Welcome, sweet friends! Today, I want to share 15 positive life changes we made in our 50s that truly transformed our approach to daily living, finances, and relationships.
I want to preface this by saying that while these changes occurred during our middle years, these principles can benefit anyone at any age.
Once you hit your 50s, you realize you’re in the middle of life’s cycle—you’ve had 50 years to learn and grow, and now you can make the next 50 (God willing) even better! We’ve learned, we’ve grown, and now we want to take all the positive things and move them forward.
Let’s dive into these transformative changes that might just inspire your own life journey!
1. Planning for Early Retirement
When we hit around 50, we knew we wanted Paul to retire at 55. After 35 years with his government job, we could vest his pension, and he would receive about 75% of his present income. From ages 50 to 55, we needed to get “down and dirty” with our finances.
We started tracking every single penny we spent. We needed to know: Could we live on Paul’s retirement alone? Any overtime pay went straight to the bank. We saved and saved again. While we’ve always been savers, we wanted to ensure that our dream of Paul retiring at 55 would become reality.
This intensified focus made it possible for us to achieve our goal, making Paul’s life easier through early retirement—one of the most positive changes we embraced in our 50s.
2. Reassessing Our Housing Situation
Paul and I had serious conversations about our housing situation. Would we be able to stay in our home? Though we’re mortgage-free, that doesn’t mean we don’t pay taxes (land and school), utilities, and everything else that goes with owning a home.
Could we afford it? Did we need to move? We needed to look at where we would live for at least the next 10-15 years.
For us, staying right where we were made the most sense. This is our starter home—I know some people buy a starter home, then move to bigger and bigger places, but we never did that.
That’s something I’m incredibly thankful for now. We kept our starter home, and now, while we’re still physically able to take care of it, we’ve chosen to stay right where we are.
It works for us economically. We don’t need more space—if anything, we would downsize. One of the best reasons to stay was that our family is nearby, which brings us to our next point.
3. Caring for Elderly Parents with a Positive Mindset
Another change we knew was coming was taking care of elderly parents. My mom passed when I was 52, as some of you may know. Paul’s parents are still with us—his mom will be 92 in March, and his dad just turned 94 in October.
We knew that caring for our aging parents was inevitable, and we needed to meet this challenge with a positive mindset. We started calling it “blessing his parents” or “blessing my mom,” and that’s how we still look at it today.
Paul’s parents wanted to remain independent and stay in their home (they’re still there), but that meant we needed to become a bigger part of their lives.
We played to our strengths—I can organize, clean their home, and cook for them. We help with food shopping, and Paul handles as much maintenance of their home as possible.
We chose to approach this reality positively, viewing it as an absolute blessing rather than a burden.
4. Exchanging Things for Experiences
In our 50s, we really started to exchange material possessions for experiences. We were never really into having the newest of everything—as you can see by our home, we’re pretty traditional and buy good quality so it lasts.
But we started really looking at upgrades and similar purchases more critically: Do we have to do this? Is it a necessity? Or can we take that money and use it for experiences—for enjoying what’s out there, like trips or being with family?
These experiences don’t cost a lot of money, but this shift in mindset from our 30s to our 50s was significant. We realized we don’t need more stuff—we want to enjoy life and have meaningful experiences. This has been another tremendously positive change.
5. Eliminating What Drains Our Joy
We started to cut out things that drained us or robbed us of joy. In your younger years, you can put up with a lot more, but as you get older, it becomes a little more difficult—I’m being honest here!
Sometimes it meant distancing ourselves from certain people or situations, like worrying about things we had no control over. We had to look and say, “These things are robbing us of peace, contentment, and joy.”
Looking at situations and asking, “How can we make this better?” became much more prevalent in our 50s. This intentional approach to protecting our emotional wellbeing has made an enormous difference in our quality of life.
6. Reducing Restaurant Meals
In our 50s, we stopped eating out as much as we used to. I’m not going to lie—in our younger days, we used to eat out a lot. Now, I can’t tell you how infrequently we dine out.
