22 Things To Cut When Living On Retirement (Many People Ignore #11)

Last updated May 31, 2026 | By Team FBZ
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Retirement doesn't mean your money has to feel stretched thin. A few smart adjustments could go a long way — and many of them are easier than you think.

We put together a list of simple cutbacks that can free up more of your budget for the things that actually matter.

Check out these offers from our partners below to get started:

Home Equity: Tap your home equity before you ever get a loan

If you need cash, you do not need to get a personal or payday loan. If you’re a smart homeowner, use this tool instead before you do anything else. It finds companies offering homeowners reliable access to extra cash.

LendingTree's network of lenders specialize in HELOCs (home equity line of credit). A HELOC is like a credit card that lets you access cash from your home, possibly without crazy interest rates. No, it’s not for everyone. But it’s a 100% legit way to leverage the value of your home to get extra cash, with few downsides.

Get started by using LendingTree’s free simple HELOC matching tool. The key to making a HELOC work is comparing rates and terms, and this tool does that for you. Answer a few questions and you can compare options in a few minutes.1

Getting quotes and checking rates doesn't affect your credit. You could qualify as long as your credit score is 620 or higher and you have equity in your home.

See how much cash you could get

Skipping This Criminally Underrated Credit Card Bonus: Earn a $200 bonus + up to 5% cash back! 

Apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited®(Rates and fees) and you could earn a $200 bonus after spending an easy $500 in the first 3 months. This card is criminally underrated with one of the best spend-to-bonus ratios we've ever seen. The bonus is worth almost half the spend!

No additional work is required. Apply for the card, see if you're approved, spend $500 within 3 months, and earn a $200 bonus. Boom!

The Chase Freedom Unlimited®(Rates and fees) also lets you earn cash back on everything you buy: Earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Plus, if you want to finance large purchases or pay down high-interest debt, you can also do that with this card. Take advantage of 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. After the intro period, the APR is 18.24% - 27.74% Variable. Do not skip this card, it's a sleeper hit with insane value and NO annual fee

Good or excellent credit (typically 670 or higher) is recommended.

Click here to Apply Now to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Credit Card Debt: Pay no interest into 2028 with this no annual fee card

If you're struggling to pay down high interest debt (or you're planning a major purchase this year), this might be the exact thing you need. There's a card that allows you to completely pause credit card interest into 2028 ... and the best part is that it could be easier than you think.  

BankAmericard® credit card is an extremely powerful card that gives you 0% intro APR for an astounding 21 billing cycles on purchases and balance transfers. (Then APR is 14.99% - 25.99% Variable.) That's right — you could finance large purchases you've been sitting on without paying massive interest. Or, transfer crippling high interest debt to this card and let your payments go directly to paying down your balance, without piling on additional interest charges. 

And here's what makes it even better — there's no annual fee. So every dollar you're saving on interest stays right where it belongs: in your pocket. If you've been waiting for the right moment to tackle your debt or pull the trigger on a big purchase, this card is hard to beat.

Apply now for the BankAmericard® credit card 

High-Interest Debt: See if your credit card debt is eligible for this debt relief program

If you have a lot of debt, getting out of it can feel stressful (and nearly impossible). Here’s the problem: the longer you put off tackling it, the harder it may get to fix. If you don’t take control of it early on, it can add undue stress to your life for years. But what if there was a way to get out of debt once and for all?

National Debt Relief could help. If you have more than $30,000 in debt from credit cards, medical bills, collections, or personal loans, their certified debt specialists may be able to help you resolve your debt for less than you owe — with one low monthly program payment.

Best of all? There are zero upfront fees, and you could be debt-free in 24-48 months. To get started, just answer a few simple questions and get connected with a caring debt specialist. The consultation is completely free and only takes a few minutes to see if you qualify!2

See if your $30k+ in credit card debt is eligible for National Debt Relief

Ohio residents, see if you could save on a walk-in shower upgrade

Design your perfect shower without breaking the bank. If you live in Ohio and your bathroom is stuck in the past, it's time for an upgrade you'll actually use every day.

