Summer Plans-June

A new month has arrived.....the beginning of the three months of summer.  I've been on auto pilot for the last month or so with school and other things going on. I do enjoy all the season's and don't want to let the summer just "go by". To that end, I'm forcing myself to make some definite plans on all fronts-we'll see how it goes.

• I'm committing to taking at least one day trip (and one overnight if I can fit it in the budget), during June. I have some built in travel in July and a planned trip in August. Awhile back I purchased a couple "weekend escape" type books and intend to take full advantage of them this summer.
• Locally, I'm committing to doing something new, different and out of the house (apart from church dinners and quilting lunches) each week. A trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards, the arboretum-who knows?
• I have a list of movies (theater and home) that I need to watch. The same with books to read. I'll say here that I will be there at opening night for Prometheus and Batman rising. Other than that, my 22 year old has committed to watching every movie in the AFI top 100 list, as well as Kiss Of the Spider Woman. What better time than summer to catch a few.
• I've decided to drop my art course and take the summer off. I'll return to the classroom in the fall, but only for the fun classes from now on.
• I'm going to commit to one canning/preserving projectd, if not two. I've had the supplies for quite awhile, have seen some wonderful recipes, and am raring to go. I'm thinking homemade barbecue sauce and either blueberry walnut or cherry pecan conserve, but who knows?
• I need to swim at least five days a week. This has been a down week due to thunderstorms and sleeping late. I feel so much better when I go, I love the brief time sitting in the sun afterwards-its just a good start to my day.
• Turning to the business income front-I'm committing to one large project a week and at least five smaller ones (such as the custom mug rugs I'm making today).I need to be prepared for fall craft fairs and to use every opportunity to sell, as I build an emergency fund.
•  I'm also committing spending one full day on business marketing for my errand business-reaching out to companies and so on
• Also on the income front, I need to get everything on my dining room table listed. Fortunately I don't use the big table on a daily basis and I do try not to have it be a catchall. Right now I have piles of things to list and sell. there's a need to photograph pile, a photographed but not listed pile, and a listed but not put away pile. I've aquired a large pile of vintage cookbooks and sewing patterns and I need to get them sold.
• When it comes to the house, I need to figure out why one toilet is not refilling-out of my area of expertise. I also want to get those lovely chairs painted (and some before and after pictures), and try and get down some more mulch everywhere before the serious heat arrives.
• Finally, I need to plan for the rest of the summer. I have a wedding and a weekend trip in July, and a trip through route 66 to Santa Fe and Denver in August (a brief respite). Funds need to be found, routes need to be planned.........a little organization is in order.

Whew!! That's a lot of business....................guess I should think about getting to it...........eventually.

Exercise For The Rest Of Us

Well everyone, its primary time in Texas. The conservatives amongst my readers will probably want to skip to the next part of this missive. My son and I have been sitting here laughing all night long-actually we've been laughing for weeks. There are quite a few primaries, but we have a Senator retiring in our neck of the woods, with competitors for her seat running from the hated "moderate" Republican to someone who stands to the right of ole John Birch.  Heck the tea party candidate is in the middle, ideal wise. And people wonder why I have to join a group called Liberal Ladies Who Lunch. Who would have thought that being a moderate who is good at compromise would be an insult of the highest order?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have been trying to increase my exercise level and decrease my expenses.  Let me say here that I stand in awe of those many bloggers of the high adventure variety. I have nothing but admiration for those among you who bike for miles (often up and down mountains), run marathons, climb rocks and the like. To those people I say "good for you!!".

Unfortunately, that is not me.  At this point in midlife, I'm not liable to become that person (and probably could not even if I wanted to with my smashed knee). I don't particularly enjoy exercise. You know how the trainer, or your friend told you that eventually you wouldn't be able to go a day without exercise, you would miss it so much?  To that I say, hogwash. Given a chance to sleep in rather than exercise, you know what my choice would be. I do miss very much the ability to walk at will (on the land), but I did that slowly, never for the aerobic experience.  I however, live an extremely sedentary life. The nature of the beast is that I spend much of my day online (in a chair), sewing (in a chair) or reading (in a chair). This means that regular exercise HAS to be a part of my routine.  Where other people may get some exercise as part of their daily routine, I often do not.

Add that to the fact that I refuse to pay for a gym, and I live in the southern US, and exercise has it's challenges. For those of you who live in more tolerable climates, walking or running may be a frugal alternative. You may also find a local recreation center or even senior center with low cost classes. After exploring all my free exercise options, I have come up with two solutions that work for me. The first one involves spending a full hour each day in my pool (or rather my homeowners association pool). In theory, I suppose, it isn't free-after all I pay $300 in dues a year. Still, it's cheap at the price and close to home. Every day between nine and ten for half the year, you will find me there.

