Oops, we've just had an expensive month! But on the plus side, the costs contain some good things.
Trip to Paris
This was my daughter, Rebecca's, idea. She got some free tickets to the Formula E electric car racing and asked if I wanted to go with her. It would be my first time visiting Paris, the Formula E would be fun and we would spend time with our daughter. It was an easy decision to say yes, we'd go. Sally came along too, although she didn't go to the Formula E.
I'm becoming more convinced that I'm not a city person, but I do enjoy visiting them for a few days. We did lots of walking, saw the unfortunately post fire damaged Notre Dame Cathedral, the Sacré Coeur, Champs Elysée, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, as well as walking through many other areas. The Eiffel Tower was the highlight, as an emblem of Paris it really lived up to it's billing.
Rain and hail made the Formula E exciting and confusing in equal measures. There were crashes galore (nobody hurt) and I had to read the race report after to figure out what happened. It's a bit weird watching motor sport without the normal engine roar, but it reminded me that it will soon be time to think about an electric car, if we need a car at all. I would be tempted with a pay to use vehicle system but they aren't available where we live.
We drove to Paris, which was a long way. The train would have been a better environmental option but the tickets for the three of us seemed very expensive. I think governments need to provide more incentives to reduce our driving/emissions by making public transport less costly. These are our total costs for five days (although one and half were travel days) in Paris.
New bike ordered
Of course this would be more exciting if it were a new bike for me rather than for Sally. We had dinner with some friends who persuaded her to join us on our Route des Grands Alpes cycle ride. The route starts at Thonon Les Bains on Lake Geneva and finishes 720km (448 miles) later in Nice on the Mediterranean. And then there's the small matter of 18 mountain passes to get over.
So she urgently needed a bike so that she can get some practice in. She's selected a Cannondale Quick Neo e-bike to give her some help with the alpine terrain. I suspect I'm going to regret this as she leaves me behind!
We paid a deposit in April and she'll pick the bike up in early May.
Giving
Having recent decided that we were in a position to give some money to charity, I'm a little worried that it is easy to let the momentum slide and find that the good intentions aren't followed up by actions. I'm therefore going to comment on this from time to time to help me stick to my intentions.
The best way to ensure we continue to contribute is to set up an automated monthly payment. We've done that with Givewell. In addition, we had two friends who were fundraising this month, so we made contributions to Cancer Research and the Against Malaria Foundation.
Groceries / Car
These cost a little more than usual. We made a number of pick ups and drop offs to the airport, three trips to our daughter's in Zurich, plus both our kids came to visit at Easter, along with another friend as well. We don't mind these extra costs as it's nice that they come to see us.
So here are the total costs for the month:
We received the apartment HOA/management charge for the first quarter - it's actually quite a bit lower than I thought. Hopefully their estimates are reliable and we don't get a big correction bill after the end of the year.
Medical costs are a bit higher as I eventually went to the doctor about my knee which I twisted about 10 weeks ago while skiing. They suspect a tear in my meniscus and have referred me for an MRI, which I still need to arrange. I should make the appointment, but it feels like it's improving, so I keep putting it off.
Lastly, we're still buying stuff for the apartment. Just the odd thing here and there, a hosepipe, pots for plants, shower tidy etc, but it's surprising how quickly they add up, and how many things Sally decides we need now that the snow has melted and spring has arrived!
Targets
Moving away from costs and to check up on how I'm doing on my targets. My idea that being public about them may keep me more focused on them is only partially working. I seem to make an effort in the week before this post, but not so much for the rest of the month.
There hasn't been much progress in the month. The weekly blogs are still happening OK, and the cash investing was finalised a few months ago. They're the positives.
The middle ground items are travel, where my daughter is pushing me to finalise our plans this week so we can book the flights. I'd better do that or I'll be in trouble with her!
I'm tempted to start running, but I'm worried that it may damage my knee and cause a longer layoff. Maybe I'll try a short jog and see how it feels. At least I've been cycling, so it's not that I've been completely lazy. What I hadn't taken account of was how challenging cycling in the mountains is.
As to French, our lessons have finished and we either need to arrange some more or get much better at self-study. I feel that I've not done so well this month. And the GoPro, well, I think my efforts with that make my French almost seem competent, and believe me, ask any French person and once they've stopped laughing,...well, I think you get the picture.