Bud Baker Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Good morning, everyone! It was 46 degrees and misting as I rode to work this morning. The strong north wind made it seem colder. If it dries up as expected this afternoon, then I'll likely ride an extra 10 miles on the way home, like I have every day this week. You know you could pick a significant birthday to rachet down the number of miles you continue to expect of yourself each year. I'm plotting how to cut down my work hours, not how to cut down my riding miles........LOL. Our new home is just 1150 square feet, and nice on utilities. Even though it's total electric, and we keep three computers and a wireless internet box turned on all the time, even with our brutal summer, our electric bill was never over $200. The window unit air conditioner we added to the master bedroom, so we could let the rest of the house get warmer at night in the summer, helped. Last month's bill was less than $100. I also became a cord cutter this year (google "cord cutter" if you don't know what that means). My high speed internet and Netflix together total less that $45 a month. With house, both vehicles, boats, and bikes all paid for, my living expenses are looking better for the piddly retirement income I'll soon be living on. I'll still need to change my shopping habits so that I'm buying less "stuff" when I retire, though. They're calling for a 90 percent chance of rain tomorrow, then turning cold with more rain on Sunday, so I'm glad I got some good riding miles during the week this week. It may be a weekend of vegging out with Netflix.......LOL. Have a great day, all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaminkw Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Morning All! Morning Bud and thanks for opening. I had some time before I need to go out but caught up in the bad news about Geri and Colleen. How did I know you probably weren't even remotely thinking of cutting down riding time lol. I really admire the steps you've taken to cut expenses before you retire. I keep telling my husband we need to do that. If I wait for him, it will never happen. First place I need to start is cell phone package, cable and internet. I'll surely use your suggestions as a jumping off place. Got to go folks. Lunch and shopping with a friend. Judy in KW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joppette Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Hi friends, Yesterday was busy with Gilda's Club, but very rewarding. Some things were said to me that just touched my heart to pieces and humbled me. The last two days have been spent with a lot of calls and emails to family and friends that need to know about my next health challenge. With the PET on Monday, things are going to progress very quickly. I asked my older brother if he'd be willing to host the family Christmas, if in fact I had the surgery before the holiday. He said he'd try to work it out one way or another. He was concerned that his wife may not have enough time to "decorate" properly since we celebrate on the 18th. I just said "really???". He then said "ah, yeah, I guess that isn't that important, is it?". No it is not. I am intending on hosting the party but I am not doing the decorating I've done every year. I usually go bannanas with this. I think it's highly likely I'll have the surgery before Christmas, and the last time, I was in the hospital for 15 days. It was because of complications, so hopefully, this time, it will be more like 5 days. But I won't be able to clean and do all the other stuff by then. I'm going to shop for the nieces and nephews this weekend, and get that done. We spend Christmas day with our best friends and this year it is her turn to host, so that will be easy for me. The kids are all young adults now, so gift cards is what I get them. There are two Grandma's that I usually get a little something for, but it's not much, so I'll get that done this weekend too. I'm in a nesting mode right now. Spent all day doing laundry, and cleaning out closets. I'll do good cleaning again this weekend, and depending on the results, will hire a girlfriend that needs money for Christmas to come clean for the rest of the month. Can you tell I'm making my list and checking it twice? Judy in MI Oh! Woke up to the first snow accumulation this morning. We only got about an inch, so it just frosted things in a lovely way. Melted by noon. Beautiful day of sunshine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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