Common wisdom suggests that most people think that stress-causing situations stem from workplace problems. They also think that besides work, thinking about family issues, health issues and finances are the cause of stress. While these situations can individually be stressors, another one that might not be on the radar screen is retirement. Believe me, retirement is right on top of the list now as a cause of experiencing stressful situations!

Many employers are dangling a golden egg to long-time employees as a means of reigning in fiscal spending. While the prospect of ending the daily commute and 9-5 work-time in the cubicle sounds good to me, I’d be foolish to think that retiring will add leisure and free time to my days. Will I actually be able to gaze out at an aqua blue ocean while being fanned by palm leaves? In my wildest dreams will I be able to enjoy a swim-up bar on a cruise ship? In reality, I think my retirement will be quite different.

Baby Boomers like myself have been workerbees since we were 16. Retiring from our positions is going to be a huge lifestyle change. Like anything, any lifestyle changes can be stressful until you’ve fully adjusted. Until you develop new routines, you’ll feel a little lost once you’ve stopped the work routine that you’ve developed and followed for years.

Yet another area expected to change when people retire will be your social support system. Over the last 20 years with my current employer, may of my coworkers have retired one by one. Although we promised each other to keep in touch, get together often and have lunch, scheduling conflicts almost never allowed us to do so. I feel the void in our daily water-cooler chats about family life, entertainment news and sometimes the politics of the moment or crisis de jour. Retiring ends those social ties and connections. What’s left is a void that will have to be filled with new relationships and social connections outside of the job.

Leaving your job opens up a new freedom to be able to do what you always wanted to do while simultaneously forcing you to make big decisions. You may have to decide whether to downsize your home,; move in with the adult children; purchase that sought-after vacation home or become a year-round live aboard boater like Jimmy Buffet. We have friends who moved to a gated community on the South Carolina coast and are absolutely delighted with their choice. These decisions are major life stressors for anyone. Financial issues at any point in one’s lifetime is always of concern, but become amplified as a retiree on a fixed income.

Health-care issues, coping with a spouse or friend’s failing health, becoming disabled, Alzheimer’s disease and nursing home care are also stressful concerns. As a Marketing Director at an assisted living facility, my daughter recently began prompting me to look into a private long-term health-care insurance policy. Since my grandmother lived to be 101, I think she’s concerned I’ll spend-down her inheritance.

Many people of my generation have never expected a perfect alignment of the planets to collide and cause a recession at the exact moment many of us will be retiring. Will we be able to live the lifestyle we always wanted to?

Before you can deal with any stress having to do with retirement issues you’ll need to identify the source of what’s causing it. Limit your exposure to current events news focusing on crime and increase time spent doing things you actually enjoy. Exercise and time spent on your favorite hobbies are great stress relievers.

Seeking professional advice from your accountant, lawyer or financial planner is the best way to educate yourself and get a handle on exactly what’s going on with your investments. Once your questions are answered you’ll find that in and of itself will be a huge relief.

Keep your options flexible and realize that not all decisions you make will be carved in stone. The changes in your day-to-day life may feel uncomfortable in the beginning but will settle once you adjust into a new routine.

Reward yourself for all your years of hard work and try to do at least one thing that has been on your bucket list!

Photo of Boaters, Copyright StockXpert

Republished from TypeAMom.com, Cindi Matthews, Editor 50-Something Moms

© 2011 Moomettes Magnificents

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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One of my best friends from the office took a golden handshake early retirement, an opportunity that was too good to pass up.  I still keep in contact with her – when I can can catch up with her.  Usually, along with her husband, she’s out and about and has become a Mystery Shopper.

Not only do mystery shopping jobs allow flexible scheduling and supplemental income but many find mystery shopping jobs a perfect complement to a retiree’s existing passion for shopping and dining out.

Have you ever heard of mystery shopping?  It’s a method that some people use to make money in their spare time, but many people mistake it for a scam.  In some cases, it is, but there are plenty of perfectly viable opportunities out there for WAHM’s that are legitimate.  The right opportunity with a well established company can provide the prospective shopper with several benefits in addition to welcome extra money for groceries.

