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Home > 4 day weekend leads to insane spending - when away from home mindset shifts

4 day weekend leads to insane spending - when away from home mindset shifts

January 21st, 2009 at 04:56 pm

I knew what we bought, I kept track... But when I clicked the "sum" button in excel - it was a shock.

We went away for a 4 day weekend. Not a big deal right? But because I was tracking expenses it is starting to feel differently.

So we spend one day with our friends in Catskills and 3 days in Vermont. We only had to pay for 2 days of hotel. Yet our expenses were huge! Individually they seemed reasonable, but when added up it was a surprisingly high number, much more than I estimated.

Friday
Lunch DH $12
lunch me $4
dinner (on the way to Catskills after work) $51.71


Saturday
rite aid (water, toothbrushes, hand warmers) $22.69
organic food store (paid for our host) $7.38
RL $190 (I know, I am horrible)

Sunday
lunch on the way to Vermont $29.5
ski googles (I scrached mine last season) $134.77
ski jacket for DH (Killy - gorgeous, and he never had one - he was skiing in his colombia regualr jacket) $326
woodcraft store $10.06
car ice scraper with brush $11.23
Motel $92.65
gas $22.05
dinner $68.67
ann taylor $53.81
rite aid (water, hair bands) $6.29
coffee while driving $8

Monday
breakfast $33
lift tickets Bromely(special deal) $78
beer at ski lodge $14
dinner $51
hotel $134
rite aid $8

Tuesday
breakfast $31
theory $118
gas $14.84
lift tickets - Stratton $84
dinner $48.79
3 cases of Vermont local beers to take home $43.62


Total: $1,709.06

And it was not even a vacation - just a long weekend!

I think something happens in your brain and it is just so much easier to spend money when you are away. It feels different. You are relaxed. Everything around is cheaper, so you buy more of it...

I want to continue to ski and enjoy getaways, I just don't want to spend as much, to have my cake and eat it too. Frown

7 Responses to “4 day weekend leads to insane spending - when away from home mindset shifts”

  1. my english castle Says:
    1232558775

    I hate to ask, but what's RL?
    Ralph Lauren? Uh-oh....
    And the jacket is something he'll have for a long time

  2. Koppur Says:
    1232560421

    Was it Longtrail Beer you bought? My family and I love it, and luckily we live close enough to VT that our stores carry it. My fave is the BlackBeary summer brew. The Longtrail Brewery and restaurant is awesome, too.

  3. mooshocker Says:
    1232562604

    Brooklyn Girl,

    I love you but.....

    That $1700 goes to $1200 when you take away a $326 coat that will be worn 6 times per year at most (normal insulated coats from Wal-Mart do just fine and I am in Rochester, NY (Lake Erie, etc.) and the ski goggles...again, I raced competitively at Swain Ski Resorts in Swain New York. I know the cost of equipment. However, unless you are skiing five or six times per day, I think you could have done a lot better.

    Also, what is "Theory" and Ann Taylor. They total close to $175.00

    Everything else looks good such as food, lift tickets, hotel, gas, coffee, some beers, etc.

    Also, if you read my posts, I am not adverse to splurging on oneself. Afterall, why else do we work hard for our money besides saving and investing?

    I just question a couple of purchases that could have significantly reduced your overall expenses. You may have found saving close to $700 would have brought your amount to about $1k which averages about $250 per day, for two people to drive, eat, drink, ski and sleep. Not bad at all. Just my two cents. God bless and I certainly hope you had a good time. Sounds like you did with a little buyers remorse.

  4. ceejay74 Says:
    1232564068

    I agree with moo: Your travel expenses weren't outrageous, but you did a lot of side shopping. If you want a cheaper vacay, you kind of have to focus your pastimes: Do I want a shopping getaway or a skiing weekend? You basically had two vacays in one, which is pretty sweet, but since you get so much PTO you may want to think about deciding in advance what you're going to spend your money on, and curtail the urges for other things, telling yourself "next vacation, maybe."

  5. Nika Says:
    1232577537

    English Castle, yeah. But when you have nicer Blue and Black label clothing on sale at the price of the crappy Lauren line it is hard not to take advantage.
    Same went for Theory – I had no problem passing those pants when they were $200 but at $69 they began calling me.

    Koppur, I think one of them was LongTrail sampler. My favs are unfiltered wheat beers – unfortunately they are not so popular in New York.

    Mooshocker, you are right. If not for clothes shopping it would be much less. The sales like never seen before and the petite selections got to me.
    The Killy coat was so beautiful, the design, the details, the color.
    It is so nice looking he can use it in winter to go to work, not to just ski.
    I bought a Killy jacket 2 years ago and it still holds up, and I still use it. It is super light and warm.

    Last ski season we did 18 days on the slopes, and we plan to do as many this season, so gear is getting its use. (especially since I feel that after paying for expensive lift tickets we should stay on the slopes from the time the lifts open until they close).

    Ceejay, I don’t go with a goal to shop – it is just “opportunity” shopping that I find hard to resist.

  6. my english castle Says:
    1232591198

    I know how you feel about opportunity shopping.
    I had to almost push myself out the dept store door the other day when things are now 70% off. The awful echo of my great-aunt saying, "It's not a bargain if you don't need it," was the only thing that got me out of the store.

    But maybe you're in a better spot than me. My income has been cut, and I need a new car and a bigger EF.

  7. whitestripe Says:
    1232601467

    lol - i understand the expense of snow clothes - my BF snowboards, only once a year at the MOST, but he does spend a bit on equipment and clothes when he is preparing. if it makes you feel any better, BF and I had a big spendy weekend too (my expenses are on my blog). it was our last big one for a while since we hunker down in the first year of buying a house Smile

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