Color me cooking this morning. It is 34 degrees in Northern San Diego County and my wife and I are freezing. So I am going to warm up the kitchen. In the six plus years since we came here from Nebraska, our blood has thinned considerably and looking across the patio at frost on the golf course is not a common sight. Therefore, I am going counter the frost with a Sausage and Shimp Jambalaya recipe I grabbed off of Cooks.com a couple of years ago and modified to our tastes. Make it Friday, eat it on the weekend. Yum!
While the rice is cooking I have some split chicken breasts to debone. The split breasts are more versatile than the boneless, skinless breasts and so much cheaper. I drop the bones in a stock pot with the trinity of celery, carrots, and onions, plus a bay leaf, a sliced garlic clove, and a health pour of seasoning salt. Voila, I have replaced the chicken stock I used to cook the rice with a new batch. I save a couple of chicken breasts with the skin on for frying and grilling recipes and the rest is bagged as breasts and tenders for the freezer. Long before we take off for Fri Afternoon Club, I will have turned seven pounds of breasts into stock and ready to be turned into appetizers and several future meals. Not bad for eight bucks.
Back in Nebraska we could get the "Smart Chicken" brand for a reasonable price because the plant was just down the road in Tecumseh, NE. I still say it is the best chicken ever packaged. However, by the time they ship it to San Diego there is nothing reasonable about the price at all. I still grab a package occasionally for a grilling treat or a special recipe (think chicken scallopine), but we usually just wait for Fosters brand chicken breasts to go on sale. Retirement is expensive, you know, so we save where we can.
Yikes, I just discovered that my spellcheck is not working for some reason. Ya'll could be in for a treat. Yes, I was an English teacher in my past life but doesn't necessarily mean I am a good speller, proofreader or typist! I better close before I tarnish my reputation any more.
Keep warm and take care of yourself.
JimBob
Showing posts with label retired. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retired. Show all posts
Friday, February 15, 2008
Sunday, December 02, 2007
LIVING GREEN--Use Less Stuff
Another of the things that I can do for my children and my children's children! 
My husband and I live in an area which is predominately older; therefore many things are simpler and less in quantity.....until we get to the holidays.
With out of town guests over Thanksgiving week; I found myself carrying out almost twice as much trash and recycling pieces than we usually have. As I looked around on our block; I realized that we were not alone in our increased consumption. Everyone had more "trash" than normal.
In an effort to do what I can for the Earth and the environment; I am always looking for the ways that we can make even little strides in conservation that will add up to large savings if done by many.
I found a site called ULS (Use less stuff)
UseLessStuff
Check out this site for a checklist of simple things you can do to reduce waste while you eat, drink, and make merry this holiday season.
The following "Did You Knows" will make you think.
**Did you know...at least 28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted each year - or over 100 pounds per person. Putting one less cookie on Santa's plate will reduce his snacking by about 2 million pounds.
**Did you know...if each family reduced holiday gasoline consumption by one gallon (about twenty miles), we'd reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one million tons?
**Did you know...in 1981 the average household received 59 mail order catalogues, and by 1991 the number had increased 140%, to 142?
**Did you know...if each household canceled 10 mail-order catalogues it would reduce trash by 3.5 pounds per year? (If everybody did this, the stack of canceled catalogues would be 2,000 miles high!)
**Did you know...the 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year n the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high? If we each sent one card less, we'd save 50,000 cubic yards of paper
**Did you know...if every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet?
My husband and I live in an area which is predominately older; therefore many things are simpler and less in quantity.....until we get to the holidays.With out of town guests over Thanksgiving week; I found myself carrying out almost twice as much trash and recycling pieces than we usually have. As I looked around on our block; I realized that we were not alone in our increased consumption. Everyone had more "trash" than normal.
In an effort to do what I can for the Earth and the environment; I am always looking for the ways that we can make even little strides in conservation that will add up to large savings if done by many.
I found a site called ULS (Use less stuff)
UseLessStuff
Check out this site for a checklist of simple things you can do to reduce waste while you eat, drink, and make merry this holiday season.
The following "Did You Knows" will make you think.
**Did you know...at least 28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted each year - or over 100 pounds per person. Putting one less cookie on Santa's plate will reduce his snacking by about 2 million pounds.
**Did you know...if each family reduced holiday gasoline consumption by one gallon (about twenty miles), we'd reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one million tons?