So what do mystery shoppers do, and how do you go about discovering shopping opportunities that are legitimate?

Mystery shoppers are customers hired by a company to shop undercover, sometimes in a competitors’ store, oftentimes in their own franchises.  They shop everywhere, pose as customers, and gather intelligence about all sorts of areas – from quality of service to cleanliness.  Mystery shoppers act just like regular shoppers – they buy merchandise, make returns and ask questions, all while making a lot of observations.  After their shopping trip is over, the mystery shopper completes and submits a report.

This isn’t a way to get paid for what you think about the experience; it’s more like a form of journalism, and your report form will contain mostly yes or no questions.  Most mystery shoppers are actually hired by businesses to tell them about the experiences of customers in their own stores – things that a supervisor might not see.  After all, most people are on on their best behavior in front of the boss.  The information gathered by mystery shoppers can even be used to reward good employees.

There are all kinds of businesses that might use mystery shoppers – hotels, restaurants, spas, boutique shops, theme parks and banks.  There are even government agencies that send out people who do a similar job to that of mystery shoppers, to find out how citizens are treated.  Plenty of opportunities are available, and if you want to get involved, you’ll need to find a mystery shopping company.  Approximately 2.5 million people are currently working in this position.

Like any job opportunity, this kind of position has brought out some scammers, too.  Rookie mystery shoppers should be forewarned before they sign up with any randomly selected service.  Look for companies that belong to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA),  which have to agree to certain ethical standards and be formally approved.  Try to find out more about the company before you commit to a fee. Never pay any company to apply, or to get a “kit” of information that’ll supposedly help you get the job.  Legitimate jobs are available for free.

If you see promises of high pay rates, it’s probably not on the up-and-up.  Most mystery shoppers get paid around $10 per assignment although complex assignments can be in the $100 range.  While you’re not likely to get rich doing this job, it is a way to make a little extra money while having a lot of fun shopping.

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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New England Travel Ideas & Summer Solstice

Welcome, Summer Solstice, and the first day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere!

School is out for most everyone, and our thoughts are turning to hot fun in the summertime!

But it’s not hot here, at least not in New England!  If you’re a kid, I guess it doesn’t really make a difference, as you’re off to camp of one sort or another, or just hanging with your friends.

We don’t have any immediate plans, as you can see from my wanderings in my Vicarious Traveler meme.  There will be one trip to Ogunquit, Maine with charming son-in-law’s parents that I’ll be looking forward to later this summer.  Maine‘s usually cooler though, isn’t it?  Well, it has Maine lobsters, so that’s a redeeming factor.

Yet, now that summer’s here, it’s pretty hard to concentrate when I’m in the cubicle during my day job.  Of course, I thought I was retiring (still have 9 days to decide…tempting) and would get to have carefree time like I did when I was (much) younger.

I think back to those days when my kids were little, and I’d be setting up the Mr. Turtle pool in the mornings, hoping the water would warm up to let the kids play come afternoon.

It looks like the summer weather isn’t shaping up to be too grand in any part of the country this year.

Looking for some great travel ideas in New England?  Check out New England Travel.  I just started to follow Kim on Twitter.

So what are your plans? Maybe I can find some great tips!

Photo Credit: Flickr BeeRealty

To celebrate my new re-branded blog and theme, Moomette’s Magnificents  is hosting a Giveaway Contest! For a chance to win, there will be one (1) winner of a jar of New England Steak Seasoning, just in time for summer grilling!

Please include a way of contacting you.

Main Rule:   (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
a) Sign up for my free Newsletter Updates to my blog through my e-mail Feedblitz link (on the top of my right column or let me know if you already are, in a separate comment) AND

b) Scroll through my past posts and leave the title of one that’s not listed in the related posts here, and WHY you chose it.

