My New Volunteer Gig-And Other Retirement Musings

One of the things I have been missing since my move north is my volunteer life. I've always been involved in at least two types of volunteering. I have done both "easy" things from home (phone trees, fundraising organization, making quilts for injured soldiers), and hands on down and dirty projects (building latrines in Honduras, teaching sewing at a low income after school and summer program, working with Habitat for Humanity). I've deliberately chosen in retirement to travel no more than a fourth of the year (including craft fairs), and part of that reason is so that I can make a real difference in my volunteer commitments.

Since my arrival in Denver, I had been looking for a new volunteer opportunity.  Because I was visiting different churches each week, it was difficult for me to "jump in" if you will.  Now, however, I think I have found the perfect first time volunteer opportunity.  A group of churches in Denver take turns hosting a large group of homeless women within their churches. The church provides a dinner and places to sleep as well as something to eat in the morning (during the day they have another place to go to). Two shifts of church members spend the night assisting the women and keeping watch.

 This is a perfect opportunity for me in many ways. First, I prefer to volunteer WITH the people needing help rather than "for" or "to" them. Second because as a "night owl" this is something unique I can offer, and there are a shortage of people who can spend the night. Third, because this is a volunteer situation within my new church, and I will be interacting and making friends with that same group of people.  I still hope to find other ways to volunteer on a less intensive level and as always many of my sewing projects are for charity. Meanwhile, I've been able to make new connections while at the same time helping those who need it most.

In other news this warm Friday in retirement:

• I am no longer in the cold, cold north. The weather is in the eighties.  One day was spent digging through the storage unit looking for summer clothing, golf shoes and the like. The good news is that I found a few warm weather outfits. The bad news is that son's clothing is at the very bottom and very back of a fully stacked ten by twenty foot unit.

• It has been difficult for me to quilt, as my lovely Janome sewing machine sits on a small, basically fold out table. I had not realized how much I would miss my two six feet tables in an L shape. Quilting things of any 
  size are more difficult. On the other hand, I've committed to a couple very large craft fairs in the summer, which has meant ordering fabric, and committing to sewing! In hand with that, I've decided to hold off on any special orders not involving family members for awhile (except for some team quilted items). I'll be reverting to making what I like and selling it. In my case this means more large items, in lots of colors.

  

• Our house hunting will probably begin in earnest in the next week or so, although Zillow has been my friend for awhile. Lists have been made of needs and priorities (my sister needs a large garden with a high fence and the dogs need a separate dog run for example), geographical requirements haven been settled and so on. The house below has been on and off the market during that time-and I frankly see no reason why. It's still on my short list as long as it remains.

• Bob has an article over at Satisfying Retirement on what he calls "simple sizing".  I've shared right or simple sizing in the past few months that I don't need to repeat it here, except to say that priorities change and we need to change with them.  By cutting those less important expenses life becomes much more rewarding.
• I'm reminded that in certain cases quality is more important than quantity, you do get what you pay for, and there is such a thing as an investment purchase (I write this as I compare options to replace my long dead grill with one I hope will cook everything and last many years (more on that later)
  
• Finally, I'm enjoying for the most part all of the smaller things that give life reward with little costs: movie rentals, spending time with family, walking out side, sitting and reading on the patio, sewing on a beautiful day, cooking easy summer meals at home, and walking through the neighborhood art market.  All of these increase joy without money, and allow me those occasional slightly more costly things such as tonight's dinner out alfresco!  What about you and your weekend?

Why I'm Not Getting a Knee Replacement-For Now

Forewarned everyone, this is a long missive, but I felt it needed to be a single post. Also, it would seem it is time to play with my blog lay out again. Bear with me and feel free to share your thoughts!

As most of the readers of this blog know, I have had arthritis in my knees for years. Right before Christmas of 2005, I fell from a height on a stairway onto German cobblestones. The damage to my knee was extensive although it was not broken. At that time I had an MRI and the same physician who assured me the knee was not broken added "but of course you know you have no more cartilage in your left knee."  Until then, I knew I had arthritis but not at what level.

The possible causes of my arthritis are numerous.  In another life, when I served in the active military, I ran in combat boots on cement. Every day, as part of my physical training.   I have a history of arthritis and bursitis in my family. Finally, of course, I was over my optimum weight for some time.

