Have you seen the new F2GT? Of course not! I just created it F2GT (Finance-Fish-Golf-Tennis). This is my little space that I decided to create to talk about 4 things that I enjoy. I am not a professional just an average JOE(L). I love to FISH, play GOLF, TENNIS, and handle my personal FINANCES to pay for these hobbies! All 4 share similar traits:
- Challenging
- Takes practice
- Sometimes you WIN
- Sometimes you LOSE
- Most importantly you have to have FUN doing it!
I hope to take you through my journey of all 4 subjects from previous experiences. I promise to try not to bore you by including some comic relief.
MAY 16, 2008
FISHING:
My dad got me started at very young age (4 yrs old) and ever since I've been addicted! Shrimping, crabbing, fishing w/ a pole, net, on a boat, from the surf and shore. Mostly, I fish from the shore. One day I hope to own a boat, but with gas prices where they are at right now, I'm not so sure. I fish St. Augustine, FL area and parts of Jacksonville. Almost all saltwater. I've caught Redfish, Flounder, Sea Trout, Bluefish, Jacks, Snapper, Grouper, Mullet, Spanish Mackerel, Pompano, Sheepshead, Black Drum, and of course catfish. I like catching flounder and trout the best because they taste good. Went fishing last week and didn't catch anything worth mentioning. Oh yeah, one whiting! Where are the fish right now? Main reason I like fishing - LOW COST.
GOLF:
I started playing golf late around 18 yrs old. C'mon back then golf was not something a teenager was supposed to do. It was left for the "older" folks. However, now golf is cool. I would have never believed you if you told me that back when I was 16. When I used to play often I was pretty decent, about a 10 handicap at one point. Those were the days! Cutting class in college and playing golf on the military base! Haven't played this year, yet. Golf can be pricey! However, I am playing at a resort for work next month in Coeur d'Alene, IDAHO. Can't wait because it has one par 3 that is a true "island green". You have to take a boat to get to the green. I need to get the driving range to practice. By the way, have 2 hole in ones! No lie. Tell you more about those next time.
TENNIS:
I played tennis in high school only because a friend told me they needed another player. I never played before that, but once I got through "try-outs" I did pretty good. I quoted "try-outs" because it was more like the coach ran us to death to weed out the quitters. Never in my life did I feel pain in my legs and buttocks like I did back then! Now, I play w/ co-workers on Mondays (doubles). Good group of guys and its competitive. I like doubles because less running around is involved, but I still get a good workout.
FINANCE:
I have BA in Corporate Finance, but I'm not going to talk about that. I want to talk more about personal finance. I know there are tons of personal finance blogs and websites, but it doesn't hurt to have one more. Some of the topics I'll talk about may be overlap, but hopefully I can explain it to you better. Right now, managing your personal finances is tough. Everything is down..the market, the US dollar, housing, and spirits. The only thing I can say for now is to save as much as you can. No, I can do better than that. I'll say save more than you are now, but leave some money around for entertainment. We have to have our hobbies to keep us sane! So, I will not tell you to save all your money till the market turns around because that may be a long time. I do believe that only you are capable of knowing when to be frugal and when you need a break to have fun. It does take self discipline to say no to some of the small wants out there. But you can do it!
Till next time...keep your head down, follow through, and have FUN!
