Money hemmorhage due to trips - wwyd?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why this is an issue if you have the money. It’s a budget question. You’ve told us nothing about your finances beyond the fact that you can afford these trips.

Usually our idea of a budget is to spend as little as we can, do one trip a year. So this is out of the ordinary for us. It feels very extravagant to spend this much this year. Same way I could theoretically buy a $500 dress but I never have or would do that.

Why? Life is to be lived. What's the point of this weird way of thinking?

You could use that money to increase the amount of justice in the world

[Anonymous]

Cancel some of these trips. Do you want this big of a budget for travel? It doesn’t sound so.

[Anonymous]

Its perspective.

When I think of travel I honest about my entire year. For me, this helps me justify and feel better about spending (but we do trips much less often than you).

So, look at it annually.

What do you make annually?
What are your fixed costs?
Savings and investing?
Now for fun- over the whole year what are you doing for yourself?

If your total travel number fits in this bigger picture, then stop thinking of it as hemorrhaging. You used that word, but be careful to add words if that’s not what is really happening.

If your total travel number doesn’t work in the big picture of your whole year, then I guess you can call it hemorrhage.

[Anonymous]

I would take the trips and assume things will change for DCs next year and they might not be able to travel as much anyway... internships or jobs.

[Anonymous]

Good brag.

[Anonymous]

If all the trips include your soon-to-be college students, do them now. Scheduling because much more complicated once kids are out of the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's practice for the massive waste of money that is a wedding.

I would not spend on a wedding tbh, beyond a meal out and dress, would not do a 100+ people affair. We had a tiny wedding ourselves and paid for it.

[Anonymous]

I chose the trips that I want to take and decide if I am comfortable with the costs when I plan them. I book lodging and airfare I am okay with. If I am not okay, I don’t book that trip or book something else.

But I wouldn’t cancel a planned trip unless a major change in finances or serious illness or something.

How is the trip abroad only costing 3k? Isn’t that just 4 plane tickets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't travel at all in my 20s because i was so frugal/ Dave Ramsey focused. It's a huge regret now!
I have a house just about paid off and I will never say no to travel. 39 now and finally doing what I thought I couldn't afford.

I didn't travel in my 20s/30s, but I have zero regrets about it! It enabled us to have the life we have now. I have just as much energy in my 50s as I did in my 30s. I don't know who these people are who think that menopause equals the end of your life.

I'd just go on the trips OP. If you're worried about your savings, you can make that up by cutting back on other things (eating out, clothes, etc.) over the next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If all the trips include your soon-to-be college students, do them now. Scheduling because much more complicated once kids are out of the house.

This. It is lovely to see kids grow and develop their own lives. But their time with you, and especially for travel will become ever more limited. This is what your money is for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't travel at all in my 20s because i was so frugal/ Dave Ramsey focused. It's a huge regret now!
I have a house just about paid off and I will never say no to travel. 39 now and finally doing what I thought I couldn't afford.

I didn't travel in my 20s/30s, but I have zero regrets about it! It enabled us to have the life we have now. I have just as much energy in my 50s as I did in my 30s. I don't know who these people are who think that menopause equals the end of your life.

I'd just go on the trips OP. If you're worried about your savings, you can make that up by cutting back on other things (eating out, clothes, etc.) over the next year.

Ha I mean - honestly f that's true you probably didn't have a lot of energy in your 30s! Or you're a medical miracle! I'm 52 and have a lot less energy than I did two and three decades ago. I like the life we have now but I could never, ever, ever travel now the way I did then. (And we're just not in a travel-y stage of life now - 95% of our trips involve family now, since we don't live close to where we grew up and our parents, who we love, are aging.)

OP - if you have the money, take the trips. Stop agonizing and making problems where no problems exist. Life is hard enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have the money, I’d take the trip. I’m 42 but have multiple friends and family with stage 4 cancer. It’s really made me reflect on how I want to spend my time so I’d say take the time and see people while you’re all healthy.

Agree, if you can afford it, go! By the way, your estimates sound low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I chose the trips that I want to take and decide if I am comfortable with the costs when I plan them. I book lodging and airfare I am okay with. If I am not okay, I don’t book that trip or book something else.

But I wouldn’t cancel a planned trip unless a major change in finances or serious illness or something.

How is the trip abroad only costing 3k? Isn’t that just 4 plane tickets?

The 6k for kids includes their tickets. The 3k for me and dh is one ticket (other was points) plus car and 4 hotel nights. A lot of the time will be spent with family for both trips.

[Anonymous]

Keep DC's grad trip.

Cancel the trip abroad to see your parents since they're here now. Go see them next year instead.

Go see DH's family as planned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why this is an issue if you have the money. It’s a budget question. You’ve told us nothing about your finances beyond the fact that you can afford these trips.

Usually our idea of a budget is to spend as little as we can, do one trip a year. So this is out of the ordinary for us. It feels very extravagant to spend this much this year. Same way I could theoretically buy a $500 dress but I never have or would do that.

Why? Life is to be lived. What's the point of this weird way of thinking?

pathetic way of living