Happy Birthday To Me!

So, here it is, another birthday and I am officially forty-nine . . . yep, next year is the big one and I have no idea how I will be . . . marking that day.

This year I am looking back on a year of My Grand Savings Project and I will say that overall it has been a good thing, and a good year.

I am still building my savings and in reality I am under 4 years to go, as I still plan to be done and ready to move on the Homesteading Phase in early April of 2023.

I will say with my savings building up, my stress is ever lowered, and lowered stress is always a nice thing.

A year ago I was kinda drifting, not really sure what I was doing, what direction I was heading in. I was working to do some savings and enact some improvements in my life (such as trailer repairs and upgrades).

I am now focussed on building my savings and by doing so, breaking the cycle of work and debt for not just myself but many people, again, through the establishment of that town. (I really am not kidding about that).

I am now at a place where I am trying to maintain my attitude and mindset of being okay with what I have and where I am in life, yet not be stagnant and accept that this is as good as it is ever going to get. 

I do want more out of life and I do want a better lifestyle but I have to be okay with what I have and how I am living now, as I actually work to improve my life.

Thus the “be okay with how things are as I build my savings to a point where I can actually improve my life in a large and real way” attitude.

As far as love and romance is concerned, I have said it before, and I will say it again, I welcome them (and a lady of course) into my life, but I will not stop doing what I am doing, for it is too important to do deviate from my path.

Things will come in time, but for now, I am okay with my life and how things are in it, as I strive to improve it, or . . . as I say . . . 

I am Content, yet not Complacent.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

A Nice Return To Western Home

So, I had a busy weekend, yet it was nice to return to my Western Home for the weekend. 

It was especially nice to finally be able to do something as simple as putting my stabilizer jacks down and my slide-out out.

That really does make a difference to my quality of life, while living in Wanda. It opens up the space a great deal and it is nice to not be walking and living on a box on springs.

I was also able to do my grocery shopping and comparison shopping much easier in Western Home, due the convenient location of both of my usual grocery stores.

Sure it rained, but I don’t care. I had a nice visit with friends and got a few chores done.

Again, not an exciting life, but a nice one. All in all, this is the life that need to live for now. 

As I have said before, I am Content, yet not Complacent; all in all a good place to be, I would say. (It is a mindset I highly recommend, for a number of reasons.)

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Grand Savings Update

Okay, so it is that time again, when I update how my progress is going on my “Grand Savings Plan!”

Okay, so let’s see how I did . . .
 

For review, here is how things looked from last payday . . .
 

That is 24.3% (of my Savings Target).

And this is how things look like, after the dust settled on this payday’s budget . . .
 

That’s right things jumped up to 25.5% of my savings target.

That means I put away 1.2% of my total Savings Target this payday. Not only that, but I made it over a milestone mark of 25%, I am one quarter of my way to my savings target!

This is huge and it means that I am making progress and I am still moving things forward.

I am starting to think of ways to diversify my investments and look at something that mixes stability with growth.

We shall see how things go, as this is not a place that I have been in before (savings and investments of any note).

Again, I am still focussed on moving myself forward towards my Grand Savings Goal!

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

The Sixth of June

It is the sixth of June, which means that it is the anniversary of D-Day, and while that is an important day, let me just say that it is something that should not be repeated as it was not cool.

Don’t get me wrong it, was something that had to happen and I’m glad of the results, but that that much death and slaughter is not something to be repeated, if at all possible.

That is a point that we seem to have lost our disgust for war. As these days, in “The West” war is something that happens elsewhere. (Though the Ukrainians would beg do differ.)

I didn’t want to do a blog entry on this subject, but I seem to need to. I’m okay in my little part of the world and I just cling to an increasingly outdated motto of “Live and let live.”

Yet others would beg to differ, in particular the empire builders, and there are a few of them in the world and yes they have power . . . this is not a good thing for all  of the little people.

For when the elephants fight, the mice get stepped on. 

Loretta Swit (who played Margaret Houlihan in MASH) once said that MASH was a protest against all war and that all war is stupid . . . I tend to agree with her.

Though, sometimes when war is brought to you, you must either capitulate or fight to defend what is yours. Whilst I do not welcome war, I will fight to defend what is mine. 

Yet I would prefer to live and let live, to find a way for all peoples to co-exist with dignity. 

My own saying is this: “If you come to me in peace, seeking assistance, you shall find that, if you come to me in aggression, seeking trouble, you shall find that too.” 

As always: Keep your head up (unless in combat), keep your attitude positive (especially in combat), and keep moving forward (unless the enemy is currently shelling your position)!

Still Okay, Still Stubborn

So, I have: today, tomorrow, and the morning of the day after that to get through before I can move and get propane.

Why? because I don’t feel like moving, that’s why. 

In a firm upper-crust English accent, I say “You see, there is an established procedure and protocol, once I have parked for the week, I do not move unless it is an emergency or it is absolutely necessary . . . and while a lack of propane, in summer, is an inconvenience, it is not an emergency.” 

It is a bit of a pain getting on without being able to heat or cook anything, but I’ll live and get what I need to get done regardless. 

My fridge is still cool, as it is fairly well insulated. Besides, there isn’t much in there that would spoil anyway.

I have other resources that I can employ, and so things are far from dire . . . they’re just  . . . inconvenient.

I am nothing if not resourceful and adaptable. 

It’s only a couple of days, I can do this. 

If nothing simply to prove to myself that I can.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Still Okay

It was windy yesterday and quite blustery; the trailer shook and rocked. Yet like all of the other troubling times in my life, this too, came and went.

It is quite fitting that I lean to keep my head around me and trust my instincts and my plan. It is quite easy to lose your head as you get swept up in the panic of the moment.

Yet, you need to remain vigilant and remain calm. Make rational decisions with respect to what is going on in your life. 

As for me, I keep saying: I have a plan, I’m working that plan, and the plan is working. 

So, all in all . . . I’m doing okay.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Out of Propane, But I’m Okay

So, it was expected, but I had hoped that it would not come to this, but it has . . . I am out of propane.

Due to the ‘limitations on my vehicular mobility’ I have did not go to fill the propane bottle as soon as I switched over to the second one.

So, this means that when I ran out of propane last night, I was completely out . . . as in totally out. 

Well, I do have my 10 pound bottle that I use for my BBQ, so I was able to finish cooking dinner. 

But I cannot (and will not) leave that hooked up long term. 

So, I will just do without propane until Friday afternoon, as I don’t feel like moving again before then.

I know how to handle being without propane, as I have been here before. I don’t want to buy a small 1 pound bottle of propane 

1. Because that would mean moving the truck

2. I don’t want to have a partially used 1 pound bottle of propane

3. I’m cheap

I can and will be fine, it is yet another adventure, a problem for me to solve. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!