Big Decision Made

I've been wavering back and forth and forth and back on the number of trips to take this year. It's a tough decision considering all of the places I'd like to revisit or visit anew. It's not that I can't afford to travel - it's just that I feel most comfortable having a certain amount of a savings "cushion". Last September when I bought the Honda Civic I paid cash out of my savings accounts - mostly my TFSA. That was on top of the expenses to travel to British Columbia, Bracebridge and Scotland.  So while I am still above my cushion amount now I might not be if I took two major trips this year plus I am looking forward to going to PEI this year as well as Bracebridge once again. My daughter would like to see both of her aunts again this year.

Hiking to China Beach

Mystic Beach

Sun setting on Vancouver Island

Hiking along Loch Lomond

Ferry - Loch Lomond

Family time in Bracebridge

Therefore - I am putting off B.C. this year and going to Scotland for 3 weeks sharing expenses with my brother, plus making visits in Canada sharing costs with Kazi. That will allow me to reimburse my savings account by $1200 per month. By this time next year I'll be able to plan several trips without the anxiety associated with using up too much of my savings.

I think everyone has that magic number that makes them feel comfortable. I didn't really have one when I was teaching but now that my ability to save is a lot lower than when I was working it takes a while longer to build up or rebuild a nest egg. And living on one income is a factor also.

On the bright side I will have the time to ride my bike to Kilally Meadows every day and document the spring wild flowers and birds. I'll need to be in really good shape to keep up with my brother in the Scottish Highlands! He's a lot taller and has a much longer stride than I do.  I estimate my costs for the 3 week trip to Scotland to be around $4,700-$5,000 though I have given myself a large misc fund to cover emergencies, as well as spending money, food, accommodations, rental car, gas, tour fees, ferries and so on. I hope to come in way under budget....she says optimistically!

Do you have travel plans for 2018??

November Numbers: New Budget

Good-bye October and HELLO November!

I experienced some belt-tightening in October due to the new car purchase which left me with a much smaller amount of Misc money for weekly spending. Knowing I couldn't play "fast and loose" with my funds I was way more careful with misc spending than I normally am! So...even on a reduced budget I managed to squirrel away more money than usual in my snowflake box! Yippee!!!

A number of factors helped me stash away extra snowflakes:

• I had set a gasoline budget of $80 for October. I didn't use any of that! When I bought the car the tank was full and I didn't buy any gas during the rest of September or October. When gas went down in price Nov. 1st I filled the tank for a cost of only $40! Looks like I won't be overspending on gas though I anticipate using more now that it is getting colder. If I can make it til the end of November without buying more gas I'll have another $40 to add to the snowflake box :)
• Both electricity and natural gas bills came in under the budgeted amount. It's been a mild fall so far and I haven't had to use the furnace much yet or the electric heater downstairs in the TV room. 
• I was very frugal with my grocery shopping this month. I'm still eating from the package of 5 chicken breasts that I bought: first I made fajitas (lasted 2 nights), then I used some in a pasta dish (1 dinner and Kazi took the rest the next day for her lunch); and then I made chicken vegetable soup with the remainder which I am still eating. (yes, chicken was frozen after being cooked!) I had $50 left in the grocery budget which went into the snowflake tin. 
• November will brings its own savings opportunities. I have switched to a cheaper internet package (more gigs at a lower cost!) I have been paying $93/month for 200g. I was browsing my internet company's website (Rogers.com) and saw a different, cheaper package so I switched. I don't know how much exactly my new bill will be what with taxes and so on but should be in the area of $60 for 250g.
• My share of car insurance is going down by $11/month - that's not a lot but it's money in my pocket instead of the insurance company's!
• I've also paid off $2,000 on my credit card: this was the maximum the car dealership would accept from using a credit card to pay for a car. As interest could accrue it was the first part of the car's cost that I paid off.
• I have made another purchase (a Yamaha keyboard-Merry Christmas to me!!) and paid most of it off (a different credit card). When I receive a GIC interest payment later this month it will go to pay off the rest owing on the credit card. By the end of November I will be 100% debt-free once again. 
• Now that one c/c is paid in full I have also repaid my savings in the amount of $500. Having no debt means that starting in December over $1,000 per month will re-build my savings to my pre-car purchase balance. If I didn't travel my savings accounts would be totally repaid in 10 months but as I have plans for a couple trips next year it will taken longer to rebuild my savings but that's ok. Can't be frugal all of the time! 
• Come January my pension will receive an extra bump up due to increased cost of living raise. When I first started receiving my pension not ALL of my pension received cost of living increases. That was due to the pension plan not doing as well back in the financial crisis of 2007-8. But now that the stock market has recovered my entire pension will receive the cost of living increase. I'm very happy about that! I know how much the gross amount will be but not what my net increase will be. 
• By the end of November my snowflake box should hold about $500.  Along with my PC points from using my President's Choice Mastercard for all purchases (currently around $100) I will have $600 saved for Christmas. I will also have an extra $300 from not having to pay property taxes in December or January (I pay my taxes on a 10 month plan)! That should cover any additional expenses during the very expensive month of December:) 

