New Method to Follow Liquid Assets

The crazy fluctuations in the exchange rates make it difficult for me to track my Liquid Assets properly. I have my savings in TL, USD, Gold and an insignificant amount of Euros.

I normally track my Liquid Assets by converting all foreign exchange to TLs at the exchange rate of the last day of the month. This is very deceiving because of the exchange rate fluctuations. So, I have decided to track only the TL starting in January 2020, since the rest of the stuff is actually my nest egg. I am not touching that yet and hope, never to touch it. As long as I have the mortgage for the Antalya apartment, I will be tapping my TL savings by about 4.5% every year, i.e. till January 2025. The current interest rate on TL accounts is about 17% so, 4.5% is not too bad and it is only over the TL savings. After that, my passive income will cover my living expenses. If I get some consulting business, that will be the icing on the cake for travel.

My passive income was enough to cover my living expenses until recently. When I had to add health insurance to my budget and due to hiking prices of utilities, gas, food and almost everyting, I now need to supplement it. The economy is not doing well over here so, savings are even more important now.

Looking at the current numbers, it looks like I will be doing better in meeting my year end goals but, I know that, this is deceiving. Hopefully, next year's goals will be tracked in a more realistic manner.

A lot of bloggers calculate their Net Worth.  I do not. Why? Because the worth of the real estate keep fluctuating and unless you sell them, you have no idea what they are really worth.

You cannot help someone, if she/he does not want to be helped

Many years ago, my closest friend got married to another colleague of ours. My friend used to be a neat freak but, she is a bit better now. Her husband is a very good man with a kind heart and honest personality but, he was a bit of a slob. Not dirty but just a bit messy.

Soon after they married, my friend started complaining about her husband, how he never picked up after himself and things like that. Every time I suggested something, she had a counter argument. I would say: "Well, don't pick up after him. Let his pants stay on the floor and when he needs them again, he will understand" and she would respond "I cannot bear that. Everything must be in it's proper place" or "I can't do that". After a while, I started to get frustrated and realized that this exchange may end up hurting our friendship. So, I have decided to talk to her about it openly and honestly. She agreed with me and did not complain about her husband to me again. I do not know if he is any better or not by now. He has proven that he is a good husband, very caring dad and a dear friend over the years.

Nowadays, I am watching My 600 lb Life and I see that before the patient truly decides to get help, she/he cannot be helped. When they stumble and are told to seek psychological help and when they refuse, they cannot be successful. The patients who do everything right to a T, are the ones who succeed. Why? Because, there is a tried and true way of doing the weight loss program. Dr. Nowzaradan knows what he is talking about.

What prompted me to write this is another blogger who recently got into a very big trouble. I am not going to name names. Her financial status, her age and her health are not in the greatest shape. So, a bunch of fellow bloggers offered a lot of sound advice but, she does not want to hear any of it. That is absolutely fine. She wants to do this in her own way and noone can make her do otherwise.

However, she recently deleted all those comments that she did not like or agree with. I think, that is wrong. Very wrong. After all, all of us who commented, do care about her. She is almost my mom's age and I cannot bear the thought of her current hardship. I wish her the best of luck in handling the situation her way. I do want to be wrong about my assesment of her situation. However, I am not going to be following her blog and commenting on it any longer.

Gotta tell this!

I have mentioned in my earlier post that, mom had an appendectomy.

Sunday morning I woke up at 9 a.m. and until 10 p.m. the next night, I could not sleep at all. The first night at the hospital, she had too much pain and she could not find a comfortable position to sleep. In 7 hours I took 1020 steps between her bed and the recliner at the foot of her bed! At my weight, getting up and down several times during that time was terrible. My leg muscles and my back still hurts.

At 10 p.m. I finally could not bear it any longer and made sure she was comfortable, then fell into a very very deep sleep on the recliner. Mom needed to get up and she called me some time after midnight and I did not hear her! I am so embarassed! Since we could not find a single room at the hospital due to some renovation, we had to share a room with another sick lady and her niece. The niece heard my mom and instead of waking me up, she went to help her. Such a nice person! She was quiet the chatterbox and entertained us with all her interesting stories. We exchanged cards and promised to see each other. They do not live too far away from us.

