Fuel

 

As the New Year approaches some people like to pick a word to define how they would like their life to be in the new year.  It’s a popular notion and has been for many years.  I thought about it myself and decided if I had to pick a single word to define what I would like this coming year to be like I would choose Fuel.

 

Fuel My Body – healthy, good quality foods, plenty of water.  Good coffee because it makes me happy.

 

Fuel My Spirit – do things that make me happy.  Seek knowledge and inspiration.  Pray and be grateful.  Limit my exposure to negativity.  Banish criticism.  Feel content.

 

Fuel My Home – maintain, declutter and care for my house inside and out.  Protect my home so it remains my sanctuary.

 

What do you think?  If you had to pick a word what would your word be and why?

 

 

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 142

 

Hello my friends!  Are you all ready for Christmas?  I am very much ready for the holiday and all that I’ve got planned.  Quite easily I think this is the most prepared I’ve ever been so all the busyness of my past week was just me being busy.  Last Friday I began my week after a rough night’s sleep.  Not sure why it was that way but my brain was busy with the excitement of things to come and I just couldn’t quiet it down.  I worked all day that day, rode the bus to work and back home and by the time I got to the house I was completely spent.  It was all I could do to fix myself some dinner.  I made myself a chicken quesadilla and a salad although I really wanted to skip eating altogether and went to bed early.  It is because of days like that I want to up my game and be even better prepared with my meal planning and prepping.

 

Tea & fruitcake

I slept like a log that night and even allowed myself to stay in bed until 8:30 Saturday morning.  Then I got up and enjoyed a couple of cups of coffee while I started my day with a little bit of quiet reflecting and some writing.  Slowing down after a busy, busy week is a good thing to do and I was ready to unplug for awhile and enjoy some downtime.  I lit a candle on the fireplace mantle and played some Christmas music and fixed myself another cup of coffee.  I had no plans for the day at all and it felt great.  I was thoroughly happy to just sit, relax and enjoy the cozy atmosphere inside the home I’ve created for myself.

 

I used a pint of home canned beans, 1/3 pound of ground
beef and some chopped onion to make the burrito filling

Beef & bean burritos with some grated cheese too
I ended up freezing four of these and ate one for supper

Later in the afternoon I made some beef and bean burritos.  I kept one of them in the refrigerator for a meal this week and froze the remaining four for later on.  I love having my own frozen burritos on hand for a quick and easy dinner entrée whenever I need one.  I’m hoping to fill the freezer portion of my refrigerator with many more frozen meal options for my busy days ahead.

 

Favorite meal of the week!
Pork fried rice, hot & sour soup, cabbage salad

Later in the afternoon I had to run a quick errand to the pharmacy to pick up some medication.  When I got home I boiled some pasta and made some rice so I could complete a couple more freezer meals.  I made penne with meat sauce and pork fried rice.  One of each into the fridge and the rest into the freezer.

 

Quick & easy!
Home canned roast beef & gravy over mashed potatoes
with seasoned green beans

Sunday was ultra quiet and relaxing, just what this girl needed.  I didn’t do much at all, in fact I made it a pajama day.  There was also plenty of kitty snuggling.  My dinner was a simple affair of heating up pot roast I had home canned in au jus, heating up mashed potatoes I had taken out of the freezer and thawed, and heating up a can of French green beans I seasoned and buttered.  It was perfect!  And plenty of leftovers for two more meals!

 

My Winco haul on Monday
I'm planning ahead for 2025!

More 2025 shopping from my list and another butter stock up!

These were free!

I worked half a day on Monday and Tuesday.  We had rainy weather, which is good as we need the precipitation, so I drove to and from work those days.  On Wednesday I made it an errand day.  I started off by going to the bank, dropped off my glass recycling and even got a jumpstart on some of the items on my January shopping list.  The sales ads this past week were pretty good.

 

All the glass recycling loaded and ready for drop off

When I got home from running errands I made a pan of fudge.  I will keep some for myself, but the rest is going to be shared with others.  I don’t need that much fudge in the house, believe me!

 

I was back to work for another half day on Thursday and delivered all of the little jars of pear butter to my co-workers.  It was fun to see their expressions and know they will enjoy this little gift from my kitchen and my heart.

 

It was a very tasty week as I continued to test out 
my new meal planning strategy for 2025

And just like that another week in my retirement life came to an end.  Since my “to do” list is “ta-done!” I am still getting used to the idea that I really have nothing pressing to do right now and just enjoying the downtime.  I think I should do this every year, especially this time of year, from here on out.  What do you think?  I hope you all enjoyed a joyous week.  Christmas is coming!  Have a great week ahead!

 

 

How My Super Thrifty 2024 Panned Out

 

Earlier this year I mentioned that in order for me to retire one year earlier than my original early retirement date it would mean I would need to live the first three years on an uber tight, super thrifty budget.  At the time I felt it would be worth it.  So how am I feeling about it now that I’m nearing the end of that frugal three year plan?  Pretty dang AWESOME!

