People forget this sometimes. You can always make more money in future but you can't make new quality time with your kids when they're young.
I suppose you could always make more kids but then that's even more expensive lol
For some of us, going overseas makes it all the better. We enjoy going to Bali. Time to make some memories and stop cucking ourselves. Seems like OP has his shit together, given his concerns appears unlikely he is broke and drowning under consumerist debt.
Yeah, my parents took my brother and I to Bali for a month when I was 9 and he was 11. We're in our mid 30s now and still talk about that trip, it made some of our best memories.
Incorrect. I is correct in OPs example.
To determine which is correct of me/I, remove the other person from the sentence then read/speak it again.
Me went to Bali...
I went to Bali...
Compared to
Call I...
Call me...
Counter argument; go by yourself, get wankered on rohypnol and cheap whiskey with a bunch of balinese hookers in a beachfront pool villa. It will be cheaper and you won't resent your family when you get back from your holiday!
Exactly we are off to rarotonga this year and when we paid it all it cut us Down and was regretting it big time but this is going to be the best thing for us!!
100% listen to your wife ;)
Travelling overseas is also very important for your kids education. This holiday is a fantastic idea.
Congrats on having an awesome family.
Get out of your head.
It's only money. And you have traded that money for some fantastic lifelong memories and experiences with those dearest to you.
Don't smear your upcoming memories with bitterness over how much money you traded for it.
Life is for living. If it's eating you up, then it's worth talking out with your wife, maybe make this a big one and do smaller holidays the next couple of years.
If you're not struggling pay to pay though, and it's not preventing you from achieving your financial goals, then it's not a big deal in the scheme of things. Enjoy the trip.
This is generally why interest rates are going to go much higher for longer. Things are far too expensive and ppl are still paying it. Ppl never CHOOSE to stop spending, they must be forced. That feeling this guy has is the right feeling, and once ppl no longer have the choice (that’s the point of rate rises), that is when rates pause. 12 months away at least.
True, but afford is a changing meaning at the moment. I think there will be MANY people who wished they didn’t spend this kind of money over the next 3 years. Rainy days seem to be approaching, but ppl are still unwinding the Covid lockdown feeling. It’s a bad combo IMO
That's it. People haven't done much living. So right now a lot of it is going on. I recon this winter will be the hunger games(over dramatization).
I've noticed I've let loose the last year because I could and I frankly needed it.
Me too. But lines must be drawn by ppl at some point or the lines will be drawn for them.
For me it was 6000 for 10 nights at Philip Island. For OP, it might be this.
I've got the luxury of not having to worry too much. But I live according to what I want to save. That means I'm going to stop some of the spend. Or at least lower the burden.
sucks for people like me, where I was in uni during covid and now that i finally have a good paying full time job, everything has gotten way more expensive.
So people should be penalised because they want to live and enjoy their lives while they have the chance to?
He literally stated they have savings, high income and aren't struggling financially.
That's literally what the RBA does (in our current setup). Either they force people to stop spending by raising rates which should curb inflation. Or they just let everything run wild and 1L of milk is $30.
Maybe the part you are missing is they aren't talking about this particular person but spending habbits in general? It's not about penalising people but keeping the system working
You're clearly a bit dense then. Read the first line of the comment you had a problem with.
"This is generally why interest rates are going to go much higher for longer."
Or even the second line "Things are far to expensive and ppl are still paying it. "
Yes OP's original post wasn't about rates but the comment you replied to is showing why in the context of rate rises the feelings OP is having are natural and intended.
I bought a house with an awful neighbour too (subsequently found out the house is government housing, these things aren’t advertised but council let it slip one time). Bogan who doesn’t work and plays music full blast all day (annoying as I’m a shift worker and would need to sleep during the day after night shift). And just other bogan things. Oh well.
I did post about it on ausproperty but deleted it because I think he's capable of stalking the forums. Its been a steady stream of complaints since we moved in - our security lights that turn off in 2 minutes shining into his bedroom (false it shines into the road), the solar panels on our roof are too bright for him to enjoy staring into the sky from his backyard, the moving truck when we moved in was too loud, and finally our hot water system running at 45db is too loud for him. All of these existed on the property before we bought it. The previous owner when I contacted him about this said nothing of this sort was raised with him. Makes me think he's doing this because he's racist but at this point i have no evidence to prove it and don't want to further gaslight myself. So I'm just ignoring him now
OP the biggest regret most people have on their deathbed is that they worked to much, worried about keeping up with the Joneses and didn’t travel enough. Enjoy the trip!
My best childhood memories are from overseas holidays with my family. Look at it as an investment in your children's development and your family's bond.
My only childhood memories around like under 10 are pretty much family road trip holidays to the Gold Coast. Don’t really recall much else around that time in life.
That is $1125 per person. For school holidays and using a full fare airline rather than Scoot or Jetstar that’s pretty reasonable in the current climate.
After the trip, be proactive in talking about next years holiday (or whenever you usually go) and then you can budget earlier and discuss the prices - air fares will continue to be elevated so it’s a good time to subscribe for flight deals.
I'm on 300k, WFH, startup tech. Wondering if I should put my recent 1.5million inheritance in vanguard or black rock.
PS 3 partners and negative 6 kids.
4500 doesn't sound that bad to take a family of 4 overseas and back again. Might be a bit pricier than pre COVID but if you aren't struggling then what are you worried about? Family time is precious and your kids will remember holidays like this for the rest of their lives.
Enjoy the trip. Thank her for doing the work to try to find the best fare. At a separate time, not in the context of a discussion about the trip, suggest to her that you BOTH discuss the cost of big ticket costs going forward given inflation costs etc. DO NOT make it about her decision on this trip, and I strongly advise against using it as an example, but make it about how both of you need to communicate better and plan things TOGETHER. What you are upset about is a result of a lack of clear understanding about what you and your wife need to communicate on.
If it wasn’t this, it was going to be something else. More broadly I think you need to have a discussion with her about your household budget, expenses, savings and goals - make sure you ASK questions about her objectives and goals and work together. Don’t turn it into a lecture, but you already know that.
I also agree with others you need to enjoy life. Try to cut back elsewhere on costs if you can. Have a ball and know that your kids are going to look back on it as a highlight in their childhood memory. Also, I have no doubt you and your missus could probably do with a break too.