Now for extra entries (each task will get you 1 extra entry):

~One Extra Entry: Add my banner button to your sidebar or add me to your blogroll, and come back here and leave the link (I will be checking)

~One Extra Entry: Blog about the contest on your blog linking to my blog and the site

~ One Extra Entry: Become a Fan of Moomettesgram on Facebook and let me know your name in a separate comment.

~ One Extra Entry: Add me to Google Friend Request (right sidebar) and let me know your name in a separate comment.

~One Extra Entry: Favorite Moomette’s Magnificents in Technorati and leave your name (I will be checking) in a separate comment  (the link is on my left column if you scroll down) or both.

~ One Extra Entry: Follow Me on Twitter and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment.

~One Extra Entry: Tweet about this contest (Retweet button at bottom of post), and come back to this post and leave the URL link to the Tweet so I can check. You may Retweet once per day until the end of the contest, but please leave a separate comment for each Retweet, along with the permalink

Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.

This contest will run until June 28 at approximately 11:00 pm.

Winners are chosen by Random.Org, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

*Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

*Include your email if it’s not enabled.
*Open to USA and Canada Only
*Rules for each entry must be followed to be valid.

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Today’s Random Tuesday Thoughts finds me ranting about the economy, for several reasons.

After much mucking around and crunching numbers, I will not be taking the Early Retirement Incentive offer from my day job. You see, my youngest daughter just graduated from college this past weekend, and then there’s those picky little details, like…a mortgage and Parent-Plus loans I’m stuck with. I’m a Baby Boomer, but not even 60 yet, so if I retired, it would be considered “early retirement” and I’d be penalized for each month I’m not 62 yet. No Social Security here. What’s going to be really tough is that my once large circle of friends have all retired, and my inner circle has grown much smaller. My BFF at work will be leaving. I can’t imagine another (at least) 5 years without seeing her every day.

I just had a professional resume done as insurance, in the event I do decide to book early because I get transferred, or PO’d, or both. I look really good on paper now. I had a professional resume writer/former head-hunter piece my 30+ years of work ethic and experience together so that it all flows smoothly. Yes, I could have done it myself, and yes, I do write resumes for other people. But it’s like decluttering your own house after 30 years -–it’’ much easier to have an impartial person throw away all the junk that you think’s important.

Back to the economy…

I was at the ATM drive-up teller at the bank the other day making a (surprise!) – deposit. You know that little TV camera that turns on when the teller (much like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain) comes on and says “Hi, can I help you?” Well, it took me back, because instead of the usual, sweet high-school or college gals or grads, there was this older gray-hair gent staring back at me. He was about my age. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a male bank teller, especially one about my age. So while he was taking care of business, I was ruminating about my state of a) still having to work and b) thinking, gee, maybe this guy got laid off or downsized, and he’s probably some Accountant or Lawyer now working as a bank teller. At least he isn’t out there flipping burgers.

Next up on the economy rant …

With our economy in it’s downward death spiral Great Recession here in New England, our legislative pooh-bahs have come up with one doozy of a legislative proposal. Let’s close some inland state parks; cease maintaining them and not hire any park rangers or lifeguards this summer for the beaches! Brilliant! How much does that save the state? So much for any chance of our local residents having any fun such as day trip or enjoying camping fun! The state parks allow state residents, sometimes for a nominal fee, to enjoy picnics, etc. Now what are the residents supposed to do? Cough up all that money to go to what… Six Flags? I say, let’s invite the Legislators to a cookout (BYOB and food of course) and bring on the garden hose and water sprinkler for them to enjoy. Oh ya, right… they’ll be on “holiday” in Europe or somewhere. Catch ya in the fall.

Visit Keely at The Un-Mom for more Random Tuesday Thoughts.

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Continuing in my chronicles of trying to develop a work-at-home lifestyle in preparation for retirement, I’m going to address the issue of “getting your family on-board” and used to the idea that the dining room table is no longer for dining.  It has now become my “staging area.”

Years ago when we were young, childless and full of energy, I used to entertain quite frequently (and quite elegantly, I might add.)  Those days are over, and I now need my dining room for my eBay Store shipping area, as well as for all the items for my product reviews.  Convincing the family that I am indeed, quite serious about this venture, has been to say the least, challenging.

