Toys vs. Time

Great family fun and fishing boat ready at the lake.

I grew up in a relatively modest family.  We didn't seem poor but grew up very rural.  In hindsight we were poor.  I didn't mind it and had a great childhood.  We did tons of stuff outdoors and spent a lot of time fishing.  We fished probably 100 days a year and caught lots of fish.  All of this was done out of a small aluminum Jon boat.  No motor but we had oars and got where we needed to get.  We were always the smallest boat at the landing but easily held our own fishing.  I would often see the big bass or walleye boats with the big motors and wonder why we didn't have one.  As a kid I made up my mind I would have a nice big boat someday.

As my career progressed and I was able financially to look at boats I bought several.  Upgraded a few times and before you know had a boat beyond my younger self's wildest dreams.  How great life would be in this big beautiful, fast boat.  I dreamed of all the fish I would catch and how awesome the boat would be.  All of that lasted about a month.  Then reality set it.  Career, mortgages, children, bills, commitments and more.  They all limited the amount of time I would get to spend in my wonderful incredible boat.  Sadly it didn't stop at a boat.  The same could be said for other toys, ATV's, Jet Ski's, etc.  All these incredible awesome toys.  There was just one problem.  I didn't have the time to use them.

You see something crazy had happened as my life and career progressed.  I had switched over a threshold in the time vs. money equation.  In my earlier life I had lots of time, but no money.  I could fish almost any day I wanted but it may have to be from shore because I had no means to buy a boat. Now that I had the means, time was a precious commodity slipping away from me.  As time became more precious to me I wanted it to be filled with nothing but the best.  If I could only enjoy one week per summer it would be filled with all the fun and toys that I could surely afford.

As years have gone on I now see the error of my past ways and trap.  I find myself in a lifestyle I have to go to work to support... but ... because I have to work so much I don't have the time to enjoy the things I have.  It's like I'm working to support the economy, nothing more.  I work for money to make payments for cool things I don't get to use because I'm working.  It's a never-ending circular problem.  How does one get off this merry-go-round?!

There has to be a middle ground.  At least that is the plan.  What "toys" do I really want?  No, I mean really want?  Once I can answer this I will keep these items and work to quickly pay them off. Everything else in the "toy" category needs to go.  What's the point.  Now while I've come to this cold hard realization, let's just say I'm a little ahead of Mrs. iFreebies and the rest of the iFreebies family on this journey.  So these decisions will be discussed and vetted over time.  After all I started on this journey before the rest of the iFreebies family.  I need to give them time to catch up, especially when it comes to the toys.