Keep Asking: Is this a need or is this a want?

Since the theme of this year is SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!, I must constantly remind myself whether something I want is a real need or not.

For instance, I have an old rug in the kitchen. It doesn't look bad. Only I know how old it is. Besides, if I did not have that rug, do I really need one in the kitchen? Not really. So, that has been crossed from my list.

Have I ever told you about that list of mine? I don't think so.

Whenever I feel like I must buy something, I put it on a list. Once or twice every week, I visit that list and extract my weekly grocery shopping items. So, you see it is more of a catch all list.

I want a pair of nice Caterpillar boots. The boots I currently have, started to look shabby and although I think, they will survive this winter, I will need new boots next year. So, for now, I have put the boots on my list and noted the current price. When I go to my primary residence next week, I will see if there are other boots that I can wear so that I can postpone this purchase. I may have some less worn boots but for a while I could not wear them. I had some pain issues and I relied solely on New Balance Athletic shoes and the boots that I currently wear. My problems are gone and I may try to go back to wearing my old footwear to see if the problems will come back or not. If it does, there is motivation to purge right there!

I was thinking of getting a new bedspread for the bed in my primary home but, since I will give up the studio in the summer, I will end up with extra bedspreads anyway. Pooof! No more a need. Just got crossed off my list.

I was at IKEA yesterday. Since the weather was bad, I just wanted to stretch my legs. I really did not need anything to buy except for ziplock baggies. Meanwhile, on my need list, I had some hand towels. I was looking for the  cheap white kind which can be bleached and this has been a long time need but I simply refused to pay more than a certain amount for them. I found towels that were just what I wanted and the price was very close to what I would be willing to pay. Then all of a sudden, I remembered that I had a 20 TL off gift card from a previous purchase which was about to expire. Voila! The cost of the hand towels came to a figure below what I would be willing to pay. A bit of patience sometimes goes a long way.

Using a list makes your buying choices a somewhat fun exercise too. How? You get creative. For instance, sometimes, I find things to re-purpose to serve a need and cross the related item off my list. Every penny saved now is a penny that might be badly needed in retirement.

 I am a big proponent of the quote: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

Nobody puts T'pol in a Corner- Out With the Old, In With the New

You may recall the below scene:

Since I do not have hunky Patrick Swayze around, I had to stand up for myself.

I had summarized the application cost issue that I mentioned in my previous post and sent it to the new guy recommending to take smaller steps since it will end up being very costly.

Instead of thanking and saying "let's talk about it tomorrow. It does sound expensive but, I think we can justify that expense" or something like that, he chose to say:

"I cannot make you understand the urgency of this matter. Financial sector has been on the decline and we need all sorts of reports... blah blah... Your ex-boss must have hidden these facts from you etc." He also cc'ed the new CFO.

I took the CFO out and wrote to him:

"Your below comment was truly unnecessary especially with the CFO included. Besides ex-boss did not need to share with us anything. It was his boat, we merely worked for him".

My ex-boss is a very intelligent young man and he knew that doing what we do, it would not be possible to grow as a company. He needed to take risks which he was not willing to take. Therefore, he sold the company. SMART is written all over his story.

He responded by saying he did not mean to break my heart. So, obviously, he does not even realize that I am pissed, not heart broken.

This was strike 1 on his part and duly noted.

After all those due diligence work, these shmucks probably did not know what they were getting into.

Now I am changing my attitude. There have been issues pending due to cost reasons. Next week, I am inviting all subcontractors to provide quotes for whatever is necessary. I will bombard them with all these expenses and justify how important they are including the application. It will cost a ton of money and so be it.

Envy of Sisyphus- Out with the Old, In with the New

The new CEO is a bit too enthusiastic and energetic for the time being. He suggests something and when we tell him that it doesn't quiet work that way, he wants to try it anyhow and arrive at the same conclusion himself.

No problem! His time, his energy... Kind of like Sisyphus. I like him. He is always nice and smiling. Just a bit hyper, that's all.

The problem is, they have set out to change a lot of things all at once before understanding how everything works. They will lose more sleep than they intend to but, I guess, it is a part of learning.

For instance there is an application that we use to track sales and we chose to use it at a very basic level up until now. It is USD 25 per person per month and it works.

The new CEO comes from an international organization and he is used to the Enterprise edition of this application. The cost? USD 150 per person per month. In our case, only 7 people use it actively. If we decide to make it organization-wide, that will have to be USD 150x30 versus USD 25x7. Big difference... No?

A Target is Achieved!

