Financially Free

The Cardinal vs Golden Bears and More

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:12:04 PST

Yesterday I met with my student teachers for the last seminar of the semester and led a discussion on interviewing strategies. Over the years as an administrator, I hired about 90-100 teachers, served on countless interview panels for other positions, and recruited for the district...

Using the "B" Word

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:29:49 PST

I have to chuckle about a conversation I recently had with a friend I go walking with. She shared she wants to retire in the next five years (she is 55, ~two years younger than I was when I retired). My DF is VERY tired of working but wants to repaint her house before she retires and...

Fashion for a Good Cause

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:07:39 PST

Today I enjoyed going to the American Girl Fashion Show, a benefit for the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. This is the third year I've attended this special event, always as the guest of my niece who is one of the volunteers.

My 10 year-old grandniece also participated...

Chase Me Away as a Customer

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:32:48 PST

I am finding more and more, that it pays to check your credit card and bank accounts online DAILY if you can. Here in CA, WAMU fully transitioned to Chase Bank at the end of August. Good thing I've been checking my account daily because I caught TWO huge errors:

1) Through "Bill...

I Love Tuesdays!

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:10:02 PST

About once or twice a month, on Tuesday, we enjoy the prime-rib special for TWO at one of our favorite restaurants. For only $29.99 it includes a spinach salad, freshly baked bread, and a half carafe of the house wine. The serving of prime rib is so large that we take half of it home...

Retirement Accounts on Track

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:51:07 PST

It's weird thinking about my "retirement accounts" because I've been retired for almost a year and a half. I'm fortunate that for the time being, my state teacher's pension enables me to live comfortably and I have health insurance provided at no cost through my former employer. In...

Expanding My Horizons

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:08:03 PST

Today I bought a domain at GoDaddy.com to use for a travel blog "we" are planning to initiate. I use the term "we" loosely because I haven't informed my dh that he is about to become a blogger. Since he will be 100% retired in December, I figure this will be our hobby and also useful...

Caring for Elderly Parents

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:42:11 PST

My parents died when I was twenty-five and consequently, my daughters grew up never knowing their maternal grandparents. I always felt this was a huge void in their lives as well as in mine. No matter how old you are, you can still feel like an orphan. My parents, while not perfect,...

A Day to Remember

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:06:08 PST

Over the years I've been to many weddings but yesterday I had the pleasure of attending one of the most beautiful and memorable, an elaborate affair that spanned the entire day. The bride is a young woman I met several years ago when she was a student teacher at my school. I subsequently...

No Signature Required

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:04:19 PST

I've been noticing that more and more stores do not require a signature when you use a credit card, depending on the amount of the transaction. I like to pay for everything with a credit card for the rewards, and then I pay the balance in full each month. Yesterday I made a small...

$3.99 worth of cheerfulness

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:03:30 PST

is what I see in these beautiful fresh-cut alstroemerias from Fred Meyer. I am here in ID, enjoying the quiet solitude since dh stayed in CA. I arrived late Wednesday night and the next morning headed to the local store for fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers. Back in CA I have a...

It was a dark and stormy day...

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:43:29 PST

Today we are experiencing the first severe storm of the season. I live in a part of CA that has relatively mild climate, so winter storms like this one are not too common. The weather reports have been heralding this storm that was supposed to arrive yesterday and deposit several inches...

My Shrinking Carbon Footprint

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:29:06 PST

I'm somewhat amazed but very pleased at our 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:

7/2008 $83.85
7/2009 $63.38
~25% less

8/2008...

Maybe I got scammed...

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:20:16 PST

but then again, maybe not. I'll never know, but I did what I felt was right at the moment. Let me explain.

Today I went to Walmart to buy birdseed and cat food. In the parking lot a nicely dressed woman approached me. She had just gotten out of a late model sedan parked next to...

Farmer's Market Finds

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:49:04 PST

Today dh and I headed for a nearby Farmer's Market that features organic produce. This was an impromptu trip because we had the carpets steam cleaned early this morning and we wanted to give them a chance to totally dry. I hit the jackpot at the market. For $17, I bought:
~ two...

Economical Herb Gardening

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:40:40 PST

I love to cook with fresh herbs but found that they are quite expensive at the supermarket and they are also very perishable. Several years ago I began to cultivate my favorite herbs in pots and keep these on the patio. When I need some for cooking, I just step outside and clip....

My Fitness Challenge

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:31:38 PST

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...

Meet My New Mother-in-Law

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:50:53 PST

Today I went to the local hardware store to buy a replacement plant for a large rubber plant that suddenly lost all its leaves. I'd had it for almost two years and it was lovely. But I also learned it was TOXIC to cats, so I was not heartbroken when it died. Fortunately, TC did not...

"I'm the only one who knows how to do it!"

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:18:08 PST

These were the teasing words of my friend, LM, as a group of us rode to the Capitola Wine and Art Festival a few weekends ago. We were discussing retirement, a popular topic with my friends. Of the five of us on this excursion, four of us are retired. Three of the four, myself included,...

Poster's Block

ff2bme@clearwire.net (Analise) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:09:45 PST

I've been reflecting about my SA blog and think perhaps I don't focus enough on "financial" topics, so I haven't posted for a while. I've always had an interest in personal finance and felt that by blogging here I could learn from others and also share the experiences that led to my...