When it is Good to Spend a Little
My wife and I just spent a weekend in New York City. It was a wonderful visit, that was planned months in advance. The back story is that we in our 11 years of marriage never had a weekend getaway. Before the house and kids, we saved up as much as possible to build our down payment and prepare for the eventuality that my wife would not be working full time. Then the house and kids came along and we never did any thing without involving the whole family.
For my wife birthday late last year, I planned this whole surprise for her. It consisted of an overnight stay in the city, a Broadway show from her favorite movie and a stroll around the city. The hotel and show were paid for ahead of time and we did take spending money for eating, parking, gas (we drove in), and gifts for children and my parents.
Overall, the weekend tab came to under $1000, but was well worth it. My wife and I need some time to ourselves with all that has been happening in our lives. It seems that the past few months, we only see each other to say goodnight and good morning. This trip allowed us to talk without distractions and just be at ease and relaxed. Also, this was 11 years in the making, but hopefully we wont have to wait another 11 years.
Was it expensive? Yes. Could the money have been put towards debt payments? Yes. Would we do it all over again? Yes. Sometimes, we need to spend a little, and not get too wrapped up in the money saving game.
Filed under: Journal