And there you have it - my spending adventure (car and keyboard) is over for now. Snowflakes are growing and by the time the real snow is on the ground I'll have Christmas expenses covered. Having a plan and sticking to it really helps. I must remember that as I plan my travelling for next year: Prince Edward Island, British Columbia and SCOTLAND! 

March Money

So many of you, my fellow blogging friends, live quite happily on a strict budget and make "living on less" a game or a challenge. It's comforting to know that there are so many people, besides me, who are whackos live this challenge daily in order to reach important goals. For many of us that goal is TRAVEL. 

Sometimes I am questioned by people for walking to places that they drive to. I explain that I have a budget line for gas and to make it work then I have to walk to a lot of places. "But you have the money" is a response I sometimes get and yes, I do have the money but I'd rather walk and put more of my money into my travel account. This isn't about being "poor" and making do. It's about making choices and prioritizing those choices. The day will come when my priorities will change (hopefully not soon) and I will save for something else.

I have learned many "savings hacks" from all of you, along with some great recipes, and I appreciate that we freely share our frugal ways.
U da bess!

My monthly budget has a "misc." budget line which is quite generous and covers lots of things: clothing, books, music on iTunes, going out for dinner, playing volleyball ($2.00 a week!), going to movies, things for the home, art supplies, gifts, charitable givings, general mad money and so on. Some months there are more of those things than my misc budget can handle so I'll move something to the next month, (like renewing my passport). This month I had to pay out $220 for truck maintenance and instead of moving money from savings I decided to try covering it from my misc. budget.

So things are a wee bit tight right now as I'm trying to leave my savings alone. Thankfully both pension amounts will be in my account by Friday - I just need to make it to Friday on the $165 I have left in my chequing account. Shouldn't be too difficult. I only need to buy a few groceries. All the bills are paid. I should even have money left to purchase a few more British pounds :)

Another Year Another Budget

Living on pensions, as I do now means my budget is pretty much set for the year. Same amount of money in, same amount of money out. The rest goes to savings and Misc. However, a new year brings cost-of-living increases and of course the inevitable increases in monthly bills.

What goes up:

Income

• Teacher's Pension
• Canada Pension Plan
• Savings - comes out of my pensions but worth a mention. My monthly savings amount has increased due to now receiving the CPP. All of it goes into savings so what with investment interest etc I am saving roughly $1000/month. And we know what that goes to - TRAVEL (and large items like a new appliance or furniture) but mainly TRAVEL!!

What goes down:

• GST Rebate - Prior to receiving the Canada Pension Plan I was eligible for a tax rebate which was $105 every 4 months. Now that I am receiving the CPP my income is higher therefore I may no longer be eligible for the rebate. I will receive it in January and April however. As for what I'll receive based on 2016 taxes shall remain a mystery until July 1st.

Hah, short list! 

