How to Save on Your Midlife Crisis

Anyone willing to do a little bit of the legwork can follow Foss's general tips to avoid package deals and find ways to plan a trip by seeking out deals in an a-la-carte way for every aspect of their adventure. Being flexible with some of the arrangements can also go a long way. Foss uses travel websites to find the best deals, focusing specifically on red-eye flights that avoid peak fares, books coach class seats instead of first class, and finds nice hotels that don't come with five stars and the five-star price tag.

"It's the experience of being there that matters, and you're not going to remember how you got there or got back," Foss says. "If you can shave 30% off the cost of travel then you can spend it more wisely later when you get back, or even on the experience itself."

Of course, for anyone who's committed to finding their solace on the open seas, there are also ways to save on cruises, particularly by avoiding the peak times of year (summer) and by cruising to less-common destinations than the standard Caribbean adventure.

Crisis: Looking Older

The most overt aspect of aging is, of course, aging. Americans' increasing concern with sagging body parts fueled a 5% increase in cosmetic surgical procedures in 2011, with eyelid surgery and facelifts fueling the trend, according to the latest statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

"We are seeing notable increases in surgical procedures, such as facelifts, that reflect the demands of an aging boomer population," ASPS President Malcolm Z. Roth, MD, said in a press release.

In 2010 Americans spent more than $10 billion on cosmetic surgery, and with procedures like tummy tucks or nose jobs routinely costing $4,000 to $5,000, it's no wonder that Foss has found some ways to do it on the cheap.