Mid-year refocusing and progress

I was surprised when I looked at my 2013 goals and decided I had completed 2 of them- Address physical health issues and Be happy with what I wear. I'm declaring them done for the year! Going forward I am going to focus on exercising and how I spend my time. I'll continue with decluttering slowly and saving for retirement but won't be reporting the outcomes.

Deciding to "retire" from paid consulting work has left me curious what I want to devote my time to going forward. I've also discovered that it is awkward right not to try to answer the question "So how are you spending your time?"

We had a lovely evening last night with old friends from way back in grad school who were in town and I couldn't really answer that question to my satisfaction at least. I know I don't want to schedule my days so full that it feels like I am working again. I have a friend who has done that and she seems just as stressed as when she was working full time.

I'm continuing with my book club, reading for pleasure, Friends of the Library volunteer work, walking the dog, and doing more of the daily chores as well as planning more fun activities in our life. I've talked to the head of the library foundation about being involved in developing content for their new website. I'm joining a gym when we get back from vacation later in July. I may get back to my painting, visit all of the art museums in town/go on art walks or other little goals.

That's it so far!

What's up for May and April recap

We are heading out to a wedding and I'm looking forward to May very much! Our younger son is getting married in CA on My 4th and then he will be in our town on business and a weekend visit later in the month. Of course we get to see our older son and his sweetie as well as many other family members at the wedding weekend too! I get started on cataract removal with the right eye going first on May 13th. There is my monthly book club to attend and the Friends of the Library spring book sale to help manage. That should be enough along with the routine to do's of our lives.

So how did April go? Pretty well but I really need to make exercising at home a priority this month

My goal of saving EXTRA for retirement progressed slowly with only $44.98 added for a total of $1721.10 for the first third of the year. If we can keep up this rate that would be an extra $5,000 saved - we'll see. We did do better on our food spending, but are still over way budget for the year. We didn't Fix Up much - just a few mending/alteration projects. I did do most of the things on my list however.

Travel 
DONE - trip to visit my Mom, brother and SIL in NH in early April
DONE - book club weekend away at a member's mountain get away
Art
DONE - one or two classes a week at nearby county arts center and "homework" in between
NOPE, not contacted - I am hoping to be a "judge's assistant" the day before a big arts festival
NOPE, too much pollen - hoping to walk to nearby festival
Volunteering
DONE - planning meetings and activities for May Friends of the Library book sale
DONE - regular weekly shift sorting donated books
Exercise & Health
DONE - final two Pilates sessions
DONE - home exercise space ready to use
NOPE, but I did walk the dog more - start a home exercise program to replace private Pilates sessions with trainer
DONE, but they aren't off until summer - find out if my braces are going to come off before son's wedding
DONE - pre-op testing for cataract surgery
Celebrations
DONE - our 32nd wedding anniversary
DONE - a bridal shower for a friend's daughter
Personal Challenges
DONE - stick to Spring Project 333 wardrobe with no purchases for that season
DONE - shop thrift/consignment stores for needed summer clothes
DID BETTER - limit time on computer to maximum of 1 hour a day
DID BETTER - try for an "Austerity April" in terms of food and entertainment spending except when visiting Mom.

In Addition
DONE - get some Spring yard work done
DONE - the dog needs grooming before she is boarded in early April
DONE - the routine stuff will need to happen.  

What's up for April and March retrospective

I'm looking at the calendar and see I've got quite a bit planned for April.

Travel 
- trip to visit my Mom, brother and SIL in NH in early April
- book club weekend away at a member's mountain get away
Art
- one or two classes a week at nearby county arts center and "homework" in between
- I am hoping to be a "judge's assistant" the day before a big arts festival
- hoping to walk to nearby festival
Volunteering
- planning meetings and activities for May Friends of the Library book sale
- regular weekly shift sorting donated books
Exercise & Health
- final two Pilates sessions
- home exercise space ready to use
- start a home exercise program to replace private Pilates sessions with trainer
- find out if my braces are going to come off before son's wedding
- pre-op testing for cataract surgery
Celebrations
- our 32nd wedding anniversary
- a bridal shower for a friend's daughter
Personal Challenges
- stick to Spring Project 333 wardrobe with no purchases for that season
- shop thrift/consignment stores for needed summer clothes
- limit time on computer to maximum of 1 hour a day
- try for an "Austerity April" in terms of food and entertainment spending except when visiting Mom.

In addition, it will be time to get some Spring yard work done, the dog needs grooming before she is boarded in early April, and all the routine stuff will need to happen.  

Now let's take a look at how March went! 

I kept up with my Pilates weekly sessions and walked the dog a bit more including taking her to the park a couple of times. Not so great at keeping up with my PT exercises on a daily basis but my shoulder is getting better.

