Happy Anniversary to me

Posted on November 9, 2023November 9, 2023 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Happy Anniversary

Today is the 1 year anniversary of the day that turned my life upside down. Yup I was laid off from Redfin 1 year ago today. It’s not as if I’d never been laid off before but I’d never been laid off when I was 70+ years old. I just didn’t have it in me to start over again. so I’m trying out retirement. Evan after a year I’m not sure it suits me. I still wake up in the morning feeling guilty because I’m not rushing around to get ready for work. I worry about paying the bills. Social Security doesn’t go that far and my Redfin investments are still in the tank. I got a nice severance package and I’ve been using that to make up any shortfalls but it can’t go on forever.

Medtronic, Halyard Health's Corpak to lay off 266 in Illinois - MassDevice

Typical Day since Layoff

I’m trying to live the frugal life since the layoff. No spontaneous shopping trips. Minimal take out or restaurant meals. I stopped taking road trips to save on gas. One big thing I did was restrict my time ordering kindle books. Since I like series I made it a rule that I had to re-read all the books in a series before I could add a new one. I’m working on the Stephanie Plumb series now. I’m currently on book 12 but the new book is #30 so I have a way to go.

I also dropped cable and just have streaming now. That saved me $100/ mo. I’m debating if I want to downgrade the streaming service. I have “Live TV” but the price just went up and I only watch a couple of channels. If I’m patient eventually the new programing will be added to my streaming service.

The Frugal Lifestyle - Blog

Entertainment

My cats are a constant source of entertainment. Just last night Banner was trying to stuff his fluffy body into a paper grocery bag, The whole side ripped out. Balboa was quite interested in watching this and when Banner got out of the remains of the bag Balboa was there to try to get in. Banner immediately lifted his paw and bopped Balboa on the head- no claws, no rough housing just “BOP!” It was such a surprise and so deliberate. It just cracked me up. Surprised Balboa too.

Banner Photo credit Deb Neumann

Balboa photo credit Deb Neumann

Conclusion

If I could just shake the feeling that I should be working I think I’d like retirement. I don’t mind relaxing and reading or playing on the computer. I’m not bored yet. I guess as long as the money holds out I’ll keep up the routine. I wish I could think of something to do on my own time to make money. A side hustle so to speak. If I get bored or get itchy feet and want to travel again I can look for a part time job to support my habit.

Is It Time to Cut the Cable?

Posted on April 12, 2023April 12, 2023 by Dusty Roads | 4 Comments

Cable is so Expensive

Now that I’m one of the retired community I’ve been looking for ways to cut my expenses with the least possible impact on my lifestyle. I’m waiting patiently for the real estate world to recover from the Interest increases so that my retirement account will get healthy again. But one of my biggest monthly expenses is cable. I have the Bundle which is supposed to save me money but it just keeps going up. Even worse is that there is nothing on TV . I watch only about 5-6 channels and can probably do the narrations on each program since they are all re-runs. I can’t cut out those unused channels because then I would lose the package with the ones I do watch.

Stock photo

The phone is part of the package but I get so many spam calls that I shut the ringer off. When I see the message light I check it but other than that it just takes up space on my desk. We all want to remember to get the car warranty updated, right? Everyone uses my cell phone.

Spam call vector phone fraud and scam design Spam call vector Phone fraud and scam illustration. Hacker unknown number calling on smartphone. Fake robocall, vishing and anonymous incoming call robocall stock illustrations

stock image

Step 1

Photo credit- Deb Neumann

I started the process a couple of weeks ago when I found a sale on Roku TV’s. For $99 I was able to order a nice TV for the bedroom. I need Forensic Files on when I try to go to sleep. My old TV couldn’t stream so a new TV was needed. That worked out great. The new TV even has an easy to set sleep timer. So far it’s been working great.

Step 2

Now that I’ve figured out the new TV, I took the 2nd step. I upgraded my HULU account to add Live TV. Then I switched back and forth between cable and Streaming to be sure the Live TV matched what was on the cable. It did! I’m going to see if I can handle streaming only for about a week. I don’t see a “guide” on the streaming platform so I’m probably just not familiar with it yet. Anyway, if it goes well I will turn off the cable and phone next week. I will keep the internet.

Step 3

So as I said, If all goes well I’ll be cable and phone free next week. Then I’ll turn in the cable boxes (That’s $20 just for the box rental) My cable company will want their modem back since it’s a phone and internet modem so I think I’ll buy my own internet modem and then the transition will be complete

Techniclor Formerly RCA TC8305C Wireless Gateway 802.11b/g/n GigaPort x 4 Port Router w/ 2-Voice Lines XFINITY/COMCAST

Image of modem

Almost There

So I’ll let everyone know how it goes. If I decide to finish the final steps it should save me about $100 a month. Hulu is $70 and includes Disney Plus which I’ve been paying extra for. I’m not sure how much internet alone costs but I’m guessing it’s probably around $80 / mo. So that’s $150/ mo. instead of the $250 per mo. I’ve been paying. That kind of savings certainly makes this experiment worthwhile.

I’ve checked the channel list on HULU and all of the channels I watch are there. Just have to figure out how to tell what’s on the schedule, I’m so used to scrolling the channel guide!

The Retired Life

Posted on March 18, 2023March 18, 2023 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

A Day or Week in the Retired Life

A friend of mine once told me he had to retire because he had so many doctor appointments it was the only way he had time to keep them all. I’m beginning to see what he meant. It was a celebration when I finally got my insurance straightened out- Medicare parts A & B and an Advantage plan with my old insurance company, Aetna, Now it’s time to reschedule all of the appointments I missed while I was uninsured.