 

Before I retired I had saved up what I felt I would need to live off of until I could start accessing my retirement accounts.  I divided it up into quarters so that each quarter I would add a certain amount to my checking account for living expenses leaving my emergency fund intact.  The first year I used it as I had planned.  The next year I only used just over half of it.  This year I challenged myself even more by trying to live off of just my earnings from my part time job I got in October 2023.

 

Surprisingly, I found I was able to live rather comfortably on just what I had earned from my part time job working nineteen hours or less per week.  It was a bit of a test for me to see how I would do once I start collecting Social Security.  Since my Social Security will be more than my take home pay is currently, I found it really gave me great peace of mind to know that I will be just fine without having to dip into my savings or my retirement accounts on a regular basis.

 

This year I began 2024 with my quarterly allotted amount and I did not need to add anything more to it for the remainder of the year.  However, knowing this, I did decide to use one of the quarterly allotments to pay for some tree trimming and a tree removal at the beginning of last month.  It was a great use of the extra money I had on hand and now I have the peace of mind that I have safely maintained the trees in my yard and I won’t need to worry about any possible property damage.  No one wants a tree falling on their house or a limb landing on their vehicle.

 

This year wasn’t an inexpensive year for me.  Along with the big tree company bill in November (planned expense), I had to replace my refrigerator (semi-planned expense), I took a birthday trip to Las Vegas (no money in the travel budget this year so I got creative) and I needed to fly down, rent a car and get a hotel to see and help a family member in October (not planned).  Nonetheless, I did it.  And I’m thrilled that I was able to do it without incurring any debt or adversely affecting my finances.  Emergency fund remains intact and I did not need to touch it.

 

With only a little more than three more months left in my super thrifty three year plan I’m going to go ahead and declare it a roaring success.  I feel that good about it and I’m sure I will be able finish it off successfully.  Then we’ll see what I decide to challenge myself with next.

 

What Do I Want For Christmas?

 

This year that question is an easy one.  What do I truly want for Christmas?  Time.

 

I want to spend time with all of the people in my life that I love. Whether we bake cookies, watch a holiday movie together, have dinner or just sit and visit over a hot cup of coffee, that is all I need.  My heart is FULL this Christmas season and I’m extremely happy.  What more could I ever ask for?  LIFE is GOOD.

 

This year finds me feeling loved, blessed and grateful.  I think that giving our time to someone and receiving theirs as well is a true gift.  The value of such a gift is immeasurable, but it truly means the world to me.  Time spent with those we love is precious.

 

So this year, if you want to give me a gift come sit at my table.  Invite me to lunch.  Hang out with me.  Join me and we’ll traipse through Costco.  Or, let’s just sit and chat.  I’ll make the coffee.  Sounds good, doesn’t it?

 

 

Holiday Menu Plans

 

In case you haven’t guessed yet, feeding people is my love language, for sure.  I love to cook and bake and I love to share my meals and goodies with others.  Holiday meals are special and I like to pull out all the stops.  This year is no exception.  We will be eating well at this house as Christmas and New Year’s Day unfolds.

 

Last year's dinner was amazing!

Traditions are wonderful and I love them, but I also like to occasionally veer off course a bit and try new things from time to time.  This Christmas Eve we’ll be enjoying our usual Christmas Day Dinner of Rib Eye Steaks Au Jus, Yorkshire Pudding and a Caesar Salad.

 

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms last year for New Year's Day
Also a very good option!

Christmas Day I will be doing something completely different by putting on a beef stew to simmer all day in my slow cooker and serving that with some homemade dinner rolls.  I can hardly wait.  It sounds delicious!

 

Pork Fried Rice

New Year’s Eve we will be enjoying homemade Chinese food – Pork or Chicken Chow Mein, Egg Rolls and Fried Rice along with a Crab Rangoon starter to eat while we play games or do whatever happens to strike our fancy.  On New Year’s Day we will enjoy steaks, potatoes of some kind, a salad and a vegetable too, probably broccoli.

 

Along with these meals there will be plenty of goodies.  I made my grandmother’s fruitcake over the Thanksgiving holiday and it is ready for slicing.  I also plan to make gingerbread cookies (a family favorite), pumpkin pie (my favorite), lemon bars and fudge.

 

I often make cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning

Will you be doing any cooking for the holidays?  What are some of your favorites?

 

My Tireless Retirement – Week 141

 

Sorry I am late.  It has been another busy week in my retired life as we are cruising toward the end of yet another year.  Hard to believe we are that close to 2025 already.  Where does the time go?