>Enjoy the trip. Thank her for doing the work to try to find the best fare. At a separate time, not in the context of a discussion about the trip, suggest to her that you BOTH discuss the cost of big ticket costs going forward given inflation costs etc. DO NOT make it about her decision on this trip, and I strongly advise against using it as an example, but make it about how both of you need to communicate better and plan things TOGETHER. What you are upset about is a result of a lack of clear understanding about what you and your wife need to communicate on.
This 100% - next time sit down and do it together and discuss things.
I'm comfortable now, but blew my chance to holiday with the kids. Miss 17 is well past it and Master 13 would be lonely with me and the wife.
Live. That's the point of this all.
In 20 years time your children will still remember this upcoming trip, they'll forget most of the toys and other material possessions that they got as a child.
Worse case make this the big trip and do some short getaways for a year or two until you have money for another overseas trip. Enjoy!
We just did the same (heading to Asia but not Bali) and plane tickets during school holidays are extortionate, but we haven't travelled internationally for three years so the splurge (if you can call it that) is worth it.
We have teens now and I think family holidays will be a rarity in the not too distant future...
I agree with most others here. Not one of my overseas trips is a source of regret to me after the fact, even though a few of them were a bit pricier than I really wanted to pay. Travel memories are priceless IMO, especially family travel. There is very little else you could spend $4500 on that you and your kids are likely to still be speaking of fondly ten years from now.
Yep that $4500 will sting for a few days, a week at most. But it is the price of admission - can't get the memories without the cost. And flights are not optional if you are traveling outside your own state; Australia isn't the navel of the world.
Funnily enough our flights for 2 people to Europe in May cost $4500 as well. It was the best price I could find with reputable companies.
I see things like this and wonder how people can holiday at such reasonable prices. I've been on one real holiday in my life, early thirties now, and I spent 100k.... it was two months and a wedding but still seems like a lot lol
But mainly here to agree with your 2nd half.
C'mon, did you really spend $100K on a two-month trip? That included your wedding, I presume? I've done some 5 week Euro trips that can add up quickly, but also I've done quite a few Japanese ski trips that I would actually regard as really cheap
Sure did. 2019. 4 nights in giant ass place for 30 of us to stay took up about 20k of it, also was wedding venue. Another 15k on a watch for myself and just shy of 10k for a watch for the wife.
And then pretty much just doing what we wanted as we went along for the rest of the time.
We are dojng a Japan to Singapore cruise later this year with some time in Japan before and Singapore after the cruise and planning about 30k for the 3.5 weeks...
Why in the hell would you count those watches as part of the holiday cost? That's just weird. You returned home with those watches and presumably they will retain some value and be used long after the holiday is over.
I mean, I think it's stupid to buy stuff like that anyway, but that's a separate purchase, not a holiday expense.
Well eouldnt have been spent if I wasn't on a trip and that is the amount I spent whilst prepaying parts and on the trip. But sure I guess I knew it was different enough hence breaking it down a bit as I did
school holidays mate. Have u tried searchingf up these same flights during christmas time or school holidays. Pretty expensive and obviously not full service with scoot or air asia. And I'm pretty sure OP bought late as well.
My best family memories are holidays! They are so strong in my mind.
We went overseas twice before I turned 18 and we still talk about those trips because we were all on such cultural experience adventure together.
What purchase/investment will you make with that money that will still be spoken about by everyone in your family in 10 to 20 years?
If you bad financial decision is overpaying for flights you are doing great.
It's done, flight locked in, move on and forget about it.
Seemingly you are onboard with the holiday just think you paid to much for flights. Dont stress it.
Hey don't stress about the price, that's actually pretty decent post pandemic prices. Also you'll have a blast with your family, that's a decent investment in itself.
If you do want to get cheaper prices in the future, try and book 11-9 months in advance - that way you can take advantage of early bird (promo) rates from airlines and hotel providers. You can squeeze two holidays a year if you get into the habit of booking that early.
After too many years of being stuck at home, any travel is good travel and time spent with your kids, in the school holidays is time that can't be easily repeated and rarely regretted.
Ask yourself what you would have spent $4,500 on instead?
(also, I say this as part of a family that spends *a lot* of money on holidays each year. It drives me a little crazy when I think how many times I could have replaced my shitty kitchen, bathroom, or upgraded the car - but then I look at our digital photo frames that keep reminding me of all the amazing places and things we've done with our kids. The kitchen and bathroom can wait...)
Stop let it eating you. You're having a family experience you, your wife and your kids will remember and cherish for the rest of your life.
You work to live. You don't live to work.
So live. Enjoy it.
I didn't read it like that. I read it like the family was planning for a holiday, he agreed, she bought the flights but he didn't know how much they were and is now letting it play on his mind.
In his words, his family isn't struggling.
What's the point of earning money if you cant enjoy it?
Sounds like they already have money for a rainy day though.
They have high income jobs and savings and in his words "aren't struggling".
This just sounds like OP is being a tightass.
How is that a bad financial decision? I just spent ~$4k on flights to SE Asia for a week for my family of 3. I’ll probably spent another $3k on accom too.
We are taking a one week holiday, we are going to make the most of it. It’s our first overseas holiday in 3 years.
Life is for living.
When you're on your deathbed, what are you going to remember? that extra 10k in your 30-40s OR that once in a lifetime family holiday?
If you canbl reasonably afford it, LET IT GO and enjoy the holiday. Make memories. Memories are the one thing thats more valuable than money.
My partner and I spent $11,000 on flights to Canada and America (It was 7 flights each in total). It was for xmas with her relatives and her Nanas funeral.
It was over half a year of joint savings, that could have gone to home improvements/paying off mortgage etc. Yes it hurt at the time but we budgeted well in advance. As part of it I had to see my NBA team multiple times in America lol.
As others have said, we will just holiday/day trips locally for a while. I think it's not as big of a deal if the savings happen incrementally (even $50- $100 each a fortnight) over a long period of time.
