Your time is not free

[6011Artist]

I have to disagree with the original poster about his views about his time and money. Unless I am not out making money, my time at home is free. Now if I COULD be out making money instead, he would be right. But most of us have days free after we fulfill our work obligations and most of us can't work 24/7, so yes, we have free time.

And yes, a certain amount of that time should be spent on family and friends, but we have our own personal time too. And if I wasn't out in my shop building something what would I be doing? Watching TV or maybe out spending money on some other entertainment? Or on the TBN forum? But in defense to TBN, it is a learning experience and I value that as well.

I wanted a box blade so I just happened to know an old tractor trader that had one that the 3ph arms were missing from, bought it for 60.00. Then I just happened to have the correct size flatbar to build the missing parts and just happened to have all the necessary tools to build them including a hydraulic press to bend the 3" X 1/2" bar. So in the end I had a 400.00 dollar really heavy duty box blade. At the end of the day I had 340.00 still in my pocket, I had a good heavy duty boxblade, and I had the new knowledge that I should have bought those 2 parts for 40.00 instead of making them, but I had more knowledge...something that is very valuable. But the overall deal, I was richer that night by doing it myself.

So then I wanted a section harrow. Went to Agri-South, (15 yrs ago) and they only wanted 600.00 for a new one. That price scared me. Scared me so bad I started thinking. Theirs had 4 rows of teeth. I bought enough teeth to build a smaller version with only 2 rows of teeth for 30.00 dollars, spent 2 hrs building it out of the same steel they used and it did everything I needed to do at that time and all other times later and I still had 570.00 in my pocket.

So I consider all the money I did not spend as being my pay for my time. Yes, time is money, so if I am saving my money, still keeping it, it is time well spent.

And the satisfaction of knowing it is done right, built the way I want it, is heavy duty enough to do what I want to do with it means a lot too. And I can modify it, adjust it to my own specs and even improvise something to take it's place if I want. And if I build it, it won't be like the ones in the store so therefore if it gets stolen and I see it, I know THAT ONE is mine.

I got a stockpile of steel out back so if I need something, I can usually find something in it that will work. A buddy brought me 5- 20 ft sticks of 4" channel the other day to build him a grill rack for a hog roasting pit. He said he knew I had the right stuff so he was adding to the pile so he could take out of it as well. He's my kind of buddy. He knows that in order to dip in my well you got to put something in it as well. He left with a grill rack ready to use and it cost him nothing. Made it out of 1 1/2" angle and 3/4" expanded metal. And for the labor, he does great carpenter work and I need some kitchen cabinet work done, I furnish the materials.

So I took away from my free time to help him. In return, he will take away from his to help me. It's called the buddy swap system. We both trade our labor in our free time and we both keep our money, it works well. Only been friends for 30 yrs so I think that speaks for itself. So, not only are we saving money, we are still adding to the friendship. Anyone think that a really good friendship is priceless? I do.

So let's go even a step further. Those guys that think their free time is worth 90.00 an hour and take no time to do the things they like to do, work all the time, make lots of money, hire everything out, wait to get things done at someone elses convenience, get frustrated because things don't go their way or they could be drinking beer or fishing while dealing with those guys that they hire....in the end they probably need therapy. And therapy IS NOT cheap. So, to avoid therapy, I bought several older model tractors and built a shop and my shop time is great therapy. So go figure, who is getting the most out of life and who lives so uptight they can't take time to save a dollar by doing it themselves. And they hire everything done so therefore they really aren't that versatile in what they know. They know their profession well. And when their tractor breaks down on the back 40, they usually have to hire someone to come take it to the shop they are going to have to hire to fix it. Spent money twice there if you notice.

So OP, you do it your way, I'll do it my way, to each his own. But I wouldn't trade my way for yours even if it had a free case of beer to go along with it.

 

[teg]

Clearly you girls are completely missing the concept behind my post. All you see is that $90. My time is actually priceless.

I have a Log Splitter that is a money pit... Dollar wise I have $500 into it... forget about the 100 hours work and/or thinking about it, also, the broken finger from the drill catching/twisting... I under stand now why "they" charge $1000+ for those darn things....