 

I began the week by working all day last Friday.  By the time I got home on the bus it was plenty dark outside and the fog had rolled back in making everything frosty and quite lovely.  Even though it was only 26°F it made for a wonderful walk from the bus stop to my house.  These days I’m wearing my bright neon yellow jacket with reflector stripes so I’m more visible.  I had bought it for hiking, but I pulled it out of the closet a few weeks ago.  It is nice and warm too.  I’m also extra diligent about my surroundings as well as drivers who may not yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.  I’m sorry to say it happens a lot around here.

 

Saturday I tackled a mini project in my downstairs bathroom by removing the handles from the faucet and giving them and the faucet itself a good scrub with some all purpose cleaner and an old toothbrush.  It is the only way to thoroughly clean your faucet and remove the debris that accumulates inside the handles over time.  While I was at it I also used a small flat blade screwdriver to carefully chip away the calcium build up along the rim of the drain.  That had been bothering me too.

 

Sunday I puttered around the house and enjoyed a quiet and relaxed day until I met a friend for dinner at a favorite neighborhood restaurant.  It had been a while since we’d been able to get together so it was very nice to have the opportunity to get together and get caught up on each other’s lives.

 

Monday morning as I sipped my coffee and was thinking about planning my day it occurred to me that there was nothing pressing I needed to do.  My “To Do” list for 2024 is now “To-Done”!  The last thing on it was to put the winter cover on my motorhome and I did that Saturday afternoon.  I am now free to relax and enjoy the holiday season.  Wow!  That feels amazing.

 

A stack of Christmas cards went out in the mail and I also printed off some cute little labels to put on the little jars of pear butter I had made and set aside to give as gifts this year.  I added circles of fabric I had cut out of scrap fabric using pinking shears and put in my stash to be used just for this purpose.  All I had to do was place a fabric circle over each jar and screw on a canning ring.  It was that easy.  I still have more fabric circles left to use again next year.

 

I didn’t work on Wednesday so I started a new meal plan & prep process.  It is something I’ve been planning and working on for quite a while now.  I’m toying with the idea of sharing it on the blog if it is something you think you might find of interest.  My goal is to make a pile of easy to make and re-heat, super healthy and nutritious, affordable and efficient meals from high quality ingredients for one to two people.  I also wanted this meal plan to incorporate a lot of variety.  Additionally, I think it will also save me a lot of time cooking my meals as well as shopping for food.  Plus, it will also save me money.  I think it will be a win-win-win.  Right now I’m testing it out to see how well it works and if I need to do any additional tweaking.

 

I worked a few hours on Thursday and came home to work on another menu plan as well as some different cooking techniques I haven’t used in quite a while.  I dug my wok out of the closet and washed it up and got busy cooking.  Another delicious meal was enjoyed and with that I brought my week to a close.  How was your week?

 

Testing 123, Testing… Additional Data

 

Would I truly be willing to do my large monthly grocery shopping trip, the one where I fill in any pantry gaps and refill the produce drawer, using the bus and walking?  Even if it was windy and looked like it might rain?  Or it did rain?  Using a backpack and two Trader Joes shopping bags?  Walking a fair distance from the bus station to Winco and then back again?  Do I have the strength in my arms to carry home two heavier bags of groceries?  Yup.  It turns out that I do and the only way I know this is I tried it.  Several times.

 

Can I figure out how go to the mall on the bus and be able to go to the various shops in the surrounding area to acquire the things that I need to clothe myself?  Do some gift shopping?  Treat myself to lunch out while I’m at it?  Or pack a snack instead?  Yes, I can and I’ve done it twice now.  It may take me a while to get there instead of the fifteen minute drive I’m used to, but it certainly can be done and I definitely get more exercise doing it this way.  Plus it’s fun!

 

Can I meet friends at restaurants for lunch or dinner simply by walking?  How about riding my bike to the post office to buy stamps?  Or walk there too?  How about walking to my cardiologist’s office to schedule my annual visit?  Or go?  How about walking and/or riding the bus to and from the airport to fly out and travel?  Travel on my own?  Be safe? Have a good time?  It turns out that I’m quite capable of doing all of those things too.

 

Am I able to plant and grow stuff in my backyard, preserve what I harvest and make a substantial contribution to my pantry and LTFS?  Did I learn from what worked and what didn’t so I can make improvements next year?  It turns out that I can do just that.

 

Am I able to shop for food and clothe myself with minimal resources?  I had a $50 a month grocery budget and no budget this year for clothing.  Yet I fed myself well and was even able to add some clothing items to my closet including two pair of pants, a pair of pajamas, socks, bras, underwear, a couple new tops and a lightweight jacket.  All of these items replaced items I had worn out.

 

I really tested myself a lot this past year.  In addition to the things I’ve already mentioned I also learned that I can now be my own person, live alone, travel alone, do and be whatever I choose and do so guilt-free.  I can focus solely on myself if I want and not feel like I’m taking away from someone else.  That has been huge for me.  Making that shift from full time parent and taking care of others to becoming my own person has been quite an adjustment.  I’ve arrived, but my journey is just beginning.