Get Ready!
It’s Coming soon so Get Ready!
New Store
Getting Set to Take Off This Week!
Keep Your Eyes Out!
Make your home a Haven
More Details to come!
Category Archives: work
Somethings Coming!
Coming Soon
I told you there’d be more info coming. There’s so much to do to get ready. I keep thinking of more and more details that have to be addressed before I can make the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT. But I am really excited and , truth time, kind of scared. I’ve dabbled with self employment in the past. The biggest attempt was 7 years with my own Arthur Murray Dance Studio. That was both the best and worst of times as the saying goes. In the end I had to sell at a loss. Long story and one I don’t feel like sharing today.
I’ve tried other things too from selling Mary Kay Cosmetics to candles, most recently Door Dash, with varying degrees of success.
A year or so before I was laid off at Redfin I took a e-commerce course online. It was expensive but it went into a lot of detail and I felt I got my money’s worth until I got to the last unit. The question for that chapter was What are you going to sell? But it didn’t give any guidance as to how to find a product. So after all the time effort and expense, that course didn’t get me where I wanted to go.
E-Commerce
Since I’ve been retired I’ve kept hearing about e-commerce so I’ve been digging into that. How can your average Joe make money online? One way is to order a bunch of products, lets say T-Shirts with sayings. Have a bunch printed and send them to Amazon who will warehouse them and fill your orders. That had me wondering how much do I order, how many different sayings and what sizes? I’ve met people that have done it but it’s a lot of work and when starting up a lot of it is guesswork.
An Online Store
Recently I came across several testimonials from people that were running online businesses without having to purchase their product stock up front. So I started researching. Now I’m finally ready to share what I’ve been working on even if I’m not ready for the BIG REVEAL.
I’m planning an online store. I’m working on the web design now and selecting the products I want to offer. I bit the bullet and hired and advertising company to put together a small (its all I could afford) campaign for the grand opening. After all, if no one can find my store I won’t get any sales.
I’m planning a Home Goods store to start out. I expect the store will evolve as we go along. I have a name and I think we’re headed into the home stretch. A couple more weeks and I can unveil the site and open my doors. So stay tuned for more info as I get closer to launch.
Happy Anniversary to me
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.
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.
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.
Retire? Me?
Suddenly I’m Retired
It is with mixed feelings that I am writing this post. I’ve wanted to retire for some time now but I wanted to retire on my terms. I’ve been putting every spare penny toward paying down debt and investing in my nest egg. That’s not to say I planned to stop exploring. I have often said I work so that I can take vacations. Well, surprise. The decision was made for me. I was laid off! Oh I’ll look for work but I have no desire to stay in my current career.
What does Retirement feel like to me?
After my initial shock wore off, I had to take a hard look at my finances. After all I wasn’t quite ready to give up a paycheck. I seem to be struggling to remember that I don’t have to cram everything into the weekend. Old habits die hard. I have to let the various Real Estate boards know that I’m no longer with Redfin.
Then I have to figure out my health insurance. At my age I have Medicare but I need to get some part C coverage with Dental and Vision. COBRA is way too expensive but I may be stuck with that until I have finished the tooth implants (2) I’m in the middle of getting.
I wouldn’t be so concerned if the stock market hadn’t tanked. (Thank you Fed Reserve) My investments are mostly in Redfin Stock and it has taken a nose dive with rising interest rates. From a high of almost $100/share it’s down to $5.00/share. At least it went up a couple of dollars after the layoff.
What are my plans
What am I going to do, you ask. Basically hang in there until my retirement account recovers. ( At least 2 +years) I am looking for work and may get up my courage to try freelance writing. There are a lot of those jobs listed and I can do them on my own time, any place. I will certainly need to take a different look at my trips and explorations. I’ll have more time and freedom but less money.
Yesterday I found myself thinking about a road trip through Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana. There’s a scenic drive in Minnesota along Lake Superior that I’m interested in. Then Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. From there drive to Close Encounters Mountain, real name Devil’s Tower and then off to “Going to the Sun Road.” (I’ll get into more in additional posts) but after consideration I decided it was too long to be away from my kitties. Pet care is expensive.
I can assure you that with more time on my hands you’ll be exploring retirement right along with me. I’ll keep you posted as plans develop.
So What’s Up Doc?
So What’s Up Doc?
So now that you know about the lost domain what else has been going on? There’s a 6 month gap from November 2021 to May 2022. It seems only fair that I explain at least a little.
November 2021 to January 2022
This absence was work related. I tried again (twice) for a promotion at work. This makes 3 tries. I was passed over again with really bogus excuses. I won’t say what I think of the hires but suffice it to say they are much younger than I. Neither hire has hit 40 yet and I clock in at 71. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
To add insult to injury not only was I passed over for the promotions but I was told that I won’t get any more raises unless I change positions since I’m “capped out” where I am. That creates an issue for me. How do I change position if you won’t give me the jobs I apply for? It also occurred to me that this was the first and only time in my long work history that I haven’t gotten a position I applied for easily. As for the job I’m in, I’ve won every award they have for my position. I was depressed and angry. Since I make it a policy not to bad mouth my employer I wasn’t in much of a mood to write anything.
Banner
February 2022 – April 2022
In February I came down with a cold. I coughed and sneezed and wanted to sleep all the time. I was so wiped out I took a week off from work as vacation where the cats and I just snuggled and slept. When I finally got in to see the doctor she thought I had Covid. I had to argue. After all I was vaccinated and boosted. I was still having my groceries delivered and only went out when I absolutely had to. And then I had a mask.
Balboa
My doctor’s answer was you didn’t end up in the hospital so your vaccines did what they are supposed to. But after that happy statement she went on to tell me she thought I had “Long Covid” and that it could be a year or more until I was symptom free. She is just full of good news. If I’m short of breath walking across my living room at sea level, what will happen when I’m at 9600 ft in Colorado?
As if to add insult to injury I developed an abscess under a bridge. The dentist gave me an antibiotic. The pill was big enough to choke a horse but it’s a good thing she did because the root canal specialist can’t see me until May. Without that horse pill I’d have been in a lot of pain!
May 2022
During this hiatus from writing I did attempt to accomplish some things. Because I didn’t feel well the bathroom was a real point of pain. I never liked the wall paper. Not only was it ugly but it wasn’t even put up properly. The cats had started trying to pull it off the walls. So I decided it was time to bite the bullet and update/redecorate the bathroom. But that’s a story for another day! Stay tuned!
