I noticed that the most popular time to visit this site is 2:00 am-on a Saturday. Really? Whatever the reason, I appreciate you stopping by. If I’m up at that hour these days it is because my meds haven’t kicked in or I have the “Committee” convening in my foggy brain. They don’t visit quite as much as they used to but still more than I like. Finances, or lack thereof are the main reason. During the pandemic, before deciding on a new career path, it was my understanding that most Boomers, of which I am one, were in decent financial shape. There were exceptions of course but most had the resources to survive comfortably into the future. This knowledge didn’t help my anxiety of feeling a bit of a failure. To be in my late 60’s, savings nonexistent and still having to hustle to pay the bills gives the “Committee” plenty to talk about. Truth is, for some strange reason that particular anxiety lessens a little every day. It is still there but not as paralyzing and I have a hunch why. I would like to think I am slowly coming to terms with my life and what opportunities I can realistically explore. It is not “Giving up” but looking for short-term success rather than playing the long game. My cognitive state hasn’t diminished ( I hope :)) so Its not from being blissfully ignorant and the need for money hasn’t changed, so what is different? In a word, Adaptation. Like sore joints or the need for glasses, the situation remains constant so to worry or bitch serves no purpose. Besides, I still have optimism. Physically I can’t perform at the same level but mentally I can still put up a fight. PS-Update- I understand many Boomers are struggling which doesn’t offer me solace for their situation but does lessen the guilt a little.

Thrifting with purpose! (Sounds impressive I think when stated with authority.) August was painful on the real estate side as was July. We are still committed and things look promising but we need income and the online has helped-a lot. To keep that momentum we need inventory. Most, if not all of what we have sold or have listed currently we owned or purchased right at estate sales. So even after fees, shipping etc, we were always assured a tidy profit. I still have personal inventory to list but it is specific, not general interest stuff, and will likely take some time to sell. We still have estate sales which are always a great resource, but we need more on a regular basis. Drum roll…thrifting. Our thrifting to this point has been exclusively to satisfy us. Things we really don’t need but can’t pass up. Since March of 2022 my vinyl collection has grown from about 230 to about 920. Maybe 25 have been record store purchases, the rest were thrifting. Did I want it? Absolutely! Did I need it, probably not. Now the lens is looking to make money-profit-not accumulate more stuff. The fortunate part is we can continue to look for things we like and we know quality, but can we buy enough stuff cheap to make money? I start on the eBay spreadsheet tomorrow. If it works, excellent! If not, I expect more visits from the “Committee.”