Closed the books on November

At the end of each month, I update my cash flow file and go over my budget. Nerdy, I know but, that is who I am. I am also currently tweaking next year's budget and financial goals. I have a bad feeling about the economy and the upcoming elections so, I am setting aside a much larger EF than I normally do. I will also be keeping some extra cash at home. 

Recently I have stumbled across some YouTube Envelope Budgeting videos. Some of them were really very detailed and had several envelopes for not only expenses but, also several challenges, additional savings and etc. I enjoyed watching how some people can be so diligent and organized. I wish I lived in a low inflation country i.e. less than 10%.

In a country like mine, you want every single penny work hard for you. There are some hybrid bank accounts which pay a lower interest than a regular savings account but these give you the interest on a daily basis. So, withdrawals on any given day is fine. I like to keep my money in the bank and use my credit card for most of my needs and I always pay it in full. I do not ever remember not paying the full amount on the credit card. I have one mortgage on the Antalya home but since the interest rate is fixed, in this high inflation days, it gets to be a smaller burden every time my pension and my side gig salary is raised. I have 25 months to go. I can pay it now and be done with it but, it does not make financial sense. You may say that I am a pretty terrible bank customer.

Savings interest rates are around 14%-22% depending on the bank and the amount of your savings. The bank where I keep my Sinking Fund/EF (I will explain in a minute) is recently offering 19% interest rate. Their regular savings account is 20% which is less than some other banks I work with. I keep my Sinking Fund/EF in this one but, use my sister's bank which offers a better rate for regular savings accounts. 

You may think these interest rates are awesome but, the official inflation rate is over 80% and the government is lying about it being much lower. And, against every economic theory, the president believes if the Central Bank lowers the interest rates, the inflation will go away. So, the offical interest rate is 9%. What can I say? When a d.... runs your country, anything is possible.

I remember sharing that I keep my entire nest egg in USDs, Euros, Gold coins and a small amount of TL. Unlike the US, the stock market is extremely volatile and not deep enough in here. We do not have many of the retirement tools my American friends have. It is really hard to keep an eye on your money and not let inflation eat most of it. However, no matter what you do, you do lose some of it due to inflation and low interest rates. 

Now, why do I have one account for both my sinking fund and emergency fund? Well, simply because, the bank allows you to set up only one account that pays the daily interest which is actually called the nightly interest :)

Also, my EF is rather small. It does not have enough to cover for 3-6-12 months of living expenses. Why? Because, I am retired with a couple of part-time gigs only. So, I have a pension and some variable income. Unless a real big thing happens like war or the country collapsing, I will have my pension every month. Therefore, keeping a big EF does not make sense anymore. My EF is there only for extra healthcare costs, some big appliance replacement or an unexpected car break down and such. 

I am eligible for the social security healthcare which covers a fraction of private hospital visits. I have additional health insurance to cover surgeries, hospital stays and some imaging requirements. Even so, there are out of pocket costs. For instance I took my Covid test at a private hospital and it was totally out of pocket. I could have gone to a state hospital, stay in line for a long time in the middle of sick people and it would have been for free. Sometimes our choices cost us and it's OK. 

In this climate of economic fog and unpredictability, I am trying to do my best and still make the best of life since I am long past the mid point of my life span. 

Gotta go and start cleaning. Beware dust bunnies! Here I come fully armed with all sorts of equipment. Resistance is futile!

What to Cook? Name a Dish!

As I was growing up, I remember grandma and mom sometimes racking their brains as to what to cook each and every day. They used to tell us, "just name a dish and we'll make it but, for the life of me I cannot come up with what to make". For us, it sounded like they were making a big deal of something miniscule. 

While I was working full time, I would eat out most of the time and cooking was just a hobby which pleased me.

First, due to the pandemic and nowadays, due to the crazy inflation rate over here in this country, eating out has become more of a treat than a normal thing.

I like to cook and I had been making and enjoying a good variety of food from scratch until very recently.

Lately, I have been having difficulty to name what to make for lunch and dinner. I made a dent in the freezer meals last week but, then I found myself having the same conundrum as my mom and grandma.: Name a dish! I feel stuck. Where is my muse?

Yesterday, I honestly couldn't decide on what to get for protein. The cuts of meat at the store that I went to did not appeal to me. 

I recently ate all the frozen roast chicken that I had made few weeks ago. Had meat patties I made while I was sick. 

I have two avocados and some string beans in my fridge. Fajitas may be? Grean bean casserole and chicken?  I can soak chick peas to add to my salads. 

I think I must get some meat tomorrow. And fish too. 

Sigh...

Plans

We make plans and we change plans. Right? So, Ankara trip will hopefully be made next week. I was going to get tested again today but, a few friends who had Covid before, told me to hold it for another few days. Apparently, although they felt fine, even a week after the manadatory isolation period was over, they still tested positive.

