Reclaiming My Time

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A lot of my friends think I'm Troy Ave when it comes to this early retirement thing. They think I'm all about the money. 

I randomly remembered a conversation I had with a co-worker/close friend a few months back. I went something like this:

Friend: "Let's go get Mexican for lunch today."
Me: "Nahh. Gotta save for that early retirement" 
Friend: "You're so cheap. You're so money hungry!"

Although, I've grown and since realized that skipping lunch a few times a week isn't going to make that huge of an impact on my early retirement (actually need to focus on more income).... I still remember the sting of her statement. Do people really think I'm Mr. Krabs? Saving money for the sake of having money? Am I Mr. Krabs???

Money itself, to me, is devoid of any value and just a vessel. A tool, to be used to gain some service, good, or resource. Honestly, besides a sensible emergency savings, what's the point of having a vault full of crisp C-Notes or a bank account full of zeros accruing interest you never plan on touching? Sitting  there it literally holds no value - its not being put to use to do good to yourself or anyone else. Its like a friend who was responsible for bringing fresh water to a camping trip. After hiking to the camp site, everyone's dying of thirst; so you ask your buddy if he got the water. He replies, " I got it, but its sitting by the front door." What good does that water do for anyone?...Nothing!

My true motivation for earning and saving more money is not just to have it, but for the most important resource... my time. Currently, I'm giving up my time for money. I'm not doing anything particularly unbearable - I actually enjoy my job; but is it something I want to do everyday for the next 45 years? Not a chance. Some days I'd like to be woken up by my circadian alarm, drink coffee, read for a few hours, maybe write, play XBOX, take the pups for a run or some days stay in bed and watch NatGeo all day. Maybe hop on a plane and travel to a South American county for a couple of weeks. Teach a class on personal finance. Hell I may even want to underwrite. I'd just like the freedom to choose.

Presently, I don't have much of a choice due to the corner I've spent myself into. I need the steady paychecks to keep up my current lifestyle. This is where money can help me. Instead of giving my time up for money to spend on liabilities and debt, I can give up my time for money to spend on income producing assets - ideally assets that can produce passive income. Assets that will make money to support me and my lifestyle no matter what I do. Even if I spend a whole week doing the things above. I'm just a Maxine Waters battling Mr. Mnuchin disguised as a "stable career".... I'm reclaiming my time.