financial situation...vacation?

[SBETigg]

Sounds like a good plan, Brittany. Now I'm going to be on the lookout for psycho park commandos when I'm there. They sound a little scary, or a lot of fun, I can't decide.

[DizNee143]

Sounds like a good plan, Brittany. Now I'm going to be on the lookout for psycho park commandos when I'm there. They sound a little scary, or a lot of fun, I can't decide.

hahaha..wrong choice of words?
i didnt know how else to put it, in the heat of the moment of typing that up..we jsut arent ones to have a plan and have to get sooo much done in a day..we just go with the flow..i mean after all it is a vacation...

[BellesRose]

Sounds like a wonderful plan!

[Georgesgirl1]

I just thought I would share about our upcoming trip to give you some ideas on how to still get to go on your trip without breaking the bank:
I got laid off in May and we seriously considered canceling our trip, but instead we decided to do things super cheap. Like you, my parents are DVC members and had given us points, so our room is free. We will have a studio, so we can eat meals in our room. I am bringing lots of stuff to make sanwiches, oatmeals, granola bars, etc. so we only have to eat out once a day. We are also only going to the parks twice during our week stay. We are going to do MNSSHP at MK and use our free Disney Give a Day Get a Day tickets for a day in Epcot. We know we will be back in a year or two, so we can wait for the other parks. The rest of the days we will hang out at the pool, DTD, resort hop, play minature golf, etc. We are using our Disney Reward Dollars from our Disney Visa for most of our meals and I am asking for money for my upcoming birthday which will all be put into our Disney fund. It is actually becoming a challenge for me to see how cheaply I can do this trip while still having an amazing family memory! Good luck!

[buzznwoodysmom]

i know she wont remember it..and believe me i got my parents against me on it and everyone else i know giving their opinion also..

but my parents took me when i was 22 months..why cant i have the same experience with my child?!?

Perhaps your parents were in a better financial state when they took you when you were that age.

Not to be rude, but if I were in your situation the last thing that would be on my mind would be a vacation. I'd be sick with worry about what if something major comes up and I need that money that was spent on vacation. Sure its great to save for the vacay now and if something comes up before the trip you'll have that extra money, but what if something happens a few weeks after the trip and you can't get that money back??? I'd be thinking what if we keep getting unexpected bills (it could be in the form of almost anything sick family member or broken car just to name a few) and we can't dig ourselves out of this mess, or catch back up. WDW will still be there a few more years down the line, but unfortunately your debt will still be there too unless you take the steps necessary to get yourselves out of it. I don't want to judge you or preach to you, but you mention that your barely getting by as it is, I just don't think that's the time to be thinking about planning a major vacation. I agree with what a few other's have said. I think you'll enjoy your vacation so much more if you don't have to worry about bills and such back at home. Again none of this was meant to be rude, but you asked and I'm giving you my honest opinion, its what I'd tell a good friend if they asked me the same question. Good luck with everything.

[DizneyRox]

+1 pp

I understand wanting Disney to be a goal, however the real goal should be to be debt free in x number of years.

The pressure and toll of living in debt is tremendous. Trust me I know. I laugh at those commercials: "Do you owe $1000, $2000, even $5000 in credit card bills?" That's NOTHING! Literally, a fraction of the real amount. Trying to figure out how to get out from under that is enough to drive you crazy. I now live debt free after digging in, making some big sacrifices and working hard to get rid of it.

While everyone else was taking trips, buying new cars, houses, etc. I was bringing sandwiches to work everyday.

It was all worth it... That x number of years should be the plan, stick to it, and get it done. Took me 3 years...

[Magic Smiles]

i know she wont remember it..and believe me i got my parents against me on it and everyone else i know giving their opinion also..

but my parents took me when i was 22 months..why cant i have the same experience with my child?!?

i dont care if she wont remember it..it will be more about the here and now..

IMHO I feel that you already know the correct answer to your question. This trip is what you want and not what your daughter wants. Also if your parents really wanted you on this trip they would foot the bill and not be against you.

You ask "why cant i have the same experience with my child?!?". Because you can't afford it

[DizNee143]

IMHO I feel that you already know the correct answer to your question. This trip is what you want and not what your daughter wants. Also if your parents really wanted you on this trip they would foot the bill and not be against you.

You ask "why cant i have the same experience with my child?!?". Because you can't afford it

not for this to so mean but...duh! obviously..my daughter doesnt even know what WDW is! lol..
but id like to share the experience with her..

its not up to my parents if they want me on my trip?!? they arent against me..and my parents are already "footing" some of the bill!

they just know it was a totally different kind of vacation when they took me at the age and would rather i wait with having to lug diapers and everything a baby needs around..and possibly having her hate the characters like i did that first trip when i was 22 months..they are saying to wait cuz they know from experience that is was one heck of a trip for them..but that part of it doesnt bother me what so ever!

and the why cant i expericence wdw with my child at that age AGAIN has nothing to do moneywise! lol..

i dont know how you were reading into things but it was all wrong..