Taking on a home business venture is difficult enough. Getting your family to support you may be the difference between your business success and failure. From your family’s point of view, this working at home thing has both it’s good and bad points.

Your “too young for school” age children love having you at home because they like doing things with you, whether it’s baking cookies or playing in the sandbox.

Your school age children find it pretty handy having mom at home to drive them to their soccer games or have their friends over to play. They even like having you come to school to volunteer in their classroom.

Teenagers are a harder sell. They like that you can drive them to the mall or bring them to work. They however may not be really fond of the fact that you always seem to be around.

If, like me, you might be a Baby Boomer Grandma, working at home might seem like an open invitation to drop the grandkiddos off at a moment’s notice when a babysitter is needed.

Now your husband probably sees both sides. He loves that his wife is home taking care of the house and the kids and making a nice supper each evening. He’s even proud of what and says he supports you in what you are doing and may even be amazed at how you manage to pull it all off and make it seem easy.

He’s not as keen on the fact that your income has dropped if you used to have a “real” job and are not making the same amount of money as a WAHM. He probably is not too crazy about the idea of having to pitch in more in the evenings so that you can get some work done. You’re busier when he wants some attention and he has trouble understanding why, when you’re home all day, you need to work in the evening.

The hardest person to get on-board may be your husband. He may not be convinced that you’ll actually make any money with your venture.

So how do you overcome your family’s objections to your working at home and get them on your side? Holding a family conference to discuss the issue is probably a good first step. During this conversation it’s important for everyone to have their say and to share their feelings. By hearing what your children and husband think and how they perceive your home business venture, you’ll know how best to explain your ideas.

Try to elicit a promise of your spouse’s support for at least a period of several months, so you will have some time to get up and running. If he is very much opposed to your venture at least try to arrive at a compromise with him. Perhaps suggest that if you’re not showing an income after a specified period of time, you’ll give it up, put it on hold for awhile, or go back to work.

Come to some mutual agreement that you can both live with. This is how it becomes a win/win situation. You’ll work even harder to prove you can do it and he’ll be happy knowing that there will be a resolution.

Your family needs to realize the benefits of you working at home rather than outside the home. Point out how much extra help you’d need and the extra chores they’d have to do if you weren’t working at home. This is usually a pretty persuasive argument when it comes to the kids and maybe even your husband too.

Talk about your feelings regarding having your own home business, whether you are considering a career as a real estate agent, eBay entrepreneur, boutique online store owner, or Etsy owner.  Discuss how important it is to you that they support you. The guilt card, when used properly, can be very effective.

Involve everyone in the decision about your venture. Listen to each and every family member and take their feelings into consideration and ask that they do the same for yours. You can even try offering rewards for their support. They don’t have to be monetary awards either, spending time together and showing them how readily available you can be to them when they need you will help you be on the way to getting and keeping your family squarely on your side.

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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As those who follow me or have read my Press Release or bio know, I’ve been a Paralegal for over 30 years.  I received an e-mail the other day from the Managing Editor of the Connecticut Law Tribune and was interviewed for a story that they’re putting together about  Virtual Legal Assistants.  I can’t wait to see it when it goes to press.  Unfortunately, I had to pass on the photo op because of time constraints ~ not to mention a serious need for concealer after all the excitement of becoming a new Gram again!

In anticipation of my Baby Boomer retirement, I established another online ebiz,  CT Paralegal Virtual Assistant Services to continue to put my skills to use (keep the brain cells active, too) and earn a supplemental income. Here’s an article that all work-at-home moms might find helpful!

If you currently use a VA, please comment and share your experiences!

I’m a Work at Home Mom; Do I Need a Virtual Assistant?by Debra Nail

The term “Virtual Assistant” is becoming more and more common every day. Small businesses utilize VAs for administrative tasks such as data entry, research and many other related tasks.

But, you might say, I’m a work at home mom, how can a virtual assistant help me? I’m glad you asked!

