<p>In just the past year I stopped the newspaper, dc’d the land line, ordered on amazon, have a facebook page, got a webpage, went sockless, minimized makeup, now drive a hybrid, got solar panels and am really close to cutting the cable cord. I look around here and at our age late 50’s-early 60’s this is not common. What have we not thought of yet? What have others done this past year and at what age?</p>
<p>Ive taken out all my lawn and replaced it with mostly native landscaping/edible landscaping - veggies.
We try and manage as many errands as we can on foot/ combined trips.
We want to get a tear drop trailer.
Mid 50s ( I’m 54/H57)
We haven’t had cable since early 80’s. Haven’t had land line for about four years. Haven’t had newspaper since forever. Thinking about maybe getting a chicken.</p>
<p>Got rid of the landline a few years ago
Quit dying my hair when my oldest started college last year
Reduced satellite to bare minimum</p>
<p>Cant give up newspaper yet. I like the feel of paper over reading on internet</p>
<p>Joined a CSA.</p>
<p>Got braces.
Got cool new sunglasses.
Going through all the clothes in the closet (some hanging for years with tags still on) and wearing or ditching.
Going through (too many) earthly possessions and trimming down when DH (the packrat) isn’t looking.
Buried one In-law, and making sure everyone else in that generation has a power of attorney and a will in place.
Carefully planning a drastic career change over next 1-2 years. </p>
<p>Mid 50’s</p>
<p>Moved cross-country for complete lifestyle change
Took up competitive sports for first time (mid50s)
Put solar panels on house
Installed natural landscaping requiring little additional watering</p>
<p>Moved from 5000 sq ft home to 1500 sq ft city apartment.
Taking public transportation instead of owning multiple cars.
Switched from finance to tech recently, different pace and different life style.</p>
<p>Made an appointment to have my eyes “done”.
Hired a cleaning lady.
Got together with my college roommate.</p>
<p>Turned a big chunk of our backyard into a meadow – tore out 200 sq ft of sod myself
Finally lost those last 6 lbs
Stopped trying to fix my MIL/DH’s relationship
Ripped out the ugly carpet
Joined a music advocacy org
Bought local
Didn’t do Christmas gifts – we gave to charities instead</p>
<p>You go people!! </p>
<p>I’m a little jealous of some of these…:)</p>
<p>51 and sold the family home, camping out in my childhood house and buying a duplex in a maintained/planned community. Downsized drasticially. Graduated two daughters, gained a Son in Law, lost two dogs, a ton of weigh and stop dying my hair.</p>
<p>abasket - just so you don’t need to feel jealous!</p>
<p>Got that colonoscopy.</p>
<p>I have to get that colonoscopy, too, mathmom. I’m in your area. Recommendations?</p>
<p>Y’all are awesome.</p>
<p>In a fit of anger over some issue that I don’t even recall, I joined the ACLU. I am often quite amused at the mailing lists I’m now on.</p>
<p>Thinking of pulling out the hedges in front of the house. (My, my, my ambitions are modest!)</p>
<p>Invested in a start up… Yikes</p>
<p>See now I am going to draw the boos and hisses. (Well not really–probably just some smug smiles.) I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of my landline. Do I really need it? Probably not. But I’ve had this number for 16 years. My mother still has the phone number she got in 1966. I would miss it so much. And I am committed to keeping my actual newspapers. DH’s printing business folded last year. Besides the fact that I’ve read a physical paper pretty much every morning as far back as I can remember, I feel like I’m contributing to a dying industry, and one that I support. I mean do you ever see our kids getting real phones/subscribing to a newspaper/. . . ?</p>
<p>(And no big changes for me. Still have a kid at home for a year + still have ~4.5 years til retirement. Although for some bizarre reason I’m working my way through P90X. What is up with that??)</p>
<p>We’re going paperless in my office…except the bathrooms.</p>
<p>I cleaned out my tupperware cupboard yesterday and got rid of a couple of dozen mismatched throwaway plastic containers - the ones you get from the deli, take-out, etc. </p>
<p>We tore out our back hedges last summer and planted our vegetable garden there. I let the volunteer mystery vegetables have full reign in my compost heap this summer. Some sort of gourd won out and now the whole thing is covered with huge viney leaves with white flowers, tomatoes and I think some pumpkins. That group is doing better then my ever so carefully planted vegetable garden!</p>
<p>I feel the same way about newspapers myLB. We get a daily and two on Sunday. We all read them although my kids seem to know about stuff a bit sooner because they read it on-line first. Also keeping the land line. We have too many power outages to get rid of that.</p>
<p>Gave up thinking for myself … I get all my opinions from Rush and Fox News. </p>
<p>OK, I made that up. What I’ve really been doing is considering what my post-fulltime-employment life should like like, and paring back things I won’t be needing then … newspapers, two-thirds of which are advertisements … cars that require regular repair … window air conditioners … lawn care … canine breeds with known medical issues … taking six months of supplies whenever we leave the house … consolidating financial accounts … etcetera.</p>
<p>Replaced deadbolts on house doors with keyless locks. We all just remember the code. No more hunting for house keys.</p>
<p>Brought in 2 realtors for advice on listing house this Spring. They were impressed with the keyless locks.</p>
<p>Learned to list auctions on Ebay. So far, sold 3 books. If I include the time it took to figure it all out, my net profit on sales amounts to 32 cents per hour of my time. It’s a process.</p>