Rant #2,414: Too Much Time On My Hands

Not really,

I am busy as a bee, whether it relates to work or life.

I just can't fit 25 hours into a 24-hour day.

And last night was the result; after not eating until past 7 p.m. because of things I have to do, I promptly fell asleep on the couch at 8 p.m., and didn't get into bed until about 10 p.m.

And here I am now, nearly 4:30 a.m., chugging away here at the blog.

Before you know it, I will be off to work, and another such day will begin.

And on the weekends, it is just as bad, but at least I can wear a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers in getting through my day.

It has become a rarity just to sit down and do nothing, and my family's vacation was no different.

In a period that is supposed to be "chill out" time, I drove a total of about 2,700 miles during our just-passed nine-day vacation to Florida and Georgia.

I have to say that it was a lot of fun, but it took a lot out of me, and a lot out of my pocketbook, too.

And evidently, I am not alone in feeling that way.

According to Allianz Global Assistance's 11th annual Vacation Confidence Index (https://www.allianzworldwidepartners.com/usa/media-room/vacation-confidence-index-19), Americans on holiday this summer plan on spending a significant amount of cash on their summer vacations this year--if they are even able to take a vacation during the summer months.

According to the index, Americans on holiday this summer are expected to spend more than $2,000 on their time off--$2,037--a 5.2-percent increase from the previous year--and the highest number in the survey's history.

Now of course there are variables built into the survey and how much people are planning on spending. How much do you spend prior to the vacation to make it just right, such as, for hotels, cruises, etc.?

In our case, we secured a few motel rooms, and paid for a few other things before our trip, like baseball tickets.

In addition, since I was taking my car on our vacation, I spent x amount of dollars to make sure the car was in as tip-top shape as a 2014 model could possibly be so that our trip would be a safe one.

And then you have the money that you actually spend on the vacation, and yes, my wife and I. as well as our son, did spend some hard-earned cash during this past vacation.

But heck, I have absolutely no regrets, because that is what a vacation is for: to get away from the norm, to do things that you wouldn't ordinarily do, with the bottom line of having fun and getting away from the rat race for a few days.

And the index said that total Americans spend for summer vacations this year is going to cross the $100-billion threshold.

This is not surprising. The economy is pretty good, the unemployment rate--which as we all know is a phony number because it does not count people who have stopped looking for work because they cannot get anything--is low, and you put these things together, and people want to enjoy themselves when away from home, and that involves spending money, honey.

I personally have no regrets about the spending my family and I did on our vacation. It was all worth it, and we had a fun time.

But if I sat down and calculated every penny that my wife and I, and our son, spent on this vacation--including what we spent on gas for the car--it would really boggle my mind.

In fact, that $2,037 average that the index said was what Americans were spending on their summer vacations this year would probably be in our ballpark, if you add in everything we spent money on, including tolls--and I still have not received my toll bill for the wonderful Verrazano Narrows Bridge in Staten Island, New York, where you are recorded electronically and are billed later.

So my spending for vacation is not yet over until I get that bill and pay for it.

Who knows when I will receive that bill in the mail.

If it stretches into August, then, theoretically, my vacation spending stretches into August.

I would hate to think I would not get this bill until September, but with New York State, you never know.

Can't wait!