First, for a definition—a virtual assistant is someone who works from their own home-based office to perform tasks pertaining to their client’s business. The VA pays their own insurance, taxes and social security, saving the client’s company money. A virtual assistant is a business owner and works hard every day to build their practice.

There are many ways a virtual assistant can help the work at home mom community. For those just starting out, it could be creating a business image with logos, business cards and forms, etc, all done through desktop publishing by a virtual assistant.

Once your business is off and running, you need customers. The best way to get customers—advertising. Online or offline, your VA can put together a marketing package tailored to your specifications such as banner creation and placement, advertising through classifieds, etc.

Even after customers have committed to doing business with you, there are lots of other tasks your va can perform from sending out direct mailings of specials and promotions to ghostwriting and submitting articles pertaining to your target customer.

A virtual assistant can be your right-hand person to make your business succeed.

About the author: Debra Nail is the owner of WAHM Virtual Helper, a virtual assistance service for work at home moms. You can visit her website at http://www.wahmvirtualhelper.com
Article Source: WAHM Articles

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Since it’s summer now, everywhere I go there’s air conditioning running. I really like hot, humid weather, and am not an aficionado of air conditioning, unless it’s absolutely necessary.

I freeze when I ride in the car with my husband, as the air’s always on full-blast. When I’m in my home office, I have to wear a sweater because the air conditioning is running full-stream ahead coming in from the living room.

As many of my readers are aware, I really want to retire from my cubicle job. Do I have to tell anyone who works in an office about air conditioning? In my building, some people are fortunate enough to have offices located in the inner-sanctuary. Me? I’ve been ostracized and relagated to the North Pole. Actually, I think that’s how they get many Baby Boomers to retire early ~ freeze us out. Now that’s not too bad if you’re having a Hot-Flash day, but when you’re not ~ granny needs an afghan.

Now there’s an answer to the office freezer syndrome! There’s a nifty, new trendy product called the Cabin Cuddler.

If you work in a cold office with men who have the temperature at 65 degrees because they are all wearing suits and you want to wear a cute dress but can’t (or can but have to wrap a sweater or jacket around your legs) because you’ll freeze, the Cabin Cuddler is for you. It’s discrete but entirely functional.

**[PRODUCT FEATURES]
o Tote bag turns into your own personal hygienic pillow case
o Comes with it’s own inflatable pillow
o Patented pocket always keeps your feet warm
o Contour cut of the blanket covers every inch of your body

This would even be a great idea to take in the car when you’re traveling!

Forget the granny square afghans ~ check this out for a chic look  ~ and save and conserve energy too by turning down that air conditioning thermostat!

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Interested in saving money with the downturn of today’s economy?  I know I am!  Whether you’re a young mom or a mid-life Boomer like myself,  every penny helps.  I even take advantage of Senior Citizen days and discounts, whenever I can!

I’ve added a new content section featuring Freebies & Contests!  Check in often and see what’s new!

For starters, visit My Savings, as I’m sure you’ll find something of interest ~ whether you’re shopping online, or looking for FREE Samples, Coupons, Sales,  and Special Offers & Deals!

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Today being Monday, it was awfully hard to come down from a fun weekend and go into the cubicle.  I’m constantly researching and trying new ways to make working at home an option for me.  Here’s a great article I came across that I’d like to share with any of my readers who are in the same predicament I’m in.

Baby Boomers – Work From Home Is An Option
By Chris Tutauha

To me the baby boomer way to live life is to make the most of the options we now have, especially the option to work from home. I do not have to remind you that we have always done that. Once we see an opportunity and it looks good we go for it. This is just another one of those things we can choose to do. And just like you I would rather do it the easy way than the hard way.

How easy is it to get up out bed, go to the toilet, put the kettle on boot up the computer and voila! You are at work? Too easy! Or what about this one. Hang out with the family, go home at 10.00 pm kiss your darling good night and then fire up the computer, go to work, and when you are ready; go to bed. The good thing is you can get up when you want the next day. Unless your darling has plans (and you forgot) then you have to suffer and complain you should have left your work for later. Or how about this one. You go to another part of the country or overseas, settle somewhere, fire up your computer (laptop this time) and … that’s right … go to work. This style of having a home based business opportunity is called: work from home.