My other solution, believe it or not, is Utube. Just as I aim to spend less time "connected", I find the perfect solution. After much research, I have found three different alternatives. All of them allow me to exercise in the cool, and each one has it's own advantages.  All together, I found a series of seated yoga classes (one half hour each), a full hour of senior style aerobics, and a seated weight program for the rest of us.

These options have, thankfully, allowed me to exercise for free (at home or close to home) and to vary my exercise options.  Granted, exercising at home may eliminate a social aspect that others may want. I get that social contact in other ways, so I'm all good. Now if I could just get up and out of the house to meet my swim group with a little more speed and alacrity, I would be fine.

Do you exercise?  Regularly? Oh, and the book was purchased for a dollar at a yard sale, and the quilt I made to day-still need to bind it and get it properly photographed.

Staycation-Say It Like It's a Good Thing

Today is the second day of a long Memorial Day weekend.  It's obvious to me that many folks have headed to the hills, or the woods-they certainly are not in town (or at least that's my perspective after driving to and from church this morning). It's officially the first day of summer, and folks are looking to relax, play, and hit the open road.

This weekend, I am doing none of that. I'll say upfront that frugality is not the only reason for my mini staycation over these three days. The advantage of not have to answer to a regular nine to five job means that trips and vacations can be scheduled when others are not on the road.

Still, I am a big believer in treating weekends as weekends and holidays as just that even though (or perhaps especially because) I'm "retired".  My weekend needs to be frugal because I have a gulf coast mini vacation planned for July and I recently had a large lump remove from a canine arm/leg pit.  Nevertheless, my weekend has been filled with fun and relaxation in equal parts. In other words, I've found plenty of ways to celebrate without spending money. I've also taken a day time nap or two, just on principle.

Everyone enjoys different pursuits, but I suspect most of us have access to lots of free fun. Many of us have to look harder, especially those in smaller towns, I suspect. Finding fun that's free is doable, even if you have to create some of that fun yourself. One thing's for sure, by creating your own fun (especially if it's close to home), you've not only saved money and time, you've eliminated that bumper to bumper traffic Monday night that brings reality back with a jolt.

This weekend, am (or have)

• Going to the movies. What can I say, it's May in Texas and already in the nineties. I make it frugal by going to the early show and forgoing the munchies. The Avengers was the perfect kind of mindless Memorial Day weekend movie (my last film was the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)). I'll also confess here that my next film will not be frugal. You'll see me at midnight, paying full price, in a week or so when the film Prometheus opens-how could I miss an Alien Prequel.
• Viewing a local blues festival from the "outside". Our town is holding it's first annual blues festival with Robert Cray and Jimmie Vaughan as the headliners. While they have an indoor concert (not cheap), they also have a beer garden with local blues guitarists, a display from the Texas Musician's museum that includes guitars and Roy Orbison's clothing, and all kinds of other events (note that part of the reason I am not going to the concert is my inability to sit for hours without offending others in a standing room only concert venue. I save my concert going for places like Denver's Red Rocks these days).
• Attending an evening symphony put on by our local town philharmonic orchestra in a large city park. I will take my own wicker garden style chair, arrive an hour or so early, and perhaps even take picnic lunch.
• Taking advantage of the local pool party at my homeowners association pool.
• Grilling traditional picnic food including steak and ribs (gotten at loss leader prices of course) and fresh corn, and yes, smores (I'm a sucker for a melted marshmallow)
• Finally, I'm enjoying my patio in full. The pots are blooming, the cover provides shade, and my margarita glass and an uninterrupted book make it the perfect weekend respite.

What about you. How are you celebrating or remembering this Memorial Day weekend?

Summer Cooking, Frugally (sort of)

In Texas, we have now entered summer cooking season.  I don't know about you, but I tend to eat differently at different times of the year.  In Texas, it's summer, officially or not.  This can present challenges, in terms of cooking, eating, and keeping the food budget down.

 In theory, I could still use my oven and I do so about once a week. However, I'm really trying to keep my air conditioning bills down, and generally keep my home at around eighty. This is not uncomfortable to me, I dislike cold weather. It does mean that I am loath to heat up the house too often. I generally bake once a week, use my crock pot on rare occasions and otherwise stick to the grill and the stove top. My grill is my friend. I even bought an el cheapo gas grill at a yard sale. I've always been a charcoal girl, but I have to admit charcoal is a time factor issue for those occasions when I want to eat now. So, I'm willing to try gas and look at saving for a dual grill in the future.

