Testing 1-2-3; Testing…

 

This year I’ve really been putting myself to the test.  Putting my money where my mouth is so to speak.  It is one thing to say something about a particular subject, but it is another thing to prove it.  I don’t want to just say something to say something.  I want to know that what I tell people is as honest and trustworthy as possible.  The only way to know things for sure is to test them.

 

I tend to be a very fact based individual.  I don’t just take the word of others, especially as it is presented by the media or even the government.  I think it is important to challenge a lot of what we are presented with rather than taking it at face value.  Especially if it directly affects our life and the way we live it.  The biggest thing that affects me right now is the current rate of inflation.

 

All of my adult life I have tracked my expenses because early on I literally had to in order to make sure I had enough money each month to feed us and pay the bills.  As time went on it simply became a habit I have yet to abandon.  Because of how I track my expenses I am able to know for a fact how much prices have gone up on the items I use in my life.  I do the math.

 

At the beginning of the year I knew I wanted to test an extreme grocery budget because not only had I told people I could do it, but I also need to prove it to myself.  After all of the years of budgeting, tracking my food expenses and meal planning as well as preparing my long term food storage I felt pretty confident about this, however the only way to truly know is to test it.

 

I’ve always said once I retired I’d probably become a one car household and take advantage of using other means of transportation like walking, riding my bike and using the city bus.  But, would I really?  I decided the only way to determine whether I actually would and if it was even practical was to test it.  So far I’ve been using the bus and doing a lot of walking to get to work as well as for grocery shopping and it is working.  Once the weather improves I do plan to also ride my bike.  Is this sustainable and will I be able to continue to do this?  Only one way to find out – keep testing!

 

Before I retired I invested in upgrading my winter weather gear.  I bought a really nice winter coat with a hood, I got some thicker socks, I made myself a crocheted cowl to wear around my neck  and I went through everything I already had and only kept the best of the best.  I got rid of anything I felt was worn out or wouldn’t work.  Did I do it right?  I was pretty sure I had, but the only one way to find out for sure if I could stay safe and warm in freezing temperatures was to test it.  The first week I stared riding the bus to work it snowed a lot and then temperatures dipped down to zero.  I bundled up and as it turned out I was plenty warm, even my feet and hands and I stayed dry.  It was a really good test.  I do plan to invest in another pair of gloves and possibly more of the socks I bought, but I now know I have the right winter gear instead of just assuming that I do.

 

Using up what I already have on hand before I buy something else is a biggie.  It is so easy to say I need to buy XYZ and then go out and buy it.  But the truth is I probably already have something or I have the stuff to make something that will work just fine.  I also don’t buy anything without putting a lot of thought into it first simply by taking my time and mulling it over.  More often than not I realize that what I thought I needed I actually don’t.   I’m testing out my patience in making decisions.  I’m testing out other options first and then if it doesn’t meet the test I know to go and buy something.  Even then I’m taking my time to make sure whatever I buy I get for a good price and that I’m purchasing the best quality I can afford.

 

These tests will continue to go on throughout the year.  So far it has been very enlightening and quite thought provoking.  Let me know if you are interested in what I’m testing and what I find out about these tests.  Are you doing anything similar this year?  Do you have anything in particular you are currently struggling with?