Whenever you return from a vacation you are often faced with one very common question: how much did it cost you? First of all it is nobodys business when its come to your own financial situation and also cost is not the defining aspect of my vacation. Sure the money spent is what led to me going on vacation but it’s not the main component of my trip. Then if you do tell someone how much money you spent on your vacation they will often respond by stating that they’re glad they didn’t go because they saved X amount of money. This really frustrates me because if I was concerned about the price of the trip I wouldn’t have gone on it. If I put money aside every paycheck so that I can travel a couple of times a year who is anyone to judge me for wanting to get away?
My personal view on personal finance and life is that one must be willing to make certain sacrificies at the present moment inorder to enjoy life in the future, while not totally comprimising their quality of life.
What does this mean? It means that I’m willing to make certain sacrifices right now so that I can be financially secure in my older years. With that being said, there are certain elements of my life that I’m not willing to sacrifice, such as:
-Vacations
-Eating well
-Living standards
-Enjoying free time
There are also certain things that I’m willing to sacrifice so that I can save money for the future:
-Technology
-Staying in most weekends
-Newest trends
-Transportation
I know that I seem to be all over the place today with my thoughts but as I conclude my article I just want to state that life is not simply all about saving money. It is important to save enough money so that you will live a comfortable life in the future but don’t feel bad if you want to take off for a week or if you work less often in order to spend time with those around you.
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I think that you have it all together. I certainly hope that my soon to be college freshman daughter will be able to prioritize as well as you!! Recently two young families who had already lost the father from accident have lost the mom to illness within 3 years of the dad’s passing. How many times have we heard of someone retiring to enjoy the good life and dying shortly thereafter? You never know what tomorrow will bring and as long as you are able to meet your responsibilities to finances/classwork/job/family obligations then you should take advantage of deals/dreams when they arise. Don’t let other people’s judgements get you down–your choices are different, but not wrong.
Agreed. You don’t have to starve yourself and never enjoy life to be putting money away.
Just don’t buy any vacation or “toy” that you can’t pay for with cash.
Hey, as long as you are investing appropriately for the future… I say more power to you!
If I take a week vacation I try to keep the price around what I earn from work for that one week (salaried). It’s like my “lost week.”
Very good point, it is more about the value YOU perceive to get from that vacation.
Sometimes we just need the time away to relax and clear our head.
I absolutely agree. I’m a very frugal person and I do a lot of saving, but what’s the point of saving for retirement if you might not make it that long? I know it might be a little pessimistic, but it’s the truth. Make sure you enjoy yourself, you only get to be young and in college once.
@Kelli I agree that we all have different choices and who is anyone to judge if they perceive the choice as right or wrong? If you feel that something is right then by all means follow your heart.
@Trevor Amen to that, vacations and toys are fun but if you’re putting these purchases on your credit card then you got a long road ahead of you.
@MyLifeROI That’s a good tactic for keeping your vacation costs at a minimum.
@tom We all deserve time away from life to clear our heads. What’s the purpose of life if we’re always working and stressed out?
@Steve I work so hard and concentrate so much time on saving money that I tend to forget this is the only time in my life I will be in college. I’m constantly striving to reach the perfect balance between saving money and enjoying life.
I totally agree with the point that you have raised in this post. As I myself travel a lot I can easily understand what exactly you mean here. Now-a-days business trips are more on the cards and people are forgetting traveling for pleasure. Why it has become so hard to believe that leisure trips can do wonders to our mind and soul which can never ever be valued in terms of money!