Put it all on a CC?

[Minnie_me]

I'm a single mom, and a rural county schoolteacher. I've managed to save enough during each school year since my divorce, to take my daughters on small trips each summer (NYC, 1000 Islands, Hershey Park, Niagara Falls, etc.).

My older daughter is going to graduate in 2015. She absolutely loves Harry Potter, and wants to go to Universal Studios so badly. We all went to Disney in 2007, and if we went to Universal, we would definitely tie in a few days at Disney.

But here's the problem -- I don't have the money!

I couldn't even save that much by next summer. I don't want to wait until the year she graduates, because we will be busy getting ready for college. So, it's Summer of 2014, or not at all.

So here's the question: do I bite the bullet and put it all on my VISA? I have a Visa with my credit union with a low interest rate. I rarely use it. I have no other credit card debt (except for a few department store cards, all with balances less than $500, and most are at zero).

Obviously, I would save as much as I can between now and then. DD is willing to give up her Senior Trip to Disney (since she really doesn't like the kids in her class, and would rather go with us).

What would you do??

 

[nunzia]

I know you will you get answers all over the place and many that disagree with me, but I say take your daughters on the trip and it is not the curse of death to have it on the CC. That said, I would go above and beyond to save save save..pinch pennies, yard sale, ebay, odd jobs, tutor, etc, to have a healthy amount toward it. It's an important time and I think you should do the graduation trip and have a blast.

 

[amie416]

If it's between putting most of the trip on a CC and waiting until 2015 when she graduates, I would suggest that 2015 is a better plan. What will she need to prepare at that time that would stop her from taking a family vacation?

 

[Neesy228]

I'm a single mom, and a rural county schoolteacher. I've managed to save enough during each school year since my divorce, to take my daughters on small trips each summer (NYC, 1000 Islands, Hershey Park, Niagara Falls, etc.).

My older daughter is going to graduate in 2015. She absolutely loves Harry Potter, and wants to go to Universal Studios so badly. We all went to Disney in 2007, and if we went to Universal, we would definitely tie in a few days at Disney.

But here's the problem -- I don't have the money!

I couldn't even save that much by next summer. I don't want to wait until the year she graduates, because we will be busy getting ready for college. So, it's Summer of 2014, or not at all.

So here's the question: do I bite the bullet and put it all on my VISA? I have a Visa with my credit union with a low interest rate. I rarely use it. I have no other credit card debt (except for a few department store cards, all with balances less than $500, and most are at zero).

Obviously, I would save as much as I can between now and then. DD is willing to give up her Senior Trip to Disney (since she really doesn't like the kids in her class, and would rather go with us).

What would you do??

I would go and celebrate. Life is short and if you want to go before she heads to college, then go! The memories will last much longer than the credit card bill.

I will say that, realistically, I do think that you could go in 2015 before she heads to college. Aside from buying the things you need for her dorm/apt, you won't be doing much different from a normal summer and it might be a nice way to wrap up her senior year....BUT if you feel like you need to make it down in 2014, then I'd just do it and have a great time!

 

[Nina1]

Go and celebrate!!!

 

[goodfood4ursoul]

I'm probably going to be rather unpopular for what I am going to say,
but I think principles should come before preferences.
In any case, I teach nutrition in a poor rural county, so I have an idea of where you are coming from.

Rural areas have many positive benefits (that's why we live here) but paying high salaries is not one of them

Bottom line: only make choices that you want your daughters to also choose for themselves one day. They are watching what you do.

If it were me, I would not put it on a credit card unless I could pay it off quickly or had a good emergency fund set aside.

If my focus were Universal with a couple of days at Disney, I'd prioritize.

Stay off site for far less money.
We stayed off site for $69 a night with a full suite so we had breakfast in our suite and packed a lunch.

Spend the $ on the Universal tickets but if Disney is an afterthought, then pick and choose carefully.