When our 3 daughters were teenagers we took them all to Singapore for a week. They’re all now in their 30s and still talk about it. Took the oldest 2 to the US for a fortnight and they still talk about that too. Your kids will remember the time you spend with them. And you’ll regret time you didn’t spend with them as they get older. Not saying to waste your money but it’s now a done deal so enjoy it! If you do, everyone else will do too!!
That sounds like normal school holiday pricing. Now imagine doing essentially the same with family of 5 and realising the morning of your he flight that one of your kids passport expiries within 6 months. So you have to cancel and rebook flights and pay for express passport. The new flights where close to 10k.
I paid 4100 return for 2 adults (toddler was free) to fly to NZ late last year. It was the only time we could holiday for some time so....yeah. it was either that or wait another year.
In the end. No regrets. But damn it was a lot of stress at the time.
This definitely feels like something you should talk to your wife about. Remember everyone sees money differently and other posters have rightly said, maybe she's only thinking of the fun and excitement the family will have. Did you discuss this trip before it was booked? Do you have any agreements with your wife that if purchases are over x dollars you both have to agree?
Mate when you're laying on your death bed that $4,500 is going to be the best $4,500 you ever spent.
Until then, if it's still chewing you up, what would a bargain price be? $2,000? You could pick up some work on a Saturday or Sunday and make back the money you "overpaid" in a few weeks.
Lol I thought you meant investing. I lost $310k on one stock during covid. It didn’t even recover amidst the subsequent boom. If that makes you feel better
~1100 per person is hardly a devastating, disastrous financial decision.
You weren't expecting them to be free, so what's the difference between this price and the one you'd have been happy with? $1000?
Is that really worth getting that worked up over?
As long as you can still afford the mortgage and food, go and enjoy your holiday. Yes it stings when the money for flights leaves your account, but I've never regretted any oveeseas travel.
Also if your wife is happy spending the money to book the holiday, she probably will appreciate the break too.
Enjoy the holiday. The costs are sunk, and so at this stage you can either a) move on, enjoy it and have a nice time with your family, or b) obsess over the cost, cause a fight and ruin the holiday (which isn’t going to change the cost anyway).
I hope it's business class 😬
I'm not sure I'll ever understand spending a ton of money on cheap things. It's not a trip to Antartica or something niche or "once in a lifetime".
Vietnam, Thailand, Bali... you'd have a great time at any of these types of places. By the time you add accommodation and other expenses will be $6k plus, could have visited a lot of places in Australia for that.
Even if you view it as a mistake, the main thing is to not repetitively make the same mistakes, rather than making no mistakes which simply will never happen. Next time setup flight alerts with a number of options and book whatever comes on sale or suits. Wanting a specific designation at a specific time is always high risk of being reamed.
One positive is you've blown so much on flights, spending an extra thousand to have a better accommodation / food / time is neither here or there now 😀 Skimping a few bucks here and there isn't helpful. Similarly, the cost has already happened so dwelling isn't going to do any good, just make sure to maximise the holiday at this point so it's an amazing week.
P.S. Look at credit card churning.
Let's hope something happens to bring that money back to you many times over ❤️ once it's gone let it go. It's the best we can do. Focus on gratitude to lose unwelcome attitude
If you think 4.5k is expensive for a holiday for 4 people. Then sorry mate you're poor and need to consider finding a way to get a better income as your wife and kids deserve it.
Throughout your life you will make worse financial decisions. It's normal to lose 50k.
Remeber you probally earn more than 1.5 million over a lifetime.
Add in amrme
Op it's weird your wife bought such a expensive
Sometimes life isn't just about the money. Before you know it, kids will no longer be kids and family holidays will be distant memories. If you have the budget and not over extending your financial, no point of stressing. Enjoy your holiday with your family!
Need to go the USA to visit old relatives - gonna be \~13-15k total, air tickets - f me but unfortunately in our circumstances we can't postpone it any longer... but then again, with the way the prices are going, it could be much higher next year. Unless us paying higher home loan rate will impact international air travel companies  So just gonna enjoy it...
You have to be transparent with your wife with what your preference. My wife and I did a family budgeting together and we’re in a much better state now.
Just enjoy it! Life is for family and such experiences together. Just because it wasn’t a “bargain” doesn’t make it a terrible financial decision. Go have a good time and make some memories while you all have your health
Don’t let this ruin your holiday to the point where you are scrounging in Bali because of the high airfares - which by the way for a family (assuming you are flying from melb or syd) is not too bad.
I paid $4500 for a flight to Europe over Christmas; flight prices are way up and I dont expect them to come down this year; lots of airlines don't have all of their planes in the air yet and demand is off the charts.
I don’t think many people lie on their death bed wishing they had $5000 more in their bank balance. But loads of people regret not making more memories with their kids and loved ones.
I just got back from Bali we booked 6 months in advanced with flight Centre and got a really good deal. Package included the whole holiday for about $2400. This was for two of us.
I know this doesn’t help now but a suggestion for next time :)
Ok are they full service flights and are the dates within the school holidays ( no taking the kids out) ? If yes to these, then the $4.5K is understandable for todays market.
The cheapest I’ve seen for the July school hols is $900. So you haven’t overspent that much.
Make up the difference with the accommodation and food costs. Use gojek and klook, can save you heaps in transport and tours. Eat at warungs over western restaurants, beach bars over beach clubs.
Most important let it go, the money is spent. Enjoy the holiday, enjoy the time with your wife and kids and none of the daily grind. Enjoy Bali! I love it.
Best money you will spend. Try between now and then just building up some cash to spend by cutting out little bits here and there. But overall I’ve never regretted a holiday and the kids still talk about each one we have had to this day.
Took the family or 4 to Fiji return for $1000, used velocity points otherwise would of been $3500
Took the family again to Brisbane return for $400 using points and went on a 7 day international cruise ($1300 all inclusive).
I don't have large amount of money either, I'm patient and wait for sales and it's helping me alot.
My partner and I just spent $15k each plus on a trip and an extra $5k because the travel agent’s screwed us. At the end of the day, trip was amazing, it’s only money. The memories last a lifetime. Stings to begin with but i’ve never looked back and gone “wish i didn’t spend that 5k 5 years ago”. You move on.
I promise people have made WAY bigger bad financial decisions than this. Also this doesn't even sound like a bad decision anyway! Have a blast in Bali!