What goes up:

Monthly bills

• Property taxes - well, I'm assuming they'll go up, I've never known them to go down! But it usually takes a few months for City Council to figure out by what percentage they'll increase. I wait with bated breath! 
• Condo Fees - guaranteed to go up every January. I'm sure I received notice of how much but I don't feel like going up to my office to rummage around (my filing is a trifle behind) so we'll just have to wait and see. I budgeted $290. 
• Cell phone - will remain the same (I hope)
• Internet - will remain the same (same hope)
• Insurance - things are in flux with insurance - I think I have a credit coming to me in January (about $20) and then my regular payment beginning in February is $134/monthly. Kazi has her own policy now so I'm paying for Dougie the Dodge and condo insurance. That is up a little but not much. I had an at fault fender bender in 2014 so that will continue to affect my insurance for a couple more years. 
• Union gas (heat, hot water tank & dryer) will increase a bit due to carbon taxes. I still pay the least of anyone I know averaging $30 in the summer to $80 in the winter. Yes, Kazi is always cold; you think she'd be used to it by now :)
• London Hydro - electricity for my American friends. Continues to go up and up and up! Still reasonable though I think. I budgeted $80 as we are using an electric fire in the TV room as it is in the basement. 
• Netflix - $9.99 no change.
• Reliance - I rent my hot water heater. I remember when that was about $8 a month - now it is $35.00 and will likely increase at some point. The cost usually goes up once a year. 
• Misc - covers my allowance :) and I rejig it to reflect the amount of $$ I have left after paying the above. It's usually around $150+/week. That covers meals out, clothing, wine, wine, wine...etc. household items...wine...wine....scotch...
• Variables: gasoline & food - I have been over funding my gas budget for quite some time so have cut it back a bit ($100 monthly); food continues to be a little overfunded as well so have cut it back a trifle. ($280 monthly). Any extra left in either budget line gets carried forward to the next month.

Remains the same:

• Debt - ZERO! I continue to have no mortgage, no loan, and no credit card debt. 

So there you have it. I'm hoping that by February changing amounts will be set for the rest of the year. There is a lot of hope in my budget! All I can say for sure is money will show up in my account once a month and I'll do my best to get rid of it. 

P.S. I had money leftover at the end of December. Since I practise zero budgeting I'm wondering if I forgot someone's Christmas present? 

P.P.S. I kill myself! 

Can I Live Without a Car?

Good ol' Dougie - we've gone through a lot together!

Oops, was supposed to post about this and then forgot. I forget a lot of stuff these days. My head is much busier than my hands. Ideas galore - implementation not so good.

I've spent some time recently wondering if I could manage being car-free. The object of this "wondering" is to save more $$ for travel which is highly motivating for me. And then there's the environment and fossil fuels argument.

My options are:

• selling/giving Dougie the Dodge away for a tax receipt and renting a car from my daughter when I need one (she works for Enterprise now and tells me lots of people just rent a car occasionally when they need one; or a family has just one car and rents another as needed)
• use CarShare or Zipcar when I need a car (you can rent by the hour or longer as needed for a small monthly fee. Gas and insurance included.
• trade Dougie in on a smaller car (no $$ savings)
• Go completely car-free and use transit system (not thrilled with this idea)
• keep Dougie and maintain the status quo

Thoughts? 

Have you experienced living car-free? How did it go? Is it really cheaper having to use buses, trains, and taxis?

What are YOU Saving For?

Why do we save? Is it just to have savings? Is there a specific goal or goals for our savings? Is it just a pile of money that makes us feel safe? How has your savings evolved over the years? Have you always been a saver? Or have you never been a saver? Do you wish you could save more or are you content with what you have? Do you feel anxious when you take a big chunk out of your savings? Do you have 1 savings account or several that reflect a goodly number of goals?

Maybe I should answer all of those questions myself starting with...

Why do I save? 
My reasons for saving have evolved over my lifetime.  I started earning money at the age of 12 (picking strawberries, cucumbers, rhubarb, raspberries, babysitting, working on a tobacco farm etc) and I saved most of my earnings. I bought/made my own clothing, records, candy, makeup, hobbies etc and paid for my first trip (Yugoslavia) when I was in high school(about $450.00 in total). What an incredible experience that was!

In the hotel dining room - Split, Yugoslavia

In my family you saved up for what you wanted and my dad had a real aversion to debt. I remember clearly how happy he was when he paid off the house - the mortgage payment was $25 a month!! Can you imagine!

Then after highschool I used my savings to buy a used Datsun for $1,000 which I used to drive back and forth to my first REAL job as a bank teller and because I didn't make a lot ($6250/year) I didn't save a lot but I did save. Being a bank teller was actually a good first job as I gained a lot of knowledge about money and opened my first RRSP.

I must confess I do like to maintain a certain level of savings and always have- it does help me to feel secure. There was a period of time when I first had Kazi and we were living on one income which changed from month to month (occasional teaching) and other than RRSPs my savings were pretty non-existent. That was a very scary time and lasted for 7 years when I applied for and got a permanent contract! Happy days!!

After 2 years of occasional teaching I cashed in my two little life insurance policies and my RRSPs, borrowed a little from my dad for moving expenses and lawyer's fees in order to purchase the condo we still live in. We were really living on the edge then! But each year I put the maximum into my RRSP even if I had to borrow the money and once I got a permanent contract (at age 43!!!) my income gradually increased and I became more solvent.

Crabapple Landing

 A lot of my savings in those days were related to Kazi's dance career. It cost about $1500 every couple of years for new dance outfits and shoes and as she became competitive we travelled all over Canada. I don't regret one penny of those expensive years as the memories will last forever and it re-awakened my love of travel.

After her dancing days ended I put the money aside to help Kazi with tuition costs and into saving for retirement. I used a line of credit to purchase the trailer we enjoyed for several years and to help pay for the house in PEI. I don't own either of those properties anymore and my savings now helps me to travel and maintain my home. I have zero debt. I have another pension starting in June which will help fund more trips. I'll always keep a certain amount in savings "just because" but the rest I will enjoy.

Saving for big ticket items is important but it's also important that some savings is spent on joyful things which differs from person to person.

What would you joyfully spend your savings on??

Financial Goals - Do I Have Any?

What's today....Sunday?  That's the retired life people! Not knowing (or caring) what day it is!

I got a little melancholy as I packed up the Christmas decorations this afternoon - then I had a beer. And 2 pieces of cashew brittle - I feel much better now, at least until I crash after all that sugar.

Yuck yuck.

So where was I? .... oh yeah, financial goals for 2016. Let's see....well, there's good news and then there's bad news.

GOOD NEWS:

• I'll get a wee pension increase.

BAD NEWS:

• it won't cover fully the increases in my condo fee, electricity, insurance etc etc

GOOD NEWS:

• Union Gas (heats my house, heats my hot water tank, runs my dryer) is GOING DOWN a little bit next year!! Woot woot - no bad news there (to my knowledge!)

GOOD NEWS:

• I turn 60 this year (wait...that's not the good news)...so I will start drawing on my Canada Pension!! Yes, that's the good news! Hundreds more dollars a month added to my budget - I estimate I can go from saving $350 a month to saving $1,000 a month! I see more travel in my future!! 

BAD NEWS:

• Had an expensive repair on Dougie the Dodge  but...

GOOD NEWS: 

• my mechanic told me Dougie should last at least another 4-5 years! Right now it's 16 years YOUNG! So I've decided it makes more financial sense to keep driving Dougie instead of spending big bucks on a small car. What I also like about having big ol' Dougie sitting out there in the parking lot is I tend to walk/bike more to do errands instead of driving. Good on gas and good for me!
• More good news - I had exactly enough money for Christmas and all of the many December needs. On Dec. 31st I had $70 left in my wallet and I used it to rent movies and buy Chinese food. I stayed on budget this Christmas and I feel really good about that. But I was anxious about it all month so tonight I'm going to sit down with my day planner and make a notation each month to buy a Christmas gift so that when next December arrives it won't be so anxiety provoking. I just gotta do it!
• I have NO debt. Not one nickel.
• I've been saving my change - I have almost $70. It's just a wee household emergency fund. For example....today I don't really feel like cooking so I might order a pizza. Saving my loonies and toonies and some $5.00 bills means I always have cash "on hand" just in case. 
• I received a Starbucks gift card and a Tim Hortons gift card for Christmas - that will augment my misc budget this month
• It's time to transfer $5000 from my RRSPs once again. I can do this once a year and it goes into my travel account - of course the gov't takes their share (10%) right off the top so I really only get $4500.  I'm interested to see what my tax situation will be like this year - this is my first tax season that I've been on my pension the whole year. I know I won't be looking at $2,000 tax refunds anymore but I hope I get a little bit back at least and don't have to pay!!