I bought quite a few clothes including getting my Mother of the Groom outfit and am happy with them all. Created list for my Spring Project 333 wardrobe and decided to get rid of one item on my Winter list as I really don't like it. I also bought a Kindle and have found ways to get free ebooks. I'll take it on my trip in early April and be happy to have reading in a very lightweight format.

I did more fun things and started an art class. Spent more time with friends and talked to loved ones who live a long way away more often. This was a really good thing!

My goal of saving EXTRA for retirement is progressing. I saved or made decisions that will save money later this year to a tune of $848.41 in March for a total of $1686.12 in extra savings so far this year.

We didn't Fix Up much - just a doorknob and the painting of a purchased table so it fits with our decor.

Not the most productive month ever but it will do.

I've simplified my 2013 goals and resolutions

I have not been doing well with the way I approached goal/resolution setting for this year. Last year I had very tangible, to do list type of goals and they worked out well in terms of actually doing them. This year's aren't working as well so I have revised them. Here's the new ones, how I did in February and plans for March.

_________________GOALS_________________

Feel energetic and strong

Exercise daily - join gym if needed

March Plans: Pilates session weekly; give that dog those walks
February Results: Pilates session weekly; some walks by self or with dog; visited lower cost gym (discount through health insurance) which I will join when PT says ok

Address physical health issues

March Plans: Continue PT exercises (must recommit) and add stretching DVD
February Results: Shoulder PT exercises once a day at minimum; scheduled cataract surgery 

Feel happy with what I wear

Create a happy, comfortable, flexible, small wardrobe

March Plans: Decide on Mother of the Groom dress & buy related shoes/accessories; shop for new spring wardrobe and exercise clothes; get rid of any remaining clothes that don't fit well
February Results: Altered pants that are too large; shopped for Mother of the Groom dress and asked friends to help make decision

Feel joyful and enlarge my life
Fill my calendar full of things I love to do

March Plans: Improv comedy show and dinner with hubby & friend; book club at my house; attend art opening of friend; botanical garden open house for members; take painting class
February Results: Dinner with old friend who was in town; went to book club; too much hibernation

_______________RESOLUTIONS_______________

Save as much extra as possible for retirement

YTD Savings: $837.71

February Savings - $ 237.63

$ 29.63 - buying groceries/household goods/toiletries on Wednesdays for 5% senior discount & using coupons

$ 60 - did not call plumber or appliance repair person to fix leak from washer; found it was the drain hose, bought over the internet (special hose for this washer) and hubby installed

$ 60 - found that "Teeny Greenies" for the Poodle Princess are less if ordered through Amazon shopping instead of 1-800 Pet Meds. Next year we'll save $80 on this and puppsie will continue to get her dental treat every day

$50 - earned this amount on a health care debit card by completing some online assessments

$10 - discounted debit card for coffee place

$23 - coupons for annual car oil change, etc.

Fix Things Up!

February Projects Completed: Pavers and bark down around the shed to protect the new siding and door from mud; Paid to have broken basement vent replaced as part of basement rodent proofing: Altered two pairs of capris to fit at waist

Its only money - Best laid budget plans and all that

First I want to say how grateful I am that we have good health insurance and the money to pay for medical/dental care and surprise expenses. I just don't like financial surprises when I am feeling so good about the year's planned budget. But then I want you to please indulge me in a whine! I'll be better afterwards - I promise.

It really is not budget friendly to have part of a tooth break off especially when you aren't chewing on anything hard. I need a crown although it is not urgent as there is no pain thankfully. Having braces complicates the whole thing and I'll see how the dentist and orthodontist decide to proceed. I made it clear I want at least a temporary crown before we fly off on May 2nd to attend our son's wedding! A dental emergency during the wedding celebrations would not be fun.

Speaking of weddings, it turns out the hotel will not honor the wedding group rate for the last night we need to stay. We really don't want to get back to the East coast really late at night so unless our son can convince them to make a change to the contract that final night will be more expensive. 

Moving on it is now clear why I can't see very well when driving at night, on overcast days, or very sunny/glaring days. I saw an opthamologist yesterday and I am now scheduled for cataract surgery. One eye in May and the other in June.

Then there is the budget buster that has me totally baffled. Our Federal taxes for 2012 are almost identical to what we owed for 2011 although our taxable income is quite a bit lower. Truly don't understand that one! Even though I thought I was paying enough in estimated taxes on top of withholding from our paychecks yet we still owe a significant amount and possibly a small penalty. We will also need to make larger estimated tax payments this year to avoid this problem next year. At least the usual occurred with our state taxes. The withholding is always slightly more than what we owe and we get a few hundred back each year. After thinking about this one I am going to invest in tax software and see if the results are the same.

