Nick and I are planners: we come up with a plan, write it down, display it where we both can see it on a daily basis, and are almost always rewarded with a well executed plan and results. We do this whole process not because we are obnoxiously organized (everyone secretly hates those people), or obsessive compulsive, or annoying control freaks; quite the opposite actually - if we didn't do this ritual, we would never follow through with anything. We have a tendency to alter plans on a whim (Nick demoed our kitchen one afternoon, months before planned, because he hit his head on one of the overhanging cupboards), loose interest, or blow copious amounts of money just because we can. So when we really want something, we plan for it. This year, financially, we wanted to get married on New Years Eve (and finally shut everyone up with their "So when are you guys getting married?" once and for all), we wanted a trip down south with just the two of us, and we wanted a week long family trip in the summer. We worked out a budget, and stuck to it.
We were married in the twilight of December 31st, followed by a reception celebrated with family and friends. We even stayed under our $7500 budget (barely!)
We've saved enough money, and arranged for family to watch our kids and dog for 8 glorious days in the beginning of April. We're practical people, and I am extremely budget conscious, so we planned to book a last minute trip. We didn't care where we were going down south, so long as it was warm, there was tons of activities to do, the booze was strong and abundant, and we were alone. By booking last minute, we knew we'd pay far less and stay under our (small) set budget. We were set!
Two weeks ago, we had an unfortunate incident at our cottage near Mont Tremblant. Our washing machine is located next to an exterior wall which, apparently, is not adequately insulated. The draining pipe froze overnight. Unbeknownst to our renters that weekend, they started a load of washing and left, only to return to find that the machine had drained all the water into our bathroom, rec room, and games room. All the floors in our basement have lifted, and now need to be replaced. Our options were (a) put everything on our trusty VISA...or (b) cancel the trip down south and use that money instead. We try to live a lifestyle of 'if you don't have the money, you don't buy it'...so we canned the trip. Our kids are still going to stay with Nick's parents, and Saku is still going to hang out with Auntie Marie (bahaha Marie- sucker!) We'll spend our week at Tremblant, replacing our floors, laying tile on a focal fireplace wall, insulating a certain exterior wall, and installing a new washer and dryer. We'll take day trips to Tremblant to enjoy all the resort town has to offer. It'll be a much different trip then we had planned- but I'm looking forward to it. Nick and I do surprisingly well renovating together...so long as we stick to the plan.
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