Should i be responsible or fun?

[HeatherinVT]

Im not sure if this is where i should post my questions (pleas for help)

We originally had a trip planned for October 4th - October 11th staying at All Star Movies.............

Well there has been a chain of events that just tell me i should get my priorities straight and spend the money else where....
Examples... my tub leaked so much that is seaped thru the wall and made my oh so lovely panled spare rooms wall Bow....we knew the bathroom needed to be gutted and started over little did we know the other room had to also.
My husband and i have old junk furniture for our bedroom set, youd think at 30 and 32 we would have a nice set by now after all my daughter has the best of the best.
im still worried there could be a dang hurricane!
We want to have another child and i am only waiting on trying until after our trip.....now if we spend all this money on our house then another 2000.00 for disney then have another baby ...im just not sure if its wise?

Can anyone ANYONE shed some light on the situation....
My dd is only going to be 2.75 (still free) once in her life and i just think it would be so magical for her..... then i would like to take another trip when her sibling is 2 or 3.....

OH YEA then the problem is i have done nothing but talk about disney to her and she talks about it now too.....

AHGGG AHGGG AHGGGGG should i be responsible and fix the house and pay extra bills so we arent strapped when we are suddenly a family of 4 (rather then 3) or should i say screw it she is only once young and the bills will be there when we get home?


Maybe some one can tweak the trip we can scale it back to only a few days?
(i have a 213.00 airfare credit to use by feb)

sorry to blaht online my problems but i thought SOMEONE must have been in this boat at some point and maybe can help?

 

[coinkc]

Oh my gosh...I can't believe I just read this post! I have been having the EXACT same thoughts lately. we currently have a trip planned for July with some friends of ours. It is our 3rd trip and their 2nd but the first time we have gone with anybody (it's usually just my daughter and I).

Recently we had an unexpected expense come up with our car that wiped out my savings account. Now all I have "left" is our Disney money (aside from our regular living expense account). I have been going back and forth between doing what I want...go to WDW...and doing what I know is the responsible thing to do...save the money as an emergency fund. I have NO IDEA what I am going to do but have to decide this week as the final payment is due.

By the way, our friends would go anyway with or without us...it's their hote room, we were just going to stay with them (2 bedroom villa). My daughter being the easy going kid that she is said that whatever I decide is fine. (She is 8.) Darn! I kinda wish she would pitch a fit or something so I could say that I just can't disappoint her

 

[lucky978]

Wow. That is a tough one. My first thought is to say to just go and have fun. But the more I think about it, I'm not sure. Your daughter is still young enough that if you wait a year or two, she will still enjoy Disney as much as she would now. Plus if you save up some more money, maybe you would enjoy your vacation more knowing that you are not financially strapped because of the trip. So I guess I'm saying you should wait (as long as you haven't booked stuff and will lose $$$).

I'm sure you will make the right decision for your family.

 

[patrenoe]

For us I would have to say that my home always takes priority over any vacation. I absolutely ADORE going on vacation (any vacation) but if I knew I needed to redo 2 rooms in my house due to leaks I wouldn't have as good a time. Hope everything works out for you.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

Sometimes family time is a priority too. This was to be the year with out a trip as we are moving into our new home in a week. We went over our budget on the new house and have not sold our old house. Our best friends however chose this fall to take their first trip. We have decided that if DH can get the time off from workk that we are going with them anyway! Budget trip, but the only one I expect our friends to take and we really want to go too. Now we are '40 something" and most of the time make very wise money decissions but sometimes you have to follow your heart too. Only you know how much you need the trip.

Jordans' mom

 

[jenr812]

We used our taxes to pay for our trip instead of putting the money toward bills I have second thoughts sometimes, but I graduate in 2 years and we'll be debt free within a few months after that. THe kids will only be 11, 6, and 2 this summer : (plus I got a pin code )

 

[MAKMOM41]

You have to fix the tub ASAP. It should be covered under your homeowners policy. NOT the plumbing repair just the damage it caused... you must report it in a timely manor. I would do the trip before new furniture.

