I remember laughing at a friend of mine when she turned 30. The doubled over, crying kind of laughter. Thirty seemed so old when I was in my early 20s; the future is something I just didn’t think about. I couldn’t imagine ever turning 30, let alone any older than that.

Those days I was living alone in my one-bedroom apartment, working at my first job after college. I could afford a car and an apartment; and I managed to keep myself fed, my bills paid and my cat alive. I had a retirement account that my employer paid into, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. Money that I couldn’t touch designed for a future I couldn’t imagine really had no purpose to me.

Then I turned 40.

Yes, just like that.

I was in my early 20s, I blinked—and I was 40.

How did I get here? (Cue Talking Heads song now.)

Now, I don’t want to belittle the amount of living that happened in my 20s and 30s. It defined who I am today. I got married, had kids and really, truly learned all about who I am and where my passions lie. At age 40 I can finally say I'm comfortable in my own skin and wouldn’t change a thing.

Well ... I would change one thing.

I would have paid more attention to that retirement account. I would have nurtured it, contributed to it. I would have treated it like it was my own child, or at least a pet. But like so many people, I didn’t realize the importance of planning for retirement until I no longer had the means to do so. And now that I'm far closer to retirement age than ever (although not as close as my aforementioned friend), past unemployment, lifestyle decisions like choosing to stay at home with my kids, and the unpredictable nature of life have left my husband and me in a position where it’s hard to envision retirement as an option. Last year we met with our financial advisor and talked to him about planning for retirement, but it's one thing to talk about it and quite another to implement it.

There are so many questions and concerns raised when talking about retirement. How do we know how much money we'll need? How do we make sure we don’t run out of money? How do we determine at what age we can retire? How do we plan for unexpected expenses?

Combining advice from our financial advisor and resources from Genworth Financial like their Plan for Living Workbook, we are developing a plan of action to help make 40 the new 20!

I’ve never known anyone who was able to retire without having to worry about how they would pay their bills, and I’m sure that, based on the number of older folks I see working retail jobs, being able to fully retire in your 60s is a rare thing. At least for those who prefer to not live in their car in their children’s drive way. But I believe that proper planning, even now at age 40, can help to achieve our goals. And while I don’t play golf, I would like to know that I could if I wanted to. 

We have 25 years to reach our ideal retirement age, and though Woody Allen makes a humorous point, I really don’t want to have to work beyond age 65. It’s always been my dream to stand in front of Walmart acting very strange to see how people will react (inspired by actress Betty White), and I can’t do that if I need the job. So we are making small changes across the board that are not too painful yet will add up at the end of the month to allow us to contribute to our retirement.

Do you have a retirement plan?

Are you on track to meet your goals?

If not, is there something you can do to start saving for retirement? Give up your morning $6 coffee? Bring lunch to work instead of eat out? Shop used for kids clothes? Sometimes little changes can make a big difference.

Next year you will wish you had started right now.

Kimberly Grabinski is a professional blogger at What's That Smell?, a parenting blog with a focus on fitness and healthy eating. She left a career as an Architect to become a stay-at-home mom and has been burning cereal and shrinking laundry ever since. Because of her children's food allergies she has become a passionate advocate for removing artificial chemicals from our food supply and educating others about food ingredients. She is addicted to exercise and Instagram.