Today my new primary physician gave me referrals to an orthopedist and I will be making an appointment. I was fortunate to have a really good ortho in Dallas, who was open minded and discussed all the alternatives. He was not "cut happy" and encouraged me to do my own research (which I did) and come to my own conclusions. During this time I read quite a few books, looked at online research and discussed the situation with my doctor. The end result is that I decided not to have surgery. Instead I have used a combination of therapies to lower my pain and increase my mobility. First though, its only fair to look at why I decided not to go "under the knife"

According to my research, many patients still experience pain and discomfort after the procedure. My purpose would be to eliminate discomfort. If that's not going the end result, then I need to reconsider. A study in 2010 said that only 48 percent of patients were pain free after surgery. I do understand advances are being made yearly. 52 percent of those patients assumed after surgery that they could have unlimited activity but only about 20 percent actually did.  Another study done at the same time shows that after five years only 63 % were experiencing less pain after surgery.  This same study shows that sports and recreation abilities function was only twenty five percent better. My purpose in having surgery would first be to eliminate pain in the long run, and second to improve daily activities. At this point the statistics are not firm enough for me to take that step. Note: this is not a term paper, but for those interested, I will email the name of the studies if asked

To add to the above, surgery and hospitalization have, of course, their own risk. Not being an alarmist, just looking at the facts. General anesthesia increases complication risk. Hospitalization increases your risk of infection exponentially.  While these are not major contributors to my decision, they affect my choice outcome.

I am still not at an optimum weight, although I have lost a great deal.  I am still losing weight but will probably never be as I was at thirty. This is fine for me. I am a voluptuous woman who can increase her health level without being thin.  While further weight might lower my risk and made the surgery more optimum, my weight is about third or fourth in my decision hierarchy.

 I don't only have arthritis in my knees. I have osteoarthritis in my shoulders already due to family history/. I need to look at therapies that will take care of my aches wherever they are, not just in my knees.

 Last but surely not least, the above mentioned fall causes me external pain, and would not be erased by surgery. My external knee is so damaged and sensitive that I only wear knits or silky pants on the bottom-rarely even a well washed jean.

Now, to lower my pain and increase my mobility, I have looked at many alternatives. Some I ruled out, some I kept. I'll say here that some of my therapy includes foods and supplements-along with medical alternatives:

• In have synvisc injections into my knees at regular intervals. Officially, the jury is out on this one, with many saying that this liquid makes no difference at all. I have noticed a huge difference in my pain level. I suppose this could be all in my mind, but it's doubtful. My experience with these injections is that after a few weeks my mobility increases dramatically. It is supposed to help with inflammation and encourage the body to provide it's own joint lubricant (layman's terms here).  My experience is that they do have to be repeated every so often.
• I take a glucosamine/condroitin supplement for inflammation. While I am unsure whether it helps rebuild anything, I know in terms of pain when I have not been taking the supplement.
• After much research, I have added to my diet many "anti inflammatory foods" in food portion or pill portion. I use these on a regular basis, trying to eat the foods multiple times a week even if I have to shop off season. These include green tea (in pill form as I am not big on tea), wild caught salmon (every week to ten days), blueberries, broccoli, and virgin olive oil. Sweet potatoes are also anti inflammatory but I dislike them-I do however eat pumpkin all the time as I believe it is it's own food group. I have been much less adept at limiting inflammatory foods from my diet. I know full well that milk is an inflammatory and yet I have a glass of skim at bedtimes most night. While I have lost weight and am on a diet, white sugar is still a part of my life.  I am for eating meat not fed with corn, but organic is not always available or affordable.
• I walk as little as possible. Relax, this doesn't mean a scooter or even a wheel chair. It does mean that I walk when I am going somewhere, or when I am traveling and sightseeing. I do not do weight bearing exercise, ever, no matter what. I occasionally use a recumbent bike, I have a forty five minute seated aerobic video, and I do water aerobics. You do need to use it rather than loose it, but not abuse it at the same time. I try to do a regular series of knee motions in bed, as well as knee massage.  Briefly, bent knee walking increases pain and can injure the knee further. My exercises (not aerobic and relaxing) increase my range of motion, as well as straighten the knee. I also do these AFTER water aerobics in the warm pool at my rec center.
• I baby myself when I walk. What does this mean? I walk slowly enough that I am walking knee/toe rather than flat footed to avoid the pain. Walking otherwise increases the likelihood of thigh pain and heel spurs. I have a brace if I really need it and avoid climbing stairs when possible. I will s take the long path around if there is no ramp. Finally, I wear really, really good shoes (Clark's mostly) that are extremely stylish and yet have really good support. 
• At this point,  I have never taken a prescription for arthritis, even with bone on bone issues. I take aspirin, use a heating pad or cold pad as needed, and sleep with a tiny pillow under my knee as necessary.

Lest all this sound like my life is hindered in some way, let me be clear. I am not a high energy hiker or biker. If I were, I might, might mind you, make a another decision. Nevertheless I have a normal life. This includes traveling and walking around Santa Fe, Boston and other towns. It includes swimming regularly, volunteering, going out, and doing almost anything other retirees do that is not high energy athletics. I don't spend  time catering to my arthritis, I do sensible things that are part of a daily or weekly routine, most of which are healthy anyway.

Everyone has to make their own choices when it comes to physical well being. In this particular  case, I've chosen less radical alternatives to a chronic condition.  This works for me, it may not work for you.  What has your experience been, be it lupus or arthritis or any other condition?  Feel free to share.