Anyway, I got up at 5 a.m. and heard the story. I am thankful they let me sleep but, I was also very embarassed.

She was discharged by noon time and as soon as we got home, we both wanted to nap and nap we did! It was dinner time, when I finally woke up and found my mom making soup. She said, she realized how tired I was and did not mind throwing together a simple tomato soup (from scratch). She is the one who had the procedure and I was the one who could not get over it.

To be honest, I started feeling better only today.

Plans and Lists? Haha! Life may have other plans

You know how I like making plans and budgets and being organized right? And how I made a list of things to be done?

Well, thankfully what happened was not something to derail all (for the moment anyway) but, Sunday morning mom woke me up and said "I am not well T'Pol. I think it is my appendix" Later on she joked about how I got up so fast, saying that she never saw me like that before.

I took her to the ER and they ran some tests and could not confirme the appendix but, they admitted us so that further tests could be run and a general surgeon could check it out.

To make a long story short, we both had a terrible night on Sunday and on Monday morning, they took her appendix out.  Mom's surgeon said the appendix was not about to burst or anything so, she decided to look at other internal organs to see what caused mom's pain. Last night we slept better but mom was not very comfortable due to the IV, urinary catheter and the compression socks. She wanted to move and be out of the place a.s.a.p. Today they discharged her.

As soon as we got home, we both fell asleep and rested quiet a bit.

Life is an adventure... I am glad mom is already doing better.

Pace of life is picking up

It was a very relaxing, almost lazy summer. As we approach the end of it, there are chores I must be taking care of before I take off on my big vacation.

I started by getting my car serviced. It did not cost very much. The guy who explained what was done told me that my brake pads did not need to be changed. He was surprised. Who needs brake pads be changed at 30,000 Km? Never heard of it. It usually takes 70-100,000 Km for me.

I also took my mom and my grandparents' Moldovan caretaker out to lunch at a nice restaurant right on the water. She is a very nice lady. She took care of my grandparents as if they were her own parents between 1999-2002. My mom and uncle treated her as a sibling and one of the family so, now they are very good friends. She has been taking care of other elderly people in Istanbul since my grandad's passing. Her latest employer just passed after 5 years due to cancer. Now she is going to her own country for a while and will come back in January. So, today's outing was timed just fine.

She is more of a companion than a caretaker and I have ideas for the future.

Anyhow, I have decided to make my list of the major chores that I am facing over here:

1. Take mom for a haircut. DONE!
2. Take mom to Ankara August 30th
3. Take the car in for service and inspection September 2nd
4. Pay the last of the debt taken over September 2nd (WOOOHOOO!)
5. Get the car Inspected September 3rd
6. Take an inventory at mom's home and do her shopping
7. Cook and freeze food for mom
8. Go to see the eye doctor, get a prescription for new glasses
9. Take current measurements and sizes of mom, sis, BIL.
10. Come back home
11. Purge, purge, purge and donate...
12. Select a new frame and order new glasses
13. Take uncle's jacket to be waxed
14. See the kidney doctor
15. Shop for gifts for the big vacation
16. Go back to Ankara for the cardiologist visit for both mom and myself.
17. Clean out the fridge
18. Pack suitcases
19. Get my home cleaned right before the big vacation
20. Leave enough cash in accounts for automated payments.
21. Get USD in cash in small denominations.
22. Get 3 months worth of regular meds plus others that I might need.

I also need to get together with a few friends. I am sure, there are tons of other things I have forgotten to list. I will keep on adding items as I remember them.

Thoughts on purging

This summer taught me an important lesson in how much clothing I actually need.

All summer long, I wore a pair of New Balance sneakers and a pair of footbed sandals I bought from Kohl's last year. I also wore two pairs of shorts and two pairs of capri pants with a rotation of 5-6 T-shirts.

