The other day, I had to talk myself out of booking flights to Niue for next month. I tell ya, at less than $100 each one way, it was a tough call. After all, travel is my weakness.
Niue is one of the destinations on my bucket list, but ultimately it just isn’t the right time. Cheap flights are great, but accommodation is pricey (remote island, whoo! Niue tourism is pretty young still from what I can tell). And I’d like to go in whale watching season, which starts in July.
We already have a Japan trip later this year, T isn’t really in a position to take any time off, June will be busy at my job, and hello, recovering from a financial trainwreck. Niue is fairly close, I often see good package deals and I’m sure there will be more in the future.
But man, sometimes it’s hard to make the smart choice.
Don’t I deserve a break after a nightmare year?
If only life worked that way.
Doesn’t T deserve an awesome, secure, full time job?
Don’t I deserve a decent home to live in after enduring years of terrible rentals?
Hell fucking yes. But this ain’t the movies and people don’t always get what they deserve. (It’s particularly galling when people around us have houses bought for them when/because they only have four grand banked or an unplanned kid on the way. That’s never going to happen for us.)
It goes both ways, too.
Did I really deserve to get paid more per hour to run around and stick up flyers at my first office job, compared to when I typed documents and made up invoices back at the office?
Did I really deserve double pay on weekend shifts at my first editorial job? (God bless unions.)
Did I really deserve not 1, not 2, but 3 dream jobs in a row?
But back to my original point. Much as I’d like to indulge in a tropical getaway right about now, working towards getting into a stable home where we can have a family and pets is way more important. EYES ON THE PRIZE.
When you get right down to it, we all deserve better – a better car, a better house, a better holiday – whatever does it for you. You deserve better. We all do.
That said, we also need to make savvy decisions about what and when we’re going to spend. The timing’s got to be right – otherwise we end up dissolving money in the near term and turning our backs on the opportunities we can take up for the long term.
Wise words, right there. It’s hard to say no, but Future Me will be grateful for it.
Last month, we went for a short vacation because I told myself that I truly deserved it. But, I made sure that I stuck on my budget and the important part is to relax and have a good time with my daughter.
Exactly. We all deserve something wonderful in our lives regardless of the situations, and life sometimes doesn’t give what we deserve, but we have to take and make what we can of what we are given. Do what you consider is right for you in the moment, think of the pros and cons, and then sleep on it. That helps a lot.
Then if you are still set on it, then go for it, if not do more thinking.
Totally understandable, but I think you’re making the right choice. You still have Japan to look forward to. My sibling just went down to one income (part-time income at that) and yet her family is going to Hawaii. It’s very hard to say no because it’s a trip planned by friends and they are renting a condo together, but plane fare isn’t cheap. I know I sound judgmental but that decision makes zero sense to me.
I know what you mean. It can be so hard to turn down opportunities to travel when there are cheap flights. But I think you made the right decision, especially since it’s not whale watching season yet. Sounds like an incredible place to visit when the time is right later. Have fun on your trip to Japan! I was there last year and had a fantastic time. Boy was the food incredible!
Yeah, regularly succumbing to the ‘I deserve this’ rationale can wreck a long term financial plan. I like to balance the ‘I deserve this now’ temptation of the moment with ‘I deserve to have an early and comfortable, stress-free retirement.’ Some of us can accommodate both, but for most of us, there’s a trade-off.
Great post. Convincing ourselves “we deserve” a vacation, new car, etc… is a great way to ignore “can we afford it”. Eyes on the prize.
This is a really important point. Many people are stuck in a rut of poor financial decisions because “they deserve it.” Life isn’t fair and it isn’t about what you deserve. It’s about what you choose to do and make for yourself. What you (in general) really deserve is a better financial future, not trinkets.
That being said, tough to pass on an awesome location with a great deal on the travel. But, like you said, it isn’t just the plane ticket and you’ve got other travel plans later this year. Good for you.
Playing the deserve game is a dangerous one. You quickly convince yourself that you deserve a vacation, an expensive sports car, a bigger house, etc.
Great post! I’ve worked hard not to fall into the “I deserve it” trap. It’s deceiving, and difficult to escape from.
Thinking that we deserve better helps us improve our mindset and lifestyle, with proper budget and right spending habit.
Ours is the same thing: a home. If only life were fair and people actually got what they deserved…. I might enjoy and be petrified by what came out of that, though. :p Because you’re spot on: it really does work both ways.
Uh, where’s Niue?