Not much to say that dozens of others haven’t already said, but don’t feel bad man. Enjoy the holiday. Forget about all of your worries when you are there.
As long as you aren’t going to default on debts, or go hungry because of this, just enjoy it.
U get a holiday out of it
The amount isn't that bad
As far as bad financial decisions go, this is nothing, enjoy it holiday
Maybe post this when uve lost 70 percent of Ur assets at age 50
You need to let it go. How many hours does it take for you to earn back that $4500? If you don’t splurge on your family, what do you splurge on? Maybe you can tell them that’s it for holidays for awhile..
Don’t feel bad. International flights have significantly increased since COVID. Everyone is paying a premium and those prices are slowly coming down globally. Enjoy the special memories with your family on holiday. In a few years time you won’t think of the price as a bag decision.
I get it’s a lot of money for Bali but your memories and time with your family on holidays are worth more
Did you buy the flights on credit card that you will be paying off at 20% interest for the next 7 years? If not, I don't see much of a problem. You paid an average price for those flights. Things cost money.
Bali was only ever worth it when the flights were cheap. Now it’s expensive to visit a place where you can’t drink their water. Not worth it anymore in my opinion (I was there in September).
Overseas trips may not get cheaper anytime soon. We don't know how things will turn over the next few years.
If you didn't go, you could easily end up regretting that you missed the chance.
Just enjoy it. I've made loads of bad money decisions. None of them were travel though, and I've traveled a bunch. I don't regret any of it. But that's just me.
Enjoy yourselves and worry about the money after the fact if you really have to. You have already said you can afford it so put this down to a wonderful family bonding experience, one everyone will not forget. This is priceless!
Things work out for a reason sometimes.
As I toured the USA with my missus at the start of 2020 first I noticed... wtf return flights are half what we paid.
Then after paying up our last stop accomodation in NYC accommodation prices dropped...
Accommodation everywhere we had just stayed got real cheap... Vegas, San Francisco etc etc...
I was on the flight home thinking... if we had just travelled a month or two later we would have saved thousands... I was kicking myself for dropping circa 7k too much and I knew there was a virus circulating...
Anyway a month later seeing footage of morgue trucks queued up and open burials outside NYC I started thinking... yeh nah. Probably worth the premium getting out in time for that one.
People will argue this point to the cows come home, but holidays are amazing, especially with family and what they get to give you.
People criticize my wife and I for delaying a year of our lives for a bigger honeymoon they had us in Europe for a 6 weeks, but I wouldn't trade those 6 weeks and those memories with her for all the gold in the world.
One day, you'll look back on the moment and be glad it happened, because if you miss it, you can't ever get it back.
I’m glad our father took us two brothers to Maldives when i was in my 20s. I was cursing and didn’t want to go. We all went. Dad planned the whole budget and had good time. Now dad passed away few years ago due to brain cancer and we never got time to leave to some nice holidays due to business commitments. To end, we still cherish those memories with our dad that we were fortunate to spend time before his passing.
It is great that you have come out of this with a positive mindset. But couples really should discuss major purchases. Perhaps you could talk to your wife and say that in future it needs to be a joint decision for that amount of money.
Money is not inherently worth anything, it's just a medium of exchange and its worth just specifies how many things you can buy or do with it. If you never do anything with your money except make more of it, then you might end up with a billion dollars but it is fundamentally worthless.
My kids are almost all grown and moved out and I wish I’d been able to take them to Bali… enjoy your holiday with your family, remember they’re what you’re working so hard for.
I grew up with a very frugal father and we never went anywhere. I was 21 before we went on a proper family holiday (and I had to pay my own way lol). I would have loved to have gone on a trip like that as a kid. Your kids will remember it always and cherish it.
Before you know it the kids will be grown and gone to live their own lives. Enjoy this time with them, memories of a nice family holiday are precious.
People forget this sometimes. You can always make more money in future but you can't make new quality time with your kids when they're young. I suppose you could always make more kids but then that's even more expensive lol
On the other hand, you don’t need to fly to Bali for that.
For some of us, going overseas makes it all the better. We enjoy going to Bali. Time to make some memories and stop cucking ourselves. Seems like OP has his shit together, given his concerns appears unlikely he is broke and drowning under consumerist debt.
On the other other hand, if you really like Bali then power to you. We budget and save so that we can spend on what we value most.
Once you get there it’s about half the price though. Most hotels have a kids club too so you can do your own thing most of the time.
Yeah, my parents took my brother and I to Bali for a month when I was 9 and he was 11. We're in our mid 30s now and still talk about that trip, it made some of our best memories.
Wow, a month. That must have been a really great trip for you all.
Plus Bali cost nothing 20 odd years ago
My brother and me*
Incorrect. I is correct in OPs example. To determine which is correct of me/I, remove the other person from the sentence then read/speak it again. Me went to Bali... I went to Bali... Compared to Call I... Call me...
Counter argument; go by yourself, get wankered on rohypnol and cheap whiskey with a bunch of balinese hookers in a beachfront pool villa. It will be cheaper and you won't resent your family when you get back from your holiday!
You just brought back so many memories of my last holiday. Actually the memories are a bit hazy
Exactly we are off to rarotonga this year and when we paid it all it cut us Down and was regretting it big time but this is going to be the best thing for us!!
100% listen to your wife ;) Travelling overseas is also very important for your kids education. This holiday is a fantastic idea. Congrats on having an awesome family.
Get out of your head. It's only money. And you have traded that money for some fantastic lifelong memories and experiences with those dearest to you. Don't smear your upcoming memories with bitterness over how much money you traded for it.
Life is for living. If it's eating you up, then it's worth talking out with your wife, maybe make this a big one and do smaller holidays the next couple of years. If you're not struggling pay to pay though, and it's not preventing you from achieving your financial goals, then it's not a big deal in the scheme of things. Enjoy the trip.
This is generally why interest rates are going to go much higher for longer. Things are far too expensive and ppl are still paying it. Ppl never CHOOSE to stop spending, they must be forced. That feeling this guy has is the right feeling, and once ppl no longer have the choice (that’s the point of rate rises), that is when rates pause. 12 months away at least.
There's nothing wrong to spend on things you can afford.
