal levels. When you go for a full physical check-up with your doctor, they should do a fasting blood test to ensure that they are where they should be. Otherwise, this can significantly increase your chances of having a heart attack or heart disease.Maintain a Healthy WeightYou should love your body no matter what size you are, but research has shown that it is harder to have healthy blood flow throughout your body and to your heart when you are overweight or obese. When your blood flow is obstructed or changed, it can cause a build-up of plaque in your arteries and increase your risk for diseases relating to the heart.Quit SmokingSmoking is highly addictive and can come with many adverse health effects. More importantly, it can have a severely negative effect on the health of your heart and increase the risk of heart conditions.Get the Best of Senior Living with Aston Gardens At Pelican MarshIf you have concerns about your heart health or any existing heart conditions, it is always important to consult your doctor or any other appropriately-licensed physician for professional medical advice. This is why we include comprehensive round-the-clock medical care here in our assisted living community. In fact, it is only one of the many amenities that are available to all our residents.For more information on how our dedicated team can support you and your loved ones, contact us today.

When it comes to the right retirement age, there is no right answer. The traditional retirement age of 65 may not be feasible or desirable for you. But what really matters is if you are financially and emotionally ready to stop working. The two work hand in hand: when you are financially prepared, you can focus more on your purpose and vision in retirement - the fun stuff, many would say.We think it's important to invest some time now to prepare for this change, so we recommend involving your spouse and other family members in the conversation. Openly discussing your vision can help ensure a successful adjustment to your new life. And even though there's a lot to think about, your Edward Jones financial advisor can help you better prepare for the financial impact of not working full time whenever that may be.Explore these five important questionsThinking about your answers to the following questions can help bring your retirement vision to life:What does the word "retirement" mean to you?The idea of a traditional retirement doesn't fit many of our ideal notions anymore of how we may want to spend our future. You may want to travel, volunteer or spend more time with your family. You could also be ready to spend more time enjoying a hobby or even start a new career. Is working part time or volunteering an option or desire for you? Having a plan of what will fulfill you during the next phase of life can help you start to envision what your days may look like.How will leaving the workforce make you feel?You've probably worked most of your adult life. Making the switch can be a big adjustment. It's normal to be excited yet have some doubts. You don't have somewhere to go every day. Are you OK with that? Do you have other things you want to do? Money is only part of the picture. Make sure you've thought through how you actually feel about retiring.Whats the first thing you want to do when you retire?Write down the first three, five or 10 things you want to do and dont expect to achieve them all in the first week. Remember, youll have plenty of years to fill with the things you want to do.If you have a spouse or partner, is he or she on board?Does your spouse or partner want to retire when you do? If so, what's your health insurance situation? Is working part time or volunteering an option or desire for you? If you want to travel, does your partner? Talk to your partner about his or her ideas about retirement. If you have different visions, discuss them and find some common ground. By talking now, you can work together to make the best of retirement for both of you.If you have children, how do they feel?Talk to your children about their and your expectations. For example, do they expect you to offer childcare or other favors after you are no longer working full time? If necessary, decide on ground rules and boundaries ahead of time. This can help prevent uncomfortable conversations down the road.It's OK to be a little concerned about making the right choices about retirement these are big decisions. Working with your financial advisor can help address some of these worries and make you feel more confident about your path forward.