Do you limit how much you spend on vacations

amother

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 1:47 am

So generally while on vacation we tend not to think of the price of things(when we need it , so we don't just go buying unnecessary things)... But the other day I went somewhere in the bagel store and literally was about to order (without looking) and for a sec looked up the menu and it was 7.70 for a bagel and cream cheese...
I know everyone is entitled to their price and there has been inflation but just wondering if anyone here would pay such a thing or I am being cheap on my vacation
Rant over..

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 2:40 am

There's no right or wrong here. You play it by ear. If bagels were the cheapest thing on the menu and this were the only place you could buy food, would you not eat? Of course not. OTOH most people can't afford to spend recklessly. So maybe you'd be forced to buy those bagels, but would then compensate by cutting back on something else, maybe go on one less amusement park ride or visit one less "extra" attraction at the theme park or skip the souvenirs.

Someone else would prefer to go all out on vacation but compensate later by skipping a few dinners out, serving more modest meals at home for a few weeks, or whatever else they do when they want to save money.

What you really don't want happening is getting slapped upon your return with a whopping cc bill that you didn't anticipate and can't pay. The ideal is to plan a vacation you can afford and set aside sufficient funds before you go. That means researching how much everything costs and adding a percentage "just in case."

amother

Tealblue

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 3:06 am

It's one thing to keep your eye on expenses, but it's another thing to come home from vacation and feel like you spent the whole time saying no. How you balance that is individual - how much can you afford, how much will this bother you, etc.

Years ago, a friend of my mother's said something that really resonated. She said, if you spend a fortune on tickets to the circus and have a great time, but then say no to buying cotton candy on the way out, your child will come home with a negative memory. Is it really worth ruining a wonderful day for the price of cotton candy?

amother

Butterscotch

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 8:46 am

amother Tealblue wrote:

I disagree. My kids know we don't buy everything they want, so hearing a no won't spoil an entire outing. What are we doing to our kids if hearing a no ruins their memory of the entire day?

We say no, the moment passes, and my kids move on, but the excitement of the outing lasts and lasts.

mommyhood

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 8:51 am

It depends on the vacation and also how many meals were away. A 1-2 day trip or a vacation for a special anniversary or birthday I would be happy to splurge. A family trip I would buy plain bagels and a tub of cream cheese from the grocery and make bagels myself.

amother

Lightgreen

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:11 am

On vacation I’m as mindful about price as I am at home which is to say, very. We always try to find free and low cost attractions and to keep the super expensive days to a minimum. We also choose hotels with fill kitchens when possible so we are not at the mercy of out of town restaurants . I prefer to take several ‘budget’ vacations per year than 1 splurge. If my children choose to focus on what we don’t buy or do rather than we we did that would be a real shame. We talk all the time about how money is limited. Spending money on circus (for example) means less money for dinner in a restaurant. We always make choices how to spend. It’s part of our life. The lucky and blessed life we live that vacation spending is even part of our life

amother

Valerian

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:26 am

I don't think there is one right answer because it is so dependent on circumstances and finances.

Unless one has unlimited discretionary income, then you are on some type of a budget.

With the internet now, it is possible to really research stuff including prices for restaurants although obviously there is always going to be some kind of spontaneity.

I will say that although I am not going to spend a vacation feeling deprived, in the specific situation I would NOT buy a bagel with cream cheese at that kind of inflated price unless it was literally some kind of situation in which it was the only option - I.e. a theme park or boat ride or whatever.