**Did you know...in 1981 the average household received 59 mail order catalogues, and by 1991 the number had increased 140%, to 142?
**Did you know...if each household canceled 10 mail-order catalogues it would reduce trash by 3.5 pounds per year? (If everybody did this, the stack of canceled catalogues would be 2,000 miles high!)
**Did you know...the 2.65 billion Christmas cards sold each year n the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high? If we each sent one card less, we'd save 50,000 cubic yards of paper
**Did you know...if every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
RETIRED AND PARTICIPATING IN BLOG ACTION DAY!
Today is Blog Action Day, 2007
I believe that we all have an obligation to be more mindful of what we might be doing that is harmful to our environment; if not for ourselves--then for our children, our grandchildren and all children of the future. It is the hope that people who have blogs will use this day, October 15, 2007 to talk about environmental issues. Since I am always wondering what I, as just one person, can do to protect the environment; I decided that I would find a list of things that "just one person" can do not just today--but everyday. I have found a list of 50 things that I have printed out and will put up on our little bulletin board and see how many of them we can do. If I question why I am doing this; I just smile and think about the four reasons: Caitlin, Keagan, Ethan and Samantha; my grandchildren.Top 50 Things To Do To Stop Global Warming
Global warming is a dramatically urgent and serious problem. We don't need to wait for governments to solve this problem: each one of us can bring an important help adopting a more responsible lifestyle: starting from little, everyday things. It's the only reasonable way to save our planet, before it is too late.
Here is a list of 50 simple things that everyone can do in order to fight against and reduce the Global Warming phenomenon: some of them are at no cost, some other require a little investment but can help you save a lot of money, in the middle-long term!
-
Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl)
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. -
Install a programmable thermostat
Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill. -
Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer
Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling. -
Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner
Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. -
Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases
Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models available. -
Do not leave appliances on standby
Use the "on/off" function on the machine itself. A TV set that's switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode. -
Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket
You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C. -
Move your fridge and freezer
Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers. -
Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly
Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors. -
Don't let heat escape from your house over a long period
When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions. -
Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing
This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost. -
Get a home energy audit
Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist. -
Cover your pots while cooking
Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%! -
Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full
If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures. -
Take a shower instead of a bath
A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximise the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort. -
Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot. -
Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible
You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year. -
Insulate and weatherize your home
Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. Energy Efficient has more information on how to better insulate your home. -
Be sure you’re recycling at home
You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area. -
Recycle your organic waste
Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul. -
Buy intelligently
One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide. -
Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can
You will also cut down on waste production and energy use! -
Reuse your shopping bag
When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil. -
Reduce waste
Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes. -
Plant a tree
A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership. -
Switch to green power
In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The Green Power Network is a good place to start to figure out what’s available in your area. -
Buy locally grown and produced foods
The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community. -
Buy fresh foods instead of frozen
Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce. -
Seek out and support local farmers markets
They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. You can find a farmer’s market in your area at the USDA website. -
Buy organic foods as much as possible
Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere! -
Eat less meat
Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath. -
Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible
Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area. -
Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates
Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free national service connecting commuters and travelers. -
Don't leave an empty roof rack on your car
This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight - removing it is a better idea. -
Keep your car tuned up
Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere. -
Drive carefully and do not waste fuel
You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car mantainance. -
Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated
Proper inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference! -
When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle
You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency on FuelEconomy and on GreenCars websites. -
Try car sharing
Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar - offer low emission or hybrid cars too! Also, see ZipCar. -
Try telecommuting from home
Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition. -
Fly less
Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also offset your air travel by investing in renewable energy projects. -
Encourage your school or business to reduce emissions
You can extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home by actively encouraging other to take action. -
Join the virtual march
The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort to bring people concerned about global warming together in one place. Add your voice to the hundreds of thousands of other people urging action on this issue. -
Encourage the switch to renewable energy
Successfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to be deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers impeding them. Take action to break down those barriers with Vote Solar. -
Protect and conserve forest worldwide
Forests play a critial role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere - deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Conservation International has more information on forests and global warming. -
Consider the impact of your investments
If you invest your money, you should consider the impact that your investments and savings will have on global warming. Check out SocialInvest and Ceres to can learn more about how to ensure your money is being invested in companies, products and projects that address issues related to climate change. -
Make your city cool
Cities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation. 194 cities nationwide representing over 40 million people have made this pledge as part of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Find out how to make your city a cool city. -
Tell Congress to act
The McCain Lieberman Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act would set a firm limit on carbon dioxide emissions and then use free market incentives to lower costs, promote efficiency and spur innovation. Tell your representative to support it. -
Make sure your voice is heard!