Also, I found "the bra" that I love. It is a Bali front closure bra and I had bought 4 of them when I was in the US last year. I keep rotating those. The underwire broke in one of them just recently. I have many more bras that I am no longer wearing. Why keep them?

Earlier this year, I set aside several pairs of work pants that I thought I might need when I lose some more weight. Now that I am working part-time, I realize, all I need is two, may be three pairs of pants and some tops for work. I have three jackets that I do actually wear. So, I will go through work clothing  again and part with most of them.

I also have many many many pairs of socks and more than enough jeans for the Fall and Winter. I have tons of shirts, turtlenecks and T-shirts as well. I will purge quiet a bit there too.

I found two soft capri sweatpants that are now too big for me which still have the tags on. I have decided to make them pajamas utilizing two tops that are too big as well. Pajamas need to be comfy after all.

I can go on and on but, to make a long story short, I have too much to purge. I also need to buy some things such as a pair of work appropriate shoes for the summer, and casual winter boots. I intend to get them during my trip in the US.

Off to purging I go!

Fall is in the air!

It is mid-August and the Fall is in the air. It is still warm but, I can feel the weather turning which also means I am so much closer to my big vacation. Today is a cloudy day with a nice breeze.

Today I processed the tomatoes I have bought to freeze for winter. I wash them, cut them up, run them through the food processor and put three ladels full in one freezer bag. I flatten them all up and freeze them. I had bought close to 8 kgs but I think, we ate 2 to 3 kgs of it since last Saturday. I do not have much space in the freezer so, this much will have to do. I use tomato puree and paste too but like to use the real thing better. I will not be home from end of October till early January so, I am sure this will be enough. If we can free up some more space, I may freeze some more later on.

I need to look through my pantry and share some of the stuff with mom. There is more than I can consume.

When we go to Ankara, I am going to look at her home and go for a big grocery shopping. I will also cook some stuff and stock her freezer. When she is alone, she doesn't want to cook and doesn't eat much. I am sure my uncle will stay with her at least for a while, when I am away. When he is around, I know he will cook a variety of food so, that's good. He can also take her shopping for fresh produce since my 2010 Nissan is in the garage of mom's apartment for their use. Mom never drove and I know, that is something she regrets.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's 76th Birthday. I am taking her out to dinner. My sister, brother-in-law and I bought her a new cell phone as a birthday present few weeks ago. Her old one was no longer charging well and she needed a bigger screen. She seems to have gotten used to it.

Mom is an archaelogist but, she never worked as one due to getting married right after College and having me a year after. She was a stay-at-home mom till I was 11 and my sister was 4. She was very bored and her working would contribute tremendously to the family budget since I had started a private school  So, she started to work for a Government Agency. She enjoyed her career and got retired when her parents and my dad's mom started needing care. After my uncle passed, my grandma on my father's side wanted to go to a nursing home but, mom said she would not let that happen as long as she herself does not need medical care. So, she brought grandma to live with her and my sister. She took her to several doctors because grandma had ignored her health, trying to look after a 60 year old alcoholic son, my uncle.

She was and still is the authority figure in our family. She made sure we got plenty of exercise outdoors, had balanced meals, stayed away from junk food and read lots of books. She used to spend lots of time when we were little teaching us songs, fun things to contribute to our motor skills and answered all our questions with patience. She also tutored a lot of neighborhood kids when asked for free. She had a way with children. I guess my grandma wanter her to be a teacher but she chose archaelogy instead.

I started to read when I was little over 4 and of course no school accepted me at the age of 5 but, the headmistress of a nearby school was a family friend and she said that, if I could write and do some simple math, she would be willing to put me through an exam to accept me for 2nd grade instead of starting me at 1st grade. All summer long, my mom collected every neighborhood kid at our dining room table and had them complete their summer homeworks, while teaching me writing and math so that I could be in a classroom like environment and get used to school. So, at the age of 6, I was accepted to 2nd grade.

