Should you have to choose between eyeglasses or food??

Needed...computer eyeglasses.

Really, didn't you have to choose between a months worth of groceries or seeing the last time you went to purchase eyeglasses?  I know I did.  

After I went through cataract surgery last summer I still needed glasses.  The cost of that one pair of bifocals blew me away.  I did not feel I could afford the progressive lenses even though I had insurance. The idea of getting sunglasses and reading glasses were simply out of the question. There had to be a better way.

Then I began thinking about purchasing another pair of glasses online.  I remembered visiting a website called GlassesUSA so I visited their website again. They offered:

•  Cheap eyeglasses
• A website application that allow me to see how the glasses would look before I bought.
• Specific instructions on how to find the right fit.  
• Coupons and discount codes.
• A guarantee that I was getting the lowest price.

But I wanted even more.  I wanted good customer service. To test the service I sent GlassesUSA.com customer service this question:

"If I were to order glasses requesting that they be for computer use only would you be able to calculate this.  I use a desk top computer most of the time and the distance to the screen does not work with my reading glasses."

The answer was very clear and specific:

Thank you for your interest in GlassesUSA! When ordering glasses specifically for computer work, you may specify in the comments box, that you would like the glasses to focus at a certain focal length. After submitting that information, our professionals in the lab will make your glasses as quickly as possible. 

Thank you! 

In my world it is all about beauty. Being able to see is very important. But I am also just a little vain so I don't want to look old or out of date. Shopping for glasses is one of the most important things I do. Unlike my spring shoes, my glasses need to last a long time. Wish me luck. I need a pair of computer glasses really bad.

Coupon codes:

• Take 20% off your entire order of $80 or more and get FREE US shipping with the code: FS20 
• Take 10% off any order of prescription glasses. Code: Blog10  

Be well   
b

Games...a few choices for you.

HOW MANY DIFFERENT GAMES DO YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY?  Why?  Well retirement is all about playing...life becomes a game. 

I, for example, I play with words.  The blog is my game board and words are the game tiles.  Still other love a game of golf or a game of bocce.  Card games, including Texas Hold em, are great favorites around here.  My friend played in a bocce tournament with us this morning and left immediately to play Bridge.

I am just pointing this out to you because I believe that games and puzzles are a wonderful way to keep our minds alive and allow us to socialize with others. 

Here in Rincon East RV Resort you will need to be fearless...this is your opportunity to learn new things in the company of people just like you. You can take that first yoga class with other people that are taking their first class.  You can play your first bocce game with beginners like you.  Age is not a factor...the leaders in our bocce ball tournament include people in their eighties and people much, much younger! 

So if you are an expert, here is your chance to teach.  If you are beginner, here is your chance to learn.  

Texas Hold Em Rules On Monday night a group of people gather in the card room to play poker...the longer a player stays in the game the more he/she wins.  I hear it is a great lot of fun and, if you are lucky, you may even win a little petty change.

Euchre  (rules here) is played in the afternoon almost everyday.  For those of you from the mid west this is good news.  There are even a hardy few that play every day.  I don't know how to play this game but it does sound fun.  

Cribbage (rules here)  I learned this game as a child. Although the rules look complicated, it is really very easy and lots of fun. 

Bocce (rules here) is that game you see being played in parks using concrete balls along with a smaller ball called a Pallino.  According to Life Script, healthy living for women! bocce has been around for thousands of years and is still a favorite of the young and the old.

Throwing balls toward a target has always been a favorite sport of the common man. The Egyptians were the first to play bocce around 5000 B.C., using polished rocks. The Egyptians passed the game to the Greeks around 800 B.C., who then taught the Romans to play it using coconuts! Emperor Augustus was supposedly a great bocce sportsman. The Roman influence in the game is seen clearly in its name; the word bocce derives from the Latin bottia, meaning boss.

Horse Shoes is a favorite here in this resort.  Men show up in the morning and games go on all day.  Alph Horse (rules here) says "Horseshoes is a game that is extremely easy to learn, yet difficult to master. While no article can hope to help your mastery of the game (sorry – it takes time and practice to get the knack for pitching a horseshoe), by the time you are finished with this article you will have a full understanding of how horseshoes is played and scored.

