We are in a home now in Texas I hope to move to Arkansas sometime we need to downsize at some point!Butvwhatvdo seniors do on social security how do they live!I need answers to know what I may have to do or not hopefully but I am a senior now and life isn’t getting any shorter!my husband gets va disability 80 percent and social security plus I work some are great now!But home is not near paid off and if something were to happen no family to help they all gone!What do we have to look after ourselves?
For me if I lost my DH, my house is free and clear. So I could sell it and put that money in the bank and with my DHs SS using the proceeds to help with my monthly expenses. I would pay off any debts I had.
Call your Office of Aging to see if there is someone who can look over your finances and see what would be good for you. If Medicaid is in your husnands future, your house will need to be sold at market value. If he eventually needs to go into LTC, you will need to see an Elder Lawyer about protecting your part of your combined assets.
Start planning now. Sell your home, take any profit and invest it somewhere safe, CD's are an ok safe investment right now.
Cut back on your spending, save as much as you can, don't waste your money on unnecessary things. Set a budget and stick to it.
Now is the time, don't wait until it is too late.
And start paying off all of your debt now as well. That will make living off a smaller income if and when the time comes much easier.
Thankfully I was able to pay off our small home, and all of our debt before my late husband died, which now allows me to live comfortably on just my SS without having to dip into my savings except for the occasional bigger expenses.
You would also be able to consider shared rental with someone, renting a room in a home. Or could consider other options for ECFs that would accept Medicaid if you needed to apply. For now, you are thinking in the right manner in that you are trying to consider all the "What ifs" that could happen to you.
You aren't alone. I surely wish you the best.
I look at my own social security, and it would have been difficult to live on that. Rents in my area are higher when my whole SS check. Thank goodness I paid off my house by being very frugal. Frugal to a point of being eccentric.
I bet in your area they must have low-income senior apartments where you pay according to your income. Look around and jump onto a waiting list as it could take quite awhile for something to become available. As for health care, there is always Medicaid (different from Medicare) that is a saving grace for those who need it.
Best of luck to you.