HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! To you and yours...

Hope 2021 turns out to be a pleasant year as opposed to 2020. 

Closed the books on 2020

I have an Xcel file with several sheets that I use for tracking various things including my budget.

My savings/investments consist of Turkish Liras, US. Dollars, Gold, ETFs and very little amount of Euros. I had always tracked my money converting to TL at the end of each month and that has worked fine till this year. With severe fluctuations in currency exchange rates last year, my numbers became quiet meaningless. 

I basically keep the USDs, Euros, ETFs and Gold as my long term nest egg. I have no intention to touch those for a good while. I have to support my current income tapping into my TL savings because I still have 49 mortgage payments for the Antalya home. When that payment is gone, I shall be just fine with my passive income or so I think. 

So, now I have decided to track the TLs and set my goals in the national currency only. 

Today I closed the 2020 version and started 2021. The inheritance I have received and the proceeds from the sale of my apartment made me more liquid and as always I have distributed the money among the above stated investment tools.

I am not planning any vacations in 2021 except for visiting my uncle and my sister who both live in coastal cities with nice beaches. I am sure these trips will not break the bank. I will probably go to Ankara a few times too. So, we are talking about gas money, not much else.

I am spending way more money on food than I used to. Possibly because now that we cannot dine out, I like to make fancier meal at home. The inflation on food is also a major contributor.

On the other hand, I am not spending much on gas and nothing at all on clothing. 

Can't believe 2020 is almost over and can't wait for it to be gone.

Merry Christmas!

 

The Anual Spice Check in progress

Every year around this time, I take down all my spices from the cabinet and check their freshness. In my country they print a "consume by" date on food. I usually do not mind going past this date by a few months but, I religiously toss old spices and replenish my stock. I buy the smallest packs of everything except for dried mint. That is used a lot at my kitchen.

I have heard enough aflatoxin horror stories from my dad who was an agricultural engineer with a PhD that, I never risk it. I am happy to say that I only need to buy rosemary. I do not use it often enough. May be I should try to use more of it this year.

Here are what I use:

Dried mint leaves

Cumin

Red pepper flakes

Crushed red pepper

Cinnamon

Muscat

Cajun 

Taco Mix

Thyme

Ginger

Black pepper

Oregano

Basil

Cloves

Dried and crushed garlic

Rosemary

This year I would like to try my hand in some Indian food so, I have been thinking of buying Garam Masala. I recently checked the ingredients and saw that I already have all of it except for coriander and cardamom. I will check the prices to decide whether to buy it as a mix or make my own mixture.

It is difficult and very expensive to buy Indian pastes and jarred sauces so, I must make things from scratch. Any ideas and easy but yummy recipes?

Lazy Sunday and a busy week ahead

I cannot believe there are only 11 days to go before the New Year. This has been the worst year of my life and I cannot wait for it to be gone. However, I am cautious about 2021. The pandemic is far from over and vaccinating billions of people will take a lot of time.

Today is my lazy day. So far, I did nothing and am planning to do not much except for a couple of loads of laundry. 

The week ahead is busy though. I have upcoming meetings next week because we are trying to fill two positions for a client as soon as possible. 

I also need to do grocery shopping and have my ID renewed. The ID appointment is tomorrow. We are obliged to have both an ID card and a driver's license. I like it the way it is in the US where your DL is your ID.

My apartment needs another deep cleaning some time soon. I will try to mentally get there first before I can take action.

There is a yummy salad calling my name in the kitchen. Gotta go!

DON'T FIX IT, IF IT AIN'T BROKEN!

What a nightmare I had with the telecom operators while trying to switch services. It is a loong story but, they messed up big time and I had to cancel my order which I am sure will end up giving me some more headache.

I cannot imagine how stupid they can be to mess up like that. Imagine ordering a service for your NYC home and end up getting it in your summer home in Florida. That's exactly what they did. Ugh!

I think steam was coming out my ears for the last two days. 

Hope you are having a better time than I do. 

Here is something cheerful to enjoy:

Melatonin

First of all;

HAPPY HANNUKAH! 

May this season bring Peace and Joy!

Finally, I went out and bought melatonin yesterday. Took one at 9:30 p.m. and got in bed at 11 p.m. I did feel sleepy and went to sleep but, I woke up at least three times at night. I woke up at 7 a.m. and felt like I was not sleepy anymore so, I decided to start my day. I will try to keep busy during the day and not fall asleep on my armchair or sofa. 

I have been told that taking melatonin might reduce my body's melatonin production and that I could get dependent on melatonin pills so, I am going to be very careful taking it. All I need is my sleep cycle back. I cannot be living where I am and be sleeping and waking according to Eastern US time, can I?

So, as soon as I got up, I decided to wash my bed linens and change them. Then I had breakfast at 9 a.m. and as soon as I am finished with this post, I have things to do for work. 

I will also walk on my treadmill and run the small vacuum in the rooms to avoid dust buildup. There is always something to do in the kitchen too.

Yesterday I finally got back the money the gas company owed my mom and donated it to a charity for a children's hospital specializing on leukemia. It was not a small chunk of change so, I am glad I remembered to do it. 

29% Savings on Internet in 2021

I was determined to get rid of my cable + internet carrier ever since they gave me so much headache after mom's passing. My contract is up by the 21st this month. Their rival company called me today to offer me a better service at a better price. I asked several questions because, I had been studying the options available for a while now. Their answers satisfied me and I am ready to switch. This will save me 29% throughout next year. Score!

