Giving Santa the Bum's Rush

Two weeks before Christmas and in my little patch of the retail universe, it's already a fete accompli.

Yesterday I went into two sizeable retail establishments (let's not be coy, I'm talking about you: Home Depot and Kmart) expecting a wonderland of lit trees, garlands, ornaments...all the fa la la my holiday heart desired.  And what to my wondering eyes did appear???  NADA.  Remnants.  Heaped in bins, tossed on shelves festooned with sale stickers.  Ghosts of Christmas not yet past.  Instead of tinsel and holly there were barbeque grills (Home Depot) and Valentine pink bears (Kmart).  Move along, move along.  Nothing festive to see here.  Santa has left the building.

I left each store feeling bereft.  Did I sleep through it all?  Had Christmas come and gone without my knowing?

I yearn for the time when retail was in sync with the calendar.  Giving Santa the bum's rush two weeks before Christmas is just wrong and deserves a lump of coal.

Penny Pincher

Nix the Grinch

Some people are so besotted with their own whining that they wouldn't recognize happiness if it bit them on the butt.  As the holidays approach, they spread joylessness in a manner that makes Scrooge look like a wannabe.   These people are not allowed to cross my threshold.  Grinches be gone!

I look forward to the holidays every year.  My halls are decked with favorites from the past, the only new to me items this year are two snowball votive candle holders - a $2.00 charity shop purchase.  This week I baked shortbread sprinkled with colored sugar, froze a batch of peppermint stick ice cream, and tonight will welcome friends with cranberry champagne cocktails and baked brie when they come to view my decorations.

What these friends bring to me are glad hearts and warm smiles.   Welcome gifts, especially at this time of year.

However you celebrate the holidays, may you be filled with joy; and to all, a New Year of peace and prosperity.

Penny Pincher

Giving Thanks - 2015

I look at what I wrote a year ago:

Giving Thanks - 2014

'tis, once again, the season for being thankful.   This year I'm thankful for:

1. Good physical and mental health.   Without it, nothing else matters.  A brisk walk every day helps.

2. The job that (even at half-pay) keeps my ship afloat.

3. The 485 square feet I call home.  Where I wake up happy every morning.

4. The Green Machine.  Wonderful car, a year of worry-free driving.  Worth every penny.

5. Staying debt free.

6. Continuing to build my savings.   The cushion that lets me sleep well at night.

Penny Pincher

This year my list looks like this:

Giving Thanks - 2015

'tis, once again, the season for being thankful.   This year I'm thankful for:

1. Good physical and mental health.   Without it, nothing else matters.  A brisk walk every day helps.

2. The job that (even at half-pay) keeps my ship afloat.   A satisfying retirement.

3. The 485 square feet I call home.  Where I wake up happy every morning.

4. The Green Machine.  Wonderful car, a year TWO YEARS of worry-free driving.  Worth every penny.

5. Staying debt free.

6. Continuing to build my savings.   The cushion that lets me sleep well at night.
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May you all enjoy the bounty and blessings of the season.

Penny Pincher

Spending by Denomination

I've come up with a new way to handle my bi-weekly ATM draw.   That's the $$ I use for general expenses - groceries, gas, etc. 

The ATM at my bank spits out twenties.  Used to be a mix of tens and twenties, a few months ago it became twenties only.   Because of counterfeit problems past and present, I won't accept any bill larger than a twenty. 

I begin my shopping armed with twenties.  If I need gas or a haircut, that money is taken off the top and tucked away.  As I shop every purchase is paid for with twenties, the change goes into my purse for sorting later.

When I get home, the remaining cash is dumped on my desk. 

-- Quarters are set aside for the laundry.

-- Singles become the flea market fund.  I'm hooked on the flea market -- it supports our local animal shelter.  Sometimes it's chicken with lots of treasures, other times the selection is feathers and I walk out empty handed.  I pay for my purchases with singles and loose change.

-- Fives and tens are set aside for dining out/entertainment.  Cheap and cheerful $2.00 taco Wednesdays at a seaside bistro; or a moderately priced meal elsewhere. 

-- Any remaining twenties are hoarded for emergencies until the next ATM draw.  If unspent, they go into the cash stash in the hollow tree. 

Two weeks later I start fresh with a visit to the ATM.