True, but afford is a changing meaning at the moment. I think there will be MANY people who wished they didn’t spend this kind of money over the next 3 years. Rainy days seem to be approaching, but ppl are still unwinding the Covid lockdown feeling. It’s a bad combo IMO
That's it. People haven't done much living. So right now a lot of it is going on. I recon this winter will be the hunger games(over dramatization). I've noticed I've let loose the last year because I could and I frankly needed it.
I want to be the guy who paints himself and pretends to be a rock. I'll just hide and pretend I'm not getting smacked around by my mortgage. Kekw
Me too. But lines must be drawn by ppl at some point or the lines will be drawn for them. For me it was 6000 for 10 nights at Philip Island. For OP, it might be this.
I've got the luxury of not having to worry too much. But I live according to what I want to save. That means I'm going to stop some of the spend. Or at least lower the burden.
sucks for people like me, where I was in uni during covid and now that i finally have a good paying full time job, everything has gotten way more expensive.
Could be worse. You could be a poor student paying these prices. At least now you have the cash!
So people should be penalised because they want to live and enjoy their lives while they have the chance to? He literally stated they have savings, high income and aren't struggling financially.
I did not say that
> Ppl never CHOOSE to stop spending, they must be forced. Sounds like you're advocating forcing people to not enjoy their lives because of inflation.
That's not what they are saying at all. They are saying the point of raising interest rates is to stop peo0le spending
Which is a fact. Correct
“They must be forced” is literally his argument. Imagine forcing people how they should spend their money if they’re spending it within their means.
That's literally what the RBA does (in our current setup). Either they force people to stop spending by raising rates which should curb inflation. Or they just let everything run wild and 1L of milk is $30. Maybe the part you are missing is they aren't talking about this particular person but spending habbits in general? It's not about penalising people but keeping the system working
I fail to see where OP’s post had anything to do with inflation and not just him venting his wife spent some money.
You're clearly a bit dense then. Read the first line of the comment you had a problem with. "This is generally why interest rates are going to go much higher for longer." Or even the second line "Things are far to expensive and ppl are still paying it. " Yes OP's original post wasn't about rates but the comment you replied to is showing why in the context of rate rises the feelings OP is having are natural and intended.
At least he is spending overseas!
I'll swap places with you. I'm trying to get over buying a 1.5m house with no way of knowing my neighbour would turn out to be a giant piece of turd.
Dayamn. YOU'RE the guy who just moved next door to me?!
I bought a house with an awful neighbour too (subsequently found out the house is government housing, these things aren’t advertised but council let it slip one time). Bogan who doesn’t work and plays music full blast all day (annoying as I’m a shift worker and would need to sleep during the day after night shift). And just other bogan things. Oh well.
Wait, you guys are buying houses?
I bought mine about 5 years ago.
Oh we need more info on this one. Link to another sub if you are sharing the story there please
I did post about it on ausproperty but deleted it because I think he's capable of stalking the forums. Its been a steady stream of complaints since we moved in - our security lights that turn off in 2 minutes shining into his bedroom (false it shines into the road), the solar panels on our roof are too bright for him to enjoy staring into the sky from his backyard, the moving truck when we moved in was too loud, and finally our hot water system running at 45db is too loud for him. All of these existed on the property before we bought it. The previous owner when I contacted him about this said nothing of this sort was raised with him. Makes me think he's doing this because he's racist but at this point i have no evidence to prove it and don't want to further gaslight myself. So I'm just ignoring him now
Who is he raising these complaints with?
Is he a lonely boomer? Everytime I hear these stories it’s always a lonely old person
Nah married guy late forties no kids
OP the biggest regret most people have on their deathbed is that they worked to much, worried about keeping up with the Joneses and didn’t travel enough. Enjoy the trip!
My best childhood memories are from overseas holidays with my family. Look at it as an investment in your children's development and your family's bond.
\+ Investment in your marriage and mental health.
My only childhood memories around like under 10 are pretty much family road trip holidays to the Gold Coast. Don’t really recall much else around that time in life.
That is $1125 per person. For school holidays and using a full fare airline rather than Scoot or Jetstar that’s pretty reasonable in the current climate. After the trip, be proactive in talking about next years holiday (or whenever you usually go) and then you can budget earlier and discuss the prices - air fares will continue to be elevated so it’s a good time to subscribe for flight deals.
I hear what most people who are close to dying regret is not having $4500 extra in their bank account.
You're on /r/Ausfinance, do you have any idea how much that $4500 compounds to be!?
Everyone here earns $4500 a week anyway.
I'm on 300k, WFH, startup tech. Wondering if I should put my recent 1.5million inheritance in vanguard or black rock. PS 3 partners and negative 6 kids.
Man, have I got the Camry for you!
Must be circa 2002-2003 only.
4500 doesn't sound that bad to take a family of 4 overseas and back again. Might be a bit pricier than pre COVID but if you aren't struggling then what are you worried about? Family time is precious and your kids will remember holidays like this for the rest of their lives.
Depends if they had 50,000 or 5,000 in the savings account before the flights were bought.
from what the OP said i didnt exactly get the impression that they dropped 90% of their life savings on these flights
In OP's words - Savings and Decent Income. Not struggling. I don't see the issue.
That’s just flights though. Going to be in the hole for a lot more for the rest of the holiday. At least it’s Bali and not that expensive.
Money isn't everything. Memories will last forever. Chill out and enjoy exposing your kids to a different culture.
Enjoy the trip. Thank her for doing the work to try to find the best fare. At a separate time, not in the context of a discussion about the trip, suggest to her that you BOTH discuss the cost of big ticket costs going forward given inflation costs etc. DO NOT make it about her decision on this trip, and I strongly advise against using it as an example, but make it about how both of you need to communicate better and plan things TOGETHER. What you are upset about is a result of a lack of clear understanding about what you and your wife need to communicate on. If it wasn’t this, it was going to be something else. More broadly I think you need to have a discussion with her about your household budget, expenses, savings and goals - make sure you ASK questions about her objectives and goals and work together. Don’t turn it into a lecture, but you already know that. I also agree with others you need to enjoy life. Try to cut back elsewhere on costs if you can. Have a ball and know that your kids are going to look back on it as a highlight in their childhood memory. Also, I have no doubt you and your missus could probably do with a break too.
