My Tireless Retirement - Week 39 - A Brand New Year!

 

Happy New Year everyone!  2023 has arrived.  Are you ready to have a great year?  I sure am!  It is going to be spectacular!  Can you believe this blog is one year old already?  It's true.

 

I've been ruthlessly decluttering my home because I don't need as much stuff as I used to now that I'm an empty nester.  If I don't like it, don't need it or don't use it, it's gone.  In the process I've been able to take what is left and reorganize it by category - like with like.  I thought I had already done that last year, but as I've been going through the house I've gathered up so many things that were totally out of place.  I don't even know, but finally having things grouped together should make it much easier to find the things I need now, especially with my craft and sewing projects.

 

Simple, healthy & delicious meals

I have loads of plans and ideas for how I am going to feed myself this year and I'm super, super excited about it.  My goal is to spend as little as possible while making delicious meals I want to eat, while I amp up the nutrition, minimize any food waste and still manage to entertain guests in my home from time to time.  I also want to contribute to our local food bank and neighborhood food pantries.  Lofty aspirations, but I'm pretty confident I can do this.

 

I'll be gathering up all the old tech and taking it in to the recycling center

There are two replacement items I've got to work on this year, a new computer as my eleven year old laptop is getting old and it is actually the exterior that is breaking down now.  The cover is crumbling and brittle to the point I can no longer close it and one of the hinges broke so I have a giant binder clip holding it together at the moment.  I don't feel there is any point to funneling anymore money into it.  I was hoping for another year, but I don't think that is possible now.  It has also hit the age where Microsoft and Chrome are no longer supporting the guts inside so that has forced the issue as well.  Gotta love that about modern technology, but like all things in live,  in order to evolve we must change.

 

My camera has been acting up lately

The other thing I have to replace is my digital camera.  I use it constantly to take photos for the blog so it is a pretty necessary item and the one I currently use is starting to give me problems.  You may have noticed some blurry photos here and there.  It has been struggling.  I've had it a good long while as well and it was a refurbished one.  I think I've managed to get my monies worth out of both the laptop and the camera.  If I'm going to continue blogging I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get these things upgraded.

 

Little luxuries greatly improve our quality of life

Even though I will be looking for new and better ways to economize and spend less money I'm also challenging myself to improve my quality of life at the same time.  No easy feat I'm sure, however it is a challenge I'm excited to take on.  In the past few years I've given myself a monthly allowance, something I often refer to as pocket money, but I rarely seem to spend it.  This year I'm going to cut that allowance in half to $25 per month and I'm actually going to try to spend it.  This is an allotment of spending money that I can use on whatever I wish at the moment with no explanation or justification required.  I've often spent it on wine or chocolate and last year I used it to go to the discount movie theater too.  This year we shall see what piques my interest.  I'm sure there will be more wine.  And chocolate.

 

Last month, to get myself motivated, I started asking myself a question each day.  "What beautiful thing can I do today".  That one simple question worked wonders in getting me to go into the craft room or the kitchen.  It got me to send cards and letters or emails to people, it motivated me to do some goal planning, research stuff, learn something new and start my decluttering project an entire month early.  I'm going to keep asking myself this question each day.  I want a lot of beautiful things in my life (not necessarily material things either) and what a great way to make it happen.

 

Most of us will agree, we've been through a bit of a rough patch the past few years and the only way for any of it to get better is for us to do something.  Every little positive thing we do helps immensely.  It creates a ripple effect.  Let's make our goal this year to create a beautiful life for ourselves and in doing so we'll create a beautiful life for those around us.  People are naturally attracted to and inspired by beauty.  It's a simple thing really.  So let me ask you this.  What beautiful thing can you do today?