I can't afford it.

When I bought my pickup which is nothing more than a basic Tacoma 4-cylinder manual transmission someone asked me why I didn't get a V-8 and load the rig up.

I simply said I couldn't afford it.

When I said that you would have thought I was a starving orphan somewhere living in a garbage dump in some third world country somewhere from the look I got.

Of course, he had a rig that he had paid over 4 times what I had paid for my simple Toyota and it could haul a lot more than a Tacoma and in addition to that he could likely trailer an aircraft carrier behind it.

He basically used it for the same thing I do. I put a seabag and a few groceries in it and come back and forth to work.

He seemed perplexed when I said I couldn't afford a big rig like his. He asked me about my mortgage and I told him my place was paid for. He asked me a few other questions about my finances which really wasn't any of his business but I was kind and obliged him.

Then he said he couldn't understand why I couldn't afford a big fancy truck.

I simply told him I couldn't afford to waste a bunch of money on something like a truck when I could get something just as servicable for a whole lot less money.

The truth is that I would likely still be driving my '00 Tacoma if the damned thing hadn't rusted out on me after about 175,000 miles. Having to buy a new rig back in '09 was a major annoyance because I was looking at getting another five years out of the old rig.

It would have been nice to still be driving the old silver bullet. I liked that comfortable old truck. It was a nice ride even after all the miles I had put on it.

I suppose I'm better off, though because it was just a matter of time before it started to nckel-dime me.

The truth is that I am getting ready to retire in a few years and I should start socking away as much as I can because I really wonder how long Social Security is going to last.

I can't afford to be spending a whole lot of money on extras I don't need. I would have spent more money on a rig if I felt I did need it. For example, it I was in construction or owned a farm and actually moved a lot of stuff around I would have probably opted for a bigger rig.

A while back I was listening to a woman telling me about how she needed a big rig to haul her horse around to show it. I asked her how often she did this and she told me that she showed her horse four times a year.

I told her to buy a small car and rent a truck four time a year and she was dumbfounded. Why drive a tank all over the place and pay through the nose for gas, insurance, and play hell parking a behemoth when she could just zip around in a convenient sized car and rent when she needed it. She'd come well ahead if she opted for a smaller rig.

Besides, she wasn't making a lot of money, really and a truck like that would have her extended to the max which is what a whole lot of people are these days. It's nice to be able to afford a pizza and a six-pack every so often.

I like being a free man and not being a slave to my posessions. I do own everything I have outright and I can afford to take my time off when it rolls around and have no need for trading that part of my life for money to pay for things.

When you think about it, payments are a form of slavery and I hate having to think that I have to go and work or lose something.

Actually that is somewhat of a lie because I do have to pay property tax but I won't go there now. It's another issue.

The fact is that I can not afford a big truck or a new swimming pool or some kind of big deal thing because I simply can't afford it. I have no desire to get into the slavery that goes along with unneeded posessions.

I do not understand why a working stiff feels he needs a four wheeel drive V-8 just to commute back and forth to work.

Come to think of it, I suppose neither did Sam Walton, although I imagine the pickup he booted around in was likely a bit bigger than mine. You may have to be reminded that Sam Walton is the founder of Walmart.

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Speaking of Sam Walton, I got a kick out of him. He in fact did have a pickup as a daily driver and was asked why a man of his wealth didn't have a big fancy car.

He replied "What else can I carry my dogs around in?"

Sam was a devoted upland bird hunter and once was invited to meet someone for a hunt. They showed up to pick him up in a limo and Sam promptly climbed in with his bird dogs.

The look on his host's face must have been a sight to behold as the (then) richest man in the country hopped into the limo with his hunting dogs.




To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html