Wish I could lower my grocery bill like this. Due to COVID-19 and poor management of the economy, the prices are sky-rocketed. I am not going out as much as I used to so, I guess that saves me some money. 

Tomorrow I want to try making cinnamon-raisin bagels for the first time in my life. Wish me luck.

I made Tom-Kha soup for tomorrow. I am also going to make a few small dip/spread time food to serve on crackers. I crave variety these days instead of classical food. Keeps me occupied too so, I can't complain.

Today I came across a funny video. The young lady decided to spend a week as a 50's housewife. Cute and funny. Enjoy! 

Eating out of the Freezer

As the New Year approaches, I am trying to empty my freezer in case I decide to cook a whole Turkey for New Year's Eve. Besides all my containers are in the freezer. They need to be emptied out as well.

So far, I have eaten stuffed peppers and tomatoes, meatballs and pancakes. I am pleased because, I did not have to cook at all this weekend. There is a steak, some green beans and possibly a little cole slaw for tomorrow's dinner.

I am out of many necessities such as eggs, bread, yogurt and veggies. I also need glass cleaner and spray kitchen cleaner. I am making a list to go grocery shopping tomorrow, so that I can be in and out real fast.

Our walk last week was perfect. The weather was very nice and the park was huge. It was mostly downhill at the start but coming back, you need to walk uphill which was difficult for me. I managed it though. It was a 6 mile walk. I intend to join my friends whenever the weather permits.

I have been extremely lazy over the weekend. I am aiming to be more active this week.

Tomorrow if the weather permits

A HS friend of mine called the other day to invite me to a socially distanced walk in the woods with her brother, her cousin and two other HS friends of ours tomorrow.

Haven't met the cousin and the brother before but, my High School friends are truly amazing, strong women. The one who called had been the CFO of a very large company for years before she retired. We never knew until someone else mentioned it. When asked, she used to say she worked for the Finance Department. 

One of them was a CFO of a major bank and the third one is a doctor. She is a Professor at a University Hospital and her specialty is Gastric Pathology. Unfortunately our doctor friend has found out that she had cancer in June and had been very depressed for a few months. Now, she is doing better and wants to get together again with friends which she had refused to do before. 

I am going to wake up early tomorrow and bake some savory snacks filled with feta cheese and parsley to bring.

I hope, the weather permits our walk. I am truly looking forward to this. Since all of us have been remaining home and avoiding people, a walk in the open air with masks on should be fine. 

The bank that my sister works for has sent home all the people with chronic diseases with pay. However, this does not include management so, my sister has to go to work. What are they thinking?  If the people at management positions ask for the same treatment, they had been told, they would have to be demoted. What idiots! Is this even legal? Noone knows for sure these days in this country. 

She assured me that she stays in her office and does not allow anyone in. She says she wears two masks and speaks to people from a distance. 

Stay safe everybody...

This and That

This year has been the worst year of my life. I am glad it will soon be over but, that does not mean much other than getting old by yet another year. Unfortunately, the upcoming year does not look promising either. I am worried about my family's health.

Mom's loss had the deepest impact and to be honest, I am still as upset as the day she passed. Not a day goes by without me crying several times. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing the fact that I had always told her I loved her every single day. Still, not having been able to say goodbye and holding her hand in 77 days of her ICU ordeal are killing me. I will never get over this.

There are new measures against COVID-19. The Government finally gave up lying about the numbers and pretending that they were managing this really well. I still do not believe the new numbers. They must be much higher.

Every Friday, starting at 9 p.m. till Monday morning 5.a.m, we shall be under lockdown. During the week, people above 20 and below 65 are allowed to be outside between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. There are some exceptions to this. 65+ years old citizens and kids under 20 are allowed outside during the week only 3 hours each day. Dining in and take-out are banned. Restaurants are allowed delivery only. Funerals are limited to a maximum of 30 people. There are many new rules about public transportation and travel. I am hoping that people will start being more careful about this.

Yesterday, I walked to the small grocery store right by me. It is located in a mini-mall. As I was coming back home, I saw a lady without a mask, getting a manicure. The people working at that salon were all wearing masks but, the customer also has to wear a mask. I did not confront them directly. Instead, I came home and called the mall management and told them what I had seen and if they do not take action to make sure the rules are obeyed, I would file an official complaint. That means a ton of money for them. 

That place is actually a very convenient spot for me so, it is important that it stays to be a safe place. It takes me 5 minutes to walk over. There is a small grocery store, a pharmacy, a tailor, a dry cleaners, an office store, a health unit where you can get prescriptions, a bunch of hair salons, a cobbler and a few other small businesses. My hair salon is there but I am afraid to go to a hair salon so, till I see my sister again, I am letting it grow. I wanted to go grey but, it looks awful so, I am back to coloring my own hair. However, this time I went for a dark brown which is more like my own hair instead of the lighter tones with reddish hues that I have used for so many years now.

Tonight, there will be fajitas for dinner since, I have an avocado and some sour cream to use up. Sour cream is hard to get here so, when I see it, I buy it. 

Yesterday night I managed to go to sleep around 2 a.m. in the morning by the help of some Native American music from Youtube. I got up at 9:30. I forgot to buy the melatonin yesterday. Next time I go out, I will do that. 

Today is a windy and colder day. The Linden trees in front of my building are losing their leaves fast. 

I think I will question the reason of my being the rest of the day. Hope, your day is joyful and full of purpose.