Pickle Ball  We have just added a Pickle Ball (rules here) court here in our resort within the last year.  This court is used hard everyday that it does not rain or blow.  Players often practice on the court for competition at the city parks and recreation facilities.  It is a fast game with rules that are similar to volley but played with a paddle and a light weight ball. 

Bridge is a great favorite with players both in this park but in parks near by.  If  you  love a challenging game you will find wonderful playing partners and couples to spend time with.

Golfers with out partners will find a list of people looking for a game in the recreation director's office.  I noticed recently that they was a very long list of people that had signed up.

Bingo players have one evening a week to play and win.  If you love this game of chance, you will have lots of competition.  Our auditorium fills on this evening for a game.  You can win prizes at this event.

We also have a tennis court, pool tables and, for the card players, several rooms with the appropriate tables.

The choice is yours.  There is no reason for anyone to be bored here.


b    

10 Things I Cannot Live Without...all available online!

Somethings cannot be purchased online
...family, friends, sunshine! :)

I am inviting you to think about this...10 things that you could not live without.  I am retired, 69 and live in a small space.  If you were wanting to shop for my favorite things this is what you would look for:

1. My microroplane zester...I yearned for one of these for years but just could not make myself buy one.  I even used a rasp from my husband's shop for a while.
2. The exfoliating gloves I use in my shower.  
3. My Kindle reader...this device has made it possible for me to read again.
4. My Apple iPad 2.
5. Girly shoes.  I love shoes.
6. The Pendleton blanket that belonged to my parents.
7. My NeckPillow by Tempur-Pedic 
8. Apple iMac 7-Inch Desktop 
9. Dyson Vacuum Cleaner  Really, I will never own another brand.  It is the best.
10. My iphone (4s is coming next)...I even take most of my pictures for this blog with it.

There you have it.  If I were to go shopping for all your favorite things was would you suggest?

b

Related articles

• Quick Guide to Online Shopping (retireinstyleblog.com)

What If You Get Sick-Travel Preparedness

Travel has its risks...take precautions before you leave home.
Sapa, Vietnam (photo by E.)

Here is a problem that I have never talked about: How to be prepared when you are on the road and get a cold or worse yet the flu? Yikes! Now this does happen boys and girls.  As optimistic as I am you would think I would just not worry about this but I do.  It can be a big problem. While I don't have all the answers I do have a few steps you should take before you board a plane, set out on the road in a car or a motor home. Be prepared!  (PLEASE leave a comment if you have more or better ideas.  I will link to a blog post if you have written about this too.) 

We are going to make the assumption that you have insurance or are on Medicare.

1. Before you drive pack your bags be sure to contact your doctor and let them know what you are up to. I suggest that you go to the office and get a quick going over just to make sure you are good to go.  
2. Get a flu shot far enough in advance that it is effective If you are leaving the country be sure to ask your doctor about any other needed immunizations. Hepititus seems to be a major problem.
3. Ask the doctor for prescriptions for illnesses that can crop up.Urinary track infections, asthma can be examples of a easy fix if you are prepared. If you are traveling overseas fill the prescription before you leave home.
4. Take all the usual cold medications, inhalers, tummy ache stuff (Imodium) and head ache pills. It will give you peace of mind.
5. Check with your insurance company to see what they are going to do if you are hospitalized or need to visit  a doctor while traveling. Our insurance company covers us when we travel but if yours doesn't, there are companies that do. Go over what you are suppose to do in the worse case scenario. Visualize what you will do if this happens.
6. Always travel with both your supplemental insurance card and your Medicare card. In my case I never use the Medicare card at home but when we are not at home they do not know my insurance company and are very suspicious. (I have had this happen.) 
7. Carry any medical records, prescription lists and personal contacts (children and doctor's number?). Also carry your living will or anything else that might be needed.
8. Talk this over with your spouse/partner. Miscommunication can be a huge problem. Always know where the other's wallet or purse is and how to find their cards, etc. If you are in a relationship where your are hiding medical conditions from each other, make an exception and come clean with each other.  
9. If one of you should become ill, remember that the partner standing needs to rest and eat. Nothing can be worse that the well person getting ill because they tried to do too much.
10. Let your family know what you plan it. If you don't they can even be a problem.b

1. Wash your hands...a lot. Drink a lot of water. Stay well. I don't want you to need this list...ever!This is important so don't blow me off.  I know what I am talking about!

