how do you decide if you can afford a vacation?

[kkmcan]

We don't use our emergency savings for vacations. We have a separate account that is just for vacations. If it has enough funds that we feel comfortable using on a vacation then we go for it. If not, we wait another 6 months and then see about planning a trip.

 

[Pigeon]

It's really just a matter of deciding how the vacation fits in with your other priorities.

We tend not to take a lot of expensive vacations because they aren't the best use of our money. I enjoy vacation, but I also enjoy spending time off at home. We prioritize other things. In your situation, I'd be very focused on saving for the home purchase, and would not want to spend the money. For other people, the vacation would be more important.

 

[ssawka]

Go.

I didn't have a lot of grand dreams in life, but one of them was to go to Hawaii before we had kids.

Then I got cancer, and we had to pay for that. Then we had to pay for infertility treatments. I'm expecting our first child and we've been told it has a 99% chance of having Down Syndrome. Our insurance is not that great, so this may mean we never go on a vacation again, period. No matter how much you save, it may never be 'enough.' Just go.

Don't believe the tests! They only have about a 66% accuracy rate, so if there telling you there is a 99% chance, in reality they are saying it is a 65% chance. DW's tests came out negative and we had a child with Down syndrome. DSis-in-law had a positive test result and a "likely" test result for two of her children and never had a child with DS.

Even if you have a child with DS, it does not mean the end of your vacationing life. Depending on where you live, there are a ton of programs to help you out financially.

 

[mrsklamc]

Don't believe the tests! They only have about a 66% accuracy rate, so if there telling you there is a 99% chance, in reality they are saying it is a 65% chance. DW's tests came out negative and we had a child with Down syndrome. DSis-in-law had a positive test result and a "likely" test result for two of her children and never had a child with DS.

Even if you have a child with DS, it does not mean the end of your vacationing life. Depending on where you live, there are a ton of programs to help you out financially.

Thank you. I do hope the test is wrong, but these new ones are supposedly more accurate.

Anyway, I've always been really conservative financially, and where we've ended up has somewhat changed that perspective. It sounds like OP is doing a great job of saving and I think if they have that much saved they should go for a $2,000 vacation if they want.

 

[Kellydelly]

It's new testing but supposedly 99% accurate...it goes by names like Panorama, MaterniT21, Harmony, and Verify.

If you haven't had chromosomal testing done I wouldn't be believing any of it. I would get an amnio and really find out. Hang in there .

 

[snarlingcoyote]

One of my great aunts made it to 102. She pulled DH and I aside one day and told us that she and her DH had been great dreamers. They had scrimped and saved and not enjoyed themselves and had said they would take trips and do things as soon as he retired.

Well, less than a year after her DH retired, he died. He never got to do any of the things they had dreamed about doing together.

She told us to have fun and enjoy our time together and not treat it as endless; anything could happen to either one of us at any time. Save our money, yes, get ready for retirement and be well-prepared for bad times and rainy days.

But don't forget that we are only promised now and that we need to live and love each other and enjoy our lives together.

It was, I think, the wisest advice anyone ever gave DH and me. We have lived our life together by those words.

 

[danygirl]

My grandparents saved all their money for the nursing home. She died and never got there. He survived her by 20 yrs. when he died my sibs and I took a fabulous vacation to the Bahamas with our families!

 

[sweetdana]

Go.

I didn't have a lot of grand dreams in life, but one of them was to go to Hawaii before we had kids.

Then I got cancer, and we had to pay for that. Then we had to pay for infertility treatments. I'm expecting our first child and we've been told it has a 99% chance of having Down Syndrome. Our insurance is not that great, so this may mean we never go on a vacation again, period. No matter how much you save, it may never be 'enough.' Just go.

Hugs I hope you go to HA 1 day.

 

[ssawka]

Deleted, off topic.

 

[sweetdana]

How do you all determine whether or not you can afford a vacation? I'm trying to decide right now if DH & I can squeeze in another trip pre-babies (no kids yet, but will happen in the next year or two). We are currently renting an apartment but are trying to save up to buy a condo or townhouse. We have about $35,000 in savings and a trip budget would be about $2000. Is this reasonable???

If your debt to income inc day car/ new expenses that might pop up is well below 45% you have plenty of income to save more. spend n enjoy.

If your thinking of being a sahp and that might tweak that # but still making under 55%, I'd prolly budget according to it now. Off site/ pop/ fd skip rental cars ect and prolly still go. Ie spend 2k instead if 3500$.

If you think after a child (or now) you'll be over 60% DTI I'd save every penny.

 

[crisi]

One of my great aunts made it to 102. She pulled DH and I aside one day and told us that she and her DH had been great dreamers. They had scrimped and saved and not enjoyed themselves and had said they would take trips and do things as soon as he retired.

Well, less than a year after her DH retired, he died. He never got to do any of the things they had dreamed about doing together.

She told us to have fun and enjoy our time together and not treat it as endless; anything could happen to either one of us at any time. Save our money, yes, get ready for retirement and be well-prepared for bad times and rainy days.

But don't forget that we are only promised now and that we need to live and love each other and enjoy our lives together.

It was, I think, the wisest advice anyone ever gave DH and me. We have lived our life together by those words.

On the other hand, my grandmother died young, but the bills she left behind meant that her husband and young children struggled - my grandfather his whole life. There were simply no resources.

