I randomly have thoughts about what I should write a post about, but by the time I get a chance to sit and write, the ideas are all gone. I need  to start writing them down, to seize the opportunities that present themselves, because they may never come this way again.

Which is actually what I want to talk about today.

So often, we, especially the “we” that write personal finance blogs are all about the saving or something, the not doing it until the money is right. Unfortunately, sometimes the right money and the right timing don’t mix. Other times, an amazing opportunity falls into your lap, but you don’t currently have the money to pay for it. I say, seize the opportunity, anyway.

 

Not Letting the Debt Monster Hold You Back

Back in 2008, I was in grad school getting my MBA, and paying for it completely with student loans. You could say the money certainly wasn’t right- perhaps I even should have put off grad school. But I didn’t (and I’m glad), and as a requirement for my degree, I had to have an “international experience”- generally a weeklong trip hosted by one of the program professors. This trip was paid for as part of our tuition. You read that right, the trip was already covered by our tuition.

The school was smart enough to realize, though, that for a lot of us, this would be one the few times in our lives we would get to travel to these locations, so they had no problems with students making changes to their reservations, or even booking their own flights and getting reimbursed. Because I chose the Ireland trip, this was a chance for C and I to go to Ireland/England for essentially half cost. My plane ticket was already paid for, so we just had to pay for his and for lodging. Lodging was covered by doing a timeshare exchange.

So we were paying for my masters with $40k in student loans. We had credit card debt and an $800/month car payment. And you know what- we went to England for a week, and didn’t worry about what we spent. And neither of us have any regrets.

It was indeed the trip of a lifetime. And while we hope to make it back to England, and get him to Ireland, I will always be glad we took that opportunity.

Paying Last Minute Prices is OK

In 2010, the Winter Olympics were being held in Vancouver, Canada. We lived in Seattle, but knew how hard it was going to be to get tickets, so we didn’t even put our names in the hat. But a friend of ours was working in Vancouver at the time, and he did put in for tickets to some events. He was down visiting the Seattle crew one weekend and mentioned that he had an extra ticket for a hockey game that Thursday. The friend who would normally go with him (also living in Seattle) couldn’t get the time off work. Did I want to go? Did I? An Olympic hockey game. You bet.

I went home that night and booked Amtrak tickets from Seattle to Vancouver. I had to take the Amtrak bus on the way up, and the train back only had 1^st Class tickets left (they were only $20 more expensive than regular tickets so it wasn’t like with flights). I booked it.

I went to work on Monday and told my boss- I have the opportunity to go to the Olympics. I need Thursday and Friday off. She agreed that it wasn’t something I could turn down, and we made sure everything was set for my last minute trip.

Finland vs Belarus didn’t have very many NHL stars. It wasn’t a hugely attended game. But it was fun. And simply getting to spend time in Vancouver during the games was worth it. Plus, I can totally now recommend paying the little bit extra for first class Amtrak tickets.

Life Doesn’t Happen on Your Schedule

Opportunities often don’t ask you when would be a good time for you. They come at their own pace, on their own timelines. Sometimes they will come at the perfect moment, and sometimes at the worst possible moment.

You do not have to take every opportunity that comes your way. But I ask that you consider it, and that you don’t let not being in the perfect place, financially, not be what holds you back. Sure if this is something that will come again, skip it, but if it really is a once in a lifetime, or even once in a decade, opportunity, see if you can make it happen.

Human being are wired a funny way. We will always regret not taking action more than we will taking action- even if not doing anything is actually the statistically best option.

That means that even if the smart and prudent choice is to stay home and keep saving, or plugging away at debt, you are much more likely to regret not taking the chance than you are to regret the added time to meeting your financial goals.

And you know what, I think that’s fine. Live life. Seize Opportunity. And have a hell of a great time doing it.