Americans must have a stronger commitment from their government in order to stop global warming and implement solutions and such a commitment won’t come without a dramatic increase in citizen lobbying for new laws with teeth. Get the facts about U.S. politicians and candidates at Project Vote Smart and The League of Conservation Voters. Make sure your voice is heard by voting! -
Share this list!
Send this page via e-mail to your buddies, digg it, add it to your favourite bookmark site (like del.icio.us); and if you're a blogger, blog it: the more people you will manage to enlighten, the greater YOUR help to save the planet will be (but please take action on first person too)!
Friday, September 21, 2007
RETIRED AND READY TO READ
More on the Used Bookstore Crawl that James had already talked about; with my perspective.
One of the things that I looked forward to in retirement was having the time to catch up on my reading. As a child I loved to read. I can remember during the summers during the time I was in elementary school, especially in the 7th and 8th grade, the local libraries would always sponsor a Summer Reading Program. You were allowed to check out 10 books each time. I can remember riding my bike to the library and coming home with my allotment of 10 books in the bike basket.
Once home, I stacked my books on a TV tray next to my Father's easy chair and plunked myself down. It was there that I stayed until my Mother couldn't stand it any longer and have some "job" I was supposed to do. My Mother was someone who magazines such as Women's World and First were made. She couldn't stay focused long enough to read a lengthy book but loved reading article snippets and recipes.
But I on the other hand couldn't wait to start a book and reach that stage where the writing, the characters and the plot had kidnapped me away from my world to theirs. If I had not been kidnapped by the end of the first chapter; that book went on the pile to be returned to the library. Because I knew that there were far more books in that library than I could possibly read in a summer; so I had set my kidnapping standard for which ones I would read.
Unfortunately, one grows out of that "summer off" phase of childhood and grows into the phase of responsibility to college, marriage, family, jobs and just life itself. So you can see that I had this image in my mind of retirement being a time when I could go back to that world of being kidnapped by a book as often as I chose.
But retirement is not always as free of responsibilities as one imagines. I swear sometimes I feel like I have more things to do in retirement than before. Perhaps it is because in your life before retirement all of your responsibilities are confined in given areas. They dictate what you will do--your family, your job, your community; they all set the perimeters. BUT: when you retire; you have more say in what those perimeters are. And, if you are like me; we tend to stretch them far and wide. (My mind wandered....and never came back.)
I may not have all the time I would like to curl up in that old familiar position in a comfy chair and read whenever I want to; but I still find the time to go to bookstores and see it as an expanded version of the library from my childhood. One big difference being that instead of being able to walk out of there with 10 books to bring back when read; I have to pay for these.
Now I know that I can still go to the library and I still do; but there is something about a book store that sucks me in. Perhaps it is the comfy chairs in which to sit and read or it might be the Starbucks
My husband and I have found that the new joy comes in the shape of a Used Book Store. And so many of them allow you to bring your read books back in for credit for ones you have not read.
Therefore, you can imagine our delight when we read in the paper that one of our favorite used book stores, Book Tales in Encinitas, CA was organizing a used book store "crawl" visiting different stores from Carlsbad to downtown San Diego and back. Fourteen of us signed up and boarded a bus in Carlsbad and took our book bags into each store and found treasures in every store.
You can see a review and PICTURES from our tour/crawl on my Squidoo lens:
http://www.squidoo.com/babyboomersandretirement/
For anyone who lives in San Diego County, there will be a second one coming up on November 15th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. If you would be interested in joining us, you can contact Patricia McFarland at http://www.encinitasbooktales.com
One of the things that I looked forward to in retirement was having the time to catch up on my reading. As a child I loved to read. I can remember during the summers during the time I was in elementary school, especially in the 7th and 8th grade, the local libraries would always sponsor a Summer Reading Program. You were allowed to check out 10 books each time. I can remember riding my bike to the library and coming home with my allotment of 10 books in the bike basket.
Once home, I stacked my books on a TV tray next to my Father's easy chair and plunked myself down. It was there that I stayed until my Mother couldn't stand it any longer and have some "job" I was supposed to do. My Mother was someone who magazines such as Women's World and First were made. She couldn't stay focused long enough to read a lengthy book but loved reading article snippets and recipes.