 

[sailorman]

Apparently all of your time isn 't priceless as you have already assigned a $ 90/hr price on some of it. Now I understand that you a willing to pay someone else to do some thing you don 't want to do in order to spend time doing something you do want to do. I 've done that myself. But, in the end it is a zero budget game. Example: you pay $ 90 to some one for 1 hour 's work so you can boat for 1 hour. At your rate you still will have to give up 1 hour of your time doing something for $ 90 to pay the guy. Money won 't buy time and time won 't buy money. Money and time are finite.

 

[Redgoatea]

I'm gonna save myself some moneytime and not read every single argument in this thread. Hey now I can afford to buy a new implement. :thumbs up: 7

 

[Kubota Tee]

After reading through 8 pages of this thread, all I have to say is: Where are the pictures of the wind powered pond aerator??????

 

[tungularafishcamp]

Guys or should I say Girls:laughing: the OP is gettin pretty bruised. We all have our way of looking at and prioritizing things. When I was younger and hungrier I would pay guys to do my "gear work" for me (weeks/months of free labor for the privilege of fishing for more months) so that I could fish other seasons on other boats. I have put in "days" over 50 hours several times (no time off deck but to put on dry clotes, slam a sandwich, and take a dump, usually at the same time) and crab fishin back in the 70/80's 4 hours off deck every 24 hours was a luxury as it was usually 30 hours or more.

Anyway a blessed thing happened to me, I had kids and my priorities changed. I still fish (hopelessly addicted) but I found a way to do it with my kids even at young age and while not nearly as lucrative it has been much more enriching!

We are all capable of getting a 2nd or 5th job if that is how we choose to spend our time as we all have 24 hours in a day. If money is what turns your crank then by all means go for it, hope you make piles of it, and it makes you happy even though you will probably never have enough.

For the rest of us girls "unable" to make $$ our life's priority I guess we will just have to settle for things not so lofty like family, friends, or heaven forbid a hobby that might cost a little $$ and give us a good feeling inside.
:2cents: Rick

 

[Taylortractornut]

Id have to say My hobby building things has a few perks. One I may not have all the money at one time to buy something out right. Another is some things commercially available wouldnt work for me without serious re working. A good point is my Dual blade landscaping box. A commercial one would have been too hevy in a 5 foot for dads 750 Deere He had at the time. I wanted one that was big enough for my 3000 Yanmar with a 2000 pound rear lift capacity but to fit the 750. I made one a bit lighted but with a ballast bar out of found materials. I had 25 dollars in the metal and about hours time. The welding rate here is 45 to 50 an hour. But id have been on my butt watcdhing tv if I wasnt in the shop.

 

[Reverend Blair]

I dunno...when I write it sells for between a dime and a quarter a word for non-fiction (usually a dime). Should I send Tractor By Net a bill? I don't think so.

When I'm building I bill for $25 an hour (for what it should take...I don't bill extra for my slow, limping walk) plus materials, and when I get it wrong the customer gets the benefit, no matter what. I'm not shy about charging more when they ask for changes halfway through though. So when I build my own fence or deck and it takes way longer than it should because I'm my own customer and the customer insists on regular beer breaks, and the customer's wife keeps changing the design, and the customer's dogs keep distracting me, should I bill the customer extra for wasting my time?

Most of my projects, repairs, etc. are performed after I've done a full day's or full week's work. Should I figure the labour in at time and a half, or should I assume that I'm such a good employee that I deserve double time?

Er...just read that to Mrs. Rev (she does the books and looks after the money, due to my apathy) and she said, "I think I forgot to pay you again."

 

[jgrreed]

OK, I'm back in..... but only to ask:

Is this the fasting growing thread of all TBN time???

-Jer.

 

[looknlearn]

OK, I'm back in..... but only to ask:

Is this the fasting growing thread of all TBN time???

-Jer.

This has got to be the fastest or one of the fastest. Sure was hard to keep up.:confused2: