Inflation’s Bite Gets Worse for Retirees.

Managing Retirement finances is becoming complicated. Many seniors are cutting back or eliminating essential costs due to rising gas, housing, and egg prices.

As prices climb, CNN Business interviewed several retirees about their spending habits. The shock of the substantial food price increase—especially in meat, fruits, and vegetables—was a recurrent theme.

Additionally, the price of groceries increased by 10.8% from April 2021 to April 2022.

Inflation affects much more than just the grocery store. Here is how some retirees claim to be handling things.

Struggling and facing a rent increase

A local food bank truck comes to Donna Lyons’ apartment complex every two weeks, but she claimed she would need additional food for the month. Lyons is a retired woman from Fort Collins, Colorado.

“I depend on the food bank,” added Lyons, 67, who relocated to Colorado from Pennsylvania in 2020 to be near her two children and grandchildren.

She survives on her Social Security and Pennsylvania education system pension for decades of clerical and event-security labor.

In September, her rent will rise by $200, a 14% increase. After rent, taxes, insurance, prescriptions, and utilities, Lyons says she’ll have $150 a month for groceries and incidentals.

Since her funds are almost gone and her most recent grocery bill was $187, she’s still determining if she can stay in her apartment. However, she claimed she still needed to find cheaper local housing.

Lyons said, “I’ve considered packing my belongings and returning to Pennsylvania, but I don’t want to leave my family behind. She couldn’t imagine life without her kids after being hospitalized.

Her retirement expectations were far from reality. “Financial stress surprised me. I worked for 50 years, and saving was hard as a single mom. So I’m slowly consuming my savings to survive.”

Restarting part-time

Morgan Hill, California, resident Marisa Flynn, 73, is a retired teacher. Before beginning a second profession as a teacher in a public school, she had long managed her own electrolysis business.

Flynn needed to understand that her teacher’s pension would cut her Social Security payments by $400 a month. She stated that Medicare gets a higher share of her Social Security cost-of-living adjustments.

US petrol prices reached a record $4.60 per gallon. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, energy prices in April increased by 30.3% year over year. Natural gas and electricity are the most common forms of household heating and cooling energy.

Flynn consumes less heat and air conditioning. Even to visit her 40-minute-away daughter and grandchildren, she drives less. “I used to get in my car without thinking.”

California’s water constraints make it difficult to wash her automobile for $20. In addition, she said she couldn’t afford home repairs, internet, or eating out.

Flynn substitute teaches two half days a week to help make ends meet; she did this before the pandemic but has since restarted it even though it puts her health in danger from COVID-19.

She claimed that in addition to getting Meals on Wheels, she periodically visits a nearby senior facility for a free lunch.

“Not the retirement I had in mind. It is demoralizing. The government frequently discusses aiding child-bearing households. Elders from the middle class feel forgotten and invisible, “Flynn stated.

Flynn has contemplated moving to a cheaper place like Lyons, but she wants to stay with her daughter and grandchildren.

Shrinking financial buffer

Inflation is changing seniors’ behavior, but not all are struggling financially.

Richard Thomas, 73, of Arkansas City, Kansas, diligently planned for retirement throughout his career as a Boeing mechanic producing composite jet engine parts. That planning paid off, even though he received a pension that was less than he had anticipated in 2005. As a result, he was compelled to retire earlier than he had intended.

Thomas owns his home and has no credit card debt. “I invested in my 401(k) and savings after paying off my home. I retired financially stable. 

Thomas and Peggy can handle their monthly expenses with Social Security, his pension, and an annuity they bought. That surplus is decreasing.

Thomas said, “The financial “cushion” I worked so hard to build is losing some of its paddings because of inflation.” It needs adjustments. As a result, they now travel even less. 

Thomas agrees that the couple’s financial planning is helping them get through this time of rising prices better than most people. However, he stated that inflation is becoming burdensome.

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Bio:
Rick Viader is a Federal Retirement Consultant that uses proven strategies to help federal employees achieve their financial goals and make sure they receive all the benefits they worked so hard to achieve.

In helping federal employees, Rick has seen the need to offer retirement plan coaching where Human Resources departments either could not or were not able to assist. For almost 14 years, Rick has specialized in using federal government benefits and retirement systems to maximize retirement incomes.

His goals are to guide federal employees to achieve their financial goals while maximizing their retirement incomes.