But I on the other hand couldn't wait to start a book and reach that stage where the writing, the characters and the plot had kidnapped me away from my world to theirs. If I had not been kidnapped by the end of the first chapter; that book went on the pile to be returned to the library. Because I knew that there were far more books in that library than I could possibly read in a summer; so I had set my kidnapping standard for which ones I would read.
Unfortunately, one grows out of that "summer off" phase of childhood and grows into the phase of responsibility to college, marriage, family, jobs and just life itself. So you can see that I had this image in my mind of retirement being a time when I could go back to that world of being kidnapped by a book as often as I chose.
But retirement is not always as free of responsibilities as one imagines. I swear sometimes I feel like I have more things to do in retirement than before. Perhaps it is because in your life before retirement all of your responsibilities are confined in given areas. They dictate what you will do--your family, your job, your community; they all set the perimeters. BUT: when you retire; you have more say in what those perimeters are. And, if you are like me; we tend to stretch them far and wide. (My mind wandered....and never came back.)
I may not have all the time I would like to curl up in that old familiar position in a comfy chair and read whenever I want to; but I still find the time to go to bookstores and see it as an expanded version of the library from my childhood. One big difference being that instead of being able to walk out of there with 10 books to bring back when read; I have to pay for these.
Now I know that I can still go to the library and I still do; but there is something about a book store that sucks me in. Perhaps it is the comfy chairs in which to sit and read or it might be the Starbucks
My husband and I have found that the new joy comes in the shape of a Used Book Store. And so many of them allow you to bring your read books back in for credit for ones you have not read.
Therefore, you can imagine our delight when we read in the paper that one of our favorite used book stores, Book Tales in Encinitas, CA was organizing a used book store "crawl" visiting different stores from Carlsbad to downtown San Diego and back. Fourteen of us signed up and boarded a bus in Carlsbad and took our book bags into each store and found treasures in every store.
You can see a review and PICTURES from our tour/crawl on my Squidoo lens:
http://www.squidoo.com/babyboomersandretirement/
For anyone who lives in San Diego County, there will be a second one coming up on November 15th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. If you would be interested in joining us, you can contact Patricia McFarland at http://www.encinitasbooktales.com
Thursday, September 06, 2007
RETIRED AND READY FOR SOME NOSTALGIA
It must be the rising age of the babyboomers but have you noticed the rising interest in nostalgia? I spend a lot of my time on the Internet looking for information, tips, websites and blogs that might be of interest to our readers. There are lots of nostalgia articles, blogs and polls right now. Just check out our friend, The Google and ask him about nostalgia; you will see what I mean.
As always when different topics come up, it gets my husband, the Ponder That guy, to start asking questions. His pondering took us to a discussion about people's favorite cars and our own. Mine has always been the 1955 Thunderbird and his has always been the 1957 Chevy. We saw one of each on the street the other day. Must be because we had been talking about them.
So, we would like to know about your thoughts on your favorite car. We have included a poll to see how many different favorite cars there are out there. Have fun with those memories.
As always when different topics come up, it gets my husband, the Ponder That guy, to start asking questions. His pondering took us to a discussion about people's favorite cars and our own. Mine has always been the 1955 Thunderbird and his has always been the 1957 Chevy. We saw one of each on the street the other day. Must be because we had been talking about them.
So, we would like to know about your thoughts on your favorite car. We have included a poll to see how many different favorite cars there are out there. Have fun with those memories.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Retirement Savings Scare
Consumer advocate David Horowitz tossed out some stats from his radio show "Fight Back!" a while ago that both startled and frankly concerned me. Trust me, I do not listen to much talk radio as most of those bozos leave me with the same feeling I get from finger nails on a chalkboard. I actually found his website link in our Costco magazine recently and found more details there.
Mr. Horowitz was sharing an observation that a healthy individual retiring today at age sixty-five could expect to live to 90 years of age. His point being that many people are simply not planning their retirement strategy in a way which will save or generate enough income to reach that age. This certainly rang true for my wife and I. We did her calculations on 82 and mine on 78. We are finding that from a savings standpoint, we are not even close for those ages, let alone 90. Obviously, this is why we are working on becoming Internet entrepreneurs! We are not alone as he points out that the Society of Actuaries has said that 68% of retired men and 60% of retired women have underestimated their life expectancy in retirement calculations.