Wash your hand...a lot. Drink more water than you think you need. Stay well. I don't want you to need this list...ever! This is important so don't blow me off. I know what I am talking about.

b
Note:  I need your comments.  Please let me know if you have more information or personal experiences you would like to share.

• Do You Have the Flu (assessment from Mayo Clinic)

How to choose the right RV park! 10 Ideas

I saw an article yesterday talking about how a person can regret their choice of apartments. No electrical outlets, noisy streets, dark rooms and shrinking space that become more apparent after moving in can send renters over the edge.  Renters remorse sets in but a lease has been signed so the tenant is stuck.  Finding the right resort to spend the winter in can be just as hard. I have some ideas that will help you narrow down that long list of "perfect" snowbird locations.

1. Okay I'm here. What do I do now? No matter how fancy a RV resort is it cannot be a stand alone location in most cases.  You can sit in the sun for just so long then you are going to want to get out and enjoy the area.  I for one do not want to be parked in the middle of the desert with nothing to do.  Think about that when you decide to settle into a location.
2. The railroad tracks are where?You can only hide the railroad tracks for so long.  Then that ugly beast with rear it's head at the most inopportune time. Just ask about railroad tracks and freeway noise before you make a reservation. Maybe you won't mind but at least don't be surprised.
3. I don't know anyone. If you decided to spend the whole winter in one spot you might consider finding a place where you have an acquaintance or two. I say this especially if you are new at the experience.  Friends can help make your winter experience  more enjoyable.  If you like to golf for example, it is nice to have another couple to play with. I don't see this as an absolute necessity but it is nice.
4. Cars are not welcome? We stayed in an RV resort in Needles, California one year. The owners didn't like for their renters to have visitors and would not let them park near our motor home.  If a visitor pulled in behind our car the owners would come immediately and make company move.   It was such an unfriendly atmosphere.  I think if we had asked if we could have company or invite people for dinner in the beginning we would have saved ourselves a lot of grief.  We didn't even consider that when we committed ourselves.  It was a beautiful park.
5. Pets are allowed where?  Pets can be a contentious point when you live so close to other people. A park that does not assign a special section for pets is inviting problems.  A dog that barks night and day can drive the neighbors nuts.  Check on that.  If you are a dog owner remember to be considerate of others.
6. You cleaned the laundry room last year?  Take a look around before you commit yourselves to an extended stay. A filthy laundry room or unkept pool area can be a deal breakers in my book.  We have stayed (one night) in some pretty iffy places.  Thank heavens we did not commit ourselves sight unseen.
7. Where is the pool, pickle ball, bocce ball?  When you look at Camper Life or an online website to see what is available at a park, be sure that the activities you enjoy are available in the park.  If you golf a course should be close by.
8. Quiet hour starts a 7 pm?  Unless you are dead you are going to want to talk or even dance in the street once in a while.  Remember that!  If the park is designed for very old quiet people think about whether that is going to work for you.  
9. It gets how cold at nights?  Just because a location is in the southern United States does not mean that it will be warm.  Check into the weather, average temperatures, wind/rain before you rent a park model or commit to a month in one location.  You will not regret it.
10. The grocery is how far away?  Is there anything worse that being stuck in a place that has no services?  I mean I like solitude as well as the next guy but no grocery store save the one in the RV park does not work for me.  It is just a thought.

Do you have any suggestions.  I would love to hear them.

b

Related articles

• parked at last for 3-? days - San Marcos, TX (travelpod.com)
• RV Park Fined for county law violation. (Clatsop County, Oregon)
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Stylish Simple Living...what should you keep!

Bob Lowry wrote a post the other day about living simply but not having a simple life. He spoke of people going over board with the "simple living" principal stripping their life of all those things that are not needed. I began to think about that idea.

Rooftops of Sapa (edited with Snapseed on ipad)

We have just returned from a trip to Viet Nam where we visited a community in north Vietnam called Sapa. Here children played without shoes or even pants on days when I was wearing a coats and scarves. The people that lived in the countryside lived on the bare minimum. But, they still gathered things of beauty around them.  Native costumes with lively colors adorned the women and they spent their days weaving and embroidering things that they sold in markets. In fact, beauty surrounded them. On some level it was as though the difficulties of their life was made more bearable because of the colors that they embraced. I think that we can take a lesson from this. Not all the things in our life are disposable. There are things we should never get rid of; beauty, cleanliness, friendship, learning and family.

