Looking Back on 2018: What Happened, What Didn't

      I hoisted up my grocery bags, and on the way out of Safeway, glanced at the Coinstar machine. Two somethings glinted in the changeholder: a Brazilian 10-centavo coin, from a country we became very fond of. Plus a beat-up nickel.

     That small piece of good luck continued at the next place (3 videos for the price of one, with a book thrown in) AND the next place. (An item marked 50% off - without me having to beg!) 

     Is this a sign that 2019 is going to be a lucky year for us Bricks...if we watch our nickels?

I wonder.

     Professionally, last year was much more peaceful for me. A lot of the residual drama from the past three years has subsided, thank God. I'm not sure how much more I could have handled. I've kept up my 21+ year AQS* certification (for quilts), but surprisingly, have found myself doing a wider range of personal property appraising than ever before -- Native American artifacts, including rugs, pots and arrowheads; furniture; glassware; paintings/prints and other art; textiles -- antique and new. My certification for ASA** begins its third year; in fact, I have to give a talk for the Denver chapter of ASA this month. 
     Then there is The Book -- #7 to be published, but completely different from the others. It's done so well that possibilities are strong I'll be working on a sequel in 2019, with the Brick again as major photographer. Now, if the royalties would finally start! 
     I also plan to continue writing, not only on my own blog, but for others, as well. 

*American Quilter's Society    
**American Society of Appraisers (senior personal property appraiser)

Photos like this can be quite valuable to collectors.

     Personally, life was more harried. We gained a son, when Son #1 married Daughter #2 in June. Somehow they continued to keep their own lives going through some difficult family events. It was incredibly hard -- but they did it. We're proud of them.
    We had some health problems, too...
    Which meant that our house never went on the real estate market, as we'd planned. (Yes, appraisal clients, I'm still living here.) We did some cleaning up and donating, but more needs to happen. 
     These family matters meant that I got behind -- and my own deadlines suffered. I am grateful that, with a few exceptions that should be cleared away soon, I'm caught up. I have action plans to make sure that doesn't happen again. It's too nerve-wracking, otherwise. 

     Financially, it's been a tight year. We live on a fixed income, with the addition of whatever comes in from my work. And that can vary widely. When we had to cover not only extra wedding costs, but medical expenses, the bank account got skimpy for a while. (Professional secret: when you see photos in a book, the author paid for those -- not the publisher. So yes, we paid for those, too.) 






     What saved us was God's grace, which brought in unexpected jobs and opportunities. We went on a careful mix of frugality, including eating or watching movies at home when we preferred to be going out. Somehow -- and I am not sure exactly how this happened -- we kept our bills paid.

     God is good -- all the time. All the time -- God is good.

So where does that leave us in 2019?

Hopefully in better health. 

We'll continue to watch our pennies (er, nickels). But we should start to have extra income in the spring. We'll pick up side income here and there. A meatier emergency fund gives us more cushion for the unexpected.. 



   
      If all goes well, we should be moving into the trailer in spring. House values have skyrocketed here in Colorado -- we've actually gained money by not selling in 2017-18 (It doesn't hurt that a new hospital was built in our area -- and a new college campus is slated to join it this year, as well.) 
    We don't think this surge will continue indefinitely. Many believe we're close to another recession -- and Colorado often leads the way, in this respect. But we believe we still have a little time. Winter is not the smartest season to put a house on the market. Even if house prices go down, the total is still considerably more than the base figure we've been using for planning purposes. 

     We need to sell this house.

A lot of work remains to be done. And if it's important, we'll hire some of that. I feel confident that we can accomplish most of it ourselves, particularly with the help of Son #1. (He does a great job refinishing wood floors, as well as bathrooms!)

Other plans: travel (more research for Book #8!) including a trip to Michigan to check on The Mama, whose health continues to fluctuate. I have some teaching/appraising/judging commitments, as well as speaking gigs for The Book. 

A round-the-world cruise still is in the wings for early 2020. We'll know the right bargain when we see it. It's great fun to research and plan for. 
    Meanwhile, I'm enjoying reading other bloggers' conclusions from 2018 -- like Trent Hamm's ten most valuable financial lessons learned this past year.


Welcome, 2019. Welcome to our world.