Finally (and off topic) two of my fellow bloggers have new retirement books available on Amazon. I've begun reading and hope to share my opinion soon. I have wonderful expectations!

Getting Things Done In Retirement - How Much Routine Do YOU Need

Three nights ago I downloaded a book on my kindle. I read until three am and the book was finished. For those interested, the new John Sanford Prey book is well worth reading, and I see a "sequel" in the author's future. After letting the dogs out the next morning, I returned to my bed with my laptop and when I finally woke up enough to eat it was after ten am. After dressing I finally got to cutting up piles of fabric (even in a loved hobby there are less desirable parts, and cutting is mine). I walked, surfed the net and then relaxed for the evening.

The day before that, I took a walk, quilted, worked a bit on my travel plans back to Texas and Santa Fe, and puttered.

 Yesterday, I also got up earlier and did errands from about nine thirty to three thirty. While many of the errands were boring (filling my tank!) the view was beautiful as always. I relaxed on the patio in the evening and began my book. Tomorrow I have no idea what I will do except attend my local quilt guild in the evening. I will not, however, just "sit around". Today, I went from book sale to garage sale to book sale until the thunderstorms drove me inside. The day is still only two thirds gone.

In the past week I have: taken a drive to the mountains, gone to church, sewn three quilts. read three books (one non fiction, two fiction). I have walked thirty minutes five times, spent a day doing errands, designed a new web page and blog. I have sketched two quilts and three greeting cards. I have cooked two "gourmet meals", seen two movies, and a host of other things. I have committed to a new volunteer project (a post will be coming on that one soon). 

What do these days and weeks have in common?  They were all different, and almost every day was completely unplanned. I am not a planner or a scheduler in any sense of the world. I am the gal who will veer off Interstate 70 when I see the sign about the largest Prairie dog in the world-even if it means losing my hotel reservation! I keep a small monthly calender page for appointments and that is it. I don't make a daily plan the night before. In other words I am a seat of the pants kind of gal. I am rarely if ever bored.  

However......In order to function productively, even my life has a certain amount of structure.  I will never be a rise at seven am type, or even a rise at the same time type, lord knows. One of the advantages of retirement is being able to make those choices. I do have some structure built into my life, though,  some of it "contrived". I am a person with many hobbies, a love for travel and a commitment to giving back.  While I will never have a planner again, or set my alarm (barring a doctor's appointment), I have found that even the smallest amount of structure makes a huge difference in living richly in retirement. From what I have read lately, too many retirees spend their time "relaxing" and "doing nothing".  Since I never want to fall into that kind of life style, I make sure to continue some small routines.

I'll add here that we all need different levels of routine and being a planner type is no worse than being a non planner type. I figure the important thing is that you have a sense of accomplishment, reward and satisfaction at the end of the day (or at least at the end of most days anyway). To that end, this is how this particular "un-planner" and "un-scheduler" gets a tiny bit of routine into her week:

• Although I'm not sure it is structure as such, I never, ever watch TV during the day, until the national evening news. Not the morning news, weather, stock market or anything else (including videos)-unless it is on a national crises level and then I can only bear about a half an our of CNN.
• Once I arise, I generally take my notebook/sketchbook back to bed with my tea for a while longer before getting up and making breakfast.  THIS is the time that I ask my self,  "what shall I do today?". That plan depends on my mood the weather and a host of other things. THEN I rise and dress for the occasion.
• For the most part, I tend to be a person who does things I large chunks so the answer to that "what" question is generally no more than two things. Most of my hobbies and interests require a good couple hours of commitment once I sit down-and if its something else, well I'm not likely to walk away from a book after a half an hour (see above.).
• While I'm a minimalist in terms of routines and scheduling, the pile of things I like to do, the places I want to go, and the things I want to learn to do are less than minimal. This gives me a large choice of day to day routine choices. I can can spiced mustard today, make a quilt top tomorrow.  Others prefer to work more intensively-make a quilt from top to bottom and then go on to the next project for example-there is no right way.  If I was to advise someone who was bored or into a rut, I would advise them that such a list might help-and that there is nothing wrong with trying something and then going on to the next thing.
• Although I am not a "goals" person (no five year plan, as a rule), I do have that running list of large things I want to get done in the next year, some of which I listed here.   Most of my days, when I decide what I want to do, that activity has something to do with that list.
• What little structure there is at home has to do with mealtimes primarily in the evenings and to a lesser extent lunchtime. Unless I am going out for the evening, after dinner time is down time-when I watch TV, read, knit. Because many of my hobbies are at home hobbies, I force myself to eat lunch on the days I am home, and that is when I exercise and do my bible study-before I head in the next direction. I have learned that I could sit and quilt for many hours and getting up and moving about is important-especially as a sedentary person.
• I build routine and structure by making outside commitments. In my case as a single person this helps a bit with socialization as well. Couples may have less of a need for this. I do water aerobics three times a week at the same time. I have scheduled book groups, small quilt groups and church. People whose interests are more "out of the house related may not need this particular routine.
• When it comes to most of my activities, I don't have to build in preparation and clean up (cooking or canning may be the exception). I have my own workroom and can leave in-process projects sitting there, for example.
• I don't have an objection to "doing nothing" and have been known to sit on the patio for three hours with a mimosa and a book.  I just don't do this every day.
• Finally and I'm not sure this belongs in a retirement routine post, I don't schedule housework and yard work-almost all of it gets done by the "incidental method" (putting laundry in at bedtime, throwing it in the dryer in the morning), or by calling college students to dinner.
• Oh and no post about routine (or movement) would be complete without a discussion of the canine variety. Dogs lick your fact to be let out in the morning, they need to be fed at regular intervals and they know when walk time is...........just sayin'.

