Surprise expense woes

[Penny McMouse]

Without getting into all the details, my husband and I have to get another car within the next 6 months. We do not want to take out a loan, we're trying hard to get everything paid off. We're down to two loans which feels like a huge accomplishment and we both feel like taking out another is moving in the wrong direction. If we use the money for our planned Disney trip in May that will make a sizeable dent in what we need. However, neither one of us wants to cancel the trip. Its his birthday celebration. Apparently 45 is the perfect year to get a light saber. So what would you do? Adult up and not go? Get a side job? Drive instead of fly? Stay off property? Or keep going full speed ahead with the original plan?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Side jobs, or delay the trip.

 

[cjlong88]

I'm very close to getting out of debt (student loan paid off March 2020!!!!), so I totally understand the desire to finish strong and then stay out of debt as much as possible.

I can only speak for what I would personally do. With that said, I would keep the trip but modify it in a way that is friendlier toward my budget. Choosing to drive and stay off-site are easy ways to save quite a bit of cash. You can also opt to go to the grocery store in Florida to pick up snacks and breakfast food, which will also save you money (Disney food is expensive). You have to decide if these changes will fundamentally alter your experience to the point where it's not even worth going. Good luck!

 

[DLgal]

Get a used car. A cheap one. Keep the trip.

 

[seashoreCM]

Within the dollar amounts involved, using savings to go to Disney and taking out a loan to buy a car is the same thing as using savings to buy a car and taking out a loan to go to Disney.

 

[ajwolfe]

I would keep the trip - maybe modify to save some money and try to cut some expenses elsewhere as well at home. Maybe not as much eating out, etc.

Life lessons have taught me life is way too short and you can't count on there being a tomorrow so for that reason I would keep the trip and make the memories.

 

[tzolkin]

I would first look closely at how much you are planning on spending on the trip and how much you are planning on spending on the car. Since you didn't provide that information, I can't say how I would make my decision.

If you're planning an expensive trip (flying, deluxe resort, dining plan/pricey meals) and/or thinking of buying an expensive or new vehicle, you could definitely cut back on the cost of either the trip or the car (or both) and perhaps be more within what you can afford.

If you're already planning a budget-friendly trip and planning to buy a very inexpensive car and you still can't afford both without taking a loan, then I would highly recommend getting a second job. Is there a possibility that either of you could work overtime at your current job to increase your income? We would rather work like crazy and get to really enjoy the reward than just cancel to avoid putting in the extra effort.

That said, if you're close on the amount, you could also postpone the trip until you save up enough to cover it. Is there a reason you want to go at that time other than the birthday? (Perhaps weather or crowds or time off from work). If it's just the birthday, I would just go at a different time, but I'm also not very sentimental about things like that so it may be important to you.

 

[starry_solo]

Side job and cut back on the expenses during the trip.

 

[Penny McMouse]

I would first look closely at how much you are planning on spending on the trip and how much you are planning on spending on the car. Since you didn't provide that information, I can't say how I would make my decision.

If you're planning an expensive trip (flying, deluxe resort, dining plan/pricey meals) and/or thinking of buying an expensive or new vehicle, you could definitely cut back on the cost of either the trip or the car (or both) and perhaps be more within what you can afford.

If you're already planning a budget-friendly trip and planning to buy a very inexpensive car and you still can't afford both without taking a loan, then I would highly recommend getting a second job. Is there a possibility that either of you could work overtime at your current job to increase your income? We would rather work like crazy and get to really enjoy the reward than just cancel to avoid putting in the extra effort.

That said, if you're close on the amount, you could also postpone the trip until you save up enough to cover it. Is there a reason you want to go at that time other than the birthday? (Perhaps weather or crowds or time off from work). If it's just the birthday, I would just go at a different time, but I'm also not very sentimental about things like that so it may be important to you.

Our trip budget is roughly 3500. The car budget will be under 7000. We have almost 2000 saved in the car replacement fund. We didn't expect to buy another car for 3 years or so.

We did pick that time of year for his birthday but also for the weather and lower crowds. He just enrolled in college again so we would be going the week after finals which is something else to celebrate. If we postpone it will be for a full year due to school/weather/crowds.

 

[wishuponastar1984]

Our trip budget is roughly 3500. The car budget will be under 7000. We have almost 2000 saved in the car replacement fund. We didn't expect to buy another car for 3 years or so.