My father was a worrier and he would not let us do some things he considered dangerous or things that might interfere with school. Mom always supported us and assured dad, things will be fine. When my sister started playing volleyball, she made sure, she picked her up from practice every night after school. She went to all her games.

She is an excellent mom and I love her to the moon and back. We spend a lot of time together and enjoy each other's company. I cannot say we get along 100% but close. We are both strong-willed and have our own ways so, sometimes we need time apart.

As I observe her age, I think new living arrangements should be made. I also know that, that responsibility is mostly mine since my sister has her auto-immune sickness to deal with, is still working and is married. I do not know what the days ahead will bring.

She wanted me to order the rollator last week. She says she doesn't want to hold me back from doing things and she tinks the rollator will help her keep up with me better. Isn't that amazing? She may be turning 77 but, her soul is not older than 35:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! WISHING YOU A LONG, PROSPEROUS AND HEALTHY LIFE!

Scattered Thoughts - Need to pick your brains

If you have read my previous post, this is about it. Ever since my friend asked for my help, there have been things bothering me at the background of my mind. So, I have decided to put them down here and see what my friends in the blogosphere has to say.

First, let me share some historical info:

There are 5 ex-employees of mine working for this particular company. I cannot say I liked them much and in fact, I was relieved when they left my former company on their own. They were making the environment toxic and affecting the others in a negative manner.

Guy 1: The head of the professional services team - He should be able to do what needs to be done in terms of my friend's needs, except that he is lazy. He always has a reason why he cannot do a certain thing. (all those things he could not do, could be done by others).

Guy 2: I actually liked his attitude, appreciated his knowledge and work and sent him to an event in the US, a rare perk of the job. I was hoping he would mentor the new recruits afterwards but, he resigned a week after the trip just because, he was offered a 5% better salary. I was willing to counter-offer but my ex-boss refused it. All that time he was getting ready to go to the US, he knew that he would resign. In my book that is not acceptable. He should have bowed out gracefully and let another colleague go.

Guy 3: Lazy, always complains, never in a good mood.

Guy 4: Lazy, never learns from mistakes. He is supposed to produce marketing material but he never ran a spell check despite being told several times. Always produces inferior quality work that needs to be touched up by someone else.

Gal 1: Did not have much interaction with her since she left shortly after I joined the former company. For all I know, she was known to be rude to the customers. She made an effort to come back but, my former boss did not accept her.

The owner of this company tried to recruit others from our team in the past but, they did not go since they loved my ex-boss and got along well with me as second in command. So, he recruited the bad apples in a way. However, since he did not let anyone go, they must have been working OK I guess. The owner seems satisfied. My ex-boss on the other hand, never liked any of them and when they wanted to leave, he did not move a finger not to lose any of them.

You may be thinking 5 people can not be all bad and there must be something wrong with me too. I am a bit of a perfectionist and even though I know, not everybody can be great, I like to see genuine effort. Not everybody can be an excellent worker but, they should at least try.

I do not think, I want to have anything to do with the above people anymore. I would never hire them, if I were the boss.

So, all the above had been bothering me in the background. My friend needs my support, has joined this company about 5 months ago. She is an excellent salesperson. On financial issues, she can be a pain in the butt, however, overall she is a nice person.

May be I should tell my friend all about this and leave it at that. If there is a way around working as a consultant without having to deal with these people directly, I may consider it.

What do you think?

Interesting Offer

Today an old colleague of mine called. At my last job, she reported to me for a while and left a few months after I did. She is now working for a competitor.

She basically told me she needed support at her new company. There are certain things I used to do at the former company and she says she needs those things adressed at her new company. I told her that I am not willing to work full-time. She says we can work it out so that, I could help them on my own terms sort of like a consultant working mostly from home and attending a few meetings every once in a while.

To be honest, I do not see what I can contribute but, I guess we need to talk further to see what we can come up with. I also told her that I would be gone for a long time for vacation. She thinks that could be managed.

I do not know what to think, at this point. This can be financially nice but it has a potential to be stressful. I must clear my head and talk some more to my friend.