You don't have to do everything to have a great vacation.
Our last two trips we bought Disney water parks annual passes with DisneyQuest for only $130 per person.

Spent 9 days in waterparks and DQ over two visits for an average of $14 a day.
Hard to beat that and we had a BLAST!
Oh and it costs nothing to park at the water parks~

Nothing says "vacation" like sitting under a palm tree with your toes in the water at Typhoon Lagoon
while you listen to beach music and watch the kids shoot out the end of the Coconut Crusher water roller coaster

On Tripadvisor.com there is tons of info about tickets to multiple parks:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...ets_The_cheapest_options-Orlando_Florida.html

I'd also consider driving to Florida to save money.
1. Family bonding time- Road Trip!!!! New Adventures!!
2. Take what you want without worry paying baggage fees.
3. Transportation wherever you want- take your GPS and it will be easy.
4. You can eat dinners off site too- we ate with coupons every night.
Sweet Tomatoes (sign up for Club Veg at their website)
Bob Evans (coupons they send me every week)
Longhorn Steakhouse (free appy)

We eat out with coupons regularly at home too.
Check those restaurant websites because you never know.
We saved $10 off our bill of $50 at our local Japanese steakhouse last weekend just by checking for a coupon on their website.

In any case, planning is your friend. Think outside the box, and have a wonderful trip with your girls~

 

[worm761]

If you want to go in 2014 then I suggest you start a budget now. Figure out what you can do without and what you can't. Try to find ways to make your trip cheaper. Sign up for a survey site and do those in the evenings. Start doing Swagbucks and earn Paypal cashouts. Start doing Mypoints and aim for a gas card or two. Figure out what programs your girls can do and get them involved in earning for the trip too. Kidzeyes and Teenzeyes (spelling may be off) are survey sites for the girls depending on their ages. Swagbucks you only need to be 13 to have an account. Maybe they can help earns some gift cards from there.

We have had a rough year. There has been no vacation. The worst part of this year was losing so many people in our lives. DH says we need a vacation. I am planning it for Oct 2014. Because I don't know if we will have furloughs again next year it will be a very budget trip. We will eat breakfast at the room (camper technically, we are renting one). We will take lunch into the parks with us in a backpack cooler. This eliminates a large portion of our food costs.

 

[gracie1]

I would go and celebrate!! I've put many trips on a cc before - and yes, even paid interest on them I survived!! And they got paid off. Hope you have a blast on vacation!!

 

[smitch425]

I would not put a trip on a credit card. You will end up paying a boatload of interest when you don't have the money to afford it to begin with. I would skip doing a summer trip next year and try for Disney/Universal in 2015. Vacations are not worth going into debt, IMHO.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I don't understand why you can't go the summer of 2015. You won't need all summer to get ready for college!

That said, I have no problem with using a cc to finance the trip, assuming you will be able to pay it off within a reasonable time and you aren't being charged an outrageous interest rate.

 

[ssawka]

Since your daughter will be graduating in 2015, I assume she is at least 16. Does she have a part-time job? Can she contribute anything to the trip, or do you want this to be a total surprise for her? Would she be willing to contribute? At that age she must be aware of how tight the budget is.

I remember when my parents took me on a big trip, I contribute as much as I could since I had a part-time job.

 

[mom2my3kids]

I would go, but I would also pinch pennies and save save save until then..

 

[smitch425]

Since your daughter will be graduating in 2015, I assume she is at least 16. Does she have a part-time job? Can she contribute anything to the trip, or do you want this to be a total surprise for her? Would she be willing to contribute? At that age she must be aware of how tight the budget is.

I remember when my parents took me on a big trip, I contribute as much as I could since I had a part-time job.

Excellent post! My parents didn't make me contribute to family trips, but if that was the only way we could have afforded it, I would have given them as much of my checks as I could spare.

 

[Marionnette]

I'm a single mom, and a rural county schoolteacher. I've managed to save enough during each school year since my divorce, to take my daughters on small trips each summer (NYC, 1000 Islands, Hershey Park, Niagara Falls, etc.).