After nine months of retirement, I've been able to stick to my retirement budget; spending about 52% of my monthly income and saving the remaining 48%.   It helps that my condo and car are paid in full and I have no credit card debt.

So far, so good.  Knock wood.

Penny Pincher

What I Learned from the Greek Monetary Crisis

The Greek money crisis is fading from the daily headlines as yet another bailout (the third in recent years) is forthcoming. 

There are lessons to be learned.   It was the photos of Greeks in bank lines, or sitting in despair on a curb empty handed when the ATM money ran out, that hit home for me.  I've been there personally when a hurricane devastated the infrastructure on which I had become dependent.  Banks were closed, there was no power, it was a cash only economy for what little food and supplies were available.  When normalcy was finally restored, it was easy to become complacent once again.

This time I'm taking heed from the Greeks:

1.  Keep an emergency cash stash.

Preferably in small bills, nothing larger than a twenty.  I've been taking leftover money from my bi-weekly cash draw for groceries/gas/sundries and stashing it into what I call "the hollow tree."   When I have enough cash to carry me through a month I'll stop squirreling it away.

2. Stay out of credit card debt.

If you were suddenly in a position where you could NOT send money out of your country from your bank account by check or debit, how would you pay your bills?  Cash stash to the rescue for a money order?

3. Polonius was right. 

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry."

Penny Pincher

Can't Pay Your Bills? Get a Bailout!

The dire financial situation in Greece is much in view these days.... on all the financial networks, the news networks.  It should be on the comedy network.  Never have I seen so much obfuscating - which is polite speak for b.s. masquerading as rhetoric - over a simple matter:  the Greek govenment can't/won't pay its bills.  That's it plain and simple.  It has debts it can't  pay.  And because it can't pay, it wants another loan.  What is wrong with this picture? 

Why is the tail wagging the dog???  The tail being Greece, the dog being the EU, and any other entity involved in this fiasco.  Let's cut to the chase:  the Greek govenment can't/won't pay its bills.  Bad economic policies in Greece - let's call it stupid spending - have been in force for years.  Why would anyone throw good money after bad?  Why would anyone believe that there's any possibility for repayment now or in the future?  On previous loans or any future bailouts. The Greek's deadbeat track record speaks for itself. 

Ancient Greek drama introduced a wonderful device, deus ex machina:  "An unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation, especially as a contrived plot device in a play or novel." 

If ever the Greeks needed a deus ex machina, it's now.  Instead, all they have is a begging bowl.

If bailing out Greece again is the price of saving the EU and the Euro, it may not be worth saving.

Penny Pincher

Is FB the new BB?

In a time when identity theft is an ongoing concern, it is disturbing to discover that Facebook is requiring proof of identity in the form of a government issued photo ID, in color no less.  When, I ask you, did Facebook become Big Brother? 

I am not on Facebook, not now, not ever, nor will I be.  I could be snide about my reasons for not being part of it, but I'll let it go by saying I value my privacy too much.   Oversharing the minutiae of daily life is simply another form of narcissism.  That goes for Twitter as well. 

But, I digress.  When any social media demands proof of identity - with the assurance that said uploaded proof will be deleted after verification, to which I say "Prove it." - it's time to pull the plug.  No one died and made Mark Zuckerberg Big Brother.   By complying with his outrageous request, you have given him the power, and permission, to invade your life.  Your choice to participate, but go in with your eyes wide open. 

Recently I've been rewatching "Good Night, and Good Luck" the 2005 movie about Edward R. Murrow exposing the atrocities committed by Senator Joseph McCarthy in McCarthy's Senate investigation of purported Communists in the 1950's.  If Murrow were alive and broadcasting today, would he take on Facebook?  I certainly hope so and I would applaud him for doing it.

I say FB is spinach, and I say to hell with it.

Penny Pincher

What's Your Daily Nut?

I have budgets on my mind these days.

I've added and re-added my expenses, regular monthly and annual extras, to ensure I'm living below my means in retirement spending.  Putting it all together, I project I'll be spending 51% of my current annual income and saving 49%. 

Then I had another thought.  What does it cost me to get out of bed every morning?  What is my daily nut?

Total annual spending divided by 365 = the daily nut.

That is what you spend every day before you've even put a foot on the floor.

