Amazon Best Selling Lists: What Do They Tell Us?

I thought it might be fun, or maybe instructive, to look at what is selling well on Amazon. The web site updates the lists every hour of every day, so what you would see today will be different from what I uncovered on a Wednesday morning in mid July. I am not sure what to conclude from what I found.

Here are some selected categories and the results of the top 20 sellers in each:


1) In the app store for Android. all but one of the best sellers are games. This was before the Pokemon Go craze but time-killing games totally dominate. Does this say something about smartphone use, how we spend free moments, or our need for distraction? 

2) In the books and comics category all but one are comics or kids' books. The lone exception is the NIV Bible. It has been awhile since I have visited a bookstore, but I wonder if the comic and graphic novel section reflects this interest.

3) In computers and accessories, all the top sellers are Kindles and Amazon's Echo. No laptops, desk computers, WiFi routers, or monitors are to be found in the top 20.

4) In the cameras and photo category four of the top 20 sellers are drones equipped with cameras. That is scary. 

5) In toys and games the top three are card games about kittens..exploding, imploding, and one that is so explicit it comes with a warning. Obviously, this is the latest fad that I have missed.  The sixth best selling game is called "Cards against Humanity, a game for horrible people."  Exploding kittens and a game for horrible human beings....does that say anything about where we are as a culture today?

6) And, the best seller in the home improvement category is a blue nightlight that lights up inside of your toilet when you raise the lid. Really?


I don't know how much I should conclude from this exercise. Apparently, a lot of folks have enough spare cash, or room on a credit card, to make whimsical or downright silly purchases. With more than half of Americans saying they would be unable to scrape together $1,000 for an emergency, high selling card games about deadly kittens and lighted toilet bowls indicates priority setting may be a bit off.

Maybe these purchases indicate an attempt to escape the steady drumbeat of bad news and political foolishness. For a nominal amount of money, retreating into a mindless game, reading a comic book, or flying a drone over someone's backyard could be a coping mechanism.

I will let others more qualified than me draw weighty conclusions from this sampling of our buying habits. But, I do look forward to your comments!


  

Retirement is A Great Time To Declutter

Reader Diane suggested I take a fresh look at decluttering and simplifying one's environment and lifestyle. Retirement is an excellent time to look for ways to reduce the "stuff' that crowds our home, our mind, our finances, our relationships,  and our schedule.

This is a subject I have addressed often over the years, but newer readers may have missed some of the posts that have appeared in Satisfying Retirement.
What you will find below are a series of links to some of the past posts that generated good readership and some great comments. Click on the ones that catch your eye or address a specific issue that interests you.

Then, I hope you will add your ideas and suggestions. The fascinating aspect of simplification is how varied are the ways we find to achieve our goals. Even the concept of "simplification" means different things to different folks. 

Simple living: easy steps you can take

Simple Living: One Room At a Time

Simple Downsizing: Grabbing a Ready-Made Opportunity

Simple Living My Way

Retirement Life Starts With a Blank canvas

Live Simply in Retirement - Links galore

America's Quest For Simplicity

Simple Living Can Become Silly


This sampling of past posts should be enough to get your creativity flowing. Now, it is your turn. How do you approach simplicity? To you is it cutting back on what you own, or buying what makes you happy but only the best quality you can afford so something lasts a long time? Do you dream of living in a tiny house? Is decluttering a passion of yours, or something that does not bring you joy?

Why Retirement May be Bad For You

Well, there is an interesting title for a post on a blog all about living a satisfying retirement. But, in all honestly, for lots of people, the answer is that retirement may not be a wise choice, at least not now. It may not be satisfying. 

I have taken the position many times that retirement is a unique journey for each of us. No matter how many books or blogs you read (!), friends you consult, or Google searches you conduct, the answer to your retirement success lies within you. The one-of-a-kind mix of your personality, your life to this point, your influences, your attitudes, even your spiritual beliefs, combine to influence this stage of your life.

One of the realities of that mix of factors is you may be much happier if you continue working until they carry you out on a stretcher. Your life might be fuller if you leave one job and start a new company. Your days may require the challenge of proving yourself in a competitive work environment.

Conventional wisdom says we are all ready for a break from responsibility and the enforced schedule of regular employment. Retirement is the stage of life when we get to indulge ourselves doing what we want, when we want. Travel, volunteering, writing, reading, playing with the grandkids, whatever makes us happy shapes our day.  

But, what if you are happiest when working and being productive in a situation where you are paid for your contribution? What if not having deadlines or timetables and goals just doesn't bring you satisfaction? What if retirement for you means leaving one job and starting another?

Then, go for it. The distinctiveness of this phase of our lives really means any path that satisfies you is the correct one to choose. What the majority of folks believe does not make that belief right for you. To follow the usual course means to deny your uniqueness, and that is likely to not end well.

Regardless of the way you live it, one reality of retirement is that things will change. Not leaving the work force, not taking the path most others choose may be the most authentic, most important choice for you, right now. Will it still be the best path in a year, five years, a decade into the future? Who knows? Your responsibility is to be open to making another decision when what you are doing now no longer seems to it; it is no longer entirely satisfying.