So...to sum up my 2016 financial goals - SAVE SAVE SAVE and spend less than I make each month! I have no large purchases to make (as of this particular moment in time - touch wood touch wood touch wood!!); I don't plan to buy and then immediately sell any real estate this year :(  (I was on a learning curve, what can I say?), and IT'S FINALLY SNOWING A WEEK AND A HALF AFTER CHRISTMAS!!

Do you have a NEW budget for 2016 or is it the same old same old?

Window or Aisle?

It is now less than 24 hours before boarding a British Air plane that will whisk me off to parts unknown. How cool is it that you can now select your seat (window or aisle....?window or aisle...?) and print off your boarding pass before leaving your house? I'm ready to get right on the plane!

Look - there I am waving! (Yes, I cut my hair today :)  The pilot looks confident don't you think?

Everything seems to be going very smoothly therefore I must be forgetting something very important but I can't think what. My suitcase contains...

• undies, sports bras, socks & liners, extra socks for walking shoes, flip flops, Pjs, Cliff Bars and trail mix to snack on while hiking - CHECK
• tank tops, short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, fleece, sweater - CHECK
• hiking pants, jeans, black tights - CHECK
• toiletry bag (plus scissors, duct tape, sewing kit, lotion for my feet and leg muscles etc etc), UK adaptor, eye drops, extra bandaids, pills/vitamins, book, maps, itinerary - CHECK

Hey livingrichonthecheap - just wanted to show you the smaller duct tape rolls that are available but for the life of me I don't remember where I got it?? 

For a purse I'm taking my "unlearn" bag that I bought at Sunfest a few years ago. It has a long adjustable strap so I can wear it across the front of my body leaving my hands free. 

 The front above and the other side below. It has multiple zippered compartments and lots of space.

The outer zippered compartment on the front contains my passport and boarding pass. Also in my purse: my iPad and iPod, camera, phone, crosswords puzzles, sudokus, pencils & sharpener, pens, gum, lip balms, chargers, book, journal & small notebook, kleenex, map, wallet & ID. Separate money belt.

Yup, I'm good to go.

Window seats are my preference. What's yours?

Retirement Update

I noticed a blog post the other day (http://ndchicscents.blogspot.ca/) entitled "Retirement Update" which motivated me to provide one too.

Yup, still retired!!

When I was approaching retirement I thought I would give myself a year to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It turns out a year wasn't long enough.  Bear in mind that a lot of life-changing events occurred over the past year and a half in addition to retirement: relationship ending, loss of future plans, 20 year old pet passed away, had to sell house in PEI, living on half the income I was used to, and a back injury.... which all contributed to low level depression and anxiety. Adjusting to retirement isn't as easy as it would seem!

So...where do things stand now?

• health: medication is helping both with both back pain and mood enabling me to get physical once again; riding my back  bike (thanks for catching that typo sis!) and going to yoga and meditation has also helped me both physically and mentally. I still see a counsellor and am on a wait list for "group therapy"
• social contact: staying in touch with people is so important but not easy for me being the introvert than I am: every day I try to connect with a few people through texting, emailing, Facebook, blog, phone calls, going to social events, getting together with family, becoming more of an activist and so on. I still have days when I'd rather not see anyone 
• reviving old hobbies: my brother said to think back to childhood when we naturally gravitated to the hobbies and activities that we loved: for me that included biking, sewing and reading as well as sports, board games and playing cards. I also loved to draw, play piano and be creative. So far I have done one sewing project with another in the works, I have purchased a book about drawing as well as an "adult colouring book". I am working (slowly) on carving a piece of soapstone and indulge my love of reading every day. As a child one of my favourite things to do was to put a book and a bagged lunch in my bike's basket and ride out into the countryside, then climbed a tree to read and eat my lunch :) These days I try to get out on my bike every day but so far haven't gone out into the countryside with a book and a lunch. I'll add that to my to do list! I go to a "sports night" once a month in addition to a monthly "games night" and last week I started going to a weekly "euchre night" which has been fun. Usually I get out to see one movie a week with a friend
• new hobbies/activities: what would I like to do that I haven't tried yet? Painting, particularly water colours, learn a new instrument or purchase a keyboard, go back to school (tuition at my alma mater is free at age 60) so I'm considering attending part-time next year - perhaps a degree in film or getting back into the visual arts
• volunteering: haven't made my mind up about that one yet - I want to volunteer but not sure about where or how often. I sort of dread being on a schedule
• part-time work: at this point in time I don't feel inclined to get a part-time job
• travel: planning a trip or two each year is fun and exciting yet expensive. Once my Canada Pension Plan kicks in next May I'll be able to travel more frequently.
• redecorating: still working away at this though things have slowed down now as the weather is too nice to be inside as much. Hopefully I'll feel more motivated in the fall...

So things are moving along. I would say the biggest barrier is lack of "motivation".  I get things done but at a much slower pace than in the past and have to push myself to move some days. I feel that I'm on the right path and need to be more patient with myself. It's been a HUGE adjustment and it's not over yet. 

I'll be OK.

IT'S NOT FUNGUS HURRAH HURRAH!!

It was as I thought - a blister under the toenail. I might lose the nail but then again I might not. However, toenails grow so slowly it'll be awhile before I know either way. As long as it's NOT FUNGUS I am a happy camper!

Well, happy until I look at my budget this month. I've been pointedly ignoring it the past couple of weeks and it hasn't been doing too well on its own. Don't ever leave your budget to look after itself...just sayin'...

Is March like the longest month of the year? It's only the 13th today for Pete's sake! Already I've transferred small amounts of money from savings into chequing to cover things...possibly but highly unlikely I might have $$ at the end of the month to put back into my savings but I'm not getting my hopes up too high.

So what has the misc budget been spent on so far this month??

• my lovely new Merrell hiking sandals shown above around half-price $66.00 (includes taxes) I'm somewhat optimistic that spring, summer and fall WILL OCCUR at some point this year and when they do I'll be ready!! These give me an alternative to my hiking boots - I might even be able to wear them occasionally when hiking Hadrian's Wall when/if the weather is nice. At the very least I can wear them each day after hiking to give my feet a break! I just started wearing them around the house and I feel as though I have nothing on my feet. 
• expensive eye drops and omega 3 vitamins to combat "dry eye" syndrome (I'm so tired of winter and it's effects on my body!!)  $32.00
• some household things from Dollarama (oh...and candy!) $17.00
• load my Timmy's card - $15.00
• income tax software - $21.00
• donation to help bring Nate home  $20.00
• truck repair $11.00
• movie $10.00
• utilities (I underestimated both my electricity and natural gas - damn winter!!) $15.00
• Ancestry.ca membership $192.00 (I swear this gets more expensive every year!)
• Take-out food from Hong Pings $43.00
• Wine - $20.00
• Giant Tiger (jacket & chocolate bar) $32.00

That comes to a total of.....$494.00. I have $306 left in misc for a total of $800. Since my misc budget is set at $600 that means I've pulled $200 out of savings. I still have over 18 days left in March!! Yikes! I am REALLY going to try to make many of those NO SPEND DAYS!! 

The good news is I received over $800 in interest payments this month and am anxiously awaiting my tax refund to be deposited (over $1200). These monies will all go towards travelling this year. I have possibly 4 trips in the offing from a 4 day weekend to 2 weeks in England.  AND I'm hoping to buy a trailer soon. 

Bye bye money!!

Anyone else having an expensive month?

Sniff Sniff

My daughter has the sniffles...and of course now so do I! However, I will NOT succumb!! Not yet anyways!! The last time I had the sniffles, back in the fall, I was successful in curing myself by taking lots of Vitamin C and drinking my Dad's tonic: 2 tbsp. of cider vinegar, 1 tbsp. of lemon juice, a dash of cinnamon, honey and boiling water. I spent one day dosing myself and woke up "cured" the next day. So, that's what I'm doing today - wish me luck! I detest being sick more than just about anything else I can think of and actually feel "put upon" when I catch anything.....WHY ME?!?

Not a lot new going on - we woke up to a few more inches of snow after being blasted on Sunday and Monday. And we're due for a few more still - that's the only conversation around these parts - the snow and the cold.  Our current relatively balmy -2c is going to slide on down the thermometer til it reaches -26c tonight!! Oh my!

I've decided to wait until I know what my tax refund will be before I make any definite travel plans. Thank you all for your encouragement!! Kazi has been encouraging me too!! It will happen - it's the timing that has to be figured out!!

Last June I received a $5,000 early retirement bonus which I'm fairly confident I was allowed to dump into my RRSP fund in its entirety. But there are always those niggling doubts when it comes to Revenue Canada and I won't entirely relax until I do my return. Which won't happen til I get my T4 and in this country that doesn't happen until the end of February. So...patience, grasshopper!

Nagging doesn't work - have you figured that out yet? You have? Why has it taken me so long?? My still-at-home daughter doesn't like being told what to do, or what she should (according to Mom) be doing. So I've been laying off the nagging and things are getting done around here - WOW - I wish I'd figured this out long ago!

Exhibit One: she did the dishes (without being asked/told/begged)!! We'll disregard the upright wineglass partially filled with water this time...

 Exhibit Two: she's made her own list to go to the grocery store!! Baby steps people, baby steps! Again, no hinting or suggesting or whining from my direction!! ( I even added a couple of things after I took this photo!)

In addition I hear the washing machine going :) (I hope she does her sheets but I'll keep that to myself!!) She's been more cheerful and grateful and helpful contributing WINE and SNACKS (pizza flavoured Pringles are really YUMMY - who knew?!)  And we're laughing a lot more which does my heart good. We're both coming off a bad year so I'm hoping we've turned a corner and things only get better from here on in.

Did someone mention wine?

2015 Goals

This is the first time I've not had a big list of goals to post. Usually I have more "goals" than I can handle but this year is different, very different.

Now that I am retired...and single...I'm not quite sure what my goals are anymore. That's not as sad as it sounds...it's just...different. This is going to take some getting used to!!

So here goes...I don't have a prepared list, I'm doing this off the cuff.
Drum roll please.......
Hmmmmm...nothing is coming to me...perhaps if I divide them up into categories?

Health Goals:

• stay healthy (there, that wasn't so hard!!)
• okay okay, getting serious here...to stay healthy I plan to hike 3 times a week and bike 3 times a week or as closely to that as I can depending on weather and lazy feelings
• eat home-cooked 100% of the time excepting the occasional meal out which I hope but cannot guarantee is home-cooked; try ONE new veggie recipe per week
• no diets: I never weigh myself, no, if my clothing fits then I am doing ok...and currently they fit, most of them
• go to meditation/yoga twice weekly; I may increase this if I can find something else that will fit into my schedule. I've been doing this on and off for a couple of months and love it. Mental health is important too!

Financial Goals:

• stick to my budget which is posted as a separate page under the header picture
• save until I have a set amount in savings just as a cushion and then all savings will go into FUN stuff like buying a trailer and travel, books and music, alcohol 
• stay within set amounts for food and gas and misc

Personal/Life/House:

• redecorate the following areas: foyer, laundry room, upstairs hallway, bedrooms and upstairs bathroom (not necessarily in that order)
• plan two trips for 2015: out east and ???
• keep watching kijiji for trailers in my price range til I find "the one"
• follow my schedule, revamp as necessary, to fit in time for creative writing, carving, friendship, genealogical research
• more outings to museums, galleries, road trips, movies, concerts etc
• research volunteer possibilities
• live finding the humour everywhere - be silly and ridiculous :)

There, once I got going I did ok! 

Today's silliness:

The Adventure Begins

First of all never EVER EVER go anywhere requiring 3 different flights on 3 different airplanes!! I never will again! NOT that I planned it that way. No, the original plan was to fly from Halifax to Heathrow which required 1 stopover in Iceland. A LONG stopover mind you.

But since I came home to London I couldn't fly out of Halifax and had to add a Toronto to Halifax flight. Oh my. So much waiting time what with also taking Robert Q from London to Toronto. But I survived and have learned many lessons about what to do and what NOT to do on my next adventure.

 I decided early on just to "embrace" whatever came along and try to maintain a sense of humour. The fact that I am sitting here typing this is testament to the fact that I succeeded...sort of. Happily I enjoy many solitary pursuits - crossword puzzles, reading, sudoku, listening to music, journalling so was able to keep myself busy during all the down time. In fact, it's really the only time I've enjoyed those pursuits since I retired. (I am 101 days into retirement now, I just noticed my counter today!!)

