PLANNING

The future is very uncertain but planning is important. One regret I have is that my husband will not have a nice juicy pension when he finally stops working. There's not much we can do about that right now except figure out how to live with only Social Security. One thing we need to be certain is a cheap place to live. I tell my friends this all the time. Buy a house pay it off. We have that but I'm not sure we can afford the taxes on our house in the future, not to mention the heat and electric. And besides we'll need someplace warm. I'm thinking of Florida. I want something that will cost two to three hundred a month to run. This will leave enough money for good food and entertainment. So the project for this year is t buy a little something in Florida, fix it up and rent it. A two family would be ideal. That way we would have a place and a little income too. Opportunities in real estate are rare. Like most things they are subject to fad and fashion. Both are just noise when it comes to building a life. Look for what is really important. Florida may not be the fashionable place for retirement any more, but who cares. I will look for what I need. I was against Florida in the past because I am not a beach person. I get bored. But I do like museums and when I heard about a Peter Max Museum being built, I decided to take a second look and rethink my prejudices.

Less is More

I learned just how little I need on my cruise. We got the cheapest cabin because experience has taught us we never spend any time there. We just sleep in the cabin . We can only take what we can carry so things have to be practical. Even as a cheapo, I realize I have too many clothes. I could lose half of them and still be well dressed.
More stuff, just means more work. More organizing, more cleaning, more mending, etc. Less stuff would mean more time for other things. If only getting rid of clothes weren't so painful. I periodically purge my closet for charity but it always seems to hurt. One way, I like doing it, is to get rid of the high maintenance clothes. First I get rid of anything that must be dry cleaned. I don't need the added expense. Sweaters are easier to maintain than tailored jackets. Cashmere is easy to keep, washes well and stays looking good for a long time. Then I hit all the stuff that requires ironing.. No iron blouses were the most practical pieces on the cruise and in real life. A while back I caught a sale at Bolton's and picked up some crinkly blouses which travel very well stuffed in the corner of a suitcase. I want more of these clothes so I must systematically rid my closet of silk and cotton blouses. Ironing is too much work or too expensive. A less is more lifestyle also means that my wardrobe is finally going to fit in my closet. I can use the space for other things and liberate myself from stuff and the need to buy and spend more money on stuff. Stuff attracts more stuff. If I pick something up on sale or tagging, I have to know that it will work with at least two other pieces in my closet. Years ago when I first started building my wardrobe, I foolishly bought a pair of plum colored slacks only to get home and find I had nothing to wear with them. Now when I buy something it is usually in a neutral base color that goes with everything. I generally wear basic black and use color as an accessory, for example in a sweater, a scarf or a purse. Keep it simple. This classic approach allows for a lot of personal flair while at the same time keeping the closet grounded.

Best Vacation Ever

So I'm cheap and I'm okay with it. But the purpose of being cheap is to have money to really enjoy your life. I went on a cruise. Just got back. It's been a miserable winter here in the Northeast, but ten days down in the Virgin Islands has made it just a bit more bearable. Cruises are a great value. I live near a port city. For $1500 my husband and I spent ten days away. We had a room, nightly entertainment and three gourmet meals a day. The ship has a pool and several hot tubs, plus an exercise room, library and art gallery. It was clean and beautiful. I can't even get a room for ten days at that price. So the rest was just cream. I stick with what works and Norwegian NCL is just great for me. The food is excellent and the service is outstanding. I had a wonderful time but now it's back to cold and snow. I am already thinking of ways to save money for the next cruise. When you do cruise remember to avoid paying for extras. My husband and I are teetotalers, we don't drink more than half a glass of wine at dinner. Since we got a $100 room credit, the wine was free. Also although I love buying art, this time I restrained myself. But I got lucky and won two pieces by guessing the price of the Picasso. Also we only did one official excursion. I sent my husband snorkeling. He loves the fishes. In other ports we would just walk off the ship and wander making sure to be back early. We ate all our meals on board.