If you are growing concerned as you read the above, I recommend you visit our newsletter site at www.RetiredandReady.com for more information about retirement strategies. When you subscribe to our fre*e newsletter, you can also to get a fre*e "retirement calculator tool" from the link in the newsletter. Hopefully your new calculations will put your mind at ease.
Mr. Horowitz was sharing an observation that a healthy individual retiring today at age sixty-five could expect to live to 90 years of age. His point being that many people are simply not planning their retirement strategy in a way which will save or generate enough income to reach that age. This certainly rang true for my wife and I. We did her calculations on 82 and mine on 78. We are finding that from a savings standpoint, we are not even close for those ages, let alone 90. Obviously, this is why we are working on becoming Internet entrepreneurs! We are not alone as he points out that the Society of Actuaries has said that 68% of retired men and 60% of retired women have underestimated their life expectancy in retirement calculations.
If you are growing concerned as you read the above, I recommend you visit our newsletter site at www.RetiredandReady.com for more information about retirement strategies. When you subscribe to our fre*e newsletter, you can also to get a fre*e "retirement calculator tool" from the link in the newsletter. Hopefully your new calculations will put your mind at ease.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
RETIRED AND READY TO SQUIDOO
The following post is one that Carol Ann posted in her Squidoo lens: www.squidoo.com/babyboomersandretirement/
If you are new to Squidoo or have never heard of it; you need to check it out. It is great way for older than teen-agers to do our social networking. Besides it is fun to do.
After my husband and I retired and moved from Nebraska to California in 2001; we knew two things for sure: We never wanted to work for someone else again and we needed to find a new way to generate an income to increase our cash flow. We explored many of the work from home options and even spent money on various "programs" in the areas of real estate investing, note buying, trading options and soon realized that we hadn't found the right niche for us.
Then we found Dr. Mike Woo-Ming and Internet Marketing. We had found our niche. But the learning curve, oh my! We were two people who had worked in the public sector in state and local government in the fields of aging services. How did we take that to the area of internet marketing and learn the technology? We learned that we needed to have a mentor (or three or four). Thus began our involvement with some of the Internet Marketing gurus such as Keith Baxter, Derek Gehl, Ed Dale and our most recent hero, Jack Humphrey.
Dr. Mike Woo-Ming become partners with Howie Schwartz and the members of the Momentum Coaching Club became the beneficiaries. Dr. Mike and Howie have spent a lot of time working with Web 2.0 and the many social networking avenues; we were encouraged to set up a Squidoo lens.
When I first came to do my lens, I looked at the site and left, vowing to come back later. So I went in search of guides for setting up a lens. I found an ebook by Tiffany Dow and a guide by Bob, the Teacher which propelled me to just do it!
So this is my testimonial for people who have yet to build a Squidoo lens and might think that it is more difficult to do than it is. I realize that my lens is a work in progress; but then so am I. So I will continue to figure out all of the inner workings of Squidoo and other Web 2.0 in this exciting world on the Internet.
Howie Swartz interviewed Seth Godin, the creator of Squidoo, on Squidoo and Google Slaps. He has now started a seven part series on building your Squidoo lens and driving traffic to it. He has put the case studies with YouTube videos on his website,
www.searchingdot.com
I Squidoo, Do You?
Retired and Ready to: ????________________(You fill in the blank when you share your comments about this post)
If you are new to Squidoo or have never heard of it; you need to check it out. It is great way for older than teen-agers to do our social networking. Besides it is fun to do.
After my husband and I retired and moved from Nebraska to California in 2001; we knew two things for sure: We never wanted to work for someone else again and we needed to find a new way to generate an income to increase our cash flow. We explored many of the work from home options and even spent money on various "programs" in the areas of real estate investing, note buying, trading options and soon realized that we hadn't found the right niche for us.
Then we found Dr. Mike Woo-Ming and Internet Marketing. We had found our niche. But the learning curve, oh my! We were two people who had worked in the public sector in state and local government in the fields of aging services. How did we take that to the area of internet marketing and learn the technology? We learned that we needed to have a mentor (or three or four). Thus began our involvement with some of the Internet Marketing gurus such as Keith Baxter, Derek Gehl, Ed Dale and our most recent hero, Jack Humphrey.
Dr. Mike Woo-Ming become partners with Howie Schwartz and the members of the Momentum Coaching Club became the beneficiaries. Dr. Mike and Howie have spent a lot of time working with Web 2.0 and the many social networking avenues; we were encouraged to set up a Squidoo lens.