Many months ago, I sat down to figure out my target retirement savings. Since, life can go many ways, I had settled on setting more than one target which I named, Minimum, Good, Better, Best and Utopia.

I am happy to report that my minimum target is achieved as of this month. (Actually, I reached it a couple of months back but, then something happened and I had to gift a good chunk of money to a family member)

What does reaching the Minimum mean? Well, if for some reason, I walk out with no option whatsoever to work anymore, I can pay the debt I have taken over from a family member and have a modest retirement. I can only take one modest vacation in country per year and drive a small, second hand car. It is not a great option by any means.

According to my projection, my next target can be achieved by the end of this year and the next target, by the end of next year. So, patience is key here but, for some reason I am feeling very uneasy.

I should make myself stop thinking about retirement constantly. I am only 51. It is even possible to reach the target I named Utopia which is projected to happen at the end of 2022 when I will be just  55.

Patience is no virtue of mine but, 4 more years to work is not so bad. Is it? I must find a way to not think about retirement or leaving anytime soon. Makes no financial sense and as logical as I am, I should actually be targeting 2022.

I think, my life's been a bit boring lately so, I just need to figure out something fun instead of counting down till an illogical time.

New Budget

Now that I know my new salary, I can work on my new budget.

The theme of this year is "Save! Save! Save!"

I do not know if I will like to work with the new folks so, while I can earn a good deal of money, the logical thing is to stash it.

This year;
- My planned vacations will be kept modest.

- I will not be making any major purchases for my home with the exception of fixing some water damage on my two walls. There is a very small budget for home improvement and that's it. I spoke to an architect friend and she thinks she can help me in identifying the true problem so that she can suggest a proper contractor who will do a good job.

- I will most likely need to buy a couple of pairs of pants in the summer. Other than those, I will not need any major wardrobe improvement. Small amount set aside just in case.

- I will give up the studio when the rental contract is up which is in August. I have decided that I am not comfortable there. It is very noisy at night and most likely adds to my insomnia problem. I miss my home and I want to sleep in my own bed. I will have to get up earlier and most likely hit a good deal of traffic in the morning but, we shall see. After August, I can assume it is all temporary. Can I?

Today I had coffee with my friend who is a co-owner of the consultancy company I used to work for. It looks like there is always an open door for me over there. The pay is not good but for a part-time thing, I can get by. Anyway, that is Plan B.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW PART -3

Yesterday, my boss got paid for the sale of the company and signed the final contract. The celebration in the evening was at Zuma. It was bittersweet for me.

The venture capital employees, their lawyers, my ex-boss (whom I consider a brother from now on), his financial consultant, his three lawyers and I was there along with the new boss and the new CFO. I and my boss  managed to sit next to each other. He shared little tidbits from his day and we had good laughs. He kept giving me very valuable key points. I guess the rest of the people who did not know us well enough, finally  understood the strong bond between us.

The food was superb but I doubt that I would go there out of my own budget unless it is a very special occasion. So expensive!

I am 51 and I was the oldest person at that dinner table. I feel old!

Since we all live in the same neighborhood and since, I do not drink much at all, I drove both my old and new bosses to our office to pick up their cars. (our office is in the same neighborhood that we live). The head of the venture capital company kept telling me my cargo was too precious so, I should be careful. I told him, I intended to kidnap them both and ask for hefty ransoms. Lol!

Today they packed the ex-boss' personal belongings and it was a sad look. That office will never be the same without him.

Well, it is the end of an era for sure...

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW - 2

Today is the day our boss gets his money and then signs the final contract. Tonight there will be a celebration dinner with a few of his close circuit including yours truly and the new management.

This week, the new management upset me by offering a very small raise to my salary and two added bonuses at the end of the year, if the goals are met. I challenged it and had my salary increased by 13% plus one bonus salary at the end of the year.

Yesterday they have sent a contract which has very risky issues for me to sign and I told them I needed time to go over it with "my lawyer". After I said that they told me to take the time to do so seemingly impressed that I already have a lawyer. Huh! Who do you think you are dancing with?

I cannot accept any risks that would be a potential problem for my money in the bank and my possessions. I have worked 30 years to have what I have and there is 0 risk I am willing to take. Unfortunately the New Trade Law in this country is loaded with lots of risky issues for upper management of corporations. Very stupid but it is what it is. Well, call me a consultant, I do not need to be a COO.

These things are popping at the very last minute and are being handled very unprofessionally for an investment company that has many acquisitions already. Their communication sucks.

