News from Richard Bleil
This has been one heckuva week, so, maybe an update and some thoughts on that. Let’s start with history that you probably already know if you’ve read nearly anything I’ve written lately, but I’ve been in a death spiral for years. Lost jobs, poor income, repossessed car, the list just goes on and on. Along with these losses, I also lost my father, about ten years after my mother passed. I’ve made no secret that my father and I were not close; mostly what I learned from him was how to be a toxic male, something I have worked hard to unlearn. But, if nothing else, he did have a tidy “nest egg” which he left to my sister and I, not enough to make us millionaires, but enough to help me tremendously.
My life hasn’t been all bad in the last couple of years. A good and very generous friend has taken me in and given me shelter. Fortunately, his apartment is near the bus line, so when my car was repossessed, I could ride the bus to and from work. It wasn’t fun, but it was functional. Although I have been unable to find full time permanent work, I have, nonetheless, found part-time work that brought in enough money for me to eat at least once a day, and, to be honest, another friend of mine has made it her mission to ensure that I don’t go hungry. (Actually, I have several such friends, but one in particular really went above and beyond to ensure it.) Then Covid hit.
Okay, this shouldn’t be a shining moment, but in the light of tragic bringing me luck, with Covid came the government stimulus check. With a mere $1,200, I was making enough headway to look at used cars. The goal was no car loan, and although you can’t expect much for this much money, I was in luck. I found my Ford Explorer for $900, and although she needed a little bit of work, she did turn out to be a good and reliable vehicle. Maybe this was the start of my luck turning.
Which brings us to about a week ago. My desire is to find a way to live on a shoestring budget, with at least a fair standard of living. I decided to take a chance and see if I could turn around one of the darkest aspects of my life, namely, my love life. I’ve tried some dating apps, but with no more luck than I had in my marriage (and, Lord, that was NOT good). Locally here is a dating service, one that combines the old-fashioned dating service where they send you member information, and modern with personal pages. You cannot search their personal profile pages, but rather make recommendations based on your mutual interviews (and eventually experience) and allow you to view the profile page for their recommendation. If you are both interested, then they arrange a meeting. No, no luck there yet, but to be fair, they only finished my profile today. I’ll probably get my first recommendation this week.
One of the things I love to do is drive, but my Ford only gets about 13 mpg, and is not fun to drive. So yesterday, I purchased a hybrid vehicle (2017) that is fun, in great shape (certified in fact) and is supposed to get fabulous mileage. This will allow me to travel in better luxury, and far less expensively than in my second vehicle (that I am keeping as it’s great for hauling and work). What’s more, the new vehicle opens up the opportunity for freelance work, such as ride share services.
Today, I closed on my house. Oversized for my needs, it was also listed at a low enough sale price for me to purchase it without a house loan. Yes, I get it; I’ll still have to pay utilities (who doesn’t?), insurance (who doesn’t?), taxes and upkeep, but it should be less expensive than renting, especially without a house loan. It’s also large enough that I’m considering putting in an upstairs kitchen and renting part of it out. At the very least, there is plenty of room for an office, and maybe I can get started with some projects that could also make some money. Even my writing is starting to make some income, as I just cashed my first check for a freelance writing job. Heck, you are helping me out to as I now have enough followers of my blog that they have started selling advertising space. I haven’t made any money off of that yet, but, just another piece in what I hope is the changing tide.
Bleil's Banter 