I would want to save my money for a nice meal at a restaurant that day. I could get dozen bagels and a large package of cream cheese at a grocery and have it in my hotel room - for example. I could get a loaf of good bread and some cheese.

amother

Tan

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:29 am

We have a general budget for each thing on vacation, food, travel, attractions, hotel etc… I personally wouldn’t not eat food because it’s a few more dollars than I expected. That would just ruin the whole vacation. I know that other areas have different prices and that’s part of the budget.

amother

Tealblue

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:32 am

amother Butterscotch wrote:

Here's the neuroscience behind it - humans remember the beginning and end of an event much better than the middle. Saying no at lunchtime of a long day doesn't carry into memory the same way as a no at the beginning or end of the day. If you can end on a high note, always better.

mikayla18

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:34 am

If I'd I'd on vacation myself (hypothetically) no, I would not spend that on a bagel. I would find another option or skip breakfast. My husband on the other hand would come back to the table with 2 bagels for each of us one for each of my babies and 4 more for later "just in case we're stuck somewhere" and his wouldn't have cream cheese but tuna, lettuce, tomato-the works! We have the same amount of money but that is Baruch Hashem how both of our brains work LOL

amother

Honeysuckle

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:44 am

mikayla18 wrote:

Are you us?
It makes me crazy.
Btw, my in-laws are the same as DH, they look very very comfortable and don’t actually have, where as my parents are driving a 15 yo car-it runs and is clean, and have millions. My parents are frugal but generous. They give the generous birthday checks, like to occasionally surprise us and pick up tuition payments, and I get calls all the time-I’m in this store and they have this on sale-do you want? (And they never take money from me).

amother

Chambray

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:47 am

amother Tealblue wrote:

I don't agree with this at all.
You're training your kids that if they don't have everything perfect than the while thing is tainted.

WARNING! WARNING! this type of child grows up to be annoyed at her in laws and have lingering "pain" from her engagement to a great guy because she didn't get the gifts she deserved or "that her friends got".

You're also training your child to buy things for herself or she ruins the experience.

how sad!

I say no all the time. We vacation and go on outings with a budget in mind. And my kids appreciate the $40 ticket to the amusement park. Their day is not ruined because I said no to the $7 chochka in the gift shop. THEY HAVE WONDERFUL MEMORIES FOR YEARS AND THEY AND I HAVE NO MEMORIES OF THE THINGS I SAID NO TO.
and maybe they remember a few of the things I said yes to.....and even those probably because I said yes to something I knew woukd resonate.

justforfun87

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:48 am

mikayla18 wrote:

This made me laugh. It is amazing how relationships with money differ.

mikayla18

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:49 am

So this is actually the opposite of our upbringing. My husband's parents are frugal frugal (a million in the bank and their house is shabby) so my husband wants to go to the opposite extreme of his parents. Baruch Hashem we have it and can spend the $60 on breakfast for 4 people but why? Why is it neccesary to spend that much? I won't miss it today but maybe in 20 years when I'm making a wedding ill be kicking myself that I didn't save more now

amother

Chambray

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:54 am

amother Tealblue wrote:

There might be "science" behind it, but it is probably marketing driven. I assure you that normal well brought up children will not have their circus ruined because no cotton candy, and 5 years later will remember the circus and NOT THE COTTON CANDY (unless cotton candy is a real novelty to them, then they might remember they has it there)

amother

Lightgreen

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:55 am

amother Chambray wrote:

The way I see it if my child’s day (on vacation) is ruined because I didn’t buy her cotton candy she has much bigger problems than cotton candy. That would mean that I’m raising a snowflake. I work hard to instill in my children both an attitude of gratitude as well as understanding of money and it’s value (in a way they can understand age appropriately)

rachelli66

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 9:57 am

amother Tealblue wrote:

Correct. Buy, pay and have great memories.

amother

Tealblue

Thu, Mar 02 2023, 10:04 am

amother Chambray wrote:

My kids are all adults, no snowflakes, no entitled brats. We didn't buy every ridiculous overpriced thing in the gift shop. We just made sure that they heard yes when reasonable. And they seem to be doing the same for their own non-spoiled kids.

It's fine if that system doesn't work for you. It worked for us, and for our normal well brought up children. (Who, as far as I know, don't insult people with different theories of child rearing.)