First, it costs a tremendous amount of money to eat at restaurants. Second, we never felt good the next day—I would get headaches, we would feel lethargic, and the food just wasn’t the quality we could prepare at home.
That’s when we really committed to cooking from scratch full-time. It made us physically feel better. Not only was it a health benefit to eat at home, but it was also so much more economical and, honestly, delicious!
We realized dining out wasn’t working for us anymore—it wasn’t even fun. This has been a very positive change all around, benefiting our health, finances, and overall satisfaction.
7. Rescuing Our Beloved Dixie Bell
This one might make you smile, but it was one of the absolute best changes we made in our 50s: we rescued Dixie Bell! She came from a kill shelter in North Carolina and was brought up to us.
That little dog has been our biggest blessing. We got Dixie literally two months before my mom passed, during a very tough time. I remember telling my brother, “I think we want a puppy,” and he said, “What a great idea! It would be such a wonderful distraction for you.”
She has turned out to be our best friend. Our son wasn’t at home anymore, and she became our constant companion. She is devoted, loving, and such a joy in our lives. I know everyone can’t or doesn’t want a pet, but for us, this was one of the most positive changes we made in our 50s.
8. Reinventing Ourselves
Something else that occurred in our 50s was that we reinvented ourselves. We looked for ways to figure out what was next. You’re reading this blog post right now because of one of those “hey, let’s try something new” moments, and it has turned out to be such a blessing.
We’re constantly still looking to reinvent ourselves and stay busy. I learned to make sourdough bread. We volunteer at our local theater. Paul is constantly working with his ham radios and guitars.
I recently started diamond art! I found a kit that I had bought several years ago during that time when we were all mostly at home, and I had never opened it. I pulled it out, tried it, and now I’m hooked—it’s my new passion!
We constantly need to keep busy and enjoy life to the fullest. Finding new hobbies and interests has kept our minds active and our days fulfilling.
9. Becoming Present in Every Moment
Another significant change was becoming more present in every situation. At family gatherings, we’re more conscious about putting our phones down. When Paul and I talk now, the TV is off.
We try to realize that the present moment is what’s most important. When we have a family gathering and I look around at our family together, my heart swells. When I think about my brothers, I can’t tell you how much they all mean to me, along with Paul’s family.
Being present in these moments means shutting out the rest of the noise and clutter, and fully engaging with the people you’re with. This mindfulness practice has deepened our relationships and created more meaningful memories.
10. Learning Not to Overcommit
We learned not to overcommit with out-of-home activities. Maybe you’ll get two invitations in a weekend, or someone needs you during the week, and then you have something else on the weekend.
We’ve become very choosy about what we do, when we do it, and who we do it with—honestly! That has helped cut down on so many areas where negativity or even just being tired enters in.
We really try very hard not to commit to activities outside the home beyond what feels comfortable and enjoyable for us. This boundary-setting has preserved our energy and allowed us to fully enjoy the commitments we do make.
11. Strengthening Our Spirituality
We definitely strengthened and solidified our spirituality. We are Christians and have always been, but I think as we’ve gotten older, our strength in God has become even stronger.
We pray more and study the Bible together more often. Our spirituality has become the foundation for every single thing we do. It always was important to us, but as we’ve gotten older, it has become even more central to our lives.
This deepening of faith has been an absolute positive for us, providing comfort, guidance, and purpose through all of life’s challenges.
12. Practicing Verbal Gratitude
We are constantly practicing gratitude, and I’m talking about verbally saying it out loud. I will say to Paul, “Thank you so much for doing the dishes for me last night,” or “I want to thank you that you cleaned the snow off my car yesterday.”
We’re much more aware of expressing thanks—to each other, to people who serve us in stores, or wait on us in restaurants. I know it might just seem like good manners, but being actively grateful for everything we have, from the little things to the big things like our health and family, keeps us in a constant state of gratitude.
This practice has transformed our outlook and our relationship, bringing more joy and appreciation into our daily lives.
