About Me

Monday, April 30, 2018

Chaos Ahead!

I am sure, none of my readers are interested in Politics and Economics in Turkey but, let me tell you things are looking not good on the horizon.

We are headed for early elections and if the current Government does not go away, it will be horrible in the long run. We may as well kiss secularism, democracy and justice goodbye.

The economy was getting worse and worse each day and the Government has not been doing anything about it. You may ask why and I can answer with one word: Corruption!

Anyway, there are rumors that, as soon as the elections are over, if the current Government stays on, there will be a major devaluation of Turkish Lira against hard currencies such as the USD and Euro. They are also thinking that, the currency regime may go back 40 years and that our USD accounts may be frozen at a certain exchange rate and we may have no longer access to hard currencies as much as we like to. Given that half of my savings are in hard currencies, this can lead to a disaster for me personally.

They think bank safety deposit boxes will be safe at least for the time being. I started withdrawing hard currencies and placing them in a safety deposit box that I rented from my bank. My sister also has one at her branch. So, I am sending her some USD for her to keep it in her safety deposit box. I have a safe at home but, I really do not like to keep much cash there. I am also converting as much TL to USD as possible anticipating the devaluation.

I presume, none of my readers will ever have this problem. If this scenario does not happen, all I will have lost will be some interest on my USD accounts. Better safe than sorry...

I am also investing in small gold coins since they can be converted to cash very easily. So, before June 25, I should be done with all my maneouvres.

I just cannot stand the dummies in the Government.

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Done with the Studio Apartment

Finally I moved all my personal belongings from the studio apartment and turned the keys in. Now I am looking forward to getting my deposit back.

I left the IKEA stuff at the apartment and the realtor will try to rent it with them. If not, they will be donated. There is a white Queen sized TRYSIL bed, a white three drawer chest BRIMNES, and a white wardrobe.

Tomorrow we shall be driving to Ankara. Monday is a National Holiday. It is National Sovereignty and Children's Day in Turkey. On Tuesday, mom, my sister's FIL and I all have cardiologist appointments. We shall be coming back Wednesday night.

3-day weekend with lots of laundry and placing things back to where they belong. My back hurts and I want to sleep round the clock. Lol!


Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Life with Mom

I love my Mom to the moon and back. She is very very very organized and neat so, I have to be really careful about how I keep my place.

She has done a great job organizing many things around my home that I really didn't care about. I must admit, I like the way my place looks.

She is also cooking healthy stuff and my weight started to drop. I am very thankful that we have a good relationship and that we like to spend time with each other.

As long as I keep my things in place and not criticize her favorite TV shows, we are perfect! Lol!

She loves to watch the Turkish Version of Survivor. I hate that show. So, laptop and internet to the rescue!

I can carry on a meaningful conversation as I am surfing the Net and we are good.

Early June, we will be taking a vacation together.

I think, my sister and mother are on top of my blessings list.

I am gradually packing up my stuff at the Studio and moving them home. As I pack, I am getting rid of things that are unwanted. Tonight, I am planning to pack the rest of what I will take home and separate the things to be donated.


Saturday, April 14, 2018

Set the Date: Out with the Old, In with the New

I finally decided upon the date to leave the company and told the new Management about it. Otherwise, it will be impossible for me to keep my sanity. Every single day is a struggle. I have never seen people changing their minds about everything so frequently.

I have made a list of what I should accomplish before leaving the company.

My set date is March 1st 2019. Of course, this date may change. It is not set in stone but, for me, it is something that makes me calmer. Now, I have something to work and look for.

Our Office assistant decided to leave within a few months as well. The Accounting Company to whom we outsource the accounting business has also declared that they will no longer be in the picture after the end of this year. So, come next year, the place will look very different.

I am also leaving the Studio Apartment within 10 days or so. For about 10 months it will be a hassle to go to work and come home but, that's doable. 

I am saving like crazy. My plan after quitting is to go back to working part-time on a few select projects that come my way. My passive income is enough to handle my living expenses and the extra I might be making will be for travel and home improvement projects.

I am financially independent as of now but, adding some more on top of my savings will help a lot more in the long run.

I am also thinking of not buying a car at least for a while. It makes a lot more sense to use ZipCar and similar services. I will give it a shot for at least three months to see if that works but there is still a looong time to consider all these.