 

[coinkc]

Responsibility won...I cancelled our trip today

 

[HeatherinVT]

Ok so leak might not have been the right word....

It was never caulked right (we never knew this) and water seaped thru the wall to the other room where its paneled and is now bowed.....

UGH! i just dont knwo what to do i have been trying to think how i can shorten the trip..... maybe go for 3-4 days since i have to use my air fare credit by february anyway..... maybe plan a day at sea world adn a day at magic Kingdom my dd is going to be in awe of the 2 and would never knwo what she was missing on the other parks??

just cant figure out when to do this!

i will keep you posted ....... i have about a month to make up my mind thank goodness! if i leave on the 10th i get a AAA rate of 68.00 a night if i leave the next day it goes up to 90.... GR GRRRR

 

[drakester]

you made the right decision. WDW is not going anywhere. It will be there when the time and $$$ are right for you.

 

[MAKMOM41]

The water damage still should be covered under your homeowners policy. You most likely will get a few thousand for the damage.

 

[Focusdude]

My family and I were supposed to be going to WDW this coming October 18-23, but because I will not have a job after August (my own choice - 5 hours of commuting and paying for childcare was too much!) - we have postponed until May, 2006. I intended on keeping the trip when in the beginning when I first decided to leave my job - but found myself looking at the schedule and mentally canceling more pricey things like character dinners, so I decided if I could not do it "right" - I was not going to do it at all until I felt financially ready.

Now my trip is less than a year away, and I feel much better financially about it. Believe me - many tears were shed about changing the dates (mine included!!!) - but in the long run - it is better!

Hope this helps!

 

[ryanmilla]

HeatherinVT,
Are you and/or your husband handy? Could these repairs be something you guys could do yourself?

I know I am not the most handy person in the world, but I have an allergy to paying someone something that I know I could do. Before my son was born we wanted to redo his room in the house we just bought. I got some quotes for just pulling off the panelling that was on the wall before redoing sheetrock, painting, trimming etc....To pull of the panelling, the quote was $500 dollars. I ended up doing it myself and it only took 30 minutes to pull off all the panelling. I ended up doing the entire room for less than $500.

I guess what I am trying to say is that if you are handy or even just have the courage to give it a try, you can save thousands of dollars doing it yourself compared to paying contractors to come in. Then you might still have the resources to do the trip as well.

 

[Rachie0507]

Heather,
If I were in your shoes, I would do everything I could to make the vacation work. We are going in December. Our finances are pretty tight and there are always bills we weren't expecting. We have made a commitment to ourselves to go though and we have been good about putting some money aside every month to pay for the trip. We even used a different bank for the vacation account so we aren't tempted to dip into it for bills. There is still time to start something like that. Also, I agree with the other poster who said to do the work yourself in your house. If there is no further damage under the panelling, you should be able to put up new or sheetrock fairly inexpensively. And seal up the shower!! I noticed your comment about the furniture too. DH and I just had a conversation about our furniture. Ours is all either handed down or yard sale stuff. We don't have a single piece we have bought new. It is all holding up well though and we decided that until our children are older there is no point in buying new. It is tough. Some people will say that a vacation can wait, but I think you should take advantage of you child's age and go.

 

[rt2dz]

I'm (opps) almost 6 months pregnant with DS#3. In addition to all the things new babies require (many things are worn & need replacement--especially clothes since my first two are winter babies & this is a summer baby), this requires a new vehicle; DS#1 is only 4 and DS#2 is only 15 months and my vehcile won't hold 3 car seats and DH drives a company car, so...

DH is being transferred. So, we're moving. Our house IS too little, but I bought it nine years ago and the mortgage is nothing. We will have to be putting A LOT more money into a new house. And new furniture for some rooms. Plus, do to the baby coming and needing a c-section, DH will be living there while the boys and I are here for an extra couple months (double the living expenses). Then the house needs some work before we can sell it; not a lot, but some expensive things (our sprinkler system needs an overhall for example).

Then our bed is shot & we need a new one. Our toddler will need all new furniture. Our grill died. Our patio chairs are hanging on by a thread. We've had a DVD player bite the dust in the last month. Our fridge is 12 years old and is about to go. Both boys and myself (maternity) need complete summer wardrobes. Oh, and I'm sure there is more.