When I first came to do my lens, I looked at the site and left, vowing to come back later. So I went in search of guides for setting up a lens. I found an ebook by Tiffany Dow and a guide by Bob, the Teacher which propelled me to just do it!
So this is my testimonial for people who have yet to build a Squidoo lens and might think that it is more difficult to do than it is. I realize that my lens is a work in progress; but then so am I. So I will continue to figure out all of the inner workings of Squidoo and other Web 2.0 in this exciting world on the Internet.
Howie Swartz interviewed Seth Godin, the creator of Squidoo, on Squidoo and Google Slaps. He has now started a seven part series on building your Squidoo lens and driving traffic to it. He has put the case studies with YouTube videos on his website,
www.searchingdot.com
I Squidoo, Do You?
Retired and Ready to: ????________________(You fill in the blank when you share your comments about this post)
Friday, July 20, 2007
Are You a Threat to Your Home's Security?
I have posted here and written in our newsletter Retired and Ready about various issues surrounding safety and security for retired folks. When one starts blogging and sharing information, one of the great things is the feedback and sharing we get from others. Just this morning I got a collection of tid-bits from a retired friend and reader of our newsletter.
One of the pieces she referenced asked a question, "what is a robbers favorite tool?" The answer was "Yours!" The article covered some people's tendency to leave or store various tools in their yards. The point here was that an ax, hammer or crowbar is like an invitation for someone to break in to your home. So, what was the favorite tool thieves love finding in your yard? A Ladder! The access it provides to a roof with skylights or upper story windows that may be unlocked, is a source of temptation for a dishonest person.
I have big ceiling hooks in my garage so I can hang my ladder up high and out of the way. So, when I read her note, where was my ladder? Folded up and leaning against the stone wall for our raised landscaping on the side of the house. I had used it to trim the top of our Dr. Seuss tree and left it there, sixteen days ago! Yikes, did I feel stupid. It's now on the hooks in the garage.
Thanks for this mornings note Betty!!!!!
One of the pieces she referenced asked a question, "what is a robbers favorite tool?" The answer was "Yours!" The article covered some people's tendency to leave or store various tools in their yards. The point here was that an ax, hammer or crowbar is like an invitation for someone to break in to your home. So, what was the favorite tool thieves love finding in your yard? A Ladder! The access it provides to a roof with skylights or upper story windows that may be unlocked, is a source of temptation for a dishonest person.
I have big ceiling hooks in my garage so I can hang my ladder up high and out of the way. So, when I read her note, where was my ladder? Folded up and leaning against the stone wall for our raised landscaping on the side of the house. I had used it to trim the top of our Dr. Seuss tree and left it there, sixteen days ago! Yikes, did I feel stupid. It's now on the hooks in the garage.
Thanks for this mornings note Betty!!!!!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Retirement:Get Started/Take Action
Earlier this month I was communicating with my virtual colleague, Charles Earl Foster. Chucky Earl as I call him, is the co-author of the great retirement planning guide, "Plan Now Retire Early" which we recommend both here and in our fre*e newsletter, www.RetiredandReady.com. Chuck was sharing what he is afraid is a disturbing trend among what I will refer to as the "50 something" Baby Boomer group. Problem is, I am seeing and hearing the same thing.
As we interact with these folks, more and more of them are telling us that they have saved very little money for their retirement. What nearly all of them have in common is that they are or have been self-employed, often small business owners or have been contract agreement workers most of their working lives. The reasons are as diverse as the people themselves. Put two kids through college. Kids moved back home! Living paycheck to paycheck as it is. House payment poor. Had to put the money back in the business. However, the excuses that are killing the two of us are, "we just never got started" and "we just did not know what to do."
The truth is, one cannot get started any sooner than right now unless one's actual goal is to work until the day he or she dies. That may be great for the likely small percentage of people who love their work/job, but none of these people fit in that profile. The "didn't know what to do" group also includes the "we didn't know what to ask" and the "we didn't want to look stupid" subgroups. How stupid is not asking or learning what to do about your retirement? There are great people and resources out there that cover this subject from start to finish.
After our interaction, I told Charles that I knew he had initially written his great downloadable eBook for a younger post Baby Boomer population. However, if both of us are interacting with so many of these individuals and couples, we needed to find a way to get this resource into the hands of these folks. "Plan Now Retire Early" is a step-by-step resource for the person who is the most important player in your retirement savings plan. YOU! The central theme is that you have to own your plan and make it your own.
