Reorganized and Re-evaluated

Unfortunately, I just got another little glitch in my retirement planning.I am getting closer to retiring, but I'm not quite there yet. My landlord seems to want more money for the space he has given me. Geesh! He did that before, too. (a couple of times) I don’t get it. My place doesn't get any bigger; I don't get any upgrades either; hell, I don't even get a new paint job. I have avocado green appliances, (Yes, can you believe those things are still around?) and green shag carpeting on the steps leading up to my apartment.
OK. I guess I just have to factor in a cost-of-living raise in my monthly retirement budget. A cost-of-living raise sounds good, ( in a paycheck, yeah) but I think in this case, it could be a minor set-back. If I up my retirement budget, my payments are bigger. OK, I can live on less, I guess. Or perhaps I will live a shorter life of leisure. In any event, I flashed my landlord my new beautiful smile as I handed over my bigger rent check. I’m starting to re-think that whole fixed income thing.For now, I'm just gonna have to settle for being a  respected part-time working  senior citizen. I got my seatbelt buckled and am in the driver's seat on the bus to retirement town.
 

 
 

Grinnin' and Winnin'

I know it’s been a while since I wrote about my upcoming retirement, but there has been a slight glitch to my plan. Unfortunately, my caregivers are aging faster than I am. When my beloved dentist died, I went into a panic. We had been discussing the conditions of my aging teeth and gums. We were spending less time, simply because I didn’t have as many teeth to worry about. (Which is actually a worry in itself, I know.) So after the shock and grieving processes were over, I had to seriously consider whether total retirement could be achieved.

But the first problem I had was what to do about my less-than-beautiful-Hollywood smile. Finding new people to work on my teeth was more challenging than I thought. Sub-categories started to scare me. Gone was my beloved dentist. Entering into my life were “Oral Surgeons,” “Prosthodontists,” and “Periodontal Specialists.”  Yikes! Aside from being tongue-twisting, their impressive degrees sounded intimidating and expensive. However, I really didn’t want to look like the lady behind the counter at the drugstore. Lovely lady, but when she smiles her toothless grin, one can count the number of pearly whites in her mouth. To make a long story short and not bore you with the icky details, My less-than-stellar smile has been replaced with teeth even Jennifer Anniston would envy. That is the good news. The bad news is that it is removable.

So I dipped into my retirement fund and took a part-time job. I am now living on a fixed income, kind of, and I feel confident when I smile at co-workers. I’m inching closer to my goal of complete retirement, met a plethora of professional people, and am one of millions who depend on Social Security to fund my lifestyle. I’m still renewed.

Living on a Fixed Income

Whenever I heard people say they were living on a "fixed income," I wasn't sure what exactly that meant. Having a "fixed income" sounded good to me. I had always worked in careers (or should I say, jobs) that paid less than minimum wage (relying on tips) or working on straight commission. A paycheck was kind  of like a surprise snowstorm. I never knew how much  was coming or how long it would last. In two months, I actually qualify to collect Social Security. Retirement? That would mean I would be living on a fixed income. But there will be no snowstorm. I know exactly how much I will get, and how long it will last. I have already started my "retirement budget" to see if my "fixed income" is do-able. This is not an experiment in terror. I am so excited to not have a job. No matter how much I liked the job I was doing, it was still a "job." I was playing politics and kissing someone's butt (metaphorically, of course). To do what I want, when I want seems like a dream come true.
"Oh, you will be so bored," well-meaning friends keep reminding me.
My answer is always, "how can I be bored doing what I want to do?"
I have lived with myself for over a half of a century. I am really not very ambitious anymore. Oh, I had big plans for my life when I was younger, but that was when I was invincible and could do everything. Life started getting  in the way. And then my limitations started to come in to play. The "sure I can do it" attitude was always there, and my paved road was brimming with good intentions. But I knew at an early age that some of my dreams would never come true.