Top Of The Mor.... Uh, Year To Ya

First, New Year's Resolutions:






Yup, you got it. But you probably made enough of them for both of us to break, right?

But there's lots of other things which need attention this time of year. For example, there's assembling and sorting financial paperwork for that upcoming inevitable tax filing. Or is it sorting and assembling? Anyway, as it clears out of the file box and goes in a folder crammed on top of a stack up on the top shelf, there's room for the current year's crap.

Among which paperwork, there's a notice that the garbage bill has gone up. And hey, I gotta call them to give them the new bank information for the automatic deduction. My debit card got renewed and they need to know the new expiration date.  Oh, and make the price change in the spreadsheet that keeps track of how much money I don't have this year. Because, you know, different health insurance, new drug coverage, higher electric, higher gas, and way higher Rec Center fees. So far the water price stays the same as long as the usage does. Everything went up except Social Security, which they kept the same under the delusion that lower gasoline prices for folks who don't drive much anymore is an even trade-off.

Then there are the calls to change insurance information to two doctors (so far: the new Docs will get the info as I show up in their offices), my pharmacy, and just for the new year to make all those new appointments for exams and tests. It's called being retired. Now there's time for all that.

Most new years involve undecorating. That's not a biggie this year because we chose not to spend the energy on putting all the stuff up in the first place. There are, however, addresses to change so there's a hope next winter that the cards we send out will actually reach their intended targets. Said changes occur both in a digital and a paper address book as well as a digital list just of whom to send cards to. That tends to change each year. We're at the stage in life where people die on us. (Well, not literally on us, hopefully.) Somebody always moves and doesn't bother saying where. Some people's kids grow up and move away, or just get born so there are new names to add to the cards. Or, we can just keep putting "and family" on the envelope to hide our bewilderment and inability to keep up.

New years also tend to involve leftovers. Yes, I'm talking food. There likely will have been a pot luck or two, a turkey just for us, even a gift card that expands the pantry (and thanks, it was all yummy!). So lots of repacking, rewrapping, rebagging. That increased food supply, as it shrinks, will also supply us with a plethora of dirty dishes cluttering the counter and sinks. Again, some activity is called for. And waistbands need to be expanded, or perhaps shopping for a looser size done, just as soon as the hoards of returners of gifts have cleared the stores and aisles are again passable.

This of course has to be done in deliberate ignorance of the budgeting process that started the whole new year to-do list. That, or with a generous balance available on one's favorite piece of plastic. Deciding which is another item for the list.