AGAIN..we are paying all of our bills..they get paid..we are on plans as the cc companies like to call charity cases..very low interests as stated above..i even pay a little bit more each month than they want..theres nothing else i can do there! i live cheap..i bargin hunt..i sell things i dont use anymore..my hubby is very talented and is always doing some kinda side job..we both bring lunch to work..we use hand me downs from anything from clothes..to couches..our parents are both very generous and help us..or surprise us with things we want instead of need..we get by..maybe i make it sound worse than it is..because i know i rather have a bit more money..lol..wouldnt we all?

so those few bucks extra i may have come the end of the week..im still continuing putting that in my disney fund..its something nice to look forward too..heck its almost 2 years away!

you all make good puts..and i am already doing what we can too say bye bye to bills..but i guess i need something fun to look forward to in my life..and i dont like living in the "what if" state..whatever will happen will happen..we always get through it..

its not like im looking to go away tomorrow..by the time we go we should be better off..if not..we'll make that decision when it gets waaaaaaaaay closer..

thanx again for all the very Very VERY different advice..

[Dulcee]

If my parents had waited until they were 100% debt free to take us away to Disney we never would have made it.

As a twenty something now my boyfriend and I run on a tight budget with very little wiggle room and some student and credit card debt but we still put money away every month for vacation because we need the break.

If your meeting your monthly bills and can put some away do what you think is best for your family and go away! Everyone needs a break, burning yourself out so that five years down the road you can look back and say I wish I had the chance to see what she thought of the Mouse and the castle as a two year old just doesn't seem worth it.

Life is short, live it today.

[BrerGnat]

If my parents had waited until they were 100% debt free to take us away to Disney we never would have made it.

My parents didn't wait either. In fact, we went on vacation every year. As a kid, my understanding was "doesn't EVERYONE do that?" My parents spent their entire lives in debt, living beyond their means.

They are now 62 years old. They are STILL in debt. Not even close to being able to retire, but unable to work full time either, due to health issues (my mom). They lost a HUGE amount of their retirement fund when the stock market went into that downward spiral.

I (and my sisters) cannot afford to support them in their old age. I have no idea what will happen with that. They have gone so far as to blame US for their debt, by mentioning all the nice vacations they took us on, and etc. They now feel that we OWE them.

This is the ugly side of finances between parents and children. My sisters and I learned from their mistakes and none of us are in debt now, we have significant savings for retirement and our kids college. We go on vacation now because we can afford it!

When we first got married, though, we were barely getting by. Had lots of debt too (credit cards, student loans, car loans, etc.). I think most couples go through this. It has taken us almost 10 years to get to a "good place" financially. We took a vacation about every 2-3 years (a real one...we did short getaway trips a couple times too). Most of the time, I admit it, we used money that had come our way (tax returns, bonuses, etc.) to take a vacation rather than using it to pay down our debts. At the time, it seemed like a great idea, but it was pretty dumb. All that money we were paying on interest could have been saved if we had paid our debt off earlier...

We JUST took our kids to WDW for the first time in the spring. They were 4 and almost 6 years old. Of course I wanted to take them much earlier, but we simply could not afford to do so. Paying off ALL our debts (so that we could be SAVING money every month, for once), took us NINE years to attain. And, we are only debt free due to the unfortunate circumstance of my father in law's death, and a resulting unexpected life insurance benefit that came our way.

Do you watch Suze Orman's show on CNBC? I'd say you need a "Suze Smackdown", at this point.

[dnickels]

Do you watch Suze Orman's show on CNBC? I'd say you need a "Suze Smackdown", at this point.

Suzy’s ‘Can I afford it’ segment was the first thing I thought of when I read the post.
-can’t afford to stay in a 1 bedroom condo
-already on the credit card charity case program (this should be an opportunity to get out of debt, not go on vacation)
-still need assistance from parents (the free stay) to take the vacation
-mention more than once that you always seem to have money problems
-threads here on intercot going back over three years that repeatedly mention money problems and relying on parents for financial assistance.

I don’t list those out to be mean, but this doesn’t sound like an isolated stretch where $$ is just a little tight. You either make lifestyle changes now while you’re young or you’ll end up like the previous poster’s parents. There’s no guarantee that things will just get better as soon as you move, and moving has other costs associated with it, finding new jobs, security deposit for a new place, transferring plates/titles/drivers licenses to a new state that can gobble up a thousand bucks easily.