It is not like, I have to go, so I just postponed my trip. Of course, now I need more groceries. 

Oh well...

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy week!

First Day Out

I have been home for 9 consecutive days due to COVID and today I finally went out. I was supposed to do a bunch of things but I changed my plans. I will take a COVID test on Monday and if it is negative, I will go to Ankara. I need to get my tires changed and stored for the winter. The weather is warm enough nowadays but, I am sure there will be snow on the mountain pass on my way. Better do it now than later.

I also need to bring the gifts I brought for my cousins from the US. There is a huge bunch of yarn I found at mom's apartment. I can't knit well. I was hoping to learn and get better at it but, I lack the patience. I wll bring them to my cousin who crochets (or crochetes?) real well. If she doesn't like the yarn, I am sure she can find someone to give them to. 

My sister asked me to take her car that they keep in Ankara for Inspection and also to get the cleanng lady so that the apartments can be cleaned thoroughly. There is an inspection station on the way to the cemetery so, I will do that and visit mom and dad on the same day. I miss my parents so much these days. I have been having dreams with mom lately. Good dreams in which we are either traveling or laughing at something together. 

So, today I went out, got some cash from an ATM and hit the farmer's market just to buy a few things I need till next Tuesday. I also hit the grocery store for a few things and came back home. My legs wanted to walk but, I felt tired rather quickly. I guess, I need to start exercising lightly and start building up my strength.

It felt good to be out in the fresh air. I think I will go out for a short, slow walk tomorrow in the neighborhood.

Wishing everyone a nice and relaxing weekend.

I just put the groceries which need to be refrigerated in the fridge. I will attend to the rest after I type this, finish my coffee and relax a little bit. Then, I will fold and put away some laundry.

It is 65℉ today so, I was comfortable with a cotton sweater and a vest. 

Mandatory Isolation Over

According to the COVID-19 guidelines of the Ministry of Health in Turkey, you need to self-isolate for 7 days after you test positive. As of yesterday, my self-isolation period is over. I still have some nasal congestion but, I feel a lot better now. I am going to get tested on Monday.

I do have some cabin fever but, I decided to go out for the first time after testing positive, on Friday. Need to get cash first and then head to the open farmers market to buy fresh vegetables and salad greens. They last so much longer than the grocery bought ones. I am also thinking of hitting the fish market after that. It shows heavy rain showers on Friday but, once the hourly forecast becomes available, I am sure I can manage to buy my fresh vegetables and fruits. This reminds me that I need to check out my fridge and use up whatever is on hand. The fridge needs a good and thorough cleaning but, I am not sure if I am up for it yet. A quick clean up will have to suffice.

I changed my sheets and did 4 loads of laundry and hung them so, my energy is up significantly. I think, I will do some much needed cleaning on Monday. Nothing fancy. Just dust, vacuum and mop. No windows or balcony. I keep my bathroom clean whether I'm sick or well.

Cooking from scratch and eating at home has a side effect of having to run the dishwasher on a daily basis. I also handwash my good knives, salad spinner, French Press and some kitchen gadgets and yet, it is so hard to keep up with the dishes piling up in the sink which I hate. And don't get me started on having to wipe the countertops and the stove sveral times a day. If I don't do this, it gets out of hand so quickly.

I had a portion of chicken francese in the freezer and I had that for lunch over some linguine. Tonight's dinner will be some meat patties served with steamed broccoli salad. I steam the broccoli just a little and dump them in cold water. I then make a salad dressing with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic. I pour this over the broccoli. Yummy and healthy.

Hope everyone is well and healthy. That's all that matters. 

Sickness and Health

It has been a while since I have posted but life happened as usual and I lost my mojo a bit but, here I am now.

This is my day 3 in isolation of 7 days since my second COVID test came back positive. I have no sense of smell, I get tired easily and I have some nasal congestion but, other than those, I am OK. 

I took a COVID test the Monday before last and it came back negative. However, I lost my sense of smell the following Wednesday. I kept postponing a COVID test because I pretty much knew at that point that I had it. On my family's insistence, I took another COVID test and that came back positive as expected.

I am sorry since I have not been following blogs and writing answers to comments on my previous post. First few days, I was sick like I had a major bout of regular flu so, I slept a lot and just watched TV.

The apartment needs a good dusting, vacuuming and mopping but, I get tired easily and I do not feel like tackling that job. I took my Dyson out so that I can spot vacuum when I have to. 

I ordered groceries from two separate stores because none carried everything that I needed. However, I am still short on some things since, by the time they started filling my order, they were out of some stuff. Whatever, nothing I can't live without.

I hope, once the isolation period is over, I will test negative and my sense of smell will be back.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy Holiday Season!