To this end, we have set up a specific site for Baby Boomers to get this resource so they can learn, get started and take action. If you are one of these people, know someone who is, or just want a clear and powerful tool for your retirement planning strategy, visit www.babyboomersandretirement.com to get more information on ordering the guide. Remember, the first step is the most important one in any journey.
Information on this book and other resources covering identity theft, safety and security, health and travel tips, as well as information on how to use the Internet to make money from home, can be found when you visit our fre*e retirement newsletter at www.retiredandready.com.
As we interact with these folks, more and more of them are telling us that they have saved very little money for their retirement. What nearly all of them have in common is that they are or have been self-employed, often small business owners or have been contract agreement workers most of their working lives. The reasons are as diverse as the people themselves. Put two kids through college. Kids moved back home! Living paycheck to paycheck as it is. House payment poor. Had to put the money back in the business. However, the excuses that are killing the two of us are, "we just never got started" and "we just did not know what to do."
The truth is, one cannot get started any sooner than right now unless one's actual goal is to work until the day he or she dies. That may be great for the likely small percentage of people who love their work/job, but none of these people fit in that profile. The "didn't know what to do" group also includes the "we didn't know what to ask" and the "we didn't want to look stupid" subgroups. How stupid is not asking or learning what to do about your retirement? There are great people and resources out there that cover this subject from start to finish.
After our interaction, I told Charles that I knew he had initially written his great downloadable eBook for a younger post Baby Boomer population. However, if both of us are interacting with so many of these individuals and couples, we needed to find a way to get this resource into the hands of these folks. "Plan Now Retire Early" is a step-by-step resource for the person who is the most important player in your retirement savings plan. YOU! The central theme is that you have to own your plan and make it your own.
To this end, we have set up a specific site for Baby Boomers to get this resource so they can learn, get started and take action. If you are one of these people, know someone who is, or just want a clear and powerful tool for your retirement planning strategy, visit www.babyboomersandretirement.com to get more information on ordering the guide. Remember, the first step is the most important one in any journey.
Information on this book and other resources covering identity theft, safety and security, health and travel tips, as well as information on how to use the Internet to make money from home, can be found when you visit our fre*e retirement newsletter at www.retiredandready.com.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Retired: It's about movies on Sat. night!
When we retire we think things like "I can do whatever I want!" If you are a guy you are wrong. Simply a fact of life. Unless you live alone, and who can or wants to do that? Fortunately, you live with the girl, woman, female of your dreams. Second fact of life, there are no television shows worth watching on Sat night. This is where the movies come in. There are movies that can score you points on the home front guys, even when you are retired. They are called Chick Flix. I am going to provide you with the top five and the secret that makes this such a great guy thing. The secret first: you get mega, mega points for watching these movies more than once. It's true! Side issue: you may love some of these movies.
I say that because I am a sucker for two of the five right up front. "Notting Hill". I have seen this so many times I know all the words to the brownie scene! The other is "Milk Money" with Ed Harris and Melanie Griffith. Can't help myself re the soft hearted environmentalist and his kid and no one has ever called me a tree hugger. Then there's Ms. Griffith!
You might think I would have trouble picking the other three. Not so! Three is "Terms of Endearment" partly because I lived in Lincoln, NE when it was filmed and Robert Kerrey and Debra Winger were seriously cute together, plus he should have been President but that's another story.
Then we have the "chick flick" of nearly, and maybe, all time. "Pretty Woman" is a gal's take no prisoners chick flick that needs no explanation. This brings us to "When Harry Met Sally" where they managed to get the near perfect mix of chick flick and guy flick coupled with a killer diner scene!
So.....now it is time for all of you who think I overlooked a Ghost, a Working Girl, going without sleep in Seattle, a Tootsie roll and a ship sinking. Let's hear what you think are the best of chick flix that could be Pretty in Pink, do Dirty Dancing, work Nine to Five, and Say Anything. Tell me, what are your favorite Chick Flix of all time?
Ponder and Post.
I say that because I am a sucker for two of the five right up front. "Notting Hill". I have seen this so many times I know all the words to the brownie scene! The other is "Milk Money" with Ed Harris and Melanie Griffith. Can't help myself re the soft hearted environmentalist and his kid and no one has ever called me a tree hugger. Then there's Ms. Griffith!
