Not owning two houses, two boats, four cars, a truck, a jeep and a tractor has meant that we can now do things like go on this hokey cruise. It also means we are saving more and our net worth is increasing faster.
Doing things instead of owning things. I made that decision last year. We had spent six years doing the snowbird thing, and our conclusion was, it was just a lot of work, leaving little time or money to take that fabled trip to Italy.
I just ran into an older friend who lamented, that after seventeen years of snowbirding, he and his wife have decided to call it quits. And he reports that while it was fun, they were house poor the whole time and spent most of their time doing home repairs and maintenance, packing and unpacking and always getting ready to leave. They never traveled overseas or took those great trips to "See America" that they always talked about. And now? Well, they are too old and his wife is infirm.
Seventeen years of worshiping houses. I'm glad I jumped off that bandwagon when I did!
So what have we done since we've gone debt-free and sold off most of our possessions? And what do we plan on doing?
1. Went on a Cruise: I always wanted to see what this was like, and it was fun and kind of hokey as you might expect.
2. Renting a House: We are renting a vacation home in Florida for nearly a week, to share with friends. Very cheap to do, now that we don't have a $3000 a month mortgage payment.
3. Take the Train to Broadway! A lot of fun and now possible to do.
4. Tour New Brunswick and Labrador by RV - for two months. Expect my blog to be dormant for the months of August and September as we take off for the Great White North. Not having to work is the greatest luxury of all!
5. Take Another Cruise: I am taking a Georgia Bar CLE cruise this fall for seven days. I could never "afford" to do that before, as I could not take the time off from work, and the cost of the cruise was equal to a mortgage payment.
We hope to do more next year - rent another barge in England, or perhaps take a river cruise in Europe - or rent a trawler for a week in Punta Gorda. Whatever we decide to do, it will be more fun than mowing the lawn and cleaning gutters and making payments. Doing things is better than owning things!
Of course, one of the best things you can do, instead of owning things, is nothing at all! And if you don't own a lot of crap, you can afford to do this, for hours, days, weeks at a time!
