One part of my fitness challenge is that I've finally joined the gym. I did so in mid-August and here I am at the end of September and I have been THREE times... not three times a week as was my original plan, but just three times. The gym seems like a waste money for me at the moment, but I will try it until the end of the year and make a better effort to actually GO. Lucky for me it is only $29 a month and I can quit at any time without a penalty. The usual $100 membership fee cost me only $8 because of an August promotion.

I've also started taking a yoga class on Monday nights through a wellness program offered by my HMO. The classes are held at the HMO's hospital and I pay $85 for 8 sessions (non-members pay $160). The class is small, about 12 students and most of us are novices. The best part of my class is the instructor, Bob. He is my new role model. Why? Well, at age 78, he proves that age is just a number. Yep... 78, limber, kind, funny, and wise. This is Bob. And here I am, ~20 years younger, and I feel like what I used to think a 78 year-old should feel like.

Tonight I'll go to my third session. At the first meeting, I took a towel to use as a mat and found it did not suit the purpose mainly because it did not grip the floor. So I invested in a yoga mat and bag Target... It came to about ~$44 with tax. I haven't been to Target for a while because I was surprised when I paid with a CC, that they didn't have me sign the receipt. When I questioned it, I was told Target does not ask for a signature if the purchase is less than $50. I DO NOT like this because I think it makes it easier for a thief to use a stolen card.

So what is the challenge? I've decided that every time I go to the gym, yoga class, or walk for at least 45 minutes, I will "pay myself" $5. What will I do with this money? I am not sure... but I am leaning toward donating it to the March of Dimes or using it to sponsor my grandniece in her school's annual run-a-thon. So here is what I have so far for September:

Yoga - 3 sessions = $15
Gym - 3 sessions = $15
Walking - 6 times = $30

TOTAL: $60

When I decided to retire a year ago, I knew we could live more frugally in some ways but I also knew that travel would be a bigger expense, given that we'd have more time for it. And, after years of working hard and looking forward to retirement, it would be disappointing to have to limit travel due to lack of funds. So, to what extent would we be able to afford retirement travel? To figure this out, prior to retiring I analyzed our projected monthly expenses in relation to our retirement income. I included "travel" as a monthly expense.

For us, travel planning begins with reviewing our calendar and discussing where we'd like to go in the coming year. We take into account visits with family, work/volunteer schedules, other financial obligations, and timeshare options. In 2009, our travel plans have included Carmel, San Antonio, an Alaskan cruise, and a trip to Payette Lake in McCall, ID. Once we know when and where, I estimate expenses for airfare, hotels, meals, and excursions. That amount is prorated and I deposit a monthly amount to the savings account that holds travel funds.

Then I challenge myself to reduce the cost of our planned travel as much as possible. For example, our hotels in Carmel, San Antonio, and McCall were reserved through our timeshare, so aside from the annual dues, there was no hotel expense. The airfare for San Antonio was purchased with miles, so we paid only the airport taxes (~$20). The airfare to Seattle (departure port for cruise) was 50% off because I used my mileage card rewards.

For the Alaskan cruise, we received a "military discount" available to anyone who has ever served in the military, no matter when. We were eligible for the discount due to dh's service during the Vietnam War and this saved ~$500. A few days before the final payment was due, I called the cruise line and negotiated an additional savings of $240 plus $100 onboard credit. A few days before departure the cruise line called to see if we were interested in upgrading to a suite for a reasonable price and we did.

The effort to systematically save and reduce travel costs pays off because the travel fund is growing. I usually deposit any "windfalls" into this account. In 2010, we want to go to Machu Picchu and take a Hawaiian cruise, so I'm starting to plan and save for those already. Retirement travel is possible because we live a simple life with no debt (except for a small mortgage) and we carefully plan and save for each trip. We've always said travel would be a priority in our retirement and we definitely want to make hay while the sun shines.

I'm happy to report that we continue to make good progress on the goal of reducing our carbon footprint by saving energy. Here is the analysis of our PGE bill (gas and electric) for the last three months compared to last year:

4/2008 $116.63
4/2009 $76.87
~35% less

5/2008 $94.53
5/2009 $80.31
~16% less

6/2008 $84.45
6/2009 $ 36.59
~56% less

The June figures are somewhat skewed because we were gone for several weeks, but I am still pleased that our usage has been lower each month in comparison to the previous year.

So far I am on track with the goal to reduce our carbon footprint by saving energy. Here is the analysis of our PGE bill (gas and electric) for the last two months:

12/2007 $193.68
12/2008 $116.99
~40% less

1/2008 $165.17
1/2009 $154.07
~7% less

I have also been buying more organic foods but haven't determined the cost impact yet. Sometimes the organic produce at the store I shop most frequently looks pretty sad, so I have to pass and go for the non-organic.

Happy New Year everyone! We arrived home late yesterday afternoon from our trip to El Salvador... I will post highlights and pictures at a later date. While we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, it is great to be back home.

We brought in the new year quietly... just dh and I, and TC the cat who is delighted to have us home. Today has been a day to catch up on the snail mail, email, and my favorites blogs while I recover from a slight case of jet lag.

Later today I will spend some time on finances, particularly on calculating our net worth. One of my financial goals for 2009 is to increase our net worth by 5%. I plan to carefully review the monthly budget to identify some ways to achieve this. More on this later.

One of my 2009 goals is to reduce our carbon footprint (see sidebar). There are quite a few calculators on the web, but the one I like gives me a good grasp on "doable" ways we can reduce our footprint. For our 2-person household, DH and I produce 16.44 tonnes (metric tons) of CO2 emissions. This is below the US average of 20.40 tonnes for a 2-person household. The average for the world's industrial nations is 11 tonnes, so we have lots of room for improvement. The worldwide target to combat climate change is 2 tonnes.

One way to reduce our carbon footprint is to become more efficient with our energy consumption (electricity, natural gas, gasoline). Another of my 2009 goals is connected to my carbon footprint: to reduce our gas/electric bill by 10%. Not only will it save us money, but also will have a positive impact on the environment.

Why 59? Well, I decided I would have one for each year of my life and I will be 59 in 2009. When I started brainstorming, I had more than 59, but pared down my list to those that were most important (to me), including some that will be a challenge (losing weight) and others that I tend to procrastinate completing (eye/hearing exams). I removed my gardening goal because I love to spend time tending my container garden anyway, so it would be too easy. Exercising? Now that is a different story. And, yes, some goals are ambitious but I've always liked to set the bar high (e.g., save 15% of my retirement income). I created a page for my goals on my sidebar so I can refer to them frequently. As far as reviewing my 2008 goals... sadly, I didn't commit them to paper but my #1 goal was: Retire. Status: Accomplished!