Whether we retire or continue working part-time in our 60s, we become conscious of money in an entirely new way. For much of our lives, we were earning money and saving it. If we were smart about how we invested, spent and saved our money, our net worth was always going up.

One of the biggest transitions to life after 60 is learning to accept the fact that, for most of us, we are now spending down.

It’s scary at first to watch our savings diminish instead of grow. It requires that we forge a new relationship with our money. I was determined that I wouldn’t let this reality make my life miserly or penny pinching. After all, I’ve saved my whole life for this!

Luxury Is a State of Mind

I was not going to adopt a poverty mentality. I didn’t want to feel “less than” before. I didn’t want to fall into the cliché of the penny pinching retiree who was looking for early bird specials.

I discovered, during the course of my life in the tropics, things that make me feel like a millionaire that don’t cost a thing. For example, I love watching a palm tree sway in the breeze, letting the rustling sound flow over my body, it’s a giddy, extravagant experience that’s absolutely free. It makes me feel absolutely rich because it’s priceless.

Before I continue, I want to share with you that, when I turned 60, I vowed not to give other people advice. So, what I’m going to do is share with you what I do that makes me feel luxurious, pampered, and cared for. The same may or may not apply for you.

I Shop Like a French Woman

I’ve always been impressed watching Europeans shop. Because many Europeans use public transportation, they don’t have cars to load up in a parking lot. Rather, they stop in the super and pick up what they’re going to cook for dinner and carry it home on the tram, train, subway or bus.

Another reason Europeans shop like this is many live in small flats. They have no room for lots of stuff.

So, now I take my shopping bag and buy for one meal. How does this make me feel like a millionaire?

Looking at what looks divine at the super and planning a luxurious, sexy dinner makes me very happy. I spy the perfect thick pork chop, a luscious ripe tomato, a bunch of arugula, a hunk of cheese and some bread. I enjoy the freshest, gourmet dinner and there’s no waste!

I’m not spending money on items that might spoil or I might lose interest in. Not wasting makes me feel smart, lucky and rich.

I Eat Outside

You’ve often heard it said that for some reason food tastes better when it’s eaten outside. And I think it’s true. Instead of sitting at the dining table for breakfast, it feels totally decadent and luxurious to take my piping hot cup of milky morning tea and a slice of my home made bread out to the terrace. The cool morning breeze – or the frosty morning breeze – is sensual and exciting!

If I’m up early, I enjoy a beautiful sunrise, which is pure extravagance and… free. Or sometimes I’ll make a picnic lunch and meet a friend for an alfresco lunch. A picnic turns lunch or dinner into a free vacation.

I Light Candles

What is it about candlelight that makes me feel positively fabulous in every way I can think of? Candle light soothes, softens and makes my life dreamy. I feel extravagant when I’m chatting with a friend, or enjoying a glass of wine by myself by candlelight. Suddenly the evening seems scintillating and special.

I have some large crystal hurricane lamps and a selection of small flickering votives. In candlelight, I feel like the luckiest, most beautiful woman. This is another feeling that money can’t buy.

I Go For a Walk

Going for a walk is the simplest, most luxurious pleasure you can imagine. If I’m feeling a bit “fuzzy” – perhaps sad, confused or perplexed about something – I say, “time for a walk.” It’s excellent exercise and it makes me feel free and possible.

The feeling that this gives me is priceless. It puts me in touch with nature. I see other people and am touched by humanity. It makes me breathe deep and exhilarates me. It sharpens my appetite. It makes me feel grateful for my body. I return home refreshed. I don’t need expensive gym clothes or a membership. I can go for five minutes, fifteen, or an hour. It’s all good.

I Make Time for Tea Time

Now that I’m no longer working in a traditional job, I enjoy the famous British ritual of tea time around four o’clock every afternoon. Remember Downton Abbey?

A cup of tea seems to solve everything. And, when I brew a cup of tea in the afternoon, I feel as rich as the Queen.

Teatime is the marvelous refresher of the titled nobles of the past who didn’t have to work. It’s a reward to an afternoon drawing to a close. It’s a lovely pause to the prelude of cocktails and dinner. Tea time is a ritual that comforts and stretches out the day.