My older daughter is going to graduate in 2015. She absolutely loves Harry Potter, and wants to go to Universal Studios so badly. We all went to Disney in 2007, and if we went to Universal, we would definitely tie in a few days at Disney.

But here's the problem -- I don't have the money!

I couldn't even save that much by next summer. I don't want to wait until the year she graduates, because we will be busy getting ready for college. So, it's Summer of 2014, or not at all.

So here's the question: do I bite the bullet and put it all on my VISA? I have a Visa with my credit union with a low interest rate. I rarely use it. I have no other credit card debt (except for a few department store cards, all with balances less than $500, and most are at zero).

Obviously, I would save as much as I can between now and then. DD is willing to give up her Senior Trip to Disney (since she really doesn't like the kids in her class, and would rather go with us).

What would you do??

I would wait until I had enough money saved to pay for my trip in full. I would not put it on a credit card and pay even "a low interest rate" for something that was not a dire emergency.

Your older daughter heads to college in 2 years. Speaking from experience, college isn't cheap, even with scholarships and work-study aid. The CC debt from a vacation taken the year before is only going to be a millstone around your neck. If she is a HP devotee, she will still love HP when she graduates from college. I know that my 23-year-old daughter has not lost her love for Disney or J.K. Rowling's books. Start a small fund now and save for the college graduation celebration that will happen in 2020.

 

[crisi]

I'd save enough for the trip - and I'd skip Disney to do it sooner. I'd splurge for one night at a Universal hotel for FOTL access (because you'll want it). I'd drive, stay in cheap hotels or campsites, eat out of coolers, and make the trip about the journey - plan a road trip stopping by little museums and historical sites on your way down.

I wouldn't put it on a credit card, I agree, you want your kids to learn from your example.

 

[eliza61]

I know you will you get answers all over the place and many that disagree with me, but I say take your daughters on the trip and it is not the curse of death to have it on the CC. That said, I would go above and beyond to save save save..pinch pennies, yard sale, ebay, odd jobs, tutor, etc, to have a healthy amount toward it. It's an important time and I think you should do the graduation trip and have a blast.

I'm another who will agree with you Nunzia. I did some thing very similar.

In 2005 my mom (technically my step mom as my real mom died when I was young but she raised me) was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. She wanted to go to Italy (her favorite place) with the entire family. I worked like a dog to get as much paid off as possible and put about 3500 on a credit card.

I do not regret one single dime on the interest paid.

the pictures of my mom relatively healthy with my sons in Rome and some other places are my prized possessions.

My sons see me make financial decisions every day so I doubt if they will no go livid la vida loca in college based on that.

It's an extremely personal decision.

 

[ceecee]

Start saving now and see what you can do. I would take her after she graduates before college. Two years will give you more time to save. Seniors need to know where they are going a lot sooner now. DD is a senior and they are saying she needs to know by November for scholarships,etc. So she should by the time she graduates and then you can make it a family graduation trip!

 

[manning]

I'm a cash and carry guy...pay cash and carry the goods out

I've got a friend who is a credit and carry guy...he opens the bills at his desk the family carry him to his bed and await him coming to from his faint.

Think of it. The interest you pay will cut into your buying power.

Your daughter may be disappointed about not going sooner, but disappointment is one of the lessons of life. She'll survive.

 

[Muushka]

Set a good example for your daughter. If you can't afford something, don't borrow money for it.

As others have said, do everything you can do to earn extra money.

Here's hoping that trip becomes a reality!

 

[lauracitawita]

I wouldn't be able to enjoy the trip if it was on my credit card. I just know myself. It would stress me out.

I know people who say it doesn't stress them out to have credit card debt at all.

You have to decide if it will bother you or not.

If I were in your situation I wouldn't do it...but if I were the type to not worry about the debt...I would take my daughter.