Interesting, huh?

Housework is never done!

What a vicious circle housework is! Don't you think?

I thought I was done with laundry but mom reminded me that we needed to change the sheets on our beds! More laundry...

Then, I decided to process the meat I bought yesterday. Shanks went into the pressure cooker. I sauteed  a small part of the chopped meat for our taco dinner and the rest became meat patties to be frozen. Took me about an hour to do all that with the help of mom. I also had to hand wash quiet a bit of dishes because the machine was already full and working.

I also dusted our bedrooms and mom vacuumed them. I am allergic to house dust and since we weren't at home for almost a month and a half, the cleaning lady could not come. I wrote to her today that we were back and she said can come not this coming Sunday but, next Sunday. So, more dusting and vacuuming tomorrow. The bathroom needs to be cleaned as well. Ugh!

Have I ever told anyone that I hate housework? Give me all the chores outside the home and I will gladly take care of them. Housework? No thanks!

I like to cook but, do not like to clean up the kitchen. I do it beacuse I have to.

Mom is very neat and tidy. She cannot stand clutter or seeing things out of place. So, when she is home with me, I have to be as neat. I am not messy but, I may leave things around. I like clean but can stand some disarray.

Anyway, from today on, no cooking for us. We will only make a salad and pull the stuff from the freezer to go with it. Makes it so much easier.

I will go back to my exercise routine on Friday, I promised myself. I have not been bad but, I really haven't been watching what I ate lately. Ate more fruit than I should so, I gotta stop that.

The consulting company paid for my days and reimbursed my expenses. Nice!

Next week is a religious holiday here but, I do not practice any religion. I do contribute to charity on a regular basis though. I am not doing this because I am afraid that I will go to hell after I die. I just want to be a decent human being who helps others within her means. I do believe that there is a creator and that's it. As long as people do not hurt each other, suppress others or start wars, I do not care what they believe.

Back at home... again...

I hope, I will not be traveling anytime soon. I will drive mom to Ankara late August and return early September. Then I will most likely take the train to Ankara mid October for our doctor visits before my flight to the US. That is all I want to do.

We left Izmir early yesterday in the morning and went to a small town where we had a summer home many years ago. Mom said, she missed the place so, I decided to re-route. We made it there by lunch time, had lunch at my mom's favorite place, sat by the marina, had coffee and bought ourselves matching sun dresses. Lol!

Then we stopped at another town to visit an outlet store and looked at towels as if we needed more. She bought a pair of bedroom slippers and I bought a sheet for her bed.

We bought a water melon, two melons and some onions on the road.

All this activity and road took 12 hours. Mom told me she had a very happy day and that comment made my day. She was very exhausted this morning but still happy. So, I went out alone and did our food shopping. I did not buy vegetables since, I want to get them from the farmers market on Saturday. I bought a lot of meat for upcoming meals and fish for tonight's dinner.

I am glad we have food in the freezer that I cooked a couple of weeks ago. We do not need to cook much for a while. I am planning light meals such as a salad and some kind of meat. I would like to have a soft taco night since I have been craving that kind of food. I make my salsa and guacamole from scratch.

I also did three loads of laundry today so, I am exhausted. Good to be back at home.

When you see your parent age...

Mom is my rock. She is someone I have always looked up to. She will be turning 77 in a couple of weeks.. I see her taking her cane more these days. She also says one day isn't like the next. She sometimes feels very strong, other times not so much.

Nowadays, she has developed an interest in getting a rollator with a seat. Her walking distance is getting shorter and shorter and she always looks for some place to sit. She thinks a rollator is a good solution and so do I. She has the stamina to go and see places but, doesn't have the physical endurance.

I remember her as a young woman who could move mountains if she wanted to. Watching her slow down is sad but also, a fact of life. I even feel myself slowing down at 53 sometimes.

On the other hand, I did not have the chance to see my dad age. For all we know, he will always be 54.

So, seeing a parent age is also a blessing albeit, a bittersweet one.

Hoping to have several good years with my family in good health.