hsmamato2 said:Eliza61 I love your signature!![]()
For us, travel ranks pretty high. We drive old cars, live in a much more economical house than we could probably afford and pinch pennies everywhere we can so that we can afford to travel. My friends think we have WAY more money than we do because they only see where we go, they don't see the tight budgeting in the rest of our lives to make it possible for that to happen.
This! My carpets totally need replacing and the wallpaper in our master bath screams 1997---but bring on the cruise ships and mickey bars! Seriously, the carpets can always be replaced later--but memories can't be replaced. We've started to encourage my aging parents to travel with us so we can guide them along and assist them as needed. Pictures/videos with grandparents and grandchildren can't wait....and who knows what the future brings.
For us, the only luxury expense that comes above travel is my girls' tuition. Repairs come before vacation but not upgrades or remodels, even though we're in an older home that could certainly use it. The way we see it, our ugly bathroom will still be ugly in a few years, but our options for traveling with the children will only disappear as time goes by.
My oldest is in high school now and that's cramping our style - football and band rule out about 2/3 of the summer and most weekends from Aug to Nov. Once my middle child gets to high school we may not have any time at all that works for everyone, because she's a multi-sport athlete, in band, and planning on a very rigorous academic program besides. So we do make it a high priority to travel as much as possible now, knowing that there will soon come a day when all the money in the world wouldn't allow us to get away as a family.
For us, travel ranks pretty high. We drive old cars, live in a much more economical house than we could probably afford and pinch pennies everywhere we can so that we can afford to travel. My friends think we have WAY more money than we do because they only see where we go, they don't see the tight budgeting in the rest of our lives to make it possible for that to happen.