Retirement, as with the rest of life, is made to be lived, and enjoyed.  What about you-do you prefer a little planning or more planning in order to live richly in retirement?

The Elephant In The Room..................

When I talk about downsized budgets and living on a fixed income, I discuss an awfully lot of things. I talk about my living situation, utilities, hobbies, travel, you name it. The item I rarely discuss in my posts is health care or it's costs. It is, in away, the elephant in the room.

 I tend to avoid this discussion both because I understand that there is a wide spectrum of opinions on the subject and because I realized I am blessed in my health care situation. While my health care is not free, I will continue paying the same premiums (family or single) as I did when my husband was living.  In other words, I have "really good" health insurance. No cobra, no self pay. I pay two hundred dollars a month for a family insurance policy, and would be one hundred dollars a month without my college student. Yes, believe me, I do know.

Even with what most would consider reasonable, good, health insurance, I recently had some serious sticker shock. As a matter of fact I was completely appalled and alarmed. This was the first time I had been seen in the United States in an emergency or hospital situation and I was unprepared for the result. Some of you may remember my stress attack before the holidays when I was trying to get my house ready to sell. I am so completely laid back and unfamiliar with stress (grief yes, stress no) that I did not recognize the systems and identified them as a possible heart attack. Once I was in the hospital that was ruled out before I got comfortable, but you know how it is. Tests to be sure, stress tests because one is over fifty and over weight.  The end result is that for less than two days of hospital care, my billed cost was $19000.  Yes, you read correctly. Ten percent of which is my cost.

That is almost exactly the same billed amount as my husband's care for his entire cancer experience in Germany!  That care included multiple hospital stays.  It included surgery, radiology, chemotherapy, and two experimental chemo procedures. His care included more morphine patches than I care to think about now, as well as hospice care and in home nursing care. He was treated by the chief of the Frankfurt University Oncology department, and had a private room most of the time. We are NOT part of the German government system, but outside users who paid and then were reimbursed by our insurance company.

To me the problem is less about who pays, or even who manages. The problem is one of covering EVERYONE and keeping costs at bay. Eventually we all pay, whether we call it a tax, mandatory insurance or some other made up name. The difference in cost was not paid for by some mythical agency somewhere. We paid the entire cost of all of our care, when we were billed. As a result of costs like this, the German health care system had almost a six billion dollar surplus in 2012-that's a lot of medical care and research money with which to invest.

NO health care system is perfect, Lord knows. In Germany there are people who get private insurance on top of government insurance. There are certainly some things done in other countries including Germany that we would consider infringing on our rights or, heaven knows, "socialism" (an economic principle, not a governing one). In Germany, every working person below a certain pay grade has a flat percentage of his or her income put into the health care pot, as do self employed persons. People who make more can opt into the government system, or get private insurance. Long term care contributions are mandatory (gasp). In theory, some folks would consider these mandatory payments a tax, I know.  The Germans decided otherwise, and do so on a regular basis. 

While I don't know all of the cost cutting measures in Germany, I do know some of the huge differences. I expect that if we want to get past current costs, we are going to have to get past our fear of government and go with the flow. To me, some of these are common sense solutions are below-along with a couple basic rights issue that we need to get past in this country: 

