Looking to 2020

Christmas is coming and it is coming fast. That late Thanksgiving thing leaves me with-wait for it-two weeks until Christmas. One week of which will be spent going to and from Dallas and spending time with my daughter.  Except for my knitted throw gift, pretty much every crafty gift or thing has been put away. When I return I'll make sugar cookies and wedding ring cookies at a minimum and maybe get some small sewn gifts done, depending.

As for my gals group, last night was my last "thing" with them before Christmas. A happy hour and then that downtown trip to see the lights. They will have a couple events next week with someone else hosting while I'm gone-but we are on hold until the first of the year, after that

After Christmas of course, comes the new year, the big 2020. In an effort to be forward looking (who, me?) I've made my tentative goals list (below) and bucket list (to follow another day). This year, however, I have a special added goal, and many of those on this list below will help me to move towards that-as well as get back the healthy habits I lost between the wedding and the injured ankle from hell and accomplish a few other things.

As I'm sure everyone has figured out, my one long term goal is to be living in Texas by this time next year. It's warm, and as my loving daughter would say "it's great for old people". Bless her heart. I'm happy to answer more questions in the comments and will have a greater post later on the why and what-for and the who with. Meanwhile, a few (or more) goals for the frugal retiree's new year. I've tried to make every goal one that can be broken into monthly and weekly lists instead of just to "do better at":

• Financial/Money
• Put 500 dollars minimum monthly into a savings sinking fund mainly to be used to travel/move/car expense (this number was higher but I've decided to return to my retiree health insurance from the Advantage plan, so I don't feel quite the need for medical savings)
• Start sewing/creating and selling again (not sure this belongs in money as such. I'm going to make what I want (as opposed to what people ask me for) and sell it on my "Frivolous Necessities" Facebook page.
• Figure out all the costs involved in moving
• Re-adjust budget categories based on move and some changing priorities (a separate post)
• Health/Medical/Well being
• Exercise at the gym for an hour every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning and do Yoga and/or strengthening exercises Tuesday and Thursday. Make this an appointment.
• Find a new doctor in Denver and explore doctors in Dallas (I've changed insurances making the first a requirement in 2020).
• Get a new Bridge and Partial. (Ive been holding off on this but no way am I getting implants after research, so here I go)
• Spiritual/Church/Volunteering
• Do centering or complentative prayer as part of my morning routine, five days a week
• Go to midweek church service and bible studies at least two Wednesdays a week
• Community
• Continue to be active in family promise, but do the preparations to leave this post
• Join a refugee advocacy group
• Donate monthly to meals on wheels
• Make one charity gift each month
• Personal/Enrichment (more about these in my bucket lists)
• Take one class each season or semester be it Olli or online
• Learn 3 new skills this year (or "deeper skills" in areas I already practice)
• Take three non family related longer trips, and at least four long weekend trips
• Social
• Make a master list of social opportunities for me in my future home of Texas
• Have at least one small group interaction each week (as opposed to large lunch groups of sixteen) that enables deep conversation and getting to know people
• Have at least two events not hosted by me each month in my Meetup group so that others can get used to being involved and hosting
• Family (this is an area where the goals are more general for now
• Have regular conversations with sister and son about what they want to do in the coming year and how they want to land
• Continue to do something small for each of my kids each month (be it make something or do something each month)
• Try for a mom and son date nite or dinner out each month
• Blog
• Write more personally about what I am doing with emphasis on retirement and retirement money
• Have two blog posts each month about events or issues that are current and dear to my heart-poverty, immigration, equality. Some people will consider this political. It is what it is and what will be will be.
• Clean up the tabs at the top of the blog and make them more current and relative
• Maybe, possibly move to blogging three days rather than two.

This list still needs to be fine tuned, and I'm sure I'm missing more than one thing as I make plans for the year to come. But for the most part they are all goals that can be broken down into little bites day by week by month and will have a positive influence on me or someone else (or not in case of the blog). 

 My drive to Texas allows me a fair amount of creative thinking time, especially in those areas where I can only get NPR since I don't stream,  I just use the radio. That will give me time for more clarity and in the end there may be a couple changes, especially after some mom/daughter conversations and a teeny bit of local exploration.

Today, my goals are to do a quick pack, make my room dog safe in every corner so the door and bed can be left available while I"m gone (I always leave my last used nightgown on the bed for him), and a couple tiny local errands. More when I am on the road....