My brother in law lived life to its fullest, went to Europe three times before dying of cancer at 47. But, we supported him the last two years of his life, and thank God for MinnesotaCare. When trouble hit, he had nothing, it was a good thing we hadn't spent the money we had so he could live independently as long as possible.

 

[mrsklamc]

Yes, but OP is obviously able to save and not burn through all their resources, 2k isn't going to make or break them.

 

[Judique]

Thank you. I do hope the test is wrong, but these new ones are supposedly more accurate.

Anyway, I've always been really conservative financially, and where we've ended up has somewhat changed that perspective. It sounds like OP is doing a great job of saving and I think if they have that much saved they should go for a $2,000 vacation if they want.

I agree with you, MrsKlamc.

And its been quite awhile since I was offered those tests. My personal choice was to not have the test. The medical staff pressured me stating that I then would have a choice and could make an informed decision.

My choice had been made when I was blessed with a pregnancy.

And my advice is the same as yours - go have the vacation.

 

[crisi]

Yes, but OP is obviously able to save and not burn through all their resources, 2k isn't going to make or break them.

Just to play devil's advocate, they also have two expensive goals, a house and a baby (or two or three). Fertility treatments or adoption could eat up the money they have saved quickly, if that baby doesn't come easily - and a vacation could postpone getting that house and baby.

 

[mrsklamc]

Just to play devil's advocate, they also have two expensive goals, a house and a baby (or two or three). Fertility treatments or adoption could eat up the money they have saved quickly, if that baby doesn't come easily - and a vacation could postpone getting that house and baby.

Which is exactly my point. No matter how much you save, it may never be enough for the unexpected parts of life. We scrimped and saved and did the responsible thing and life still screwed us over. It would be nice to at least have the memories of that trip.

 

[kimmyann]

One of my great aunts made it to 102. She pulled DH and I aside one day and told us that she and her DH had been great dreamers. They had scrimped and saved and not enjoyed themselves and had said they would take trips and do things as soon as he retired.

Well, less than a year after her DH retired, he died. He never got to do any of the things they had dreamed about doing together.

She told us to have fun and enjoy our time together and not treat it as endless; anything could happen to either one of us at any time. Save our money, yes, get ready for retirement and be well-prepared for bad times and rainy days.

But don't forget that we are only promised now and that we need to live and love each other and enjoy our lives together.

It was, I think, the wisest advice anyone ever gave DH and me. We have lived our life together by those words.

THIS!

My parents raised five children. My dad worked very hard to provide for us, my mom worked very hard caring for everyone. They had a house that was paid off before retirement & a good savings. My dad died at the age of 61 of pancreatic cancer, then my mom died at 64. They never did anything but work & take care of that house. They never had time to have fun & enjoy life & I still feel very sad for them, even now.

Life is just too short to spend it on all materialistic things. They are never really going to matter in the end, but how you live & what you do with your loved ones will. Go on the trip.

 

[crisi]

Which is exactly my point. No matter how much you save, it may never be enough for the unexpected parts of life. We scrimped and saved and did the responsible thing and life still screwed us over. It would be nice to at least have the memories of that trip.

I guess when I needed fertility treatments and adoption, I regretted not being able to afford it the moment it became necessary because I had those memories - those memories of a vacation - nothing compared to my kids. (And we had one vacation, I can't imagine how much our kids would have been delayed if we would have taken a 'grab life' approach like my brother in law did). Instead, saving became part of the process, and we couldn't take the next step until we had the money.

 

[nunzia]

Go.

I didn't have a lot of grand dreams in life, but one of them was to go to Hawaii before we had kids.

Then I got cancer, and we had to pay for that. Then we had to pay for infertility treatments. I'm expecting our first child and we've been told it has a 99% chance of having Down Syndrome. Our insurance is not that great, so this may mean we never go on a vacation again, period. No matter how much you save, it may never be 'enough.' Just go.

I agree with the Just Go...we always took trips when the kids were young and we could not 'afford' it. Actually we were classified as under the poverty level, but we struggled by with our Griswold station wagon booking it to Disneyland. My kids never thought we were poor, as my son said recently,"we did stuff, it didn't feel poor". So to them, the norm for eating out was an under $1.00 burger then for a splurge on the way home we'd stop at a grocery store that had 25 cent sodas in a machine out front, but they could talk about and relive our great family trips. None of them are scarred and our finances are fine.

Bless you for the special baby that you will have. Cherish it. We just went through a loss of a Trisomy 18 grandson..life is precious.

 

[nunzia]

If you haven't had chromosomal testing done I wouldn't be believing any of it. I would get an amnio and really find out. Hang in there .

Yes..only amnio will truly tell you.

 

[mrsklamc]

I guess when I needed fertility treatments and adoption, I regretted not being able to afford it the moment it became necessary because I had those memories - those memories of a vacation - nothing compared to my kids. (And we had one vacation, I can't imagine how much our kids would have been delayed if we would have taken a 'grab life' approach like my brother in law did). Instead, saving became part of the process, and we couldn't take the next step until we had the money.

If they get to the point of fertility treatments, 2 grand is a drop in the bucket. And what OP is talking about is nothing like someone with a YOLO attitude, they are savers with a nice nest egg talking about a small vacation, not blowing it all.