Climbing down out of the stress tree.

This morning I had a talk to myself.

When I was very young, perhaps 7 years old, in the 1960s, I told my mother I couldn’t decide about something. My mom told me to get a piece of paper and put a line down the middle and write “Pro” at the top of one column, and “Con” at the top of the other and look at which column had more things in it. I know I was very young, because then she had to explain what pro and con meant.  😂

I started to write things down and realized that the pro column did not have many items, but those items meant more to me. I told my mother this and she merely said that was it was meant to do. Not all things in life “weigh in” equally. Writing things down in two columns makes you “see” what is more important to you.

I have been an adult for a long time, really long! 😂 I’ve been doing the pro and con thing mentally as a matter of course for a long, long time.

This morning I started my talk to myself and … It was a brief and good talk. That’s how it is when you get good at something, it takes less effort. 😂

I could not have stayed where I was, not just because I really wanted to leave!!!! I recalled that the fees had just doubled (right after I listed) and I had a small mortgage (not small enough) and … It took less time to run this through my home computer, aka my brain, than to write it here. Yes.

My health is improving and a lot of it is because I have to take care of all these CATS and kittens. I wouldn’t do the things I do and go through the stuff I go through because of it for anyone, or anything, other than cats.
Moving here was the right thing, for now. I own the house outright. I lose a third of my income in exchange rates, but I need a lot less money.

I took out a pen and I wrote out what my monthly bills are, before I spend a couple hundred on cat food and … I feed the street cats too. That’s nearly $100 a month itself, but they are all looking healthier, less stressed and happily pissing on my house and front door. I know, they are just marking their territory, but some mornings it is just not what I want to smell and try to wash away. roflmao!!!

Property taxes here, so far, are ridiculously cheap. That cost doesn’t weigh in to any extent. I don’t need a car. Taxis are plentiful and extremely cheap.

I just need these small problems that are never resolved BECAUSE of where I live and the people here, to be resolved and then …

I am not ready for the RV and cat sitting in Europe lifestyle. Yet. It’s on the cards.

If I spend another 2 years here I can leave for 6 months, legally, and come back for my permanent resident status. Once I have that I can apply for citizenship, no proviso of giving up my own citizenship or anything else. An extra passport is always useful.

It would probably take me a year just to organize selling up, getting somewhere, buying an RV and …

I have started looking for info online.
I knew that I can stay in the USA for up to 180 days per year. I could even apply for an extension, proving I have the necessary funds/ income necessary. I did not know about the caveat; “substantial presence” and that once you cross that time on the line you pay taxes in the USA. Period. hmmm Customs and Immigration and the IRS don’t care what the other hand is doing.

There are States that do not charge income tax, nor sales tax, nor … Interesting. Life is rarely linear, so it’s best to try to find out the Catch-22 before entering the arena for other problems.
The equation is simple; essentially I can spend 120 days each year living in an RV in the USA without paying USA taxes. Once I stay longer the income tax kicks in, and it is NOT cheap in many States.
I can buy property, but then the tax thing can become complicated, and I can buy an RV in the States.
I can NOT travel across the border to Canada if I buy an RV in the States. I would then be up for Canadian sales tax … Yikes! That could be a LOT.

There are things I need to think over and things I need to set in motion and things … to do.

I hope I can finally get the 2 worst things done this week, after nearly 4 months of being ginned around.

Wish me luck!!!

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Mulling over the 120 days per year, assuming more than one year in the States, I am reconsidering the whole RV expense. I might just revert to cat sits of longer duration. Not as long as the sits I did in Australia for a year, but long enough to offset the costs of flights etc., between sits.
I can stay up to 180 days one year, and then work out the arithmetic for the two following years, if I decide I want to do more time.

I have to ask my USA friends how they are organizing the financial side of things, and not overstaying in the EU. There are SO many Americans traveling that banking, insurance … is well set up, for Americans (US of A Americans) everywhere. It’s been stressful trying to get money into this place, and I am starting to regret that, as it might be very costly to get money OUT of here when I probably leave permanently.