YET--we live for Disney in under 48 hours, staying at the Wilderness Lodge in a Woods View room.

 

[vpack05]

I'm a single mom of 4 children under 12. I've worked part-time for 12 years and never made over 12,000/year. Yet I've made it a priority each year to take 1 or 2 vacations (atleast 7-10 days) with my children. Now that they are getting older, we all are thrilled at the memories they have (and pictures to help). The bills will always be there, that's never in doubt. But, god forbid, anything should happen to one of my children, I'll be lucky enough to know that we had this time together and that they had a terrific adventure.

We gone on trips with bare minimum, barely any money over airfare and lodging, and this year it's a dream trip. My kids remember the time I've spent with them, not how many character meals they've attended (although they've never been before and this year is over 8!). Something happens at disney, I become relaxed, even without a lot of money to spend!

We stayed at the cabins (FW) one year and my kids actually CHOSE to stay there rather than go to the parks (which would have saved me money, if I hadn't prepaid the tickets!!). Same thing happened when we stayed at Holiday Inn Family Suites....they gave up Sea World and any on site disney time, in order to have 2 more days at the hotel. I know you can't ask your daughter, but you get the idea.

You have to do what's best for you. But just remember, they honestly appreciate the time and you'll be a better parent if you've given to yourself too. I know that I come back relaxed, happy and looking forward to tackling any issues in life that crop up between vacations! Best Wishes!!

 

[SnowWhite]

I definatley know where you are coming from Heather. We have a trip booked for October and have already paid for the rented points for OKW. However we were faced with some unexpected bills and we questioned how wise it was to go but my daughter is getting older (8) and she is sooooo into the princess's right now and our son is still free (2) and we really want to go this year. We were planning on last May but I was on maternity leave and money was tight and my DSiL got married and we were all in the wedding out of town and it was just too much so we were forced to cancel it but I don't want to disappoint my daughter again. Somehow we will make it work....you only live once and family vacations are at the top of my list. Do whatever it takes to make it happen....shorten the trip, find a cheap hotel to stay in, just go to one park or whatever it takes.

Just enjoy!!!

 

[MrsPete]

AHGGG AHGGG AHGGGGG should i be responsible and fix the house and pay extra bills so we arent strapped when we are suddenly a family of 4 (rather then 3) or should i say screw it she is only once young and the bills will be there when we get home?

I think this is the real question: How much time and effort did it take you to save the money for this trip?

If you have comfortable, well-paying jobs and could replace the savings fairly quickly and without a lot of sacrafice, then go ahead and have your vacation. Perhaps you could scale back a bit -- downgrade to a less-expensive hotel maybe -- to cut back on expenses.

On the other hand, if you have any concern about the security of your job(s), or if it would take you years to replace these savings, then perhaps the money would be better spent on your house.

 

[rifamtrav]

Can't say much about the money situation but as far as being ready for baby#2, here's what happened to me: My DD was 2 and a few months, we knew I was pregnant (just 3 months) but the trip was already planned with my DH, sis and 2 college friends (I always like to travel with spare adults!) We had a great time, I did manage to go on a few rollercoaster rides but was cautious, and of course no drinking.
A week after we got back from Disney I found out I was having TWINS!!! Hey, maybe it was the jolt of Tower of Terror that split that egg! I think Disney owes me life time 2 for 1 deal. Anyway, that was 10 years ago, time flies....

 

[bubba73]

This sounds like the story of my life. I am probably one of the poorest ones on this message board. My DW and I combined pull about $36,000 a year. That's both of us working as hard as we can with 2 children. Otherwise, I have 2 broken doors inside my house and 2 broken windows. Even with that, we are leaving in 30 days to head down to the POP.. My kids are only young once. One day (perish the thought), they may not want to go to Disney so while they do, so do I. I can't tell you what to do because honestly, I think the right thing to do is to take care of the house. But if your homeowners insurance will help you with the cost of the repairs, I would say get the repairs done and go to Disney. Life is short! Enjoy it while you can!