Becoming a Retired Senior: How Life Has Changed

The thing about working is that really, there are certain weekly purchases that you never think about. Groceries. Gas for your vehicle. Dog or cat food. 

So, now, as a retiree, everything has changed.

Canada is not much of a coupon paradise! Before I quit work, I used to imagine retirement. In my mind's eye, I saw myself and Bob (my darling husband) sauntering over to the local Starbucks and relaxing over a cappuccino and reveling in the beautiful West Coast scenery. Added to that scenario, I saw myself searching online for the best bargains at various grocery stores and grabbing coupons--online or from other various sources--and wandering purposefully down the grocery aisles in a coupon stupor of bliss. 

WRONG!

Sadly, my first scenario was quashed by the vagaries of illness and death. I still plan on spending some quality mornings by myself, over at Starbucks, but just...not...yet. Maybe in the Summer when mornings are sunny and hot. I'm an unabashed Morning Person. 

Secondly, the retirement-couponeer scenario has also yet to come to pass. I don't know where those elusive coupons are hiding but the ones I see delivered to my computer are not really the ones I want or need. I have become an obligate vegan now and all I ever see are coupons for meats! My monthly Gardein(R) vegetarian food coupons won't even print on my printer! (Nice company: they are sending them via snail mail.) [btw, it's only their coupons that won't print, thankfully. Others will.]

That leads me to the most touching problem. Money. Lack thereof. Instead of making the rounds of grocery chains, I make the rounds of dollar stores to find cheap brands of products such as freezer bags, handiwipes for counters and the like. Even gardening supplies now come from the dollar store. I don't know why, but I find this situation distasteful. I just wish I could buy the usual namebrand freezer bags at the usual, conveniently-close grocery store and be done with it. 

Last week I had to limit the number of times I went out for lunch with friends and family, simply because I budget a certain amount for gas and for entertainment (and it's like once per week). I don't usually give excuses but it does hurt me to say "Sorry, I can't" even to my family. 

Wonder if there's anything else around here that I could sell on Craigslist? LOL