• In Germany the employer does not get to decide whether you deserve health insurance, and as the other side of that coin, you are free to work less than forty hours doing manual labor, knowing that you have coverage. For the record, German employers HAVE to provide accident insurance to all. 
• To the employers benefit and overall cost reduction, the employer does not have a "health care" administrator or administrators. as part of their staff. The money is taken and sent to the managing agency. Employers don't have open season staff or persons whose job is to keep records or contact medical agencies
• When I went in the hospital I took my own medications and used them. The nurses just noted what they were and how often I took them. A doctor did not have to be called for an antacid. I was also able to bring my own food or have it brought from home as long as I was not on a special diet.
• Except for post surgical open back gowns, I was EXPECTED to bring my own towel and shower supplies. No little basket with goodies that I was charged for later.
• There is a whole different level of malpractice insurance and attendant costs. This one is probably worth a page in itself.
• Charges and fees for many things, including physician payments, are controlled. This does not mean there are no millionaire doctors, I went to one....just that the fees charged are based on education, skill, medical journal writing and a whole host of other factors. There is a consortium which include physicians groups who adjust fees annually.
• While there are exceptions, seeing a specialist is not dependent on making an appointment with your GP first-and insurance approval prior to the visit is not necessary.  It is assumed that I am an intelligent person, and if I decide I want to make an appointment with an ortho doctor to have shots in my knees that is fine. The same with the actually injection. No one is paid to contact the insurance company and see if I qualify or am approved for treatment.
• Most doctors are hospital doctors or office doctors, not both. No prestige difference, just a choice in how you want to work. There are some areas in this country where that is changing as well, from what I have seen since my return.. Hospital doctors do not need to keep outside practices or staff. I went to a Gyn, who referred me to a hospital Gyn for my D and C. My husband saw the chief of the Oncology department at Frankfurt university all during his illness-always in the hospital.
• Because everyone receives care and is allowed to take off work to get care, the emergency staff only deals with true emergencies. When I first moved to Germany I dropped the loose, heavy, wooden piece of a bakers rack shelf on my finger (don't ask, I thought it was attached). There were no small children with runny noses or fevers, no illness that obviously should have been taken care of at the doctor's office. Just crushed fingers, broken bones and worse.
• Self care and responsibility, along with  what I guess one would call traditional methods are encouraged-for lack of a better expression. In other words, before you go to the doctor for a cough and sore throat you should have tried tea with lemon, vitamin c and staying in bed for a day. And antibiotics are prescribed as a last resort. I was prescribed knee massage long before I took drugs for arthritis (and still do it)
• If you are sick, you are expected to stay home. Period. From school, from work. If you have to ask if you are contagious you probably are (except when you have my annual seal bark). Your doctor will give you a note if required and it is sacrosanct
• Most importantly, a huge amount of the bloated paperwork issue is put aside. In Germany, my health care card had a chip on it. After treatment by any doctor, new information would be added. Any doctor could look at my medical history on the chip. The chances of missing a conflicting treatment were almost none. No medical records clerks sitting in the hospital basement, or piles of files.

Some of these adjustments would be easy, some would be difficult. Some would offend some Americans ideas of "privacy". At some point though, in my opinion, we are going to have to make similar changes or costs are going to be out of control.  Oh, and you'll notice one other thing. There is no mention of insurers-other than the lack of them-above.  I wonder if all the folks who are so afraid of government management really think the insurance folks are doing some great job now?

A month ago, I went and had a mammogram-at a place I have had it for the last five years. I had to fill out paperwork for five minutes (including saying that I had a living will at home, acknowledging my financial responsibility and who knows what else.  The next day I had to go back for a sonogram followup. I had to fill out the exact same paperwork as I had done before, less than twenty four hours later. The last breast exam I had in Germany included a mammogram and a sonogram. All I did was make my appointment and take my medical card.  The billed cost was less than one fourth-and did not include separate bills for hospital, Xray, and the doctor reading the Xray

Which way makes more sense, I wonder?

Thoughts On Working (Or Earning Money) In Retirement

Today I finished a Washington Redskins fan quilt for a client.  On Monday, I will complete a circus quilt for another client. Both of these sewing projects were fun to make and the end result of the making will be that there is money in my pocket.  In other words, I will have received cash for a service I rendered-in this case a lovely baby quilt.  Does that mean I’m working in retirement?

The short answer here is yes, obviously. On another level though, that question is not so easily answered. On the one hand, I am bringing in a bit of money here and there. On the other hand, there is no “employer” or “man” as some might put it that I answer to.  There is no regular (weekly, monthly or other) pay. Most importantly, from my perspective, I am not relying on this income to pay for things. This cash does not enter my budget computations (although I do report my small profits to the IRS).

As I wrote when I talked about my downsized budget, I believe that the goal of retirement should be to live as well as possible on the income you have.  When I say income you have, I mean income that is (within reasonable limits) guaranteed to be available. This may be savings where a percentage is drawn monthly or annually, or a pension and social security or some other kind of guaranteed regular income.

Personally, I’m not one of those people who believe that working in retirement is an oxymoron. I am all for part time work or small business in retirement.  Work or self employment can be enjoyable and rewarding in the retirement spectrum, as can volunteering or any number of activities. For many, a little income here and there makes a huge difference.  Although it’s not the purpose of this particular post,  I’ll go even further and say that work in and of itself is not bad-many people should continue to work until retirement age rather than retiring early.  These people find their employment enervating,  invigorating and rewarding.  At least half of the so called early retirees I know came to that status through force rather than choice, and would still be enjoying their jobs if they could.

I enjoy making things for money, but I budget my retirement lifestyle without that income. First, because I believe that for many if not most retirees it is possible to adjust budget categories and lifestyle to “live within one’s means” without working. Setting priorities, being creative, and yes, “right sizing” go along way for most of us.

