I miss free time. Not only because it is relaxing, but because it is also free.
love to blame my time shortage on responsibilities; however, I elected to participate in most of my draining activities. I’ve replaced reading a book with hosting a book club dinner; taking a walk with training for a 10k; gardening with a trip to the new gourmet market (and subsequently cooking dinner for the neighbors). In other words, I’ve replaced relaxation with excitement which is costly in more ways than one.
I actually started thinking about this fact a few months ago when I read and commented on a blog post at BrokeGradStudent.com in which the author wrote “It’s easy to get carried away when you’re having fun.“ ow true.We have a whole garage full of expensive, dusty equipment to prove that we have become too busy to enjoy the things we love.
Now that summer is here, the problem has only gotten worse. ike many parents, I didn’t realize just how active my children were all day at school—until I was tasked with keeping occupied during summer vacation. Vacations, summer camps, and child care are some of the big ticket items I was ready for. However, the summer was already starting to get expensive in terms of finding day-to-day activities that keep children occupied.Trips to the movies, swim toys, and meals-on-the-run can quickly turn into budget breakers.
The good news is that summer has just begun and it is not too late to learn from past mistakes. I vow to reclaim the lazy part of the “lazy days of summer.” Summertime is designed for taking it easy, so I am going to stop stressing about planning every minute. Even active children (and their worn out and broke parents) need a break and should be allowed to learn the art of relaxation.