The final unexpected expense is that we have what we hope is a chipmunk and not something worse that has figured out how to get into our basement by expanding the hole where the air conditioner unit hoses enter the space. Hubby has tried everything he can think of to close the hole and make it rodent proof but no luck. We've decided we have to hire the critter removers who squirrel proofed our attic a few years ago.

All I can say is onward into the rest of 2013 with fingers crossed. We are fortunate that we can afford all of this but at 60 and 63 we are really trying to add as much as possible to our savings. My Mom is 91 and going strong while my FIL will be 86 this month. We need to plan on funding long lives which is a good thing!

February mini-goals

February is a short month and my goals list is short too. 

I am really going to try to make exercise a priority and habit. 

-         Exercise and stretch daily

o   Do shoulder exercises 2x a day

o   Pilates session, walk without dog, or exercise dvd daily

o   Walk dog daily if weather permits

-         Eat lots of fruit/vegetables and healthy snacks

-    Alter pants that no longer fit

-    Create Spring outfits from what have using inspiration board and Project 333 list as a guide

-    Invite friends over for a meal

-    Visit art museum

-    Buy only what food/household products/toiletries actually need for week

January mini-goals status

Yes, there are 5 more days in January counting today, but I am soooo ready for it to be over. So I am declaring it over goal wise and grading myself now on my monthly mini-goals. So here goes January.
 
B+  Do PT and general stretching exercises daily - traveling and being sick put a damper on getting this done daily but I did pretty well regardless
C   Walk dog daily if not raining - Again, being sick for 10 days did  this one in as did the cold weather. Still we got out more than last month.
A   Start 2 health/nutrition courses through Coursera - I started one and it was too basic so I am not continuing.
A+  Make Spring Project 333 wardrobe inspiration board on Pinterest - I did this and it was fun!
A    Make Spring Project 333 wardrobe list and shop my closet first - Done!
B-   Make wardrobe shopping list and frugal budget - the list is done but not the budget; shopping in March
F    Invite friends over for dinner - Nope
C    Menu plan each week and try at least 2 new recipes - that old being sick thing again; at least I did menu plan when I was well and tried 2 new recipes
B    Limit eating out to LA trip at beginning of January and one other time - YES except for 3 coffees out two of which were when I was recovering from being sick and needed really wanted to get out of the house and had zero energy for anything else
A+  Fix Up at least one thing in addition to replacing dishwasher - Put polish/scratch remover on old desk and it looks great, hemmed jacket sleeves and polished an old belt.

Water rates going up 11% this year and other increases in personal cost of living

I noted in my annual review of our personal cost of living that although we reduced water use 4.7% in 2012, the cost was 6.5% more! I knew rates had gone up and had forgotten that it was an 11% increase. The same increase in rates will be applied in 2013 and 2014. That will be $45 to $50 annually for us based on last year's usage. It is to pay for massive sewer line work that had been delayed for many decades resulting in many sewage spills into creeks and rivers. A good reason to raise rates.

I'm not sure how to reduce our water use further. Our new dishwasher should use less water and we can pre-rinse less. We could go back to collecting the "warm up" shower water in a bucket and hauling it from the 2nd floor to the basement to use in the washer. I think that won't happen due to my shoulder and Hubby's back problems. I'd rather shower every other day in cool weather to save water.

Other increases in our personal cost of living for 2013? The cable/internet/phone bundle went up 21% as the intro rate expired and I imagine there were other increases in fees/taxes. I am sure we will see increases in car and homeowner's insurance although our excess liability policy stayed the same. Our life insurance costs go up each year as well. Of course our OASDI withholding went back up 2% to the normal rate after the "tax holiday" as did everyone else's. I think the Medicare withholding went up a bit too. Our property appraisal is locked for the year but the rates will probably go up so our bill will too. We are very fortunate that our medical insurance rate only went up 1% after years of larger increases. The only thing I can think of that will go down is the personal property tax on our cars as it is based on value and they keep depreciating.

Of course that leaves our discretionary expenses as the only place to see reductions. I'm working on that!

January Mini-Goals

Well, it is time to get busy achieving my 2013 goals! Here is the doable action list for January.
 
1. Do PT and general stretching exercises daily 
2. Walk dog daily if not raining
3. Start 2 health/nutrition courses through Coursera
4. Make Spring Project 333 wardrobe inspiration board on Pinterest
5. Make Spring Project 333 wardrobe list and shop my closet first
6. Make wardrobe shopping list and frugal budget
7. Invite friends over for dinner
8.Menu plan each week and try at least 2 new recipes
9. Limit eating out to LA trip at beginning of January and one other time
10. Fix Up at least one thing in addition to replacing dishwasher

Goodbye 2012 - you were great and I'm looking forward to 2013

2012 was a year full of blessings for us. We were truly fortunate and we know it and are very grateful.

Our family is well and happy as are we. We spent good time with our wide-spread family. We were in LA 3 times and saw lots of family each time - over New Year's with the bonus of seeing the Rose Parade with DS1 and his sweetie, in July right after DS2 and his sweetie moved back there, and over Thanksgiving. We  visited DS2 in Little Rock before his move to LA and helped him pack up his apartment. We also managed to go see my Mom and other family in NH twice.

Rose Parade 2012

Huntington Beach Pier July 2012

At home in Atlanta what stands out was exploring new places and restaurants, participated in our first fundraising walk, seeing a couple of great plays at a small theater, fascinating art exhibits, the love and companionship provided by the lovely women in my long standing book club and the members of my Friends of the Library group (who raised over $22,500 this year!).

I learned some new things - colored pencil drawing and how to use kitchen knives like a chef (also learned that it is easier to use them if you get them sharpened occasionally LOL).

The drawing I did in class working from a picture

I also lost some things - 6 pounds personally and 225 things that were decluttered from the house. I hope to keep losing a few pounds and decluttering but I won't be counting the items decluttered going forward.

I started participating in Project 333 and am enjoying my clothing more and not shopping or browsing out of a vague dissatisfaction.

While we still don't love our house, we managed to complete 9 of the 12 House To Dos for the year. The most fun was getting this antique chair (early 1990s) restored. When I was a child we hung our stockings from the ears of the "North Wind face" and my children did the same. It only took me 15 years to get around to finding someone to glue it back together. I found out a friend is a talented woodworker and furniture restorer and asked him if he would do it. He did and also lovingly restored the original finish and then wouldn't charge me much. I'm really loving the result.

We were able to share our good fortune through financial gifts to family members in need and for our share of DS2's upcoming wedding. Although my consulting business has diminished considerably over the past few years, I was able to earn enough to fund my ROTH IRA and pay for the orthodontist, new glasses, the physical therapist, and Pilates trainer sessions.

My theme for 2013 though is MORE and although I just learned that I probably won't make as much in 2013 due to the impact of the world economy on the client company, it is still going to be ok to want more while making less income. That is because the MORE I truly want is
- more family time
- more time with friends
- more art and theater
- more cooking and sharing of healthy and tasty meals
- more exercise 
- more laughter
- more contentment and joy 

We already have plans for some of this. A trip to LA for an uncle's 90th birthday, DS2's wedding in May and a nephews in July. Meeting another nephew's wife and daughter (my great niece!) at that second wedding. Going to art exhibits and plays. Inviting friends over for meals.

In addition, I am going to work on my 2013 goals while wringing out as much savings as possible from our income to boost our retirement savings, and Fix Things Up! 

I hope you are looking forward to 2013 as well and will join me here as we journey through the new year.

2013 Resolutions: Be kind to yourself

5 years to retirement - Financial planning to do list?

I have already transitioned to working very part time instead of full time, but my slightly younger hubby loves his job and plans to remain in it until he has 20 years of service which will bump up his Federal pension a bit. So health willing we are planning to officially "retire" at the end of 2017 when he is 65 and I am 68.

I've been researching advice on what to do in terms of financial planning to prepare for this life change and here is what I've found is recommended for us to do in 2013.

1.       Cash Flow: Write out two budgets – one with current expenses, the other with expected expenses in retirement.

2.       Investments: Use computer programs to project retirement needs and investment returns.  Discuss with a financial planner your goals and how to adjust your asset mix to meet them.

3.       Defined Benefit Retirement Plan: Ask your benefits office to project your pension in monthly and lump-sum payments

4.       IRA & 403b: Put the maximum in your plan.  Wait as long as possible to tap the money so earnings grow tax-deferred.

5.       SS: Check your earnings statement annually.

Some of this makes sense and some doesn't.

1. We have an annual budget and have tracked our actual spending for years. Since we expect to sell our house and relocate it is very hard to come up with an expected budget 5 years down the road. All we can do is continue to save as much as possible while making sure we also live each day fully.
2. I can do this online and will do so.
3. Again, this is available online.
4. We do maximize these and will do so in 2013.
5. Will do.


The bigger question that is unanswerable right now is what will our life be like in 5 years?

Will we both be healthy?
Will our children still live near each other in southern CA so that will be where we will move?
Will we still have elderly parents living on opposite sides of the country?
How will we want to spend our time? Because I have greatly reduced my work hours I am faced with this now.

How do you plan to prepare for your retirement when it is 5 years out - both financially and in terms of a satisfying lifestyle?