On the one hand, it can be more frugal because I eat more simply in the summer, and I cook less often (and I live in an area where local fresh produce abounds for half the year).  I'm most likely to grill a whole pile of breasts (par cooking some), and putting them in the fridge or freezer. I them put them in salads, reheat with black beans and salsa-and I do the same with steak and other meats. I also alternate with simple soups and sandwiches, omelets with fruit and muffins (from my baking day) and even on occasion ready made ravioli from the deli section. Sometimes, the difference is not that huge.

Obviously, the financial downside of this kind of eating is that the kinds of meats and fish necessary for quick stove top cooking and grilling are generally more costly than the stew meats and pot roast and chili I throw in the slow cooker in January. Boneless chicken breasts, shrimp and lean meats are now a larger part of my one person budget. This means that I'm doing even more "extreme" couponing and buying in bulk as much as my small side by side freezer will take (I'm still looking for that small apartment sized freezer replacement). I'm hitting the farmers market every Saturday (not always exactly cheaper, but considering the quality, a much better deal). I've also explored Aldi, and on those rare occasions when I am near a store, Walmart or Target.

The end result is that so far, my food budget has been lower in the month of May. Whether this will continue to hold true during the summer, who knows. For know though, I'm piling on the grilled fish and meats and homemade salads and managing to do so frugally.

Oh, and let's not forget the occasional pint of salted caramel butter pecan ice cream from Safeway, which is to die for). I just need to remember that it and my quilting room are not a match made in heaven.

Another Store Bites The Dust!

The other day I was out running errands, and decided to stop at my local scrap booking store. I needed some pens and papers and they carry a large supply. I had not been there in a food month or so, because I had no upcoming events that I needed to make cards or gifts. When I got there, the store was dark and locked.  The store had gone out of business.

I am fortunate to live in an area where we have a fair amount of independent retailers. I do my best to support them, even on my limited budget. this occasionally means paying a bit more, but its something I feel is worth while, and supports the community that I live in. I budget accordingly. In my case this includes local fabric stores, an independent book store (both new and used), and independent hardware, and other similar shops. I get most of my gardening supplies and pots from an independent dealer rather than one of the big box guys. I'm not saying I buy everything this way, but they are my first go toes. I know the product will be good, as will the customer service. Psychologically I also know that it's small business that build the economy.

Unfortunately, my scrapbook store (which had very competitive prices and almost anything you could use), found that they could no longer compete with big box stores and the Internet and keep their prices at what they considered a fair level. I will miss them.

Meanwhile, In support of my own "small business", I attended an outdoor fair this weekend. This fair was part of a North Texas Etsy group and an experiment. We partnered with a vintage fair that has been in place for quite a while.Rather than a traditional fair, we were set up under the trees amidst the vintage dealers.  While I had an enjoyable weekend in the outdoors, we will definitely have to do some tweaking and further advertising before the fall holiday market. I did not "make" as much as the amount I spent on the fair entry. On the other hand, many people took brochures and asked about having quilts made for specific occasions, so it was a wonderful market experience.

Not to be outdone, I spent extra money (I know, I know). These two iron patio chairs were at a booth near me and I spent two days looking at them (what is it about turquoise and blue-almost everything sold at the vintage fair were these colors). I haven't decided if I will refurbish and resell or keep them for my self. I'm looking at yellow or green paint, and custom cushions in a retro print. I'll probably resell, just not sure where.

As if that wasn't a busy enough weekend, after Friday and Saturday I catered a reception and church, then came home to enjoy what was left of my day of rest. To make up for a rough three days, yesterday afternoon I sat down with my kindle and the newest John Sanford (Stolen Prey) and read the whole thing in a day.

Today it's back to being busier. I have quilts to finish, a patio to clean up (we are considering boarding dogs and doing dog daycare in the house), at least a bit of housework to face, and it's time to hit the pool!  I enjoy being busy but I so need my down time on occasion!!!

A Day Of Rest?

Before my husband passed away, we were in serious discussions about the option of retiring in Germany. We were happy there, and the cost of being paid on dollars and spending euros would have been offset enough by the difference in medical costs that we would have come ahead.