 Second, because who knows when or if, that retirement income stream may dry up. At the moment I love quilting, and people are lining up to buy the things I make. That could change at any time. I could decide I don’t like the business aspect of a crafts business. I could get tired of quilting and decide I needed a new hobby.  What If I want to take off a three month road trip. Any number of things could change and then I would have to readjust my priorities again.  By putting this money into savings or reinvesting it into my hobby/business I am able to use that money without relying on it. If I want to quilt today and then not start another quilt for six months, my lifestyle in the long run is not affected. The same could be true of any business or job (even the ole Walmart greeter).  Income from employment or business in this day and age is, quite simply, not guaranteed at all.

In the book How To Retire the Cheapskate way, Jeff Yeager calls what I do a “freedom business”.  A great many folks I know, bloggers included, work or have worked some time during their retirement. Many say that they may do so again.  Almost all of the retirees I know who work or have worked enjoy the job itself-just as they enjoy the financial rewards that come with the work.  I’m no different. I enjoy the doing, and I enjoy being paid for the doing.  I just don’t count on being rewarded in a regular and constant fashion for any kind of foreseeable future.

Which is why my personal retirement plan includes a freedom business-but doesn’t count on it.

The Downsized Budget .....Or The Joys Of Fixed Income Living (And A Surprise!)

As a retiree who reads many blogs, I am constantly and consistently amazed by the generalizations out there about what retirees are and are not and what they can and cannot do (financially and otherwise). Most recently, I read a blog where the author implied that she did not want to be retired because she wanted to be with people of all ages, go to "real concerts", buy good food and do all the things other retirees cannot do.  Honestly, when I read things like that, my first thought, is "get out in the world and meet some new people".

I say that as a person living on a regular, fixed income, who chooses not to "work" I  do sell items that I make, but that profit goes back into my hobbies, not into the budget as a whole or into savings.  If I stopped tomorrow, I would manage. 

Now, this is not to say I think working in retirement is bad, or even that some folks may not need to work in retirement to afford extras. I'm just objecting to the idea that EVERYONE needs to continue working-especially for someone else. For lots of retirees working is enriching .........more about that soon.

For most of us in the real world, compromises need to be made when it comes to financial planning and desires. Frankly, this is true during the working world for most of us. Very few of us made, or have made, enough that we have never had to make budget choices. The median family income in the United States is around $50.000. Even those who have made more still have to set priorities. I have lived on much less as a young stay at home wife, and on more and still had to set priorities always. 

Before I talk about financial priorities though, let me say that I associate on a regular basis with people of all ages in my volunteering, my water aerobics classes, my art classes, my travel groups, my university classes and much of my socializing. It is not necessary in retirement to only socialize with other retirees, even during the supposed work days.  That said, all the retirees I know are as active, if not more so than before they retired. I do some things that involve only retirees (my dinner and book group) and those things are no less interesting than anything else. The only place I sit around at is my home/castle, and that my friends is by choice, lazy me.

In order to afford all the things I want and like to do, I make compromises and sacrifice those things that are of much less importance. I've talked about some of adjustments before, in my downsizing series.  As previously mentioned I downsized my home, saving me almost $500 per month alone (although I still may change my living arrangements, as mentioned below). I simplified my beauty regimen and clothing requirements as much for convenience and because I like a classic easy look as for cost. I meet those needs inexpensively through self care, discounted purchases and second hand requirements. I have chosen to eat and cook at home or at relatives' homes with the exception of the rare holiday (travel being the exception) or spur of the moment dining offer. I have chosen to moderately downsize holidays and give mainly handmade and consumable gifts now that kids are grown (admittedly I have a large family that appreciates my skills and what I make). Most of my "social events" are through church or an artists group, either in my home or someone else's. I exercise by walking in the neighborhood when able and using the YMCA pool for an extremely low fee when not.  Finally, I spend a small amount of time every day checking on discounts, group buying, cutting coupons and looking for other deals that allow me both to enjoy the areas mentioned below and cut costs further on the items listed above (without impacting lifestyle).

I made all of the above choices with little pain or discomfort (although the moving itself was an experience to say the least). I made them by choice so I could put my retirement  and energies towards those areas that were most important-the fun stuff (entertainment and culture, travel, my myriad of hobbies) and savings. Here is a general idea of what those categories look like now, and how I got there. I have not necessarily given specific dollar amounts in all categories.

