We just celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary in Virginia Beach and it’s surreal! On one hand it feels like yesterday and on the other it seems like a lifetime. However, we have many years ahead to reach how long our parents have been together. Each side has over 30 years of marriage, which is AMAZING! Every year we make it a point to do something to slow down and celebrate our marriage. This year, we decided to get away for the weekend in Virginia Beach, Norfolk area. We have actually stayed here before in 2018 when we celebrated my graduation from college. So we knew the area and stayed in the same place. We knew that we could enjoy the beach and social distance while soaking up the sun.
We also decided that on this trip we were going to take the boys to the beach. One, they have never been on vacation with us (bad dog parents). Two, they have never been to the beach! Needless to say, they had mixed feelings toward the beach and water. But I am so glad I pulled out my camera to capture them experiencing the beach for the first time. Dean was more interested and eager to check it out then Leonard but he is always slow to warm up to new adventures.
So I share this blog post with you to one capture our anniversary adventures, and two to share how we were able to make this trip happen while crushing our financial goals. I recently started to share our financial journey to help encourage others. In being transparent, I share that we paid off $72k in debt in 29 months and currently our only debt is our mortgage. At the beginning of the year, we really began our focus on applying any “extra” funds toward the mortgage and it feels great to make such progress.
You might be wondering, if we are focusing on our goal of paying off the mortgage then how were we able to go on a vacation? The answer is simple, you only live one! You have to still continue living your best life while crushing goals! We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, so what’s the point of all the hard work if you don’t get to enjoy it!? We don’t work hard to not enjoy the fruits of our labor! And, if you know me at all, you know I work HARD! But today, I want to share with you how we managed to get away for an extended weekend with a plan and a budget!
For our anniversary getaway, we decided to go to Virginia Beach, we had been there before and knew what to expect! We rented an AirBnB with limited contact to align with social distancing. Therefore, we knew we could drive there within a few hours and would be minimal travel expenses for gas. After deciding on where we were going to go and how long we were going to stay there, we set a budget of $1k! We estimated $60 for gas ($30 there and $30 back). Our Airbnb was $450. TJ and I were packing snacks and planned to cook in the kitchen so $100 grocery trip. We would eat out at least 1x for $100 and then some random expenses here and there. In other words, with a budget of $1,000 we were well covered.
We knew most of our time would be on the beach and the cost would be minimal and our goal is to always over-budget the money we will need and come home with extra! Here is a breakdown of our actually expenses:
Actual Expenses
$452.80 – AirBnB
$30.00 – Gas
$80.46 – Groceries & Snacks
$135.96 – Eating Out
$21.72 – Misc
$720.94 – GRAND TOTAL
^UNDER BUDGET!
As you can see, we came in under budget! We didn’t over spend on what we estimated and enjoyed ourselves! It is possible to get away for the weekend for a reasonable price. Obviously it depends on where you go and what you plan to do. But as long as you budget accordingly you will be fine. Now please know that when you decide to continue enjoying life while crushing goals, this shouldn’t take place all of the time. These trips are on occasion because this is money that could be going towards debt or your Peace of Mind fund. However, I DO say that you still need to enjoy life but not at the expense of your goals and future.
5 Steps to Continue Enjoying Life While Crushing Goals:
1. Discuss your ideas and create a plan.
2. Determine how much you plan to spend and add a buffer for safe measure. I’d rather have more money to spend than not enough.
3. Determine how long you have before your trip. Establish how many paychecks you will receive between now and the trip.
4. Divide the amount of money you plan to save/spend by the time or number of paychecks between now and the trip. Save this much out of each paycheck.
5. Go on your trip and ENJOY yourself!
In conclusion, don’t jeopardize your future and goals to live your best life, that comes later once your debt-free but do take time to celebrate and enjoy yourself whether a vacation or day at the winery. Create a plan, establish a budget, save, and enjoy!
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