We did pick that time of year for his birthday but also for the weather and lower crowds. He just enrolled in college again so we would be going the week after finals which is something else to celebrate. If we postpone it will be for a full year due to school/weather/crowds.

Your trip and car budget seem reasonable. Have you looked into a car loan and what the interest rates would be? If you have good credit and can get a decent rate on a used car loan (say under 5%) then I would keep the trip and economize where you can to pay down the debt. Think about all the little stuff that chips away at your monthly budget. Stay out of the stores (online and physical) and look around the house for things you could sell. You can also let people know that you would like WDW gift cards for Christmas, if your trip is after Christmas. Better still is to talk to most people that you exchange gifts with and say that you would love to see them over the holidays but would like to cut the gift exchange to save money.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Adult up if lack of debt is the main priority.
That doesn't mean that a side job isn't a good idea if a light saber looms in the mind, LOL.

I'm at an age where retirement is reality and am a bit tired of listening to people of a similar age wondering how they'll live on a $700.00 to 1.1K monthly budget in our region.

 

[DirectGirl]

I hate to say it... but if I were you, I would "adult up" and plan a different birthday celebration. I will caveat though: My answer would be different if other people were going with you on the trip. If it's just your immediate family though, I say use the money for the car now. Sorry :-(

 

[wenrob]

My inclination is to say “Adult Up.” Yeah, life is short but those light sabers aren’t going anywhere either. You have to weigh need vs want. I personally wouldn’t go on a big vacation if it meant I had to take out a loan for something I need. I would buy the car and aggressively save to take the trip at a later date.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

The car is a necessity, the vacation is not. I would plan a smaller, cheaper celebration closer to home. Maybe a weekend getaway? I would use the vacation money towards the car and then plan a WDW vacation for the next year. 46 seems equally good for a lightsaber.

 

[tvguy]

I need more information.
What is happening in 6 months that the car is going to need to be replaced?

I would focus on what I could do to not have to replace the car first, not modifying anything else.

To me Surprise Expense Woes would be we need to get a new car TODAY.

 

[RamblingMad]

Cancel the trip, get a car, and go when you can afford to. I canceled my Oct trip to DL because I decided to move. Life happens.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Our trip budget is roughly 3500. The car budget will be under 7000. We have almost 2000 saved in the car replacement fund. We didn't expect to buy another car for 3 years or so.

We did pick that time of year for his birthday but also for the weather and lower crowds. He just enrolled in college again so we would be going the week after finals which is something else to celebrate. If we postpone it will be for a full year due to school/weather/crowds.

If it were me, looking at your numbers and ages...adult up. I celebrated milestone birthdays a year+ later and 2 months later...and my friend just celebrated her spouse's milestone 3 years later (at Disney with the opening of Star Wars), so dates themselves don't matter that much. Save for the car, then save for the trip...

 

[runwad]

Me? I'd adult up. You are free to do whatever you want.

 

[MomToOne]

So...if you take this trip, how much longer will it take you to pay everything off?

An extra month or two? Then I might take the trip, but ONLY if this is a one time thing. You can't keep extending your payoff timeline by a month or two for trip after trip or purchase after purchase.

More than a month or two? Then I would definitely adult up and not go. Although I find it odd to tell someone to "adult up" at 45. That's something I expect to have to tell an early 20-something!

One other thing to consider here is it sounds like you might not have any sort of emergency fund today. If that's the case, what's your plan to cover other unforeseen circumstances that may come up in everyday life? If you have no plan, then I think you know what the answer to your question is....

 

[DisMommyTX]

Vacations are an important part of our lifestyle and happy marriage/family. Saving for them allows us to say "no" to many things we could otherwise spend money on. Canceling next year's vacation would take away that positive we look forward to and, while not a last resort, is definitely way down the list of choices we would make.

It is however pretty easy to downsize and still have a fabulous trip. Driving is a good option, assuming you have a reliable car for the trip. We prefer to use Southwest credit cards to get free flights. For $69, you can earn 60k miles which is about 2-4 round trip flights from most places in the US. We stayed off site for the first 8 years and loved it. Either a hotel with free breakfast or condo with extra space when traveling with family is well under $1k/wk. Hotels can be booked on reward points as well. Lots of great food options for a fraction of the cost off-site as well.

I would plan on a great Disney trip for under 2k (could be less but you need to include enough for the light saber and other perks most important to you). With that as your incentive, look for extra cost cutting in your weekly routines or side jobs to build up the car fund.