Robert Frost might have best summarized the retirement choice each of us must make: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." 



In its traditional sense, retirement may be bad for you. If so, don't do it. Design your own satisfying retirement journey. Go where there is no path. Instead, leave a new trail, one cut by you.


Note: I ran across this tongue-in-cheek blog post on the road less traveled and thought you might enjoy it: 10 Reasons to take the road not taken

What Can You Do When It is 118 Degrees?

Not much.

That was the question we Phoenicians asked ourselves last month when the thermometer hit 118, smashing the record for that date. Then, to prove it could, the heat, which had been above 110 for several days beforehand, remained above 110 for the next two weeks. In thirty one years of living in the Arizona desert, I don't remember a stretch that long of such deadly heat.

As an example of splendid timing, we had picked part of that time to be on a family vacation in San Diego. Daytime highs were nearly 40 degrees cooler than home. Nights required a light jacket.

We rented a condo large enough for eight of us, plus two dogs. Located just 4 blocks from the beach, our home away from home was perfect. Lazy days at the beach or riding bikes, nights around the outdoor fire pit, playing billiards in the game room, endless board games or Xbox, movies, reading, and meals together made us almost forget how hot it was at home.

The fabulous Balboa Park beckoned us with its museums and beautiful grounds. Sea World kept the grandkids enthralled for a full day. We squeezed in a trip to Seaport Village and Old Town San Diego.

Enjoy some pictures of our time together and be sure you make time for making your own memories this summer.

Pacific Beach, CA

It may be July but the ocean is chilly!

I'll let brother and sister get cold!

Three fish out of water?

Rare quiet time for mom

Youngest daughter with her doggie!

Mom and Dad and the kids

Betty with Bailey

Quiet time at the end of the day

Say goodbye to another day

Time for a fire and relaxing at the condo

Making s'mores

A perfect tree for climbing

Playing at a park on the Bay

It is hard to not have a great time at Balboa Park

I found one of my books in Seaport Village!

Love to see them reading

It is time to call it a night

Retirement Planning With Extra Cash

This is a post that asks you to dream a little and share your thoughts with us. There are no bad choices, so don't hesitate to add your comment. 

Pretend that you have just inherited $3,000 with only one stipulation: you must spend the money on yourself. Giving the money to charity, putting it into a college fund for your grandchild, or paying down a credit card bill are all great uses for this extra cash. Fixing a balky air conditioner might be a necessity. But, for today and for for this post, don't think that way. Focus on you, what makes you happy, what you would add to your home, your life. 

Maybe you have been looking at a fancy new digital camera or long lens. There is a room in your home that would look so much better with fresh carpets or a wood floor. A couple of new power saws for your woodworking hobby would be perfect. How about a custom bookcase in the living room for all those books you have stacked in various corners around the house? That kitchen oven never holds the right temperature and has a broken stovetop burner. 

Dream and share. $3,000 isn't enough to take a cruise around the world, buy that 1965 Mustang you've had your eye on for years, or redo your master bath. But, it is enough to fulfill a wish, put a smile on your face, and make a corner of your world a happier place.

It is just a dream...I will not be awarding someone $3,000! But, I thought it would be fun to share what we would do with money that we must spend on our happiness, no matter how unrealistic the dream.

Ready, set....share!

Retirement Lifestyle: Saving Time and Energy

Do you always seem to be playing catch up? Do you end your day with a longer list of things to-do than you started? Are you stressed by how you spend your time? Looking for a way to be more productive with our time is a continuous battle. Here are some steps you can take right now to help regain control of your clock and allow yourself more time and energy to enjoy summertime. 

Cut back on what you own. Our bigger living spaces and more possessions come with a double price: the cost to purchase them and then the time to maintain them. Adopt a simpler lifestyle and you will free up time previously spent on cleaning, fixing, and replacing. If you simplify enough, you may be able to work fewer hours because you are buying less stuff.

Eliminate major time wasters. Most lists would start with the television. The typical American watches 5 hours of TV every single day. Do you realize that equals 6 days in front of the tube every month. What could you do with an extra 6 days over the next 30? Turn off the television and find out.

Keep a detailed time log. For the next week, write down what you do and for how long. The idea is to get a real handle on where your time goes. Just like you need a budget to control the money you spend, you can’t save time if you aren’t really sure how you are spending it.

Re-think your routines and habits. Every morning I used to begin the day by reading two newspapers. Often that took an hour. It finally dawned on me that morning is when I’m most productive. It was a mistake to spend an hour or more on something I could do later in the day. Changing that one habit has made a huge difference in what I accomplish before lunch. How much of your schedule is habit instead of what is most productive? Pull out your time log and look for anything that might produce better results if you make a change. I am down to one newspaper and read it in the afternoon.

Consolidate your errands. If you make several trips in the car to run errands you are wasting money and time. With a little planning you may find you can do it all in one trip instead of several. How about waiting until tomorrow? What about running errands three days a week instead of six?