We shall see how we will handle this contract which I am not willing to sign as is. If it is a deal breaker, let it be.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW - 1

Yesterday, I made an announcement to the company inviting everyone to a barbecue party next Friday to say goodbye to our beloved Boss. I just cannot believe it is time to say goodbye. Needless to say, it is very emotional for all of us so, it took a lot of thinking on my part to write what I wrote. I did not want to make it too mushy, or sad, or too much fun or too much anything. After I finished and sent it to All, I went to the garden, sat on a bench with a cup of tea and cried my heart out.

Here is what I ended up writing:

"Dear ACME Family,

It is almost time for dear John's promotion from being our boss to brother for all of us.

The barbecue on the 19th will be the means to wish him all the best in his new chosen path of his life journey.

We thank him for building this successful company that many envy, for choosing us as his team mates and we all wish, his decision will carry him on to health, happiness and joy filled new adventures.

Taking the opportunity, from the bottom of my heart, I wish all of us that this important change in our lives will be the best for all."

Writing these simple sentences took me a good half hour.

Everybody chipped in for a gift and I added the extra required to buy him a Boss watch from all of us and we are making a huge card with photos and our signatures to be given to him on the 19th.

Very difficult...

An idea...

I think, the change in management will occupy my thoughts in the coming few months during which I will need to keep my cool and observe and evaluate and eventually decide my next course of action.

There are a few things that are important:

1. Respect for me, my team and our soon to be ex-boss. I do not think I can handle bad-mouthing anything we have done before.
2. The way the new team interact with me like; whether they will see me as a part of the new team or a representative of the old "regime".
3. My salary.

Since I am paying a family debt, the logical thing is to stay until at least that debt is gone which is September 2019. That is a long time and patience is not a virtue of mine. However, if I act out of logic instead of emotions, I can make this work.

Writing is a great outlet and coping mechanism so, I decided to use it. I have a handful of readers here but they all comment and write positive feedback. I thank all of you guys for that very much.

I want to come up with a special heading where I will talk about only what is happening at work and how I am coping with all that. So, anyone who doesn't want to read about that can skip it.

I am thinking of using OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW as a standart header. I will also use a special tag so that, I can differentiate my normal posts from work related posts.

I have been accumulating funny, stupid, weird things from my previous jobs with the intention to sit down and write my memoirs some day. A special tag and a special heading will help for that too.

I thought about a new blog dedicated for this but, no! That is too much for me to deal with. This is my place and I like it just the way it is.

The only point is: What are you going to do about it?

The Management of the company is changing and so are some people's behaviors. It is only natural, I know. Some people want to emphasize their importance. Some want to be "noticed" by management. Some are considering changing their jobs. Some want to be just left alone. The new management want to show how bright and smart they are. The consultants they bring talk about things we already know and implement. So on and so forth...

Under these circumstances, I can panic, overreact, underreact, resign, show cooperation, be a pain in the butt, etc. There are a zillion ways to react to anything and everything. I can keep cool and have fun or I can get mad and argue.

The point is what am I going to do about each and everything that is and, will be happening?

Well, to keep my sanity and self-respect, I will consider each situation carefully, decide on a sensible course of action and act accordingly. I will make this my motto and remember it every day.

Here are a couple of cases and what I decided to do:

Case A: The new management strategy is to go into new areas of business. They asked me to come up with a list of my technical staff who is capable of learning fast and who will adapt to the new subjects easily. A good deal of money will be spent on some training courses and exams. Meanwhile, one of our sales guys told the new CEO-to-be that he is concerned about the capability of our technical team.

Now, I can get mad at this person and get into an argument. It is none of his business. I can let the technical team know what he said about them so that they will turn on him. I can tell the new management that he is an idiot not to be taken seriously. Hoever, all of these are destructive and will make me unhappy in the long run.

What will I do then?

I will keep calm and implement my plan. In case the new management pays attention to what he says, I will just tell them that there has been no incidence where our technical team failed. I will also tell them that if I had any suspicions, I would not take any risks. When I see the sales guy, I will ask him to have coffee with me and tell him that I had been giving him some tips about how to make himself noticed by the new management and that I have always been supportive. I will then ask him to name 3 incidents where our technical team failed him. (He will not be able to). I will also ask him why has he chosen to go up to the new management to talk about his uneasiness instead of coming to me or my technical team leader. I will be gentle and easy on him. However, this will not work. I know what kind of a person he is. So, this type of stuff will keep on happening till the new management comes to an understanding that he is who he is and he should not be taken seriously for such issues. I know that will happen.

