"If I knew then what I know now....."

Bret · #81 01/14/15, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJHames

Not in any particular order …

I wish I would have checked in to the people who have become my neighbors more thoroughly. Some are great, some are bad, and one of them I might have to kill some day. Wish I wasn't kidding. I'm not alone. Half of our neighbors feel the same way, and even our Sheriffs Dept has told all of us "we wish you'd just shoot the SOB and do us a favor. We're tired of coming out here to deal with him." (Ya gotta love Texas).

I, too, wish I would have put more rock down. But there's still time.

I wish I would have built a shop with living quarters first, then the home.

I wish I would have studied electrical wiring sooner and saved myself $3500. It really isn't all that hard (thanks YouTube).

Better yet, I wish I would have taken the $2800 it cost us to run power to our place and used it to put in solar and just gone completely off-grid.

I wish I would have been in FFA as a high schooler and gotten into Ag in my 20's rather than in my 50's.

I wish I would have listened to my Pop more and not thought he was a old fuddy-duddy. The older I get the wiser he becomes. For someone with not much education, was he ever smart.

I wish I would have bought my 35 HP tractor with FEL and backhoe the moment we bought the land.

I wish I would have read Dave Ramsey's 'The Total Money Makeover' 20 years sooner (if it was even in print then). That book changed our lives.

I wish I would have bought land and started a rural lifestyle back in the 80's.

I wish I would have had a better golf coach at a much younger age, I might have been able to have gone Pro. I don't even play any more, working on my property and animals is just way too much fun. And golf hurts too much to play now..

I wish I would have been a better husband when I was younger. Thank God she has stuck with me through thick and thin, because now, after 35 years, it's incredible. But those early years …. I could have and should have been better to her. I didn't beat her or cheat on her, I just never fully realized how great she was until after 20 years or so. Too wrapped up in me. Life gets mighty precious when there's less of it to waste (thanks to Bonnie Raitt for those lyrics in her song 'Nick of Time').

I wish I would have been by my Dad's side as he passed. It will haunt me forever.

I wish I would have been with my Father-in-Law as he passed. That, too … dang it.

I wish I wouldn't have been so tough on our oldest daughter. Things are great between us now, but did I ever waste a lot of time being angry. I should have been a better father.

I wish I would have put in our wood stove before we put the metal roof on. This leak is killing me. Got to get that fixed.

I wish I would have paid more attention in Auto Class in high school.

A good first post. Welcome. Have fun.

CJHames · #82 01/14/15, 10:46 AM

This was my first post? Really? Wow, I need to get out more. Or stay in more. Or, you know.

CJHames · #83 08/13/15, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clovis

I had a very small order on my screen to buy F @ 1.56. I hesitated, and then the phone rang. When I got back to the computer, and logged in again, F had moved up to 1.83.

I was definitely being penny wise and pound foolish. I decided to wait for the price to fall back into the mid-1.60 range. It never fell after that point; the stock just kept going up...and up...and up.

I was nowhere near your investment level, but I could have banked some nice coin, nonetheless!

Brother, I did the same exact thing on a penny stock once. Cost me thousands. Although I made a hefty profit, it should/could have been twice what I made. Penny-wise and pound foolish indeed!

Txsteader · #84 08/14/15, 06:23 AM

Terrific thread! Thanks for starting it.

I wouldn't have placed the septic system on the W side of the house, where we need shade trees.

I wouldn't have planted pine trees (pine bark beetle) near the house.

I would have built single-story. It never occurred to us way back then that we'd get old someday and stairs would become a challenge.

I would have moved further inland, away from hurricanes.

I would have put my foot down way sooner re: interference by in-laws.

I would have had more children.

I would have traveled more.

In spite of all that, I have no real regrets. Still married to the love of my life (43 years), with our family nearby, expecting our first great-grandbaby in Oct, hoping the homestead is passed down through the generations as a legacy of our lives & time on this earth.

ETA: Just remembered a couple more things:

I would have worn sunscreen and hats instead of suntan oil and tank tops.

I wouldn't have done so much heavy lifting.

fishhead · #85 08/14/15, 07:38 AM

I would not have moved to MN to start a fish farm after hearing the DNR stories of MN fish farmers.

My2butterflies · #86 08/14/15, 09:35 AM

A good amount of things I can't regret because the learning experience was priceless.
Some things could have saved some headaches and money though.
Things like:
Never trust business people(or anyone really) just because they are nice and seem like they are helping you out. They have a reason they are being so nice....

Don't buy anything someone is still using. We are still having fun with that one. *facepalm*

I wish I would have known how much my pond and fish were going to mean to me. Now I'm faced with a pond that is way too small for my darlings after just one summer:/ Could have saved hundreds and planned a bigger pond build from the beginning. Next year is going to be another fun challenge.

I do wish I would have spaced my garden out more. My corn has suffered and everything is choking each other. And the rest of my space has gone to the weeds. I never knew weeds could take over open ground so fast!

A really big regret I have is waiting 6yrs to get my license back after having it suspended. Instead of just taking the written test I have to do a drivers test too now. *sigh* I just took the written test this week but picked getting a permit over jumping right into taking the road test. I feel like a freaking 15yr old again. But I'd rather ease back into driving then jump right in with an instructor. Gosh, why did I wait so long?

Al Von · #87 08/17/15, 04:38 PM

I would have gone to the community college right out of high school and paid about $2k for an associate's degree instead of paying $45k for a bachelor's degree while being a 45-year old divorced dad trying to raise two daughters.

I would have done more homework before I married my first wife.

I would have enjoyed cars, but not WORSHIPPED them, and buying so many bad, unaffordable high-performance ones!

I would have not borrowed from my 403b. One of the dumbest things I've ever done.

I would have not ever gotten a credit card. EVER.

I would have stayed at the 900-sq ft ranch on 1/2 acre instead of buying the HUGE, former B&B on Main St, thinking I would turn it into a funeral home and the tenants would help pay for it. Hahaha, fantasyland!

I would not have lent out my [car hauler] trailer to anyone. Lent it out three times, and it came back with something broken, EVERY time. You think I would have learned the first time!!