What about doing the chores around the house, mowing lawns, gardening, weeding, fixing reticulation, hanging out the clothes, doing the washing, cooking, doing the dishes, playing with your grandchildren, entertaining your friends and visitors? Well you need to do these things as well and I have a special name for this way of living, because you it’s not good to work all the time, you need to have a break. This doing things around the house is called: work at home.

Now there is work from and there is work at home. Let me explain: To make this baby boomer lifestyle to work, we need to note that there is a difference between working from home and working at home.

Although both are productive, one is designed to give you your sense of self worth, keep you mentally challenged, reward you well for your efforts financially, provide the opportunity to learn new things and give you a sense of pride that you contribute to the community, just like it used to be when you left home to go to work.
The other is what you do naturally anyway because that’s the reason you went to work in the first place. This is what we used to normally do when we came home from work. This is what I call: A mans home is his castle and if he treats his wife like a queen he get to be the king.

Meanwhile their little princes and princesses are out of the nest building their lives and the good thing about that many of them. They are not waiting until they get to our age, they are doing it now. In fact amongst the so called geeks, nerds and young minds are the very core people who have turned this work from home concept into a very user friendly opportunity for us to live life the baby boomer way. Many of these young people are the product of what we have installed into their lives.

In closing: Fellow baby boomer, be proud of the fact that you can design for yourself a baby boomer lifestyle and enlist the help of the young nerdie geekie minds, just like your little darlings. With their help you can overcome the hurdles of todays technological wonders. The internet is filled with lots of baby boomer off-spring who know how to relate to us and certainly bridge the generation gap. Remember that old saying … You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Its true, you can not teach an old dog new tricks. Let me remind you of an old trick: You are only as old as you think you are. Come join the baby boomer boom. Work from home.

Chris Tutauha is a baby boomer who grabbed the concept of working from home because he wanted to design a baby boomer lifestyle and make himself easily accessible to his family, friends and visitors. Chris loves the idea of learning from the geeks, nerds and young minds. To see where he gets it click here: http://www.teknacool.com

Article Source:http://tinyurl.com/4auvop

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Back in the beginning when I started my blog, I mentioned how I have an eBay Store where I’m a Power Seller. I am a Vintage Antique Collector, but branched out into other areas as a result of the forums I belong to. I’m a I was a Moderator on eBay Coach Free Forum, and have met many knowledgeable eBay Sellers on there. You can’t beat Suzanne Wells, the eBay Coach, for all the free excellent advice she’s always dishing out.

Just because I’m successful on my eBay site doesn’t mean that there still isn’t a need to re-access the market and go with the flow of the financial economy ~ see what works for you, and what doesn’t. Change is inevitable ~ eBay changes their marketing tactics; the economy changes; and so do my family needs, time constraints and interests. The challenge is still on to reinvent myself and find my niche.

In keeping with my original mantra to keep my readers updated on my progress (or lack of it) towards retirement – I started this blog. As you all know, I have expanded and opened Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes where I sell hand-crafted items and more. I’ve also found that I love blogging, am putting a great deal of effort and time into it, and enjoy the many new friendships it has afforded me.

I recently posted on my Mama Mentor Blog that I took a little R & R junket to Lake Keuka, one of the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York to visit my brother. That junket actually turned into an Antique Shopping Spree.

When I flew up – all I brought was a carry-on. Since 4 boxes of Vintage Collectibles wouldn’t fit under my plane seat ~ my brother ending up shipping them back to me (graciously, at his expense!) (Snicker-Yippee!)

So, I had a massive auction liquidation of certain lines in my eBay Store, and am increasing my line of Vintage items, in both my eBay Store and my boutique Shoppes site.

Stay tuned for other posts on how things are going with my affiliate marketing ~ that’s a whole ‘nother area I’m re-assessing.

How and Why to Not Let Retirement Stress You Out is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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