You might think I would have trouble picking the other three. Not so! Three is "Terms of Endearment" partly because I lived in Lincoln, NE when it was filmed and Robert Kerrey and Debra Winger were seriously cute together, plus he should have been President but that's another story.
Then we have the "chick flick" of nearly, and maybe, all time. "Pretty Woman" is a gal's take no prisoners chick flick that needs no explanation. This brings us to "When Harry Met Sally" where they managed to get the near perfect mix of chick flick and guy flick coupled with a killer diner scene!
So.....now it is time for all of you who think I overlooked a Ghost, a Working Girl, going without sleep in Seattle, a Tootsie roll and a ship sinking. Let's hear what you think are the best of chick flix that could be Pretty in Pink, do Dirty Dancing, work Nine to Five, and Say Anything. Tell me, what are your favorite Chick Flix of all time?
Ponder and Post.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
"Retired and Ready" the Newletter has Arrived!
It's here! Our blog has given birth to a newsletter! Given our desire to meet, greet and share with more retired folks, we have published the first edition of our ongoing newsletter. We would encourage you to check it out at www.retiredandready.com as it has articles and information we can't really cover well in this blog. Subscribe now and it is free. We are sure you will be glad that you did.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
ID Theft is Scary to the Retired
I realize that as we age, changes in the mind and body can result in the reduction of courage and the enhancement of some fears. But I have to tell you that after a recent conversation with a fellow retired person, the two of us had nearly scare ourselves silly!
He had gotten an email from his brother about how messed up his son's (Paul's nephew) life had become since his identity had been stolen. Apparently someone had gotten enough of the nephew's personal information to successfully complete a pre-approved credit card application retrieved from the dumpster at his complex. The nephew currently believes it was someone working in tandem with a person who gained access to his personnel file at a former employer.
We got to speculating about various ways we had run across recently that illustrated how people leave themselves open to identity theft. At our Credit Union ATM there are routinely withdrawal receipts on the floor. At gas pumps, people leave their receipt in or around the pump. It would seem that the annoying reminder beep would help but many older and retired persons do not hear sounds in that range. In our retirement community they still deliver to the mailbox on your house and a number of homes have an unlocked decorative mailbox 20 ft from the curb. A retired acquaintance left her sunroof open in a hospital parking lot and someone just reached in and took the garage door opener and car registration that were clipped to the visor. With the address on the registration and the opener, her house was robbed of not only identity rich materials but valuable jewelry before she got home from the hospital. When crows tore open a neighbors garbage bags, some of what ended up in the street included checks for balance transfer and cash advances from one of her credit cards. Until a couple of years ago, I used to sort my mail at the garbage can and throw those kinds of offers in the can unopened!
By the time we finished our walk we felt like there was a bogey man behind every tree and we had both taken a pledge to religiously use our shredder! Do you have an identity theft experience or a good tip on how to protect us from identity theft? Leave us a comment to share.
Take care of yourself and your identity.
He had gotten an email from his brother about how messed up his son's (Paul's nephew) life had become since his identity had been stolen. Apparently someone had gotten enough of the nephew's personal information to successfully complete a pre-approved credit card application retrieved from the dumpster at his complex. The nephew currently believes it was someone working in tandem with a person who gained access to his personnel file at a former employer.
We got to speculating about various ways we had run across recently that illustrated how people leave themselves open to identity theft. At our Credit Union ATM there are routinely withdrawal receipts on the floor. At gas pumps, people leave their receipt in or around the pump. It would seem that the annoying reminder beep would help but many older and retired persons do not hear sounds in that range. In our retirement community they still deliver to the mailbox on your house and a number of homes have an unlocked decorative mailbox 20 ft from the curb. A retired acquaintance left her sunroof open in a hospital parking lot and someone just reached in and took the garage door opener and car registration that were clipped to the visor. With the address on the registration and the opener, her house was robbed of not only identity rich materials but valuable jewelry before she got home from the hospital. When crows tore open a neighbors garbage bags, some of what ended up in the street included checks for balance transfer and cash advances from one of her credit cards. Until a couple of years ago, I used to sort my mail at the garbage can and throw those kinds of offers in the can unopened!
By the time we finished our walk we felt like there was a bogey man behind every tree and we had both taken a pledge to religiously use our shredder! Do you have an identity theft experience or a good tip on how to protect us from identity theft? Leave us a comment to share.
Take care of yourself and your identity.
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