A Role-Playing Scenario

Back in 2010, when my brother took his job in Australia, hubby and I made a plan to go visit him in March 2012. We figured it would take us that long to save for the plane tickets- flying to Australia is ridiculously expensive. When my brother first hinted that he wasn’t happy in Australia and might be looking to come back stateside before March 2012, we said not to worry. We’d just use the money we saved for that trip to go back to England and Ireland.
At the time, we assumed the hubby would be working again by then and that I’d have a spiffy new job. I got the spiffy new job, but the hubby, instead of going back to work, has gone back to school. The idea of taking a big trip in March 2012 kind of fell by the wayside.
At the beginning of this year, we found out that the Western Regional Tournament for Roller Derby would be held a few hours drive from us at the end of September. Since we’re season ticket holders for the local team, I immediately put together a plan for going to the tournament. We’ve been saving for it and have the money to pay for the trip in cash.
Last week, one of the sites I was on had an ad for Aer Lingus and special rates to Ireland. I looked to see what it would cost to fly there over hubby’s spring break- March 2012- about $1,750 for two round trip tickets in to Dublin.
I mentioned this to the hubby on Friday night, mostly in a “this is what I did today” kind of way. After all, I plan all sorts of trips that we will never take, and I tell him about all of them.
Monday night, I get online to purchase our tickets to the Derby tournament. I have a few questions for the hubby, and he comes over and looks at the computer screen and starts hemming and hawing about the cost. I assure him that we have the money saved, we can afford this. And that’s when he says, but it will work out to 1/3 the cost of a ticket to Ireland.
Now, he’s right. I hadn’t been looking at the total cost. I’d only been looking at pieces – $200 for three day passes (after fees), $200 for two nights in a hotel (after taxes and parking fees), $80 for gas, and probably close to $100 for food, since we’d mostly be eating out.
He’d rather go to Ireland than Portland. I can see that. But I’ve had my mind set on going to the Regional Tournament pretty much since the season began. So now, we have to talk about what we’re going to do. If we’re going to make a change to our current plans to accommodate our bigger goals and dreams.
The answer is that we’re most likely going to drive down for the final day of the tournament- $60 in tickets, $70 in gas (less driving around overall), and we can get away with only one meal out- eat breakfast at home. Pack lunch stuff and snacks for the car, and grab one “meal” at fast food- $15. Now we’re down to $145, about a quarter of what we were going to spend.
And, of course, I’m looking at dates and attractions and trying to figure out if we currently have an RCI membership to go with our timeshare (its more convoluted than you might think at the moment). Is March when we want to go? Or do we want to wait until after Spring quarter? Or maybe after Summer quarter (when he will officially have his BA)? But then, the Olympics are in London July-August, and do we really want to travel to the Isles at that time?
And, there’s the planning where the money will be coming from, but that’s easy. We keep saving at the rate we’ve been saving at to pay for school. In addition, we’ll have the added income of a roommate starting in November. What money isn’t there already, will definitely be there by March.
So, I can be talked out of some plans. But goodness help anyone who tries to talk me out of an Ireland trip in 2012.