Thursday, July 23, 2015

Easy Come Easy Go

I used to talk/post about money quite a bit but since I've retired and living on a set amount each month there's not as much to talk about. I have a monthly budget and usually I can stick to it. I've made adjustments from time to time when utilities decrease (summer months) or the price of gas goes up etc.

But I caused myself great anxiety back in March when I purchased a trailer. Even as I completed the transaction my inner voice was telling me it wasn't the right time. I should have listened to that little voice. I started losing sleep worrying about looking after two places - the trailer and my condo - afraid of large repair bills and finding out there were more expenses related to the trailer than I had realized. Things have changed a bit since I last owned a trailer.  For example I had to fork out a large amount of money in sales tax which I didn't have to do with my first trailer. The lot fees were HUGE compared to my previous location.

So I put up with the anxiety for awhile but then woke up one morning KNOWING I needed to sell it. Just making that decision helped to put my mind at rest. Within a few weeks of listing it the trailer IS SOLD  to a very nice family who were very grateful of the clean up job I had done and of the improvements I had made. Even though it was my loss I was happy that they were happy.


I knew I would have two lean years of retirement before I start receiving my Canada Pension Plan at age 60 (next May) and I should have waited - the costs involved just felt too onerous at this point in time. Especially with taking a trip abroad last year and this. I think I'd rather use the money saved from selling the trailer towards travel rather than sitting in one place. Perhaps I will change my mind sometime in the future but for now I am no longer TRAILER TRASH!!

6 comments:

  1. livingrichonthecheapJuly 23, 2015 at 11:37 AM

    I'm sorry you had to sell the trailer but - girlfriend, I think you were right to listen to your inner voice. If it makes you sleep better at night - you definitely did the right thing. Taking an early loss is sometimes way smarter than to have to keep doling it out over the long run. Financial security means a lot more than a summer trailer :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Timing is everything, glad you were able to sell so quickly. I'll retire from teaching in 4 years. It seems like it will be a huge adjustment going from saving for retirement, to being retired.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aw....I'm sorry the trailer didn't work out right now. But better to realize the error now and change course than to let it drag on and on.
    I keep going back and forth about buying a place now 3 years before Hubs retires and waiting until he actually leaves his job. I could snag a great deal now(still some foreclosures/deals coming up in the areas we are considering moving to)and work on it slowly until we are ready to move full time to the new place. Or I could wait and sit on the money and let it grow more. It's so hard to decide with is more prudent.
    You were my favorite trailer trash.....now who do I pick? lolz

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm with sluggy. I'm sorry it didn't work out but it best that you handled it the way that you did. Get it over and done with it and move on.

    ReplyDelete
  5. anne in the kitchenJuly 23, 2015 at 10:19 PM

    Sometimes things work and sometimes they don't. The real trick to living is to know if you are being tenacious or just beating a dead horse. I have found myself doing both at various times.
    I am in the exact opposite position right now. I am ready to sell our home and move to the lake place. Houses are selling before they even hit the market around here and our house is too big for us now. I would like to move while it is "Hot" rather than wait. We had planned on selling when Son3 graduates from college, but hey, he is a Jr and comes home rarely.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awww Jane... you'll always be our favourite trailer trash! ;) lol! Seriously though, good for you! Hopefully that alleviates some of the stress! <3

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment - it means a lot to me that you read my post and are leaving a comment - you just made my day!