In order to have a full and active entertainment and cultural life, I've made the choice to intersperse lots of free and low cost or discounted activities with a few expensive full price choices (still generally purchased at a discount).  I'll add here that I don't particularly consider "free" to be less worthy or "real" than a hundred dollar ticket. This week I can see the Colorado Symphony for free, along with a university jazz quartet. I've also seen three one dollar movies from Red box, gone to a free "people's fair" and garden expo.  In the next two weeks though, I will see two opening night movies with all the added food, and in the next two months I intend to see a real stage musical and an expensive rock concert.  Frankly, I expect I will have enjoyed the first as much as the last. In other words, in order to afford those few expensive tickets, I am happy to do the free stuff the rest of the time. Deprivation? I guess it depends on your definition. So, my budget allows for lots of free and discount events and one full priced entertainment ticket every month or so-and I often save that for a travel event. I also allow one college level course per semester which generally costs around two hundred dollars.

The ability to travel is something important to many retirees. Different folks afford travel in different ways. In my life I have traveled in almost every way, from camping to staying in student dorms in the summer in Norway to sleeping cars on trains to staying in hostels (yes, as an adult) to staying in the best hotel in Berlin. All had their own advantages and all worked.  I travel mainly by car and train, which means my costs will be more per trip than someone who has purchased an RV or camper - how that averages in the long run I am not sure. I afford this travel by cutting on expenses of lesser import to me personally (staying in comfortable but inexpensive hotels when possible, and limiting myself to one "tourist cost" a day), so that I can spend money in the important areas (really good food in local restaurants, for example, or the occasional inner city hotel to save on driving and parking). My next major trip will be a train trip from Denver to San Francisco. I'll use off travel prices, and sleep on the train, stay in a hostel in Salt Lake City and take my large cooler with homemade gourmet food on the train-all so I can stay in the city center in San Francisco and afford the seafood my heart desires. Again, it works for me. In general, I allow myself an average of $175 a day for travel and end up spending much less in the total. Certainly San Franciso will be more expensive than Texas Hill country.  Extra money returns to the travel fund. This includes gas and car maintenance. I generally take three week to two week long trips per year. 

I have expensive hobbies. It's no secret at all. Almost all the things I enjoy doing (quilting, paper crafts, photography,canning and preserving,  genealogy) cost a certain amount of money. This does not mean the costs are insurmountable even on my budget. Admittedly, I began some these hobbies prior to retirement, and a new retiree might have to budget more. I have recently looked at taking metalsmithing classes which would be another expensive choice. What can I say!  I afford these hobbies they way most people do-I take advantage of sales when purchasing supplies. I socialize with friends, and we often swap materials. I go to every free event possible, be it a workshop at my quilt store, a demo at the yarn store or a free scrapbook class. I use the Internet for free patterns and ideas. If I sell an item, most of that money gets put back into the proverbial pot for hobbies. Finally my large family (all of whom do gifts) knows that I really and truly need almost nothing at this point in my life. My Christmas, birthdays and Mother's Day gifts almost always consist of gift cards or supplies that family members know I wish for (pressure canner, anyone?). So, I don't officially budget for hobbies. I take advantage of free resources and put gifts and profit back into the hobby fund. This is the one advantage of my occasional hobby sales, and one I will have to adjust if I stop selling my homemade items. I believe I can do that with minimal sacrifice.

So there you have it, my personal systems of checks and balances-all on less than $3000 a month. I haven't talked about savings, or making my new home my castle because, frankly, I don't know where that will be. And that my friends is the surprise! In the next week or so I'll share my complete estimated budget for the year, and how I got there, but for today I wanted to share that fun stuff. I wanted to be clear that a fun and full life is possible and that deprivation is often a state of mind-one that I refuse to consider.

For those of you following my downsizing journey, let me say that life is still an adventure. Last week, my sister asked me if I would be interested in buying a large home with her (at least five bedrooms and three baths).  No sooner had she mentioned such a thought than my brother the money manager stated that if I didn't follow through with that, he would like to buy a house or condo with me as an investment. It seems he's decided not to put any more money in the market and had planned to buy a college house for his son as investment-but reconsidered on that one. So, for the moment I have put my condo rental on hold and am investigating the logic and logistics of sharing a home with someone not my spouse for the first time. Who knows where this will end, but I am willing to find out. Meanwhile though, I am without my stuff. I think we've decided to have a storage unit exploration party as a group in the next week or so, with the two college students climbing through the waste land after the adults help move some things. I need my camera, my son needs his golf shoes and we both need our summer clothing.

Life is an adventure, I always say!

Do What YOU Want..........

Just a brief note folks, to let you know that I have eliminated almost all Anonymous comments, unless those comments are signed so that I know who you are.  Hopefully I will not lose any readers and this will eliminate some of the wacky comments I get that you do not see. I do have some anon comment sources I know well, and those will remain. I'm unwilling to make people put in codes and the like so this is my solution for now...............Thanks for your understanding!

When my kids were young, there were two philosophies among the parents in general when it came to kids and activities. Many parents felt that once a child had taken up an activity or sport, it required long term commitment. If you played soccer last year, you had to continue this year. “Changing your mind” was not an option. In our case, our kids took many a sport or lesson for a season only. This was true until they got to high school. My son realized after one summer that softball was not for him, no matter what his friends were doing. Both kids played three different instruments in school until they found the one that was right for them.   We were more interested in allowing our kids to explore as many options as possible than we were in the idea of “commitment”. 