Go on a diet - an Internet and social media diet. It is likely your time log will show that you’re spending large chunks of time checking your e-mail, Facebook friends, tweets, or just surfing away on the Internet without a real purpose. If that’s the case, go on an electronic diet. Ditch the mindless wandering from site to site. Realize a tweet can go unread for more than a few minutes. E-mail doesn't spoil, so check it later. Spend time at the sites that are important to you or help you solve a problem. Just like you lose weight by cutting calories, you gain time by cutting back the time you waste on the computer.

Do some chores at different times. Some of that time you are not spending in front of the TV or computer can be used for doing chores usually reserved for weekends. Just 30 minutes a few nights a week dedicated to chores will save more of your weekend for relaxing, having fun, or being with family and friends. Grab back your weekends.

Learn to say “No” to some of the requests for your time. It is good to help others who need you, just not to excess, Learn to say “Sorry” to stuff you really don’t want to do. Be a bit choosier about the volunteer work you accept. If someone is overusing your generous nature, become unavailable. Understand you are sacrificing your time to give someone else more time. Some sacrifice is good. Too much is probably not.


Time is the single most valuable resource we have. It is irreplaceable. It is priceless. We can’t increase it, but we can make the most of what we have. What you do with your time can be the difference between a satisfying retirement and productive life, or one that is constantly stressed and unfulfilled. What is your time plan?

4th of July

A very happy 4th of July  to everyone, everywhere. Even if you are reading this somewhere other than America, the ideas of freedom and sacrifice to achieve a goal are universal desires. 

We are spending a week with the whole family in San Diego, escaping the Phoenix heat and enjoying 7 days together.  If we are lucky we will even see some fireworks on the beach!


Happy Birthday, USA

Brexit and Retirement

Credit: dailymail.co.uk

The vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union came as a shock to everyone, maybe no more so than for the citizens of the U.K. The so-called Brexit vote caused financial markets around the world to plummet, the pound to take a beating, and the economic outlook for the rest of this year and beyond to look shaky. 

The referendum was a clear example of the power of political persuasion. Surveys after the event indicate that a lot of folks who were in favor of the U.K. remaining in the Union didn't bother to vote, assuming their side would be the winner. Meanwhile, some of those wishing for the Brexit voted for that outcome without understanding the ramifications, or even believing their vote mattered. In part, they responded to emotional appeals to halt immigration and protest the regulations coming from Brussels, both of which are important problems. But, leaving the EU will have a direct and long-lasting impact on the economy that will have a serious effect on individuals.

What does the turmoil in Great Britain and the rest of unified Europe matter to those of us who live in America and are retired, or moving in that direction? Our political narrative seems to be leaning toward a turning inward of our economy and commitments. Trade pacts, tariffs, protectionism......concepts most of us are not well versed on but have a direct effect on our daily life have taken on a new urgency since the U.K. vote. 

Satisfying Retirement Journey is not a financial blog. I am not going to give my opinions on the relative merits and pitfalls of such talk. But, I am comfortable in offering some thoughts on how all of this may impact your retirement.

Certainly in the short term, the Brexit vote will be a drag on the world's economic health. As of this writing, the Dow Jones Average has recovered most of the nearly 1,000 point drop it suffered in the first few days. If you were brave enough to look at your investments during that period, antacid pills were probably required. Now, with more than a week of the upheaval behind us, things have stabilized. No doubt more economic shocks are ahead of us. But, the initial shock has passed.

Looking ahead, it could take two years for the U.K. to cut its ties with the European Union. During that time there will be ongoing negotiations to determine the part Great Britain will play in the world economy. The world markets hate uncertainty and that will be our future for quite some time. I expect that means difficulty in planning and projections of financial impact and that translates into an unstable period.

For our retirement planning, I suggest this should mean four things:

1. Make no immediate changes to retirement investments or holdings. The worst time to make financial decisions is when stress and uncertainty are present. Just ask someone who dumped everything in 2008.

2. Review any foreign holdings you have. Those in European countries should be watched carefully as things unfold over the next several months and years. Projections of the Brexit effect on financial growth are purely guesses at this point. All foreign investments need extra scrutiny in periods like this. Yes, money is made in down markets if you know what you are doing. Abandoning investments outside the U.S. is not the answer. Being vigilant is.

3. If you have been looking for an excuse to downsize and simplify, use Brexit as a motivator. Sometimes it just takes an outside event to push us in a direction we want to travel. Use economic uncertainty as a reason to reduce your expenses and cut back on consumption. Even if there is little direct impact on your financial health from the world situation, cutting back to bring needs and wants in better balance is always a good thing.

4. Pay attention to the upcoming election, get beyond the sound bites, and vote in November. As I noted earlier, there are reports of "buyer's remorse" from some who voted for leaving the European Union. Those folks say they did not know the impact their "leave" vote would have on their daily lives, or they thought of their vote as just a protest that would not affect the final results. Many in the "Remain" camp made similar miscalculations when they assumed the outcome of the referendum would be to stay, so they didn't bother to vote.

Could we allow assumptions and miscalculations to have unintended consequences this fall? Absolutely. Is there a "do-over" option come November 9th?  Not until November of 2020.