13. Learning to Say “No”
We learned to say the word “no,” and that one is still hard for me today! Paul’s a lot better with it than I am. I’m one to want to please others, to make them happy, or to serve, so I really need to work on this, and I’m getting better.
There are times when we just need to learn to say no, and this is something that, as I said, I’m still a work in progress on. But in our 50s is when we really saw how necessary it had become to sometimes just say, “I’m sorry, we can’t.”
Setting these boundaries has protected our time, energy, and resources, allowing us to focus on what truly matters to us.
14. Expanding Our Gardening Efforts
We started to garden much more than we ever had before. There is something so satisfying about growing something, caring for it, bringing it through to harvest, and reaping the benefits of what you’ve tended.
The delicious fruits and vegetables—even if it’s just a little box of herbs in your kitchen—not only provide food but also give that sense of nurturing. It’s bringing something to life, nurturing it, and seeing the benefits of what you have put into whatever you are growing.
This connection to the earth and the rhythm of growing things has brought us great joy and satisfaction, not to mention fresh, healthy produce!
15. Living Without Regrets
Number 15, which I think is one of our absolute favorites, is that we never want to live with regrets. We don’t ever want to look back and say, “I shouldn’t have talked to that person that way,” or “I shouldn’t have dealt with that situation like that,” or “I wish we hadn’t spent so much money on that,” or “I wish we had done this instead.”
We really try to stop and think before we make big decisions—which of course anybody would—but we try to look at things now in terms of how they will affect someone else and how they will affect us in the long run.
Take the chances that need to be taken. Don’t take the chances that shouldn’t be taken. And basically, never live with the words “I regret that.”
This intentional approach to decision-making has given us peace of mind and confidence in our choices, allowing us to move forward without the burden of “what ifs.”
A Delicious One-Pan Roasted Sausage and Vegetables
Now, in keeping with our philosophy of cooking at home rather than eating out, I want to share a simple, comforting one-pan meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights or when you want to clean out the refrigerator.
Ingredients:
- 4 Italian sausages, casings removed and broken into bite-sized pieces
- 2 sweet potatoes, cubed
- 4 regular potatoes, cubed
- 1 small package of frozen green beans
- Half a package of frozen rainbow bell peppers
- 1 small container of chopped onion
- Rosemary, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning to taste
- Olive oil
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Remove the casings from the Italian sausages and break them into bite-sized pieces.
- Keep the peppers and green beans whole if they’re already in appropriately sized pieces.
- Cut the sweet potatoes and white potatoes into evenly sized cubes.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil and mix well.
- Remember, the Italian sausage will release some oil as it cooks, which adds flavor.
- Add seasonings: rosemary, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
- Mix everything well to coat with oil and seasonings.
- Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet (the rim is important to contain the oils).
- Bake for 30 minutes, then carefully turn everything over.
- Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Tip: While the oven is on, consider baking some potatoes to refrigerate for later use—don’t waste that oven heat!
The result is a delicious, hearty meal with tender vegetables and flavorful sausage, all in one pan with minimal cleanup. Perfect for a cozy evening at home!
Final Thoughts
These 15 positive life changes have truly transformed our experience of midlife and beyond. While they might not work for everyone—they’re not everybody’s cup of tea—for us, these were 15 things that we really cultivated in the last 10 years or so, and we are so thankful we did.
Today’s question is: What are some positive life changes you have made in the past that you continue to carry forward? It could be anything—any decision you made to change for the better that you’ve held onto and embraced. Please share your experiences in the comments, as they will not only encourage us but other readers as well.
Thank you so much for spending this time with me. I ask you to be well, be safe, and above all, I wish you blessings until next time. May God greatly bless you!
This post is about the life changes we’ve made that have brought us more peace, financial security, and joy as we navigate our 50s. I hope these ideas inspire you to evaluate your own life and consider what positive changes might benefit you, regardless of your age. Remember, it’s never too early or too late to make decisions that improve your quality of life!