Honestly, best of luck, but my advice would strongly be to work on the financial side of things before the vacation. (or at least tell the rest of us which credit cards you use so we can buy some of their stock)

[DizNee143]

Suzy’s ‘Can I afford it’ segment was the first thing I thought of when I read the post.
-can’t afford to stay in a 1 bedroom condo
-already on the credit card charity case program (this should be an opportunity to get out of debt, not go on vacation)

we can afford to stay in a one bedroom condo..yes its tight moneywise..but we can afford it! but theres only so long we can stay in one bedroom now with a child..so by the time we actually do sell and move im sure Cheye will be well over the age of 1 and she needs her own room! plus after we do finally sell we will be living..with my parents for alittle to just get everything together and what not..so HELLO saving LOTS of money!
and yes on a charity case..and yes a means to get out of debt and thats what im doing thats why im on them!..its not like im leaving tomorrow to go on the worlds most expensive vacation..saving for one thats about 2 years away here..

-still need assistance from parents (the free stay) to take the vacation

dont NEED assistance..my parents have always been very very generous..i rarely ever ask for help from them..and if i do its 20 bucks here and 20 bucks here..all the things they have ever done for us is out of the kindness of there hearts..they offered..since in a few years it will be passed down to me anyway! =)

-mention more than once that you always seem to have money problems
-threads here on intercot going back over three years that repeatedly mention money problems and relying on parents for financial assistance.

I don’t list those out to be mean, but this doesn’t sound like an isolated stretch where $$ is just a little tight. You either make lifestyle changes now while you’re young or you’ll end up like the previous poster’s parents. There’s no guarantee that things will just get better as soon as you move, and moving has other costs associated with it, finding new jobs, security deposit for a new place, transferring plates/titles/drivers licenses to a new state that can gobble up a thousand bucks easily.

Honestly, best of luck, but my advice would strongly be to work on the financial side of things before the vacation. (or at least tell the rest of us which credit cards you use so we can buy some of their stock)

yes i can say money has not been our friend in the years we have been together me and my hubby..but we have slowly been getting better with money..and finally have everything situated..now its just the waiting game of all the payments finally being done in about 4 years..theres nothing else to do..ya we can give extra here and there and we do when we can..but otherwise theres not much left we can do..besides hopefully winning the lotto..

but the 1-5 bucks i may get to put aside at the end of a week for the disney trip we wanna take..i really dont think its hurting us..

yes you make some valid points..but are we seriously suppose to sit at home and twiddle our thumbs until we barely have any debt?

[dnickels]

yes you make some valid points..but are we seriously suppose to sit at home and twiddle our thumbs until we barely have any debt?

Not at all, there's tons of things that people can do for free or for much less than a trip to Disney. I just remember a post from someone else on here a year or two ago,
-her and her husband had 4 kids
-she didn't work
-they were living at the in-laws rental unit
-had not paid their last month of rent
-didn't have any way to pay the next month
-yet they took a vacation to Disney.

And she thought that was completely reasonable.

Please, please, please, don't end up like that, that's all I'm saying. Disney is great, but it has always been and will always be a luxury, not a necessity, and certainly not a good reason to spend your life in debt.

[NotaGeek]

I am not sure if you're looking for a bunch of people to make you feel better about saving for Disney instead of paying off your debt, or if you already have your mind made up and you're just looking for some validation.

I think at the end of the day -- its your money, your debt -- if you're OK with saving for a vacation when your bills are barely getting paid and your credit score sinks, then there's nothing wrong with that choice. But, if you feel pangs of guilt over it, then odds are you know what the better course of action should be and you might just want to find some folk to tell you what you're choosing is OK.

Have fun at Disney in 2 years cause I have a feeling you'll be saving money to go on that trip regardless.

[kakn7294]

+1 pp

I understand wanting Disney to be a goal, however the real goal should be to be debt free in x number of years.

The pressure and toll of living in debt is tremendous. Trust me I know. I laugh at those commercials: "Do you owe $1000, $2000, even $5000 in credit card bills?" That's NOTHING! Literally, a fraction of the real amount. Trying to figure out how to get out from under that is enough to drive you crazy. I now live debt free after digging in, making some big sacrifices and working hard to get rid of it.

While everyone else was taking trips, buying new cars, houses, etc. I was bringing sandwiches to work everyday.

It was all worth it... That x number of years should be the plan, stick to it, and get it done. Took me 3 years...

I'm happy that you are debt-free but I think you're being a little unrealistic and harsh here. I've been where these poor kids are at and despite that, we still took a Disney trip in the middle of our troubles. I thank God everyday that we did too because 6 months later, my MIL passed away but we still have the wonderful memories we made with her on that trip. Being debt-free is great, but those memories are far greater.

