RSKY
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2003
- Messages
- 2,444
- Tractor
- Kioti CK20S
Had a situation develop....bear with me, takes a little telling to make my point.
This is for you guys who are retired or getting close to retirement age. And for you guys with children and grandchildren. For you gals too but it is 99% male on this site.
My wife and I were talking about our annual fall break vacation. For the past 5 years we have gone to Hilton Head Island for the first week or two in October. With a teacher daughter and one grand in school it is the only time we can go in the fall. Daughters and families come down and we have a good time eating seafood and playing on the beach. Very enjoyable times watching the kids and grandkids.
Anyway we decided to go somewhere different this year and Gulf Shores Alabama is also within a day's drive and the temps are 4-5 degrees warmer than Hilton Head in October. So we planned to spend a week or so there. While looking thru VRBO we found a house, on the beach, four bedrooms and three baths, no pool. A month was very little more than two weeks. Looked at it online for a couple days and couldn't make up my mind. Saw a friend and was talking to him about something else and mentioned we might be gone in October. "Why are you throwing money away on that," he asked me? "You could make a down payment on a new car for what it will cost you to spend a week there! He11, get an inflatable pool and let the kids play around it in the back yard!"
Hmmm,.....down payment on a new car. Was this vacation a waste of money?
But he is divorced and never sees his kids or grandkids.
Anyway, my wife and I talked about it and couldn't make up our minds. Finally called and got the place for a month. Nice place but we are not rich. Serious hit on the bank account.
Two hours after I paid for the month in the vacation house my mother called. One of my cousins, four years younger than me, had fell over dead from a heart attack.
No warnings. Sitting talking, fell over dead.
He and his wife had retired from their jobs the first of June. They had money saved up, were gonna travel some, them move to Florida and live the good life.
He had eleven weeks of retirement.
Got me to thinking. In thirty years I will probably be gone. What would be more important, having a new car (or at least a good down payment on one) or my grandkids having the memories of playing in the sand during the day and chasing crabs on the beach at night with granddaddy and granna there with them? Would my daughters remember a new car or would they remember Mom and Dad taking them and their families for a week or more on the beach. I know how hard it is for a young couple with children to come up with the funds to take a vacation.
No choice at all!!
People, build memories with your kids and grandkids. Be a positive influence, take them places, teach them things.
I guess what I'm trying to say is spend your money on memories, not things. Things can be replaced, memories cannot.
Climbing off my soapbox.
RSKY
This is for you guys who are retired or getting close to retirement age. And for you guys with children and grandchildren. For you gals too but it is 99% male on this site.
My wife and I were talking about our annual fall break vacation. For the past 5 years we have gone to Hilton Head Island for the first week or two in October. With a teacher daughter and one grand in school it is the only time we can go in the fall. Daughters and families come down and we have a good time eating seafood and playing on the beach. Very enjoyable times watching the kids and grandkids.
Anyway we decided to go somewhere different this year and Gulf Shores Alabama is also within a day's drive and the temps are 4-5 degrees warmer than Hilton Head in October. So we planned to spend a week or so there. While looking thru VRBO we found a house, on the beach, four bedrooms and three baths, no pool. A month was very little more than two weeks. Looked at it online for a couple days and couldn't make up my mind. Saw a friend and was talking to him about something else and mentioned we might be gone in October. "Why are you throwing money away on that," he asked me? "You could make a down payment on a new car for what it will cost you to spend a week there! He11, get an inflatable pool and let the kids play around it in the back yard!"
Hmmm,.....down payment on a new car. Was this vacation a waste of money?
But he is divorced and never sees his kids or grandkids.
Anyway, my wife and I talked about it and couldn't make up our minds. Finally called and got the place for a month. Nice place but we are not rich. Serious hit on the bank account.
Two hours after I paid for the month in the vacation house my mother called. One of my cousins, four years younger than me, had fell over dead from a heart attack.
No warnings. Sitting talking, fell over dead.
He and his wife had retired from their jobs the first of June. They had money saved up, were gonna travel some, them move to Florida and live the good life.
He had eleven weeks of retirement.
Got me to thinking. In thirty years I will probably be gone. What would be more important, having a new car (or at least a good down payment on one) or my grandkids having the memories of playing in the sand during the day and chasing crabs on the beach at night with granddaddy and granna there with them? Would my daughters remember a new car or would they remember Mom and Dad taking them and their families for a week or more on the beach. I know how hard it is for a young couple with children to come up with the funds to take a vacation.
No choice at all!!
People, build memories with your kids and grandkids. Be a positive influence, take them places, teach them things.
I guess what I'm trying to say is spend your money on memories, not things. Things can be replaced, memories cannot.
Climbing off my soapbox.
RSKY
