First Steps

When I finally got my head on (semi) straight after the big changes of the past couple of years, it became obvious that some equally big decisions were in order. I had delayed doing that because didn't want to have strong, raw emotions influencing things in the heat of the moment. After about a year, I came to the conclusion that I felt stable enough to trust those decisions. The situations that needed addressing were income, expenses and lifestyle.

Income is important since I am now retired and limited to my fixed social security amount. I still have a few pet sitting clients, however those are sporadic. I consider those 'gravy' funds that I can put towards extras. Overall, though, the amount coming has been drastically reduced after hubby passed away.

Expenses are pared down to accommodate the lower income. Even so, they still exceed the amount available. I did have cushion for a bit from a settlement from a car accident. That bought me some temporary breathing room. It also funded the repairs needed to get my house in decent enough shape for sale. I am also fortunate enough to have a Dad with 60 years construction experience and who loves nothing better than a project. (Am still trying to figure out how to add a picture. These are saved in a different place than Tink's picture in my prior post.)

Obviously, from these clues, I decided to sell my house. That's been an adventure all on its own. It was first listed back at the end of April. There have been a lot of showings, several drops in price and a couple of sketchy offers. There is an open house set for this weekend. I'm leery about getting my hopes up, but still trying to keep a positive frame of mind. This sale is the final obstacle to moving on to my biggest change of all... Vanlife! Once I get out from under my mortgages, credit cards and bulk of recurring monthly obligations, I'll be free to travel the country. That will also give me plenty of opportunities to write about those travels and share photos illustrating my new adventures.