End of Life Spending Changes.

[SanFranciscan]

If you knew that your life was going to end very soon, how would your spending habits change? Would they change at all?

 

[Justsyd2]

I don't think my spending habits would change...I am happy where they are, but I might save a bit more just to make sure that the people I love are better taken care of.

 

[CC12005]

Vacation, vacation, vacation! Already went through this scenario before. Luckily didn't have to put the plan into action. But would take a set amount of money & see how far & long that would take us to see the world. By having a set dollar amount I wouldn't feel guilty about leaving my family broke.
OP what would you do?

 

[JaymeC]

Mine would probably stay about the same. I want to say I'd take a round-the-world vacation, but at the same time I doubt I'd really do it. I'd just want to be surrounded by my family. Okay, maybe I'd sneak one quick trip to Europe in... But overall, I'm happy with our spending habits. My dh and I have long since agreed that the least expensive spending isn't always the best, we try to find a balance between saving and getting what we really want as well.

 

[annsteere]

Retirement fund would become the money to pay for spending time with our adult children.

And, I'd have a bubble bath bar--baskets of scents from Bath and Body with the matching lotion to put on after.

Heat the house as warm as we'd like for the next three months.

A Target run for 2 new packages of underwear, 1 package of white socks, and 1 new set of fuzzy socks.

 

[Aliceacc]

There would be no need to save.

The money now in savings could be used to help others.

 

[RitaE]

hmm, interesting question.

I can see myself taking a bunch of vacations and such. But I don't think I'd wake up and go "Oh, since I'm dying next week there's nothing in the world I'd rather do all day today than GO TO THE MALL!"

I think I'd hire a cook and a housekeeper too though because no way would I choose to spend my last days on Earth shoveling my families laundry and dirty dishes through the system.

 

[gillenkl]

I think it's hard to say -I would like to go on an extended vacation to Hawaii with my DH and kids - just a peaceful relaxing time together. As far as spending money on things and shopping I don't see the point - I don't need a new Dooney bag if I'm dying. I don't think anyone really knows what they'd do until the actual situation comes up though.

 

[Aliceacc]

I don't think anyone really knows what they'd do until the actual situation comes up though.

I can tell you that I planned our 2008 trip to WDW as I awaited my mastectomy, and my 2009 trip as I underwent radiation and reconstruction.

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

A friend of mine's husband past away several years ago. He had cancer and new his time was very limited. He bought the special people (wife, children, grandchildren, siblings) in his life something nice for them to remember him. He put alot of thought into these items and money was no object to him on these items. Now I do not mean items like a car. I do not remember what they were but they had a meaning to his loved ones once he was gone. Other than that his spending habits did not change

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

When I was diagnosed and undergoing treatment for cancer I maxed out my credit cards (not proud of it but I did). It's all that emotionally made me feel better. We've since started paying them back off. I don't regret it. Everyone deals with death in different ways.

 

[Colleen27]

I can think of two things I'd change - I'd hire someone to keep house, because as a previous poster said I wouldn't want to spend my limited time on dirty dishes and laundry, and we'd use the money we currently save for retirement (not the IRAs, but the monthly amount we add to them) to do more traveling and outings with the kids. I'd just want to do as much as possible to make memories with the kids.

 

[beansmom]

When I was diagnosed and undergoing treatment for cancer I maxed out my credit cards (not proud of it but I did). It's all that emotionally made me feel better. We've since started paying them back off. I don't regret it. Everyone deals with death in different ways.

i would do EXACTLY the same...and how wonderful that you are here to HAVE to pay them off.

I would definitely take my whole family on a disney trip. And I'd take another trip to London and Scotland.

 

[CC12005]

Just had a thought. Was this question meant to have us reflect on how most of our purchases are meaningless & unnecessary? To point out how much money we waste, when we should just be spending time with our loved ones. How I don't need another Louis Vuitton purse. Did my husband put you up to asking this question? The timing of this question just before Christmas shopping makes me suspect.

 

[Aliceacc]

When I was diagnosed and undergoing treatment for cancer I maxed out my credit cards (not proud of it but I did). It's all that emotionally made me feel better. We've since started paying them back off. I don't regret it. Everyone deals with death in different ways.

Here's a prayer for your continued good health.

 

[crisi]

I think I'm the opposite. My mother's mother died when she was young, leaving the family in debt and without a lot of resources. The upshot is that if I knew I wouldn't be here for my kids, I'd start stashing away MORE than I do now so that they wouldn't have to worry about college, so my husband could hire a housekeeper, etc.

I would make memories with my kids, but I don't think I'd do a lot of spending to make them. My reaction to stress is to become more frugal.

I have the STUFF I want. And I've seen much of the world I want. And my family is all geographically close.

 

[Ember]

When my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer, we took an all out vacation, making at least a few dreams come true. We went to California and made some Disney memories, stayed right on Rodeo Drive and bought shoes, put our hands in the hand prints, and then stayed at a beautiful beach hotel and listened to the ocean. The pictures are the last I have where my mom is really smiling, without pain lingering on her features. She looks beautiful.

After she died, I paid off the credit card debt I had racked up for this trip, as well as the money spent in the following months for her care, and still put most of the insurance money away for retirement.

In dealing with the loss, I also ran away to Africa and spent a month volunteering with a township school over the summer. I have just finished paying this trip off and am once more debt free.

I don't regret taking on debt during the course of the situation.

 

[bettyann29]

The only thing different that Id do is do some kind of trip with all of my family.. Im not talking some big elaborate trip to WDW or around the world or anything like that.. I mean a nice trip to spend time with my loved ones.. maybe stay somewhere close to the beach since I love the beach and just spend time together and make some lasting memories..

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I can tell you that I planned our 2008 trip to WDW as I awaited my mastectomy, and my 2009 trip as I underwent radiation and reconstruction.

Alice - good to see you here. Miss you over at the bcs thread. Stop by and say hi if you get a chance. Blessings always. OT: My ds is taing statistics right now and got wait listed at sb so stuck at the community college for now. sigh, sigh. His friend got waitlisted too and is going to nassau cc and he was the class president, 3.8 gpa etc. Gheesh.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Well I would probably just take a trip with the family.

We went to disney right before I got the cancer diagnosis too. And after that I ended up in a coma and almost died so it let us think alot.

If I wasnt too sick we would probably go on a trip, probably disney. I dont think we would spend too much extra. I am really not a "stuff" person. My love language is not the gift giving one, its the spending time one. So I guess I would drive dh and the 3 ds crazy making them spend time with me. Honestly, money does not buy my happiness.