A cup of tea and a biscuit, or a clipping of grapes or a sliced apple. A sacred space for conversation or contemplation. Tea time is also an inexpensive way to entertain a friend. No big expense, but all the glamour.

So yes, these are “little” things – but they create tremendous luxury in my life. I have more life hacks that I’d like to share with you in the future. But for now, I’d love to hear from you.

What small things do you do that make you feel like a millionaire? Do you have any tricks or attitude adjustments about what constitutes luxury in your life? Please join the conversation.

In my mind and heart I still feel like I can do what I did when I was 30. But it’s just not true. I hung up my tennis shoes a decade ago because the discs in my back are degenerating and they won’t take the pounding anymore. My body has betrayed me.

Occasionally I see a news story about the 70-something woman who is still pushing weights around a gym. Good for her, but my own connective tissue isn’t that thrilled with weights and the indicators are injury and pain.

The physical prowess of youth has receded into the past. I’ve become like the old car that needs time to warm up and can’t be driven as fast or as hard as the newer version.

It’s sad that life recedes from us in this way. Just about the time you get your thinking straight, the body starts to break down. Each winter when I go by the skating rink, I remember gliding across the ice in bliss.

As you know, the bounce back factor from injury is far less than it used to be, and because of that I won’t risk a fall. So, I don’t skate anymore and I miss it. That our physical bodies undergo this change where we are limited is a loss, and it’s one that we should honor before we move on.

This decade of one’s 60s is fraught with so many different types of changes, and the physical changes that happen to us are more pronounced. Here’s a template for how I am negotiating these times and finding new ways to stay physically connected.

Grieve and Honor the Loss

It’s okay to lament that you will never be the active woman that you were in your 20′, 30s and 40s; that the unwelcome weight gain of menopause may never go away. Go ahead and mumble under your breath that getting old is a pain in the yaya.

One of life’s great truths is that everything changes and ends. As our physical body gets older, we have to find new ways to move and celebrate it. A little indulgence into the sorrow of what is gone before finding our new footing can help us to make peace with the changes.

Keep Moving

The great, unsung exercise of my senior years is walking and I have fallen in love with it. I now have the time to put on a pair of hiking boots and head up the mountain. I may be slower than the younger part of the pack, but I still make it to the top.

And you don’t need a mountain trail; you can walk in the town where you live. My friend, Dami, calls this “urban hiking.” Walking everywhere has so many health benefits and doesn’t require anything but a decent pair of shoes.

Age Appropriate Exercise

You can’t tell, but I rolled my eyes when I wrote that heading. However, if you are looking for lifelong practices, the age appropriate part does apply. Sigh. Gentle yoga, Pilates and stretching classes are great options at this stage of life. They emphasize breath, the release of tension and core strength. They are slow, deliberate and focused. I find that this type of exercise also calms my monkey mind.

Dancing

Folk dancing, drumming circles, line dancing, tap dancing… there are dozens of different types of dancing to choose from that will get your heart rate up and your body moving. Classes for seniors are pretty easy to find at rec centers, the YMCA, churches and community centers. And it’s a plus that you get to share the joy of dancing with your fellow hoofers. Dancing is something you can do in your living room too. My husband and I still like to dance to old rock and roll.

Commitment

Whatever your body is able to do in terms of movement, stick with it and do it often. “Keep moving” is the rule of the day. Walking is my main exercise. Around that I build other things. Pilates two times a week and in the summer months, I take the water aerobics class at the rec center pool, which is fun, refreshing and more relaxing than you can imagine.

Gratitude

People who know me, know that gratitude is my practice and my path. As I move deeper into age, I find that an attitude of gratitude serves whatever I do. I’m filled with appreciation for being able to walk so many different places. I’m thankful that my little town offers classes in yoga, Pilates, dance and swimming.

And I’m grateful to understand and honor that everything changes and ends. With that truth, I know that time is finite and today is the day to get outside and walk in nature. I appreciate that I’m still upright and moving. I have gratitude for the new attitudes that aging brings about.

What about you? How are you moving now that there are some physical limitations to your activity? Hit me up in the comments section and share a piece of your story.