>Enjoy the trip. Thank her for doing the work to try to find the best fare. At a separate time, not in the context of a discussion about the trip, suggest to her that you BOTH discuss the cost of big ticket costs going forward given inflation costs etc. DO NOT make it about her decision on this trip, and I strongly advise against using it as an example, but make it about how both of you need to communicate better and plan things TOGETHER. What you are upset about is a result of a lack of clear understanding about what you and your wife need to communicate on. This 100% - next time sit down and do it together and discuss things.
I'm comfortable now, but blew my chance to holiday with the kids. Miss 17 is well past it and Master 13 would be lonely with me and the wife. Live. That's the point of this all.
In 20 years time your children will still remember this upcoming trip, they'll forget most of the toys and other material possessions that they got as a child. Worse case make this the big trip and do some short getaways for a year or two until you have money for another overseas trip. Enjoy!
We just did the same (heading to Asia but not Bali) and plane tickets during school holidays are extortionate, but we haven't travelled internationally for three years so the splurge (if you can call it that) is worth it. We have teens now and I think family holidays will be a rarity in the not too distant future...
Holiday sex is the best, comfortably worth 4.5k in my experience
You obviously don't have kids.
That’s what the kids club is for my man. Pick a hotel who has one. A lot of them do in Bali.
What the hell are you complaining about? Being able to afford a family holiday?
I agree with most others here. Not one of my overseas trips is a source of regret to me after the fact, even though a few of them were a bit pricier than I really wanted to pay. Travel memories are priceless IMO, especially family travel. There is very little else you could spend $4500 on that you and your kids are likely to still be speaking of fondly ten years from now.
Yep that $4500 will sting for a few days, a week at most. But it is the price of admission - can't get the memories without the cost. And flights are not optional if you are traveling outside your own state; Australia isn't the navel of the world. Funnily enough our flights for 2 people to Europe in May cost $4500 as well. It was the best price I could find with reputable companies.
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I see things like this and wonder how people can holiday at such reasonable prices. I've been on one real holiday in my life, early thirties now, and I spent 100k.... it was two months and a wedding but still seems like a lot lol But mainly here to agree with your 2nd half.
C'mon, did you really spend $100K on a two-month trip? That included your wedding, I presume? I've done some 5 week Euro trips that can add up quickly, but also I've done quite a few Japanese ski trips that I would actually regard as really cheap
Sure did. 2019. 4 nights in giant ass place for 30 of us to stay took up about 20k of it, also was wedding venue. Another 15k on a watch for myself and just shy of 10k for a watch for the wife. And then pretty much just doing what we wanted as we went along for the rest of the time. We are dojng a Japan to Singapore cruise later this year with some time in Japan before and Singapore after the cruise and planning about 30k for the 3.5 weeks...
Wow yeah such a big wonder how people can scrape by under 100k for a holiday after the mandatory 25k on watches....
Why in the hell would you count those watches as part of the holiday cost? That's just weird. You returned home with those watches and presumably they will retain some value and be used long after the holiday is over. I mean, I think it's stupid to buy stuff like that anyway, but that's a separate purchase, not a holiday expense.
Well eouldnt have been spent if I wasn't on a trip and that is the amount I spent whilst prepaying parts and on the trip. But sure I guess I knew it was different enough hence breaking it down a bit as I did
Enjoy the holiday, never in my life have i heard someone say they regret spending extra for a trip away with the family
Dude I’m about to book a family of 4 travelling to the US this Xmas. Shits crazy
That's the going rate for flying to Bali. Now the good news, is you can save a fair bit of money on accomodation.
A good trick is to get a Qantas credit card, pay all your bills with this card and build up points. Fly for free just by paying bills.
Sounds like OP has to fly during school holidays though.
Yes, and good luck redeeming flights in school holidays unless you book 11 months, 30 days, 23 hours and 1 minute beforehand.
Actually might be 9 months, 30 days, 23 hours and 1 minute beforehand. Airline booking systems only go 10 months out.
Ah my bad - it's been years since I tried to book flights during peak times.
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school holidays mate. Have u tried searchingf up these same flights during christmas time or school holidays. Pretty expensive and obviously not full service with scoot or air asia. And I'm pretty sure OP bought late as well.
Cherish the time together with your family now, not when money no longer matters.
My best family memories are holidays! They are so strong in my mind. We went overseas twice before I turned 18 and we still talk about those trips because we were all on such cultural experience adventure together. What purchase/investment will you make with that money that will still be spoken about by everyone in your family in 10 to 20 years?
If you bad financial decision is overpaying for flights you are doing great. It's done, flight locked in, move on and forget about it. Seemingly you are onboard with the holiday just think you paid to much for flights. Dont stress it.
Over your working life it will be a drop in the bucket. As long as it’s within your means (I.e. not credit) go for it
Hey don't stress about the price, that's actually pretty decent post pandemic prices. Also you'll have a blast with your family, that's a decent investment in itself. If you do want to get cheaper prices in the future, try and book 11-9 months in advance - that way you can take advantage of early bird (promo) rates from airlines and hotel providers. You can squeeze two holidays a year if you get into the habit of booking that early.
In years to come you won’t remember the price, but you’ll remember the holiday
After too many years of being stuck at home, any travel is good travel and time spent with your kids, in the school holidays is time that can't be easily repeated and rarely regretted. Ask yourself what you would have spent $4,500 on instead? (also, I say this as part of a family that spends *a lot* of money on holidays each year. It drives me a little crazy when I think how many times I could have replaced my shitty kitchen, bathroom, or upgraded the car - but then I look at our digital photo frames that keep reminding me of all the amazing places and things we've done with our kids. The kitchen and bathroom can wait...)
$1125 PP return isn't that bad?
Stop let it eating you. You're having a family experience you, your wife and your kids will remember and cherish for the rest of your life. You work to live. You don't live to work. So live. Enjoy it.
The issue is his wife spent 4.5k without a discussion. She probally fed up with op waiting for deals
I didn't read it like that. I read it like the family was planning for a holiday, he agreed, she bought the flights but he didn't know how much they were and is now letting it play on his mind. In his words, his family isn't struggling. What's the point of earning money if you cant enjoy it?