Whenever I talk to people who know this about me, they ask me what it is about the Germany lifestyle that kept us there. While there are many things I can point to, one come to mind on this beautiful Sunday. In Germany, Sunday is a quiet day. Period. Stores and shops are closed, with the exceptions of a few restaurants and those little stores affiliated with open gas stations. One is not allowed to make loud noises on Sunday-there is no lawn mowing,and no construction, large or small. Trucks are parked by the side of the road.  This is not a big brother issue-every few years some stores decide to test that waters and the citizenry overwhelmingly vote to keep things the way they are.

This is not necessarily about religion. Rather, it is about balance. Germans value working hard and playing hard (be clear that they do both just as much as we do, as well as having the equivalent stress). However, they have decided that in order to balance that business, a day of "rest" is a requirement. Somehow, even with two income families, kids sports teams, long working hours and all the other paraphernalia of life, they manage to do what they need to get done on those other six days.

All of this has come back to be during my period of technological fasting. I realized that in addition to my fast, there were other changes I wanted to make. Even in retirement, life needs balance. I spend my days (for the most part) doing as I choose.  Even when I "work" its at something enjoy. Still, I need time to myself, time that is disconnect if you will. To that end, I have made a few other changes. While I do occasionally labor on Sunday, it is on things that are enjoyable to me. In other words, I work in the garden but I don't vacuum. I stay disconnected except or approximately a half an hour in the evening when I check and see if my family members want to skype.  I do not answer phone numbers unless that are family, no matter what. In general,  use this time to downshift, relax and refresh.

What I do may not work for you, but I hope whatever you do, you find some time to be completely "down". You'll feel much better for it afterwards.

Single Retirement-Exploring Opportunities for Socialization

Single retirement can be extremely joyful.  There are also some unique challenges.  Sometimes challenges are financial (one retirement income instead of two).  Sometimes they are social.  While I certainly would not suggest that couples do not also face challenges meeting people, there are those occasions when they have an automatic partner (for eating out, going to the movies, going to a play).

If you are a single who has retired "in place" you probably have a more readily accessible group of friends, developed of the long term.  Those of us who relocate, or who haven't build up that wide circle face different challenges.  Widows and widowers are also often uniquely challenged if most of their friends were couples. I am not necessarily one of that latter group.  While my husband and I had joint friends, we had very different hobbies and as such had our own separate social circles as well. My husband belonged to a ski club and traveled without me at least once a month during the winter, as well as attending ski club socials. He was also active in the sports officiating community, and did things with that group of people on a regular basis. I had similar groups that were important to me. 

Unfortunately, part of living in the diplomatic/military community means that everyone moves somewhere else. This can be an advantage or a disadvantage. I retired to somewhere I had not lived before, in order to be near my husband's family for  my kids. As I've shared before, I was fortunate to find a church that was a perfect fit. As part of that church, I attend a monthly dinner group, participate in a woman's small group, and go to other social events (including a fish fry and silent auction coming soon).  Recently, I decided I needed something else.

I enjoy going out to dinner on occasion, I like the movies, and I like going to theaters and festivals.  While I am happy and comfortable doing those things alone, it's often more enjoyable with another person. I have absolutely no interest in a traditional singles group whatsoever-I just wanted to meet more people living closer to me with whom I could get together on occasion (my church is a half an hour away and members live all over the metroplex.  As such, I've decided to "step outside the box" if you will.

Awhile back, someone mentioned the option of the organization "Meet Up" to me.  At the time it was suggested to me as an alternative when I was looking for a book discussion group not church related. Other people have mentioned it to me as well. I think that another blogger, Tamara, may have some experience in this area. I did the research and found that Meetup has a wide variety of groups in my area. These included book clubs, a knitting group, and a local German speaking group that meets at our Bratskeller once a month. There is a group called Dining in Dallas, and one that goes to ethnic restaurants. Finally, there is a 50's plus social group.

This group meets once a month for breakfast, and also has a once a month social event. Art shows, movies, theaters, you name it. Yesterday I finally bundled up my courage and went to a program. The group went to a local theater to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and then to a lovely Italian restaurant afterwards. Once I got over my discomfort of walking up and asking "is this the ..........group?", and introducing myself, I had a lovely time.  Everyone was friendly, the conversation was great, and the food was divine. I will surely be going to these outings regularly, and may even explore other opportunities to meet people.

Although I'm happy to go to restaurants and the like, I'm also happy to see that the members to casual less expensive things often-next month the event is a pool part and I while back the group went to an arts and the park even and also had a potluck supper and games night. My kind of group!

If I had not finally taken the plunge, I don't know what would have happened in the long run. It took me awhile, but I finally jumped, and am happier for it. What about you-have you stepped outside of your comfort zone lately?