Just about to land in Halifax and I noticed this weather front moving in just as the sun was setting.

I had a suitcase issue once I collected my bag in Halifax - one of the wheels was broken in half and left black marks on the floor as I dragged it around! Oh poo! I  couldn't imagine having to drag a suitcase throughout my travels so I was forced to purchase a new one - I didn't need that $150 did I? Do you suppose the airlines and conveniently located luggage stores at the airports are in cahoots???

Here I am repacking into the new suitcase which has four wheels instead of two and travels easily in any direction - a cut above my two-wheeler I must admit. 

Ok, I am all repacked and my suitcase is checked - I have about a two hour wait so I went to a pub and had a lovely bowl of soup and a salad along with a cold refreshing amber ale :) So far I'm happy!

My next flight leaves at 10:10pm. I've been on the road since 8am and I'm only in Halifax! :(

Well, now I'm in Iceland and have lost three more hours. The terminal and concourse at Iceland's airport has won many awards over the years with its unique shops and good food.

I had two meals while I waited at Iceland airport for my next flight to Heathrow - yes, I was there THAT long. And I actually managed to sleep for a couple of hours while lounging on a bench. The above was a veggie omelet with whole grain toast that I had for breakfast - plus freshly squeezed orange juice. It only came to 1.980 krona, not bad eh? Sounded cheap to me! Of course I had to check my mastercard bill for the transversion - $18.82 Cdn!!! Yikes!

Later I had a tuna sandwich and a container of raw veggies (TRIED to eat healthy!) and that came to $19.72 Canadian! Oh vell...one must eat!!

Did you know that the "toilets" are called "Snyrtingar" in the Icelandic language?  I think I might adopt that term - "excuse me, I have to go to the snyrtingar"!! Snort!!

I amused myself by exploring the concourse...many times! There were many people lounging about on benches trying to get a bit of sleep. The above is the shape of the island of Iceland made up of many of the items that are for sale in the many shops. Below are a few closeups of what they have for sale...

Yes, most Icelandic people are blonde...and beautiful...but not identical lol!

There hasn't been a polar bear in Iceland since one swam there in the l980's but let's not quibble.

However there are 45,000 horses at least in Iceland, many roaming freely.

Those colourful domes are made out of sand dollars...and of course there are the inevitable bottles of alcohol :)

Seabirds...

I'm guessing cinnamon buns but not sure about the other delicacy??

Iceland is home to MILLIONS of puffins...even LIVE ones!!

And of course what would Iceland be without its elven creatures?? I bought one just like the green fellow there in the middle - I thought he could hang out with us at Christmas!

 One of many artistic installations around the concourse.

 I really wish I could have seen more of the amazing landscape of Iceland besides that which I could see out of the windows!

More of the native artwork. 

Iceland airport is undergoing major construction so we were bused to our airplane. On the way I spotted the WOW airlines, which is a lower cost Icelandic airlines.

Then we were finally off - next stop Heathrow and the loss of another hour totalling a 5 hour time difference in all. I missed an entire night between Halifax and Iceland. Am I having fun yet?? Sorta :)

Dear Diary: its taking me longer than I thought to get re-oriented now that I'm home. I'm sure part of that is the head cold I'm suffering from. My sleep pattern is pretty much back to normal thanks to taking melatonin and calcium at bedtime. But I still feel kinda groggy and am having a hard time keeping myself awake til at least 10pm. A friend has wanted me to go hiking with her but I've had to say no. I need more recovery time. And I need to do some grooming - my hair needs cutting and I've totally given up shaving my legs recently...

Today will be devoted to losing a bunch of hair and then cleaning up after Luna and Lily. They are doing really well except for the fact that Luna won't leave Lily alone when she's in the litter box. I wonder how they will like the sound of the vacuum cleaner? So far today they've had their breakfast, chased each other around the one room they're allowed to be in about 1,000 times and are now having a nap. Tough life!

Kazi starts her new job today at "Garage".  She interviewed for a lower management position and she got it! I really hope it goes well as she needs to settle into a job for awhile so that she and Steve can get their own place.

Now I'm going to read some blogs, then read the Free Press then I'm going to get busy...maybe...YES!!