Money & Marriage Mondays - Vacations

 

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Vacations

To vacation or not to vacation, that is the question.  If you are like most couples, you likely have different perspectives on taking vacations and having fun. "You only live once"; "Enjoy it while you are alive. You can't take it with you." "We don't have money for that."

There is nothing wrong with taking a vacation and enjoying time away from the hustle and bustle of life and work. But you won't want to get in debt for it. Instead, start planning ahead for your vacations. Set up a savings fund just for vacations. 

In order to set up your fund, you will want to determine where you want to go. Plan ahead. Research the costs ahead of time so there are no surprises and no need to charge anything. Then set a date for when you want to go. Take the total costs (don't forget food and transportation costs) and divide by the number of months until the date you want to go. Can you reasonably set this amount aside each month? If not, consider pushing out the date or scaling back your vacation.

There are lots of creative ways to take vacations, but you will need to take the time to research. If you can't afford to go far then check out your state's attractions. There are national and state parks to explore and many other options. If you live within an hour or two from the mountains, lakes, deserts, or beaches, consider staying a couple nights in a nice hotel or cabin and enjoy taking hikes, skiing, bike riding, dune buggying, or snorkeling. Maybe it's not your dream vacation, but you can save for that as well.

Once you have your funds, stick to the budget. Don't give into temptations to spend money on the things not planned out. Also, if you are the one in the marriage that doesn't like to spend, make sure you enjoy yourself. You have worked hard and saved to make this vacation happen. Don't second guess the costs, just enjoy it with your family.

You can master your money... and I can help!  

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