You’ve probably heard the old saying, “You can’t take it with you” – referring to your money and that you might as well spend it on the things you enjoy before you die. It would be nice to be able to agree with the adage, but none of us know with any certainty how long we will live. For many of us, our social security is our primary source of income, and anyone receiving the “benefit” knows the annual increases in our monthly checks don’t come close to covering the rising cost of living, and that forces us to use more and more of our savings to maintain our lifestyle.
Not knowing how long we’ll be on this earth forces us into not doing things we might enjoy doing because those things would require the use of our savings funds, and if you live a long time, you will run out of money.
Here in Florida, there is a wide range of financial standings. From the very, very rich to the very, very poor. Even in the area now called “home” there is a wide variation of wealth. Some of us are getting by, others are living a lavish lifestyle, doing whatever they want to do, any time they want to do it. Still, others are much worse off than those of us getting by.
The Ocala National Forest is just a few miles from our home and we’ve learned there are over 40,000 homeless living in the forest. Many of them are children.
The Villages are spread out over a fairly large area. Last I heard it is nearly eight miles wide and over 24 miles deep – and growing by hundreds of homes each year. This area is in three different counties and a few different cities. Lady Lake is one of the “towns” The Villages is a part of. The Lady Lake Lions Club does a very good job with fundraising efforts to aid the homeless in the forest. Just like your local Lions Clubs that hold fundraisers with the profits going to local projects, this Lions Club hosts events like weekly BINGO games with spin-offs like food item collection and an annual pajama collection project – most of which goes to the area homeless.
Since the Good Lord hasn’t called me home yet I figure it’s best if I do what I can to stay away from using what savings I have so we can stay in the building we call home for as long as possible. I’ll probably buy a lottery ticket now and then, hoping to win a different lifestyle with a lot more fun things to enjoy. As long a shot as that is, it sure is nice to dream once in a while. Have A Good Week!