HomeBuddy connects you with pre-screened local pros who install modern walk-in showers built around your style, your space, and your needs.

Skip the runaround. Get matched with a contractor and secure a free estimate in minutes. No pressure. No hassle.

Get started now if you check these 3 boxes:

  1. You own your home.
  2. You're ready to ditch the old tub.
  3. You live in an available ZIP code.

Get your free estimate to get started

Skipping This Credit Card Bonus: Earn a bonus worth $250 to use toward your next flight or hotel 

If you're planning a trip, apply for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card here and you can earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening. That's worth $250 toward travel!

There is no extra work beyond the spending requirement to earn the early spend bonus, no annual fee, and no foreign transaction fee. The Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card also lets you earn 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases booked through the Bank of America Travel Center and 1.5 points per $1 spent on everyday purchases. 

Redeem points for a statement credit toward travel and dining purchases, gift cards, cash back, or merchandise. If you travel even once a year this card could be worth it and could net you $100s in rewards to use toward travel. Don't delay - apply today!

Recommended for good or excellent credit.

Click here to apply for the Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card now

Innocent Daily Conveniences: Simple things that drain your bank account

Daily Coffee Runs: Fair to say it’s okay to get a little treat every once in a while. But a $6 latte every morning runs up to $2,000 a year. $2,000! You could buy a high-end espresso machine with that cash and still come out ahead.

The Lottery and Get-Rich-Quick Gimmicks: The lottery isn’t a financial plan, and no, that $1,500 online course won’t make you a millionaire. Focus on real wealth-building strategies.

Premium Gas for Cars That Don’t Need It: If your car doesn’t specifically require premium gas, you’re just wasting money. It won’t make your engine last longer or improve performance.

Expensive Home Repairs: This plan helps protect select Ohio homes from many expensive appliance and home repairs (see if you qualify)

Everyone talks about home insurance, but hardly anyone talks about this. If you live in Ohio and own your home, you could save $1,000s on home repairs without much work at all.

American Home Shield is currently helping homeowners slash appliance repair bills. Instead of paying $1,000s, you pay for a monthly plan and a simple one-time service fee per covered repair.

Getting a monthly plan could help you tap into immense savings for nearly any system or appliance in your home that’s covered.

Not everyone is eligible for this plan so here’s how to check:

  1. Click the link below and enter your name, address, phone number and email.
  2. Hit the “Get Free Quote” button.
  3. If you qualify, select a plan.

Complete this short form to see if you qualify

P.S. Use the link above, and you'll get 50% off your first year on select plans!3

Expensive Financial Plans: Get your personalized financial plan 100% free

Studies have found that individuals with a financial plan were 3.7x more likely to claim that they're very confident in reaching their goals.4

Our new tool builds you an intelligent, 100% free personalized financial plan that could help grow your net worth. You get instant access to a unique financial plan and exclusive offers that could help you grow financially.

Here's how to get started: 

1. Click the link below. 
2. You will be asked a few questions — enter your email, employment status, and phone number. 
3. Verify your identity through Plaid (name, DOB, social security, etc). 

From there answer a few questions related to your investable assets, retirement accounts, debts, and more to help customize your plan. This service costs nothing and it even tells you how much you can expect to see your net worth grow — down to the dollar — by implementing the suggestions.

Click here and enter your info to get your 100% free financial plan

Tax Debt: Ask this company to pay off your late tax debt

Past-due tax debt is overwhelming.

It weighs on your mind and causes massive anxiety. You end up emotionally and physically drained. Even worse when the IRS starts sending letters threatening wage garnishment and huge fines.

Tax Relief Advocates is designed specifically to help you get out of tax debt faster and could even eliminate or reduce some of the debt you owe.

While most tax companies just put you on a payment plan and file your taxes for you, Tax Relief Advocates talks to the IRS directly. They can help you pay off your tax debt faster while potentially reducing what you owe.

Important: Not everyone will qualify. To take advantage of this special program you must owe more than $10,000 in past-due taxes.

Fill out this form to get started

Services and Upgrades: Do you really need these things to be happy?

Sneaky Subscriptions: Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Apple TV, Paramount+ … chances are you’re not even watching half of these. Cut it out. Choose one or two and stop auto-renewing free trials you forgot about.

Upgrading to the Latest iPhone: Unless your phone is literally falling apart, there’s no reason to drop $1,000+ on a new one just because Apple added a slightly better camera. Your current phone is fine.

Designer Clothes and Sneakers: Dropping $300 on the latest sneakers or fast fashion trends just to keep up? You’re only filling your closet with overpriced clutter. Invest in quality, sure — but not hype and status.

Earn 10% cash back on your next Walmart purchase

If you're still using an account that charges monthly fees and you earn next to nothing on your savings, you need to try OnePay. When you bank through OnePay, you get a mobile banking app and secured credit card with no monthly fees, no minimum balances, and no overdraft fees.5

Sign up for OnePay here and you can earn 3% cash back on Walmart, gas, or dining on up to $150 spent per month, with eligible deposits.6On top of that, you can earn 3.35% APY on your savings with eligible deposits7and get paid up to 2 days early when you set up direct deposit.8 And you can earn 25¢/gallon extra cash back on your first gas purchase.9

You also get fee-free overdraft with eligible deposits,10fee-free cash withdrawals at 55,000+ Allpoint ATMs worldwide,11and free bill pay with eligible deposits.12

Limited time offer: earn 10% cash back on your first Walmart purchase made within your first month, on up to $200 spent.13

Open a OnePay deposit account today

Market Volatility: Help protect your savings from stock market volatility with gold

The economy feels more fragile by the day. Debt, tariffs, and general instability have investors on edge. But now, JPMorgan projects gold could surge to $4,000/ounce.14 That could mean trouble for traditional portfolios, but potential for you if you position yourself ahead of the curve.

U.S. Gold Bureau helps Americans protect and grow their retirement savings with gold and silver. They’ve delivered 2 billion+ in precious metals, earned an A+ BBB rating, and offer a BuyBack Guarantee — they buy back any metals they sell at transparent prices.

With a Gold IRA, you can roll over part of your retirement account (like a 401(k) or IRA) into physical gold tax and penalty-free. You'll even receive up to $20,000 in FREE gold with qualifying purchases.15

Get started with gold: Download U.S. Gold Bureau’s IRA investors kit. There's no cost to request it, but doing so could help protect everything you've worked for. (Minimums apply: You should have at least $30,000 to invest.)

Take control of your savings now

Home Insurance: Switch your home insurance and you could save a ton of money

If you have home insurance, you need to see the recent rates available to you. There’s a good chance you’ll want to switch your policy if you see a better rate.

The best way to check for up-to-date rates: Get multiple policy quotes from a variety of home insurance providers. Too many homeowners skip this step — not realizing that they could save potentially $1,000s over the lifetime of owning their house.

Provide Home Insurance is a company that matches you with a variety of home insurance options to meet your home insurance needs … including lower overall cost or better overall coverage.

Just answer a few questions, and they will find options that are right for you.

Enter your zip code to get started

Set up direct deposit and complete qualifying activities - pocket $400

If you aren't banking with Truist, you're missing out on a boost of extra cash just by following a few simple steps.

Earn a bonus of $400 after you open a new Truist One Checking account online between March 26, 2026 and July 9, 2026 using promo code AFL400TR1Q226.16To earn the $400 bonus, your account needs to receive at least 2 qualifying direct deposits totaling $2,000 or more and complete 20 qualifying debit card purchase transactions within 120 days of account opening. The reward will be deposited to the new checking account within 4 weeks after the qualification requirements have been met and verified. Terms apply.

This is a great way to supercharge your earnings. It basically takes no extra work at all other than following the steps above. Plus, your new account offers benefits like no overdraft fee and options to avoid a monthly maintenance fee on top of the bonus.

Open your account and earn a $400 bonus

$10,000+ Home Elevators: Get a free stair lift estimate instead and stay in the home you love

If you or a loved one struggles with stairs, do not move to a new house or spend $10,000+ on a home elevator or renovation. An affordable custom stair lift could be a faster solution (and $1,000s cheaper) and this free in-home consultation can help you find one.

Leaf Home Safety Solutions is actively helping senior homeowners get custom stair lifts without spending a fortune. They offer straight, curved, and outdoor options, installed by pros and backed by a limited lifetime warranty. You could stay in the home you love without a renovation.

Skip the stress of researching stair lift companies on your own. Leaf Home brings trained local experts to your door for a free, no-pressure estimate.

You might be a good fit if: 1) You own your home, 2) You or a loved one has trouble with stairs, and 3) Your ZIP code qualifies.

Complete this short form to get started

Help protect your retirement if the U.S. dollar weakens with this

The U.S. dollar has been volatile — but recently, gold quietly surged past $5,300 per ounce.17Good reminder of why investors often turn to hard assets when confidence in paper currency slips.

If most of your retirement savings are still tied to stocks or the dollar alone, shifts like this could be very volatile. Priority Gold can help you diversify your retirement portfolio with physical gold and silver, including precious metals IRAs designed to help weather inflation, market volatility, and economic uncertainty.

Gold has a long history of moving independently from stocks and, in past downturns, has helped preserve purchasing power when traditional assets struggled. If you have at least $20,000 in savings, IRAs, or your 401k, start by requesting a free Wealth Preservation Guide at the link below and see whether adding gold makes sense for your long-term plan.

Learn how gold could fit into your strategy and request your FREE Wealth Preservation Guide today

Advisor Fees: You could be overpaying for your retirement planning

Fees matter. High fees can cut into your returns and affect your overall nest egg. But the ways fees are levied vary. Some are "fee only." charging a flat rate regardless of usage. Others take a percentage of all assets under management. Some earn commissions directly from mutual funds or other financial products, which presents a significant conflict of interest.

This free matching quiz helps Americans get matched with fiduciary advisors who serve their area, so they can compare and decide which advisor to work with.

BONUS: Pay no interest into 2028 with this no annual fee card

If you're struggling to pay down high interest debt (or you're planning a major purchase this year), this might be the exact thing you need. There's a card that allows you to completely pause credit card interest into 2028 ... and the best part is that it could be easier than you think.  

Wells Fargo Reflect® Card (Rates and fees) is an extremely powerful card that gives you 0% intro APR for an astounding 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. (Then APR is 17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% Variable.) That's right, you can now finance large purchases you've been sitting on without paying massive interest. Or, transfer crippling high interest debt to this card and let your payments go directly to paying down your balance, without piling on additional interest charges ... all with no annual fee.

This is by far one of the longest intro APR periods we've ever seen. Plus, this card comes with even more perks like cell phone protection, roadside dispatch, and you could access deals from various retailers and merchants through My Wells Fargo Deals, making it practically a no-brainer. 

Apply now for the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card card

Not earning up to 5% cash back at restaurants and home improvement stores: Unlock up to $1,070 in value over the next year with this incredible card!

There's a credit card that's making waves with its amazing welcome bonus and benefits. Apply for the Discover it® Cash Back (Rates and fees) and you can earn up to 5% cash back at restaurants and home improvement stores now to June 30, 2026, on up to $1,500 in purchases when you activate.

There's no annual fee, and Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. This generous welcome offer and the top-notch cash back rewards provides an estimated $1,070 value in the first year!18 Plus, you'll earn 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically. The welcome offer combined with the up to 5% cash back reward rate could be worth up to 10% cash back in the first year!

This card also offers an intro APR of 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then APR 17.49% - 26.49% Variable. That means you could use this card to fund large purchases or even potentially get out of debt. If you dine out or shop at home improvement stores even once a month, this card is practically a no-brainer!

Click here to apply now for the Discover it® Cash Back.