Carry it one step further.  Project how far your emergency fund would carry you if that was all you had to rely upon.  Emergency fund total divided by the daily nut = amount of days you could live off your emergency fund before it was depleted.  My cookie jar emergency fund would carry me through 600 days at my current level of expenses.  Not even two years.  Fortunately, that's not my only cash reserve.

Think about your daily nut.  It's an eye-opener.

Penny Pincher

My Retirement Plan

When I let my friends know I'd retired, the news was greeted by some with raised eyebrows.

I replied that age wasn't a factor, preparation was.  And I had a plan.  I'm single, no dependants, no excuse for not having and implementing a get ready for retirement plan.  Which went like this:

1. Get completely debt free.  Everything paid in full every month.  No exceptions.  I've been debt free since January, 1999.  That's over 15 years of not paying interest to anyone.  More $$ for me.

2. Pay cash.  I paid cash for my condo, cash for my car.  No payments to factor into a budget. I pay cash when I shop locally.  Cold hard cash, NO debit card, no credit card.   I allocate an amount bi-weekly for groceries, gas, sundries, haircuts.  When the money is spent, there is no more until the next draw date.  If I have extra money at the end of the two weeks, it is deducted from my next draw and goes into my treat fund for future spending.

3. Set up a budget and stick to it.  Be accountable to yourself.   I use Quicken and an Excel spreadsheet.  A belt and suspenders approach.   I also believe in spill over finances.   I allocate a monthly amount for condo fees and utilities.  Whatever is left over is transferred to either home insurance (payable annually) or a home repair fund after the home insurance is paid.

4. Live below your means.  If Social Security is going to play a major part in your retirement plan, find out as soon as possible how much you'll receive at 62, full retirement age, 70.  Plan your present budget as if you were living on Social Security NOW. 

5. Save, save, save.   I had a Roth IRA that I maxed out every year in January with money I'd saved from each paycheck the previous year.  I also have savings in my cookie jar account (my emergency fund) in my Quicken budget. 

I'm enjoying retirement.  Living as the spirit moves me agrees with me.  I'm as frugal as I was when I was working, and remind myself that shopping is not a recreational activity.  I have better things to do with my time.

Penny Pincher

Getting a Handle on Retirement

I paid my dues.   Fifty-five plus years in the work force; almost eleven years in the job I left three weeks ago and twenty-six years in the job prior to that.   I have no regrets about retiring; as abrupt as the decision may have been, it was time. 

In the past year as I took the final financial steps to simplify my life in retirement - closing a seldom used credit card, moving money into an FDIC insured account, automating bill payments - I kept wondering when the day would come.  The actual retirement date was out there in the ethers, no set target date.  But, as often happens, events conspired to force a decision.  I spent the first two weeks of retirement getting over the flu.  Three weeks of that misery needs no repetition.

The reality of retirement is that I'm no longer bound by a timeclock or paycheck calendar.   I don't have to be anywhere.  I still wake early without an alarm, by 5 a.m. I'm out the door for my brisk morning walk.  Home to savor the sunrise from my balcony followed by breakfast at my desk while playing gin rummy on computer.  But from then on the day is completely mine.  No running to get in my car at 7:10 to be at work by 7:30.  No going from work straight to the laundry or grocery shopping.  Work is no longer a factor in the rhythm of my daily life.

That will take getting used to.

Penny Pincher

If Not Now... When???

Two weeks ago I was felled by the flu, from which I'm still recovering.  In the ordinary course of events, this would have been of little consequence.  For me it was cataclysmic.   I don't get sick.  Last year I had 1 sick day, the year before 1.5 days.  When everyone around me is hacking/sneezing/wheezing, I bite my little silver bullet, take my vitamins, eat chicken soup and carry on.  Not this time.  I was down for the count with a fever that went up and down like a roller coaster sending my poor brain into crazy loops, a throat so sore it hurt to swallow, a headache that felt like someone had taken a cleaver to the back of my head, and a cough that wouldn't quit.  Misery. 

After 10 bedridden days, and still no recovery, I was faced with a Monday and work to be done in the last week of the month.  It was more than I could bear thinking about.  I was too sick to work.  And too sick to care about working any longer.  Retirement.  What was I waiting for? 

I tendered my resignation, gathered my personal property, came home and went back to bed.

I may never know how much is really enough. I do know I have enough coming in each month to cover my expenses and add to my savings.   What more do I really need???

Right now I'll settle for more cough drops and another box of Kleenex.

Penny Pincher