For many, retirement is the time to relax and live calmly. However, more and more pensioners are concerned about money. You can do that, an expert reveals.
- More and more pensioners are falling into debt.
- This is now the result of a study by the Debtor Atlas of 2019.
- An expert reveals how you can relax and secure yourself in old age.
A lot of time, rest and money? Many Germans dream of that when you think about your pension. But the reality is different for more and more pensioners in Germany. They are said to have worked for many years - and later not even have money for the bare essentials after retirement.
After all, for many, the low pension means that spending is higher than income. Rising rent, electricity and food prices do the rest. Persistent inflation also makes it difficult for many pensioners to relax. With devastating consequences.
Debtor Atlas 2019: With these five saving tips, pensioners can find their way out of the debt trap
As the 2019 Debt Atlas reports, the number of indebted pensioners is said to have risen by a whopping 44.9 percent last year. In addition, some pensioners also fall into debt if they have financed a property they have used themselves * and then used life insurance as a suspension of repayment to pay off the property.
As Focus Online reports, however, the payout amounts are said to have continued to decrease over the past few years. But how the debt will be paid off if no further financing is available, asks finance expert Tobias Rethaber. Often there is only one thing left - to sell the property . Now he reveals five savings tips to the online news magazine on how you can stay financially independent in old age.
1. Saving tip: overview of income and expenses
Before you start saving, you should first get an overview of your current financial situation . The easiest way is to determine the monthly income. After all, these are often the same as retirees. However, it becomes more difficult to classify your own living costs accordingly . The financial expert therefore recommends keeping a diary over a period of three to six months *. This allows them to log exactly what and how much money you are actually spending. As a result, you learn over time to shop more consciously and may ask yourself the next time you buy whether you really need the product - or whether you only want it.
2nd saving tip: change from the wallet
According to financial expert Rethaber, you can use the following trick to increase your wealth by ten to 20 percent . It's easy - by using a little psycho-trick and from now on banning the coins from your wallet. The reason for this: " Leave the change at home and use only bills . People are less willing to spend a big bill for small things," explains the expert. If small change has accumulated at the end of the day, he says it is advisable to put the coins in a money box every evening . This saves you an average of around three to five euros per day.
Find out here : Pensioner (86) loses everything - because she has saved too much for years.
3rd saving tip: Buy groceries
Some supermarket chains already offer special discount campaigns . For example, the Real shopping chain. This offers a shopping advantage with the name "RealPro", reports Rethaber. Specifically, this means that you will again receive a 20 percent discount on all purchases. For this you pay an annual fee of 69 euros. " Even with a small purchase of groceries in the amount of 150 euros per month, the savings are 30 euros per month, " calculates the financial expert.
Also interesting : "I prefer to eat dry bread for a week": the pensioner lives with 200 euros a month .
4th saving tip: hibernate in the south
Milder climate and cheaper prices? Many pensioners like to spend the German winter in the southern climes. After all, it is good for your health and your wallet. Sometimes you can live very well here for months at affordable prices *. " There are sensational offers to spend the whole month in the 4 star hotel All Inclusive by the sea and that for 500 to 600 euros . It is almost impossible in Germany to get all the food for this money in winter," reports the expert.
5. Saving tip: save additional costs
Whether electricity, gas, telephone or insurance: many pensioners mean well and are overinsured in many areas. After all, many of them were originally completed for the whole family. You should therefore take a closer look at your insurance policies . Rethaber recommends doing this every year and changing tariffs if necessary *. It is worth comparing the prices here first.
According to Rethaber, it is generally worth rethinking your lifestyle and keeping it as simple as possible . "Then you can use the savings for things that really give you a feeling of freedom," he concludes.
Read also : Woman (60) falls out of all clouds - when she learns how much pension she will later receive.
jp
With these seven tips you save a lot of money in everyday life
To the photo gallery
* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.