Case B: One of my technical specialists applied for a position at the vendor we work with and this has been heard both by my soon-to-be ex-boss and our next-CEO. The soon-to-be-ex-boss has heard it a month ago and we handled it on the vendor's side. They could not even invite this person for an interview. The CEO-to-be on the other hand, heard it somewhat recently. This issue has come up at a meeting yesterday evening in an awkward manner.

What did I do?

I told the people in the meeting that I knew the situation and that there is no real risk that this person is planning to leave.
This morning I had a long conversation with the same employee saying that it is only natural that she may want to consider her options, interview for jobs and leave the company for whatever reason. I told her what has happened and she was shocked because the people who were supposed to keep things confidential over at the vendor's did not and one of these people happens to be her cousin. I told her the career path I am envisioning for her and that she needs to be patient just a little more. It was a good conversation.

I am sure, I will face with a lot of challenges due to this big change. There will be things that I will be able contain and control, others that I will not be able to. However, my attitude and my approach will be a big determinant of how I will end up feeling. I am hoping to make it easier on myself.

Earth Apples or Jerusalem Artichokes and Spinach Roots

Linda over at Practical Parsimony asked about the above so here are some pictures I took from the Internet.

Spinach Roots are as above. The pointed tips are cut off and the rest is used. The second shows a platter of sauteed roots. I cook it in a different manner and I tend to cook them more.

These are Earth Apples or Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunroots. I peel them and cook them with sauteed onions.

Meal prepping Sunday - 2

I got the grocery delivery and saw that, I failed to order the celery roots. Bummer! I got more carrots than I needed so the carrots will be cooked with a handful of rice in olive oil and sauteed onions. I do not like the carrots alone but food is food. I am not going to waste them. Or, may be I should just run them through the food processor and consume the carrots as a salad. We'll see.

All morning I have been washing the spinach. I am using the root part of the spinach. You can buy bundles of spinach as a whole, buy prepackaged leaves or buy prepackaged roots. I like the taste of the roots but that's the dirtiest part of spinach. The package I bought said it was washed twice but, the first two washes I gave the veggies turned out pretty muddy. I think my fourth or fifth time will do the trick. Such a waste of water for two servings of spinach! Ugh!

I better go and start processing the earth apples.

In addition to meal prep, I must wash two loads of laundry, one load of dishes, change my purse (when it starts to weigh a ton, I know I have to empty it and change it) and take care of my pill box for the entire week ahead. Also the dinner table and the little table at the entrance are a mess. Things must be put in place. Nothing too tiring or too significant but chores are chores and they must be taken care of.

I just had a very late breakfast with no carbs and I am feeling very energetic. May be I will have another tea as I am peeling the veggies.

Hope you will have a more relaxing Sunday than I do.

Meal prepping Sunday

Tomorrow I will be making some meals to take to work during the week. I will make:

Spinach w/carrots
Jerusalem Artichoke (sunroot, earth apple (we use the direct translation of earth apple))
Celery Roots w/potato and carrots

All will be cooked in the same fashion. Chop onions, sautee them in Olive Oil, add tomato paste, add the veggies and simmer till done. I use a pressure cooker instead of simmering to save significant time.

I add a handful of rice to the spinach and the earth apples. I consume these two with a quiet a bit of plain yogurt preferably with minced garlic but, I do not eat garlic during the week so, that will be out this time. Besides the grocery store had the Chinese garlic only which I refuse to use. The local garlic so much better.

There is no meat in the above list. I like to buy and cook meat fresh. So, I will just figure out what I will eat for meat during the week.

I was out of a lot of staples so, I placed an order online to be delivered by noon time tomorrow. I will forgo breakfast and sleep in tomorrow. I have some pasta and meatballs for lunch leftover from today.

I bought a butternut squash last week but that will have to wait till next week to be cooked.

Where are my New Year Plans?

I have been MIA for a while due to my workload. The company is still hanging up in the air since, the last contract is not signed and the money hasn't changed hands yet.

One part of me is going to miss our boss very much, the other part of me is getting impatient to settle into a new routine, find out about how we shall be doing business under the new management etc. Talk about mixed feelings...

I haven't set my financial plans for this year yet. I am expecting a salary increase and I have no idea how much it will be.

This year savings will be my main focus especially because I got derailed by unexpected expenses at the last moment last year.

I am planning a vacation with mom this year. Mom doesn't feel like going abroad. She wants to but then she thinks she does not feel up to it. May be some place close by, like Greece may work.

I have started logging my meals on an app on my cell phone. I will also go back to walking. I have been slacking due to bad weather.

This year, a lot will happen and I hope to have enough time on hand to blog about it.