[DizneyRox]

Unrealistic and harsh?

The reality is MANY folks are living way beyond their means. Credit card rates are skyrocketing due to people not being able to pay, property values are down due to foreclosures, everyone is paying the price.

Sure it stinks, but to encourage anyone to continue down that road is irresponsible. Frankly, I'd rather my house was worth what it was a few years ago over someone else getting another Mickey Mouse autograph.

Now that's harsh, but real...

[DizNee143]

I am not sure if you're looking for a bunch of people to make you feel better about saving for Disney instead of paying off your debt, or if you already have your mind made up and you're just looking for some validation.

I think at the end of the day -- its your money, your debt -- if you're OK with saving for a vacation when your bills are barely getting paid and your credit score sinks, then there's nothing wrong with that choice. But, if you feel pangs of guilt over it, then odds are you know what the better course of action should be and you might just want to find some folk to tell you what you're choosing is OK.

Have fun at Disney in 2 years cause I have a feeling you'll be saving money to go on that trip regardless.

you are probably right..lol..
but its not like im not doing anything about my financial situation..its not like im sitting back and letting it get worse and worse..
we get by..and truthfully at the moment thats my goal..everything gets paid on time..and im on those "charity cases" to get the credit cards gone..
if we are to ever fall behind..well then duh..id use the little bit of money i have saved to help us..
we did for 2 months and i was a mess..but i was on maternity leave and disablity pays squat! but once i got back to work..it works..i just wish we made more to live more comfortably..
and again im literally saving a few bucks a week..if i even can do it every week..its never more than 5 bucks..
im gonna continue to save..and we'll see what happens with that money..
im doing what i can to get debt free..or have it be far far less..but again its now just the waiting game for us..in 4 years..2 bills will be gone and then a year after that another will be gone..its just we gotta struggle through it now..

[meldan98]

Come on people, don't be so hard on her. She's trying to get out of debt and she is paying her bills. If she needs WDW as motivation to put some money aside, then fine. Don't be rude. I'm one of those people who need to see a "light at the end of the tunnel" kind of people and I think that as long as you are paying your bills, working to get out of debt and saving money whether it is ultimately for a vacation or for an unexpected emergency then you are doing something fantastic. In two years a lot can happen. If it works out and you get to go, great! When you go, you will be able to enjoy your time with your family and you won't be putting the vacation on your credit cards. Keep in mind though not to use all of your savings for the trip though.

[VWL Mom]

I'm really on the fence here. I think you have to follow your heart on this one.

Have you thought of other ways to add to your funds? Since you live in a condo you might start up a cat/house/plant sitting service. Something which could make you some extra money and not take a lot of time. We pay our neighbor $25 per day to take care of our three cats and water plants while we're gone. Not too bad for the 10 minutes he spends.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[diz_girl]

Come on people, don't be so hard on her. She's trying to get out of debt and she is paying her bills. If she needs WDW as motivation to put some money aside, then fine. Don't be rude. I'm one of those people who need to see a "light at the end of the tunnel" kind of people and I think that as long as you are paying your bills, working to get out of debt and saving money whether it is ultimately for a vacation or for an unexpected emergency then you are doing something fantastic.

I'm also one of those people who need a light at the end of the tunnel to get motivated. Some people are 'do it because it needs to be done' people and others need a more tangible reward to motivate them. I fall into the latter category, as do many others.

As for 'bills popping up' unexpectedly, she wrote that they were related to her daughter's birth, not because she is some kind of spendthrift. When I had my son, he ran a fever and he spent 3 days in the NICU. The hospital was a participating hospital with my insurer, as was my doctor, the anesthesiologist, etc. Except the NICU doctors. When DS was admitted to the NICU, he was admitted as a new patient and therefore not covered under my maternity and post-partum care. And suprise! I owed $1,800 to the NICU doctors because they were out of network. Thank God he was only in for 3 days and not 3 weeks like my co-worker's daughter only two months before (no, I didn't know about his huge bill before I had my son). Was I really supposed to expect a bill like that before I delivered? No. Was on the hook for $1,800. Yes. So people, please be a little understanding as to how a bill can 'pop up' from having a baby. Some other bills from the birth showed up months later, but thankfully, they were from in-network doctors and didn't cost as much.

Remember, Brittany was able to negotiate her way to a low interest rate and a fixed payment plan. She is not behind on any of her bills. It's not like she is going to WDW now and putting all of the costs on a credit card. So I don't think that it's terrible if she sometimes puts away a few dollars here or there to help her save for a vacation that she will take a couple of years from now.