We were also willing to encourage their interest in an activity even when they were less than skilled.  My son played soccer into his teen years even though he was at best an okay player, because he wanted to (we were fortunate to live in places where recreation teems continued into high school).  One of the things I admired about the school system in Dallas was that EVERYONE could be on the football team. Yes, those top ten players were playing most of the games, but everyone who wanted to be on the team dressed out, practiced and continued with drills. Our high school had a three hundred person marching band, where tryouts were not required.

In general, I have continued that philosophy into adulthood and even into retirement. I take that old saw about anything worth doing being worth doing well with a huge handful of salt. For me, anything that is enjoyable is worth doing-well or not. We don’t need to be good at something to have fun doing it.  I also think that if something stops being enjoyable, it is time to put that thing aside-at least temporarily.

 My point here is this-if you have an interest, you should pursue it. Try it, play with it, experiment with it. If your interest wanes, go on and try something else.  Sometime in the future, you may come back to this interest.  If not, it wasn't meant for you. However, that doesn't mean the learning, the pursuing, weren't worthwhile in their own right. A long term commitment is not required.  The trying is its own reward-at least in my experience. More importantly, if you try something and like it-becoming an expert is not required. Do the activity, whatever it may be, simply for the enjoyment itself. Life is to short to be bored, or to be stressed about expertise. We should spend our time doing things we want to do and like to do. If interests change, let them change.

Now, someone might interject something here about "wasted money". As a money conscious person, I'm going to suggest that money spent learning anything at all is rarely wasted. I'll also suggest that most hobbies can be done cheaply-especially in the early learning states. I did learn to quilt on a sixty dollar singer sewing machine long before I got the one that costs three thousand. Third, even if I stopped quilting tomorrow the enjoyment factor relative to the purchase would be well worth the investment. Sometimes money spent on enjoyment does not have to be a "justified" expense.

Don’t get me wrong, improving skills and learning new things are important. Most of us have a few areas that we continue to improve on in terms of skill and expertise.  If I had no interest in getting better at golf I would not keep taking lessons.  And I continue to take new quilting glasses and seminars to improve my skills. But at this point in my life, even if those skills never got better, I would continue playing golf and continue quilting.

I also realize that on occasion we need to do those things we don’t necessarily like. I will NEVER jump out of bed and say “Oh, Joy, I get to go to water aerobics today”.  Limping around the block or doing water exercise is something I do because it is good for me and makes me feel better afterwards. Those types of things are also necessary in my life, but I will never enjoy doing either in the extreme. I do these things in spite of the absence of any specific enjoyment.

Just as an example, recently I put aside cooking beyond the basics, after being a gourmet cook for years and enjoying it (even during my kid's growing up years).  I still enjoy baking and have considered a cookie business, and I explore canning on occasion. Other than that, my cooking has reverted to using the slow cooker and relying on things like the old takeout rotisserie chicken. Even my entertaining menus have changed to more simple items. Since I still enjoy EATING gourmet food this means I allow others to cook for me more often than at any other time in history. I've adjusted my budget for more eating out and take out by eating lots of simple foods at home.  

On the other hand, even though my thumb is less than green, I play with growing veggies in pots ever year, even though most years those pots yield  as little as one or two tomatoes. I've taken numerous college level art class purely for fun-even when my end results of often unrecognizable. I will never be artist. This doesn't stop me from taking paints out on the patio and playing. I'm equally comfortable with not painting for awhile until the mood strikes again.

There's an old saw about knowing a little about many things and much about a few things.  That's my general philosophy of life, I suppose, as long as I can qualify it by saying enjoyable things. I am one of those people who has a pile of interests, many short term, some long term. I have  little skill when it comes to many  things and a fair amount of skill when it comes to a few things-all of which are fun for the moment.

Every semester i take a couple "real" classes at the university or community college (sometimes online, sometimes in person). I have absolutely no interest most of the time in using these classes for a career, or even to become an expert in a subject. Sometimes I take a class "series" (Design one through design three, or theater makeup, costuming and design), thinking that I can use it for fun or volunteering. More often though, I take a single class simply because it sounds fun at the time. For some time after returning from Germany where I traveled constantly I was "traveled out" I was certainly finished with flying. I have now increased my travel to more than those two trips a year, but I still continue to refuse to fly. And while others travel up to six months at at time, I limit my travel to primarily spur of the moment road trips traveling where the mood takes me at the time rather than scheduled plans.

One of the joys of reading other blogs is observing the different interests we all have. I have seen interests change, expand and wane. Often those interests are different than mine. What's important is that we do what we want to do, what we like to do, and that we find out what else we might like to do in the future. Otherwise we end up in a rut, and that's not what life is about at all.