Native Women bartering!

Bob talked about the person that rid themselves of all but 15 things.  He thought it was a bit "silly". I think that if you are going to take away all but 15 things, the 5 things I listed above had be the things that stay. So of all your personal possessions that you can live without, those things that make your heart sing because they are beautiful should not be let go.  Hang on to what you can because, even when things get bad, they will make your life better.

I invite you to read Bob's article and see what he has done. Simple Living Can Become Silly is one of the best I have seen recently.

I live with a cat....sigh!

RV the CAT!

Living with a cat has got to be one of the most frustrating experiences one will ever have.  I live with a cat and a husband.  The husband loves the cat.  As a result I do not have any control in my world at all.

We traveled with the cat in a cage this fall...well for a while.  Then the cat demanded to be let out so we did.  There was no choice.  The cat can be a little whiny and besides that he will scratch me if I don't obey his every command.  Not when I displease him but later in the day...in the dark.  I don't like that at all.

Now he lives with us in our park model.  This cat was wild when we found him and still does not like to be in a small space.  We, however, live in a part of our RV park that does not allow pets outdoors...RV the Cat doesn't understand and escapes as often as possible.  I don't suppose he can help himself.  I don't think he knows that there are places in the RV resort where he could be on a lease outdoors yet. When he runs away, I will call and call but he doesn't come.  Then when I am not looking he will sneak in and hide where I cannot find him.  He doesn't care if we get in trouble and we do get in trouble right along in this place.  I know that can happen.  If the residents didn't like it when we danced in the street a 8 pm, imagine what they will say when my big black very spooky looking cat is seen wandering around.

I am a little worried that the cat will find out about Cat/Dog Street.  Please don't tell.  I told my husband that I have put my foot down. I am not moving to a new location and I'm not letting my husband move either...the cat on the other hand....!

b

Frugal Travel....Vietnam might be the place!

I was reading the Frugal Traveler this morning.  Author of the column, Seth Kugel, writes for the New York Times and is the "guru" of cheap travel.  You remember him...he was the one that blasted this blog out of the water last spring.  The article today is about Portugal.  Now that really is a place I would like to visit. But.....

In my world the Far East (excluding China) is by far the best buy for the frugal traveler right now.  We just returned from a trip to China and Vietnam. We visited Sapa, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the island of Phú Quốc in Viet Nam and Shanghai in China. If I were looking for the most frugal of all adventures, Vietnam would be my choice right now...that is what I know so indulge me.

• Flight: $1450 (from Tucson AZ)
• Rooms:  $20+ Sapa Boutique Hotel, $140 Grand Hotel Ho Chi Minh City, $20-$100 Hanoi, $150 Cassia Cottages Phú Quốc (included breakfast).  This is a resort so the price is higher but in this case I think it is probably a very good choice.
• Trekking:  We booked our day hikes in the hotel we staying at.  We booked the guide after we had arrived. There are websites for treks with overnight stays in villages.  2 days 3 nights will cost around $170.  
• Overnight train fare from Hanoi to Lao Cai $25-$78.  Connecting Bus (1 1/2 hr.) $2 one way.
• Note:  A trip to Halong Bay could be another place you should put on your list.  

Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel Lobby/Restaurant 

Night Train to Sapa from Hanoi

Valley below Sapa on the slope of the Hoang Lien Son range of mountains 
at the eastern extremity of the Himalayas.

Trek to Cat Cat Village

Cassia Cottages, Phú Quốc

I don't know when you last stayed in a $25 hotel room but it had been a very long time for me.  We stayed in a very small hotel in Hanoi called Hanoi Gecko.  The rooms were clean and the hotel was extremely small.  The hotel owner was there to greet us personally and the breakfast we were served in the morning was in a dining room off the lobby.  It was all just fine!  On the other end of the spectrum, we found the resort on Phú Quốco be very luxurious in Vietnam's terms and within a few years the price will probably be beyond our reach.  Our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City was indeed very nice but was not a 5* hotel.   All in all the trade off we made for the cheap rooms allowed us to upgrade in other locations.

Shopping Viet Nam is still very affordable and Hanoi Old City is very much like it has always been I think.  The charm of the way of life that reflects how the Vietnamese really live is still alive here as it is in Sapa.  The farther you go south the costs seem to go up.  

Market Place, HCMC

HCMC from the air.

A young frugal traveler that is willing to stay in less than *****hotels will find this to be a winner.  At least that is what we found.  Save up all your credit card points, keep a look out for cheap airline tickets or special...this could be the trekker adventurer's trip of a life time.

b

Related articles

• Travel Viet Nam...Getting to Sapa (retireinstyleblog.com)
• 10 Things about travel in Vietnam..2011 (retireinstyleblog.com)
• 10 Days in Vietnam...planes, trains and automobiles! (retireinstyleblog.com)
• Traveling with Grandchildren in the Far East! (retireinstyleblog.com)
• Vietnam...Selling to the Tourist from Hanoi to Sapa (retireinstyleblog.com)
• A day on an Island...Phu Quoc, Vietnam (retireinstyleblog.com)

Stein Mart Coupons and ME!

Link Here

Stein Mart here in Tucson (and maybe nationwide) is having a sale today (1/21/12).  Valentines day is coming.  We are going dancing next week end.  Did I mention...I love Stein Mart!  This is the store designed for women that like classic, beautiful, stylish, and inexpensive clothes.  It is a wonderful stop even if they are not having a sale.  Doesn't that describe you?  Really, this store is just perfect.  In fact, walking in the door will have your heart pumping.  At least that is what it does for me.

I love a good sale and I LOVE STEIN MART!  That is all I have today.

b

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How Old is Your Retirement Financial Advisor?

If I were a financial advisor I would really want to be near the age of the person I was advising or have dealt personally with the problems of a family member or friend that was retired!  The internet is filled with ads for people that want to tell others who are retiring how to invest their money and how much retirement income they will need.  But, unless they have been personally and emotionally involved in the finances of a senior, they probably know zip!

I was reading an article put out by a leading financial group the other day saying the same thing.  According to the person writing this article, the thing most advisors are forgetting is the emotional and financial cost of maintaining our bodies (health care).  The money figures they quoted were staggering.

• According to the estimates in Figure 2, a man age 55 in 2009 would need between $144,000 and $290,000 by the time he reached age 65 in 2019 (depending upon his use of prescription drugs in retirement) to have a 50 percent chance of having enough money to cover premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for Medigap and Medicare Part D
• Women age 55 would be able to save the same $46,200 as 55-year-old men if interest rates were 1 percent, but would need between $210,000–$406,000 by the time they reach age 65 in 2019 to have a 50 percent chance of having enough savings to cover premiums and out-of-pocket expenses in retirement.

These figure released in 2010 by the Employee Benefits Research Institute are the latest I can find and probably don't take into account new benefits or loss of benefits that have been instituted over the last 2 years.

Living for six month of the year in a 55+ community has giving we some insight to the good and bad of health care choices.   For example, we see people that do not have the benefit of physical therapy after surgery.  Recovery takes so much longer and is not complete.  In other cases we witness the effects of poor dental care and all the problems it brings.  Many people are dependent on the Veteran's Administrations for care and it has been a disaster.  In some cases all of these come together to create the perfect storm.  On the other hand, those with good health care benefits can live a very long and healthy life.

Living by the seat of our pants is not a good thing. Find a good retirement advisor be sure he/she is good because they truly understand the emotional side of living with the spektor of poor health care for the rest of your life.

Just a thought.

b

Technorati Tags: Financial Advisors, Retirement, HealthCare

Note:  Be sure of the cost before you enter into an agreement. In 2006 Kiplinger said:

A commission only advisor can offer you the advice you need and the cost will be amazingly low. this is because they are still early on in the "learning process". Dont let that scare you - if you go with a big firm, they will likely have a strict review process to ensure you are getting excellent advice (and doing nothing stupid).

Read more: http://forums.kiplinger.com/showthread.php?6561-Financial-advisor-costs&s=4f5052f5c810348950a19683e2c0c1db#ixzz1k28Ib3B5
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