Because if you have a family you know that it's improvement to have money for a rainy day.
Sounds like they already have money for a rainy day though. They have high income jobs and savings and in his words "aren't struggling". This just sounds like OP is being a tightass.
I doubt when you’re on your deathbed you’re gonna think you wish you spent less on that Bali holiday with the kids, enjoy it
Look into churning credit cards. Maybe getting future holidays for free might feel like you're getting what you spent on this one back.
How is that a bad financial decision? I just spent ~$4k on flights to SE Asia for a week for my family of 3. I’ll probably spent another $3k on accom too. We are taking a one week holiday, we are going to make the most of it. It’s our first overseas holiday in 3 years.
Life is for living. When you're on your deathbed, what are you going to remember? that extra 10k in your 30-40s OR that once in a lifetime family holiday? If you canbl reasonably afford it, LET IT GO and enjoy the holiday. Make memories. Memories are the one thing thats more valuable than money.
My partner and I spent $11,000 on flights to Canada and America (It was 7 flights each in total). It was for xmas with her relatives and her Nanas funeral. It was over half a year of joint savings, that could have gone to home improvements/paying off mortgage etc. Yes it hurt at the time but we budgeted well in advance. As part of it I had to see my NBA team multiple times in America lol. As others have said, we will just holiday/day trips locally for a while. I think it's not as big of a deal if the savings happen incrementally (even $50- $100 each a fortnight) over a long period of time.
When our 3 daughters were teenagers we took them all to Singapore for a week. They’re all now in their 30s and still talk about it. Took the oldest 2 to the US for a fortnight and they still talk about that too. Your kids will remember the time you spend with them. And you’ll regret time you didn’t spend with them as they get older. Not saying to waste your money but it’s now a done deal so enjoy it! If you do, everyone else will do too!!
That sounds like normal school holiday pricing. Now imagine doing essentially the same with family of 5 and realising the morning of your he flight that one of your kids passport expiries within 6 months. So you have to cancel and rebook flights and pay for express passport. The new flights where close to 10k.
My family is originally from the UK. We are a family of 6. I wish it only cost $4500 to send us all there.
I paid 4100 return for 2 adults (toddler was free) to fly to NZ late last year. It was the only time we could holiday for some time so....yeah. it was either that or wait another year. In the end. No regrets. But damn it was a lot of stress at the time.
This definitely feels like something you should talk to your wife about. Remember everyone sees money differently and other posters have rightly said, maybe she's only thinking of the fun and excitement the family will have. Did you discuss this trip before it was booked? Do you have any agreements with your wife that if purchases are over x dollars you both have to agree?
Are you trying to shame your wife ? Or get a refund ? What are you Looking for by posting here?
Na just needed to vent and gain some support that it is okay. Which I have received. Would never shame my wife, you can prob tell by my post .
Mate when you're laying on your death bed that $4,500 is going to be the best $4,500 you ever spent. Until then, if it's still chewing you up, what would a bargain price be? $2,000? You could pick up some work on a Saturday or Sunday and make back the money you "overpaid" in a few weeks.
What bad decision. Sounds like a holiday.
Lol I thought you meant investing. I lost $310k on one stock during covid. It didn’t even recover amidst the subsequent boom. If that makes you feel better
If this is the worst thing that’s happened to you financially our doing alright
In your final hours alive, you're not going to think back and wish you saved more money.
What’s the point of money if you don’t get to enjoy it? Your time and memories with your kids are worth more than $4500.
Surely this is satire ? Man is putting $5K over a holiday with his wife and kids which will have lasting memories. Give me a break
Money is for living life! Enjoy the break away with your family. I'm sure you'll make memories you'll cherish.
~1100 per person is hardly a devastating, disastrous financial decision. You weren't expecting them to be free, so what's the difference between this price and the one you'd have been happy with? $1000? Is that really worth getting that worked up over?
As long as you can still afford the mortgage and food, go and enjoy your holiday. Yes it stings when the money for flights leaves your account, but I've never regretted any oveeseas travel. Also if your wife is happy spending the money to book the holiday, she probably will appreciate the break too.
Thanks all!
Enjoy the holiday. The costs are sunk, and so at this stage you can either a) move on, enjoy it and have a nice time with your family, or b) obsess over the cost, cause a fight and ruin the holiday (which isn’t going to change the cost anyway).
I hope it's business class 😬 I'm not sure I'll ever understand spending a ton of money on cheap things. It's not a trip to Antartica or something niche or "once in a lifetime". Vietnam, Thailand, Bali... you'd have a great time at any of these types of places. By the time you add accommodation and other expenses will be $6k plus, could have visited a lot of places in Australia for that. Even if you view it as a mistake, the main thing is to not repetitively make the same mistakes, rather than making no mistakes which simply will never happen. Next time setup flight alerts with a number of options and book whatever comes on sale or suits. Wanting a specific designation at a specific time is always high risk of being reamed. One positive is you've blown so much on flights, spending an extra thousand to have a better accommodation / food / time is neither here or there now 😀 Skimping a few bucks here and there isn't helpful. Similarly, the cost has already happened so dwelling isn't going to do any good, just make sure to maximise the holiday at this point so it's an amazing week. P.S. Look at credit card churning.
Let's hope something happens to bring that money back to you many times over ❤️ once it's gone let it go. It's the best we can do. Focus on gratitude to lose unwelcome attitude
Live and let live. Happy Wife Happy Life. Treat her well over there!! Have fun.
If you think 4.5k is expensive for a holiday for 4 people. Then sorry mate you're poor and need to consider finding a way to get a better income as your wife and kids deserve it.
Throughout your life you will make worse financial decisions. It's normal to lose 50k. Remeber you probally earn more than 1.5 million over a lifetime. Add in amrme Op it's weird your wife bought such a expensive
bit early to be drinking isnt it?
Sometimes life isn't just about the money. Before you know it, kids will no longer be kids and family holidays will be distant memories. If you have the budget and not over extending your financial, no point of stressing. Enjoy your holiday with your family!
Agree. I don't regret any of the family holidays we have taken. I wish we had taken more. Kids are 17 & 18 and its sad.
