GRAND Magazine - Fall 2022 - 30

climate
Follow your money: your daily spending
Looking beyond your home, you might be able to
take many steps in your daily life that can be win-win
strategies.
Green living tip No. 1: Use your car less by walking
or biking to as many places as possible, and you'll
drive down your costs for gas, insurance, and car
maintenance. Not only will you save money on transportation,
but you'll get the exercise that improves
your health as well.
Here's a related tip: Take public transportation
whenever possible. Since we have more time on our
hands, you don't need to be in such a hurry to get
where you want to go. You might even enjoy life more,
leaving the driving to others and meeting people as
you go.
Green living tip No. 2: If you need to work
because your financial resources aren't sufficient
to retire completely, then look for work that's close
to home or is accessible by public transportation.
Even better, try to find remote work. Studies show that
reducing the time you spend commuting can add to
your happiness in life.
Green living tip No. 3: Eat less meat. Factory meat
farms use a lot of water and create substantial greenhouse
gases and toxic pollution. Eating more plantbased
food is not only easier on the environment by
using far fewer resources, but it's less expensive, helping
with your weekly budget. It's also healthier for us
as well, which has the potential to reduce your medical
bills.
Green living tip No. 4. Buy your vegetables and
fruits at local farmers markets. Locally grown produce
uses less energy for transportation and packaging
compared with much of the produce you'll find
in supermarkets. In the process, you could get more
exercise by walking through the market, and you
might have fun by getting to know the vendors.
Green living tip No. 5: Buy less new stuff by joining
a freecycle or stuff-swap club - they're a growing
trend on social media. You could also consider buying
your clothes from secondhand or consignment stores.
It's a great way to meet new friends and move beyond
buying the " same-old " new stuff.
Green living tip No. 6: Buy a hybrid or electric
car, if you need to replace a car. These cars can help
you save money on gas bills and significantly reduce
the impact on climate change.
Following your money can be fulfilling
We have taken many of these steps, and we find it's
not a sacrifice. In fact, our lives have been enriched,
not diminished. We say this not to brag or preach, or
to imply that we're perfect - we're not. We constantly
look for new ways to cut the money we spend on
30 GRAND Summer 2022
energy and new stuff.
We merely want to make this point: Helping to
improve our communities and making ends meet in
retirement can be rewarding for both your pocketbook
and your sense of life satisfaction. We can still
have a good life if we commit to ourselves that it's
important to improve our finances and leave a better
world for our grandchildren.
Of course, there are many other tips for saving
money that doesn't impact the environment, just like
there are many ways to help the environment that
might not save you money. We've just focused here
on win-win strategies to help you with both goals.
Once you get started, you might be inspired to
think of more ways to help with the environment
and your own health and financial security. Be sure
to influence others by sharing your actions with your
family and friends - be the ripple in the pond. Let's
make our retirement work and leave the world a
better place for future generations.
This article was originally published in MarketWatch
here and republished with permission from the authors.
Steve Vernon, FSA, is an actuary who conducts
independent research on the most challenging
retirement decisions. He's the author of six books
on retirement planning and he has conducted
hundreds of retirement planning workshops.
Harry R. Moody, Ph.D., is a retired Vice
President for Academic Affairs for AARP.
He is Visiting Faculty in the Creative
Longevity and Wisdom Program of
Fielding Graduate University.
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GRAND Magazine - Fall 2022

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