Financially Free

A Year of Splendid Retirement

Analise — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:20:47 PST

Yesterday dh and I were discussing how quickly 2011 flew by. After all, we are retired... shouldn't life seem a little slower? So where did the year go? And how are we doing financially... where did our money go?

January - Our "National Geographic Experience"
We started the year...

For kids who have it all...

Analise — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:07:02 PST

...and even for those who do not, a donation to a non-profit organization may be the perfect gift. This year I gave my grandniece and two grandnephews a symbolic adoption of an endangered animal. World Wildlife Fund offers adoptions of 100 different species. The recipient gets an...

A Snowbird Experiment

Analise — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:13:55 PST

Now that we permanently live in a colder-in-the-winter part of the country, the snowbird lifestyle is gaining appeal. On Saturday dh and I will leave for three weeks in warm and sunny Cabo San Lucas. We'll stay in a one-bedroom condo at the Hacienda Encantada, a resort that...

Castles and windmills...

Analise — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:24:01 PST

...are some of my favorite memories. It's been a week since we returned from our European trip, and our life has fallen back into a comfortable routine. We had an amazing trip visiting 8 countries in 30 days, but it is good to be home. We stayed within our budget, but I did spend on...

Travel $avings

Analise — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 11:20:15 PST

Tomorrow dh and I leave on our next adventure, a month-long trip that will take us to eight European countries. The first leg of the trip will be two days in Barcelona followed by a 12-day Mediterranean cruise to celebrate a friend's retirement. Then we are back in Barcelona...

Recovered Unclaimed Money

Analise — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 11:12:42 PST

Today my dh got a check in the mail for $63 from the State of California. This came about after I read an article a few months back that said there are millions of dollars in unclaimed funds in the CA treasury. I checked and, sure enough, found dh on the list of people with unclaimed...

We finally closed escrow...

Analise — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:36:32 PST

on our California condo... three weeks late, but at least it's done. We had to be patient due to buyer's loan issues that necessitated signing FIVE extensions to the contract. It's a good thing we knew and liked the buyer otherwise we would have gone with the backup offer and would...

Thinking About Disasters

Analise — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 06:55:55 PST

When dh and I moved to ID in May 2010 we applied and were accepted as Red Cross volunteers. We completed the required training and are now members of the Disaster Action Team (DAT). We are on call several weeks during year, with the dates aligned to fit our travel schedule. This week,...

Update on the Condo Sale

Analise — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:01:50 PST

Tomorrow dh and I leave for CA to finalize the sale of the condo... escrow papers will be signed on August 2. We are selling it for 95% of what I paid in 2003. That is how bad the real estate market is in Silicon Valley. Still, I'm grateful it sold, although I won't celebrate until...

Selling CA Condo

Analise — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 08:16:05 PST

A year ago we debated whether to rent or sell our condo in CA. We eventually decided to do neither, and just held on to it to use when we visit family and friends in the Bay Area. Now a year later, we have decided to sell it, largely due to the high cost of keeping it vs. the amount...

Bubble and Squeak

Analise — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:28:25 PST

Today we deviated from our usual breakfast of oatmeal or cold cereal and had a different but delicious breakfast using left over mashed potatoes and cabbage (very frugal):

Menu
~ Bubble & Squeak
~ Organic pork sausage patties
~ Fried Eggs

I decided to make bubble and...

A Busy April

Analise — Sun, 08 May 2011 13:26:34 PST

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to mothers everywhere. May your day be a special one. Dh and I went out for a lovely brunch and we will be having dinner tonight with my daughters. It should be a lot of fun.

April came and went in a whirlwind. Early in the month I was in NYC, spending...

I'm Still Here

Analise — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:09:21 PST

It's been a while since I posted, so I guess an update is in order. My dh and I have been busy traveling. In early March, we spent a week on the Oregon coast. The weather was cold and we had some rain, but it didn't dampen our spirits. We enjoyed whale watching right from the condo...

Hefty Costco AmEx Rebate

Analise — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:17:36 PST

Last Thursday we received a Costco American Express rebate check for $1,019.59. These rebate funds will go straight into our travel savings.

According to the year-end summary we spent 53% of our total expenditures on travel, a category that pays back 2%. It's a good rebate program...

American Airlines and Expedia Are No Longer Partners

Analise — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 20:31:38 PST

This afternoon, while confirming upcoming travel reservations I learned that as of January 1, 2011 Expedia and American Airlines no longer have a business partnership. An Expedia agent told me the breakup is due to "incompatible computer systems." However, I'm sure there's more to...

How Much Will You Need to Retire?

Analise — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:04:38 PST

One of the blogs I enjoy reading, GRACEful Retirement, had a post about a recent Wall Street Journal article on the shortfall in baby boomer retirement accounts. The article suggests being prepared for retirement means having about 85% of your working income and boomers are failing...

Amazing Amazon Experience

Analise — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:16:04 PST

We're back from our month-long trip to the Amazon Basin. We traveled 1,000 miles on the Amazon River in Brazil to the industrial city of Manaus, then turned around and sailed back to the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, we stopped at several smaller cities and remote villages. It was...

Tips for Saving Money During a Long Trip

Analise — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:42:58 PST

In a few days my dh and I will be taking a trip that will take us away from home for six weeks. In preparation for being gone for an extended period, I have put the following services on "vacation hold:"

~ DISH TV
~ Trash
~ Sewer
~ Newspaper
~ Netflix
~ House cleaning

I...

Lessons from Financial Fiascos

Analise — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:56:55 PST

Most of us have made poor financial decisions at some point in our lives, and I am no exception. I was reflecting about some of my worst financial decisions over the years and thought maybe someone else can learn from my mistakes:

1975 - After the death of my mother and father within...

Are Timeshares a Bad Investment?

Analise — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:32:08 PST

I recently read an article about bad investments and was not surprised to see timeshares on the list. Timeshares frequently get a bum rap, although there is some truth to the notion that timeshares can be a bad investment. If you buy a timeshare as an investment, you will be disappointed...