78 replies to this topic

[RICHinNC]

Dive Girl.....every word of my post is real. (and if that bugs ya....pls dont read my last post on bringing kids on vacation and expecting me to watch them)

And Mishell I may be "mature" in age....but I havent hit the bingo crowd yet. I can think of a longggggggggggg list of things better to do.

[ScubaHawk]

I work at one of the most stressfull jobs out there, 5-6 days a week for 5-6 weeks stright, then go diving! Being a DJ at a strip club ruins your social life and can drive you insane, the few that survive more than 18 months in the business are few and far between- but the money's great and I can take off 4-5 days whenever I want and take 3-4 two week vacations a year.

P.S. no guys, being a DJ at a stripclub is not the perfect job. (but my office does have a nice view )

[HandyGeek]

P.S. no guys, being a DJ at a stripclub is not the perfect job. (but my office does have a nice view )

Hmm.... Maybe that could be a good part-time income too, then?

[jextract]

Yeah, Hawk ... our hearts are bleedin' for ya.

[Marion1336]

Marion,
I like a woman who doesn't mind paying her own way....So where do you want to go and when?

Thank you for the offer. I must clarify. I was referring to a certain particular Mr. Wonderful who isn't around much anymore.

[RICHinNC]

Marion I try to be here as much as possible...but my job keeps me on the road a lot. Sorry.....
rich
hehehe

[Marion1336]

Marion I try to be here as much as possible...but my job keeps me on the road a lot. Sorry.....
rich
hehehe

Thanks for keeping a smile on my face!

[Bubble2Bubble]

Michelle
I put my dive trips on credit cards, I do about two Big trips a year. then
in spring and summer when I'm busy at my shop I pay them off/down.
I must say raising kids/kid and going on vacations is a tough one to pull off
so my hat is off to you and I hope to see you on a trip or two in the future.

B2B

[jextract]

Marion,
I like a woman who doesn't mind paying her own way....So where do you want to go and when? 

Thank you for the offer. I must clarify. I was referring to a certain particular Mr. Wonderful who isn't around much anymore.

His loss is our gain!!

[WVMike]

Do you dive Mt. Storm up there?

Dennis, I can usually be found at Mount Storm most weekends through the season, and a couple of cold dives during the winter.

There is a statue of Santa Claus on the bottom of the lake. I like to visit him and rub his nose for good luck. I have left him mugs as gifts as I told him my wishes.
The mugs disappear quicky. Most likely sinking in the silt. So I plan to tie a whiskey jug around his neck.

Mike

[dondiver]

Marion,
I like a woman who doesn't mind paying her own way....So where do you want to go and when? 

Thank you for the offer. I must clarify. I was referring to a certain particular Mr. Wonderful who isn't around much anymore.

Marion
You know there's a real good chance that there are some more "Mr Wonderful"s out there.

[Walter]

Marion
You know there's a real good chance that there are some more "Mr Wonderful"s out there.

In our own minds if nowhere else............LOL!

[Neptuner]

Hi Mishelle!
Lots of great advice in here, but I'll still give you my two cents as well... for what it's worth. Being a single father of three children who hasn't seen or heard from his ex in almost 9 years I think I can relate to your situation a little. My children are a little older now, so the issue of finding a babysitter is not there any more, but with one who started college last fall and another starting this fall, the financial constraints are very real. I think it was DrBill who made some reference to responsibilities and priorities... and in all honesty, that's what it all comes down to. While we would all love to have sugar daddies/mamas, I think inside we're all a little stronger than that.

For me, it's all about setting goals. Find a trip that you feel is something you need to do and simply resolve yourself to going, no matter what. Don't try to justify the cost, you work hard in every other aspect of your life and I'm sure you deserve the break... more importantly, like CaptSaaz said, you NEED the vacation. Taking the time to recharge your battery is what makes all of us better people in the real world and in most cases it actually makes us more productive. Smart employers understand this and accomodate employees accordingly. The separate savings account is a great step in the right direction. Another thing I do is to "steal" money from other "entertainment" items that I may not really need. Maybe you are going to stop and get pizza and a movie tonight on the way home... then you stop and think about the trip fund, so you take the $5 for the video and the $10 for the pizza and you stick it in the fund instead, then you make homemade pizza bread for the kids and play a board game instead. Friday night dining and entertainment has still been addressed, but you now have $15 more for your trip. You get the idea. It's simple, but it works. Think about every dime you spend. $4.50 for that Starbuck's coffee might be better spent toward an open bar in Cozumel at an all-inclusive.

The main thing is that you must decide that it is a priority in your life. From there, it will simply happen, trust me. Visualize yourself on the trip and unexpected income opportunities will come up... you'll see.

Best of luck with the kids and your trips!

[mvillanueva]

But seriously, what are some of the things you do to make it happen.

I'll share my experience so far -- and my experience is short!. I am lucky in that my job allows me to go to conferences several times. Usually, conferences are held in places inland. This past summer, it was held in Hawaii, this year it will be in Santa Barbara.

My point is that so far I have combined work conference with diving. I could not have afforded to fly us both to Hawaii, and pay for the hotel... But since work picked up my flight and the hotel, I could add on my daughter (and she saved to pay half her flight) for the trip. While I am in Santa Barbara I hope we can dive in that area.

For the future, I have started to make changes in my spending habits. I want to take her to Belize and Tikal in March, so I am not buying things I used to buy regularly: Off road accessories for the truck (sliders, winch, bumper, etc) , and frankly, eating out. Being single, I used to eat out alot, and I find that not doing so saves me a couple hundred a month. And that point about Starbucks is true: I simply stopped spending 4-5 dollars a day there. Next thing I did was turn off cable. I suppose if I get desperate, I can use the rabbit ears. Next month, I hope to refinance my vehicle and get a lower interest rate and save some more there.

It is about priorities and shifting focus. For me, seeing the educational and health benefits is worth the overalll shift.

Michael

[WreckWench]

Off topic you say? OK, here is the plan, to start a website called "Mikes' Mugs and Jugs" and sell my pottery to pay for my diving. 

Sounds like I need to work a deal with Dr.Diver and WVMike to do some custom pottery work! Hmm....the wheels are churning now...watch out! -ww

And not to totally go off topic...Mishelle has a part time business selling scubastickers. In fact I'm waiting for my samples to arrive...ahem!!! So if anyone needs any stickers let her know...that may help her save up for dive trips too! -ww