Aetna seems to be afraid that I’m going to croak on them or something. They call me 2-3 times per week to see if I have any questions. They sent a visiting nurse to my home to check on me. And they email me every day! Oh and did I mention the letters? They’ve killed a few trees to stay in touch.

As for appointments I’ve had an annual physical, am scheduled for blood work, scheduled an eye exam and a mammogram. My doctor suggested a follow up with my pulmonary guy, my nephrologist and my hematologist. She tossed in a vascular specialist for good measure so I put my foot down.

Update on the Cable Decision

I got my tax refund so I felt comfortable taking $100 to buy a Roku TV. It was so easy to set up. Just plug it in to an outlet and sign into my streaming accounts. I still have my old TV hooked up to cable but so far I don’t see any reason to keep it up. I have a couple of my shows that will be adding new episodes so I just want to see how quickly the new ones hit the stream. If its a couple of days I won’t even add a live TV option. I’ll just stream what I have.

photo credit- Deb Neumann

Only Murders in the Building

The first day I had the new TV hooked up I checked out the Hulu Original, “Only Murders in the Building” and ended up binge watching all the episodes. So I think this may work out well. I’ll keep you posted.

Happy Saturday

Posted on March 4, 2023March 4, 2023 by Dusty Roads | 4 Comments

It’s Saturday!

Yes I know Saturday is a post day but I didn’t do one this week. I had planned to wrap up the Natural Wonders series but I got distracted. I’m not sure on what. I don’t feel like I accomplished anything this week. but there it is. Saturday morning and nothing to say! Not that it’s an excuse but I did spend over 2 hours yesterday at the dentist. I had a cleaning first then tons of impressions for my 2 implants. I left the office with a very sore mouth and $1000 poorer. The good thing is that we are in the home stretch. I should get the finished product in my next visit.

Mix of zirconia dental implants technical picture | Picture … | Flickr

The Storm

All week the weather folks have been going nuts about the BIG storm.

Maybe the north and west got it but doesn’t look like much here so far. When I got up it looked like we might have gotten an inch of snow and some ice. The temps have risen now and it’s rain and all the ice seems to have melted. It looks like its going to be one of those gray, dull days with lots of rain. I think I’ll snuggle in with a book and be lazy all day.

Banner & Balboa

Photo Credit- Deb Neumann

Both cats seem to agree with me. Usually after they have breakfast they run and chase like crazy until I finish with my emails and morning ritual on the computer. Today they are both just draped over the furniture.

Balboa- Photo credit Deb Neumann

They are waiting for their morning treats. Maybe once I give them those they will get the morning crazies. Then again, maybe they see it as a lazy day too.

Nothing to see here

When the boys roll up at area 51 : r/southpark

So sorry I have nothing exciting to report this week. I’m happy we are into March. That means that spring is approaching. Maybe there will be some day trips once we get some sunshine. Something to look forward to. Catch ya all later!

Progress on My New Life

Posted on December 14, 2022December 10, 2022 by Dusty Roads

Making Progress

Isn’t it amazing how much progress you can make when given the right information? I finally got the information on COBRA from my former employer, a month to the day after they laid me off. Plus it was 18 pages of small print! My company insurance ended 11/30 so I’ve been uninsured since then. That can get expensive fast as I just had to pay full price for 2 prescriptions. They came to almost $350.00.

Medicare

I have Medicare Part A. I’ve had that since I turned 65 but I never added anything else since I had insurance through my employer. I got laid off in the middle of “Open Enrollment” so there were a lot of resources out there. Each one gave you different advice/information. I did learn that I had to add Part B before I could get in an Advantage Plan. Thus began a frustrating quest to get signed up for Part B.

The advice was to sign up online. One advisor even walked me through the links to get to the application. No luck. They system said my information on file was different from what I entered. That was the last straw. I took myself down to our local Social Security office and got in line.

Social Security

The wait turned into 2 hours for about 10 minutes with the social security representative. My meeting was quick because she just told me I couldn’t sign up online and handed me a form that my (former) employer had to complete stating they had been providing insurance and the effective dates. So It’s back to Redfin again. Until I get that Part B coverage . No Advantage yet.

The Form

I must give credit where credit is due. Redfin set up a “Transitional Assistance Team” and provided an email, I sent the form to that email and got an immediate response. They sent to the Benefits Team. I expected that to take a few days but no, they got the completed form to me the same day! I printed it out sent it off to Social Security immediately. Fingers crossed they are quick.

COBRA

It all depends on how quick Social Security moves but if they get me my new card, I can select just dental coverage through COBRA and keep that a couple of months while we finish up my implants. By being able to select the coverage I want it becomes much more affordable.

Life Insurance

I never considered Life Insurance as I had plenty through my work. Now I had none and being old and diabetic made me high risk. You’d think I was going to die tomorrow! After collecting my denial letters I lowered my expectations and picked up a small policy to cover burial/ cremation expenses. No memorial service, no urn. My poor family will get handed a baggie of cinders.

Still to Do

The insurance was the BIG item on my list but the only other thing I can think of is to close out my 401K. There’s not much in there as I’d shifted my attention to buying stock. My investment (Stock) account, which was my retirement, has to sit until the stock market recovers. I kept investing even as the stock price fell because you buy low and sell high. Right? I’m optimistic about the future of that account once this recession is past.

Category Archives: Life

Happy Anniversary to me