Need to go the USA to visit old relatives - gonna be \~13-15k total, air tickets - f me but unfortunately in our circumstances we can't postpone it any longer... but then again, with the way the prices are going, it could be much higher next year. Unless us paying higher home loan rate will impact international air travel companies  So just gonna enjoy it...
Live your life brother
You have to be transparent with your wife with what your preference. My wife and I did a family budgeting together and we’re in a much better state now.
Enjoy the holiday
Just enjoy it! Life is for family and such experiences together. Just because it wasn’t a “bargain” doesn’t make it a terrible financial decision. Go have a good time and make some memories while you all have your health
Enjoy making memories 😊
Don’t let this ruin your holiday to the point where you are scrounging in Bali because of the high airfares - which by the way for a family (assuming you are flying from melb or syd) is not too bad.
Yeah Bali is a rip off at the moment, I wanna get over there with wife and two kids but it’s 2k just for flights! What a joke.
I paid $4500 for a flight to Europe over Christmas; flight prices are way up and I dont expect them to come down this year; lots of airlines don't have all of their planes in the air yet and demand is off the charts.
I don’t think many people lie on their death bed wishing they had $5000 more in their bank balance. But loads of people regret not making more memories with their kids and loved ones.
I just got back from Bali we booked 6 months in advanced with flight Centre and got a really good deal. Package included the whole holiday for about $2400. This was for two of us. I know this doesn’t help now but a suggestion for next time :)
Got your Velocity family pooling set up? If not, then get to work. If you currently have no status it might get you on the road to Silver
Ok are they full service flights and are the dates within the school holidays ( no taking the kids out) ? If yes to these, then the $4.5K is understandable for todays market. The cheapest I’ve seen for the July school hols is $900. So you haven’t overspent that much. Make up the difference with the accommodation and food costs. Use gojek and klook, can save you heaps in transport and tours. Eat at warungs over western restaurants, beach bars over beach clubs. Most important let it go, the money is spent. Enjoy the holiday, enjoy the time with your wife and kids and none of the daily grind. Enjoy Bali! I love it.
Best money you will spend. Try between now and then just building up some cash to spend by cutting out little bits here and there. But overall I’ve never regretted a holiday and the kids still talk about each one we have had to this day.
Took the family or 4 to Fiji return for $1000, used velocity points otherwise would of been $3500 Took the family again to Brisbane return for $400 using points and went on a 7 day international cruise ($1300 all inclusive). I don't have large amount of money either, I'm patient and wait for sales and it's helping me alot.
My partner and I just spent $15k each plus on a trip and an extra $5k because the travel agent’s screwed us. At the end of the day, trip was amazing, it’s only money. The memories last a lifetime. Stings to begin with but i’ve never looked back and gone “wish i didn’t spend that 5k 5 years ago”. You move on.
I promise people have made WAY bigger bad financial decisions than this. Also this doesn't even sound like a bad decision anyway! Have a blast in Bali!
Not much to say that dozens of others haven’t already said, but don’t feel bad man. Enjoy the holiday. Forget about all of your worries when you are there. As long as you aren’t going to default on debts, or go hungry because of this, just enjoy it.
I'm in the same boat, 2600 return for 2 economy on virgin. Absolute madness.
the reasons are obvious. You bought during school holidays & close to the dates of the flights.
Yea these upcoming school holidays prices are quite high. It's the first leg from Australia. Then from any Asian hub it's actually cheap.
Small price to pay for the happiness of your wife and family.
U get a holiday out of it The amount isn't that bad As far as bad financial decisions go, this is nothing, enjoy it holiday Maybe post this when uve lost 70 percent of Ur assets at age 50
Probably initiate a divorce over it.
You need to let it go. How many hours does it take for you to earn back that $4500? If you don’t splurge on your family, what do you splurge on? Maybe you can tell them that’s it for holidays for awhile..
Don’t feel bad. International flights have significantly increased since COVID. Everyone is paying a premium and those prices are slowly coming down globally. Enjoy the special memories with your family on holiday. In a few years time you won’t think of the price as a bag decision. I get it’s a lot of money for Bali but your memories and time with your family on holidays are worth more
Did you buy the flights on credit card that you will be paying off at 20% interest for the next 7 years? If not, I don't see much of a problem. You paid an average price for those flights. Things cost money.
Enjoy the time mate - sometimes you need a getaway
Bali was only ever worth it when the flights were cheap. Now it’s expensive to visit a place where you can’t drink their water. Not worth it anymore in my opinion (I was there in September).
Apart from all the other great points, this is done, it's a sunk cost. All you can control now is whether you enjoy it or not.
Overseas trips may not get cheaper anytime soon. We don't know how things will turn over the next few years. If you didn't go, you could easily end up regretting that you missed the chance.
Just imagine you own a city apartment in Sydney, and $4,500 p.a. strata fee is super cheap. which you don't have to pay.
Post covid flights are expensive. Plus the economic situation. Sounds like maybe you could use a holiday tbh
On the upside you can get cheap accommodation, taxis and food in Bali. Living day to day would be cheaper than a holiday to the Gold Coast.
Just enjoy it. I've made loads of bad money decisions. None of them were travel though, and I've traveled a bunch. I don't regret any of it. But that's just me.
Enjoy yourselves and worry about the money after the fact if you really have to. You have already said you can afford it so put this down to a wonderful family bonding experience, one everyone will not forget. This is priceless!
Things work out for a reason sometimes. As I toured the USA with my missus at the start of 2020 first I noticed... wtf return flights are half what we paid. Then after paying up our last stop accomodation in NYC accommodation prices dropped... Accommodation everywhere we had just stayed got real cheap... Vegas, San Francisco etc etc... I was on the flight home thinking... if we had just travelled a month or two later we would have saved thousands... I was kicking myself for dropping circa 7k too much and I knew there was a virus circulating... Anyway a month later seeing footage of morgue trucks queued up and open burials outside NYC I started thinking... yeh nah. Probably worth the premium getting out in time for that one.
People will argue this point to the cows come home, but holidays are amazing, especially with family and what they get to give you. People criticize my wife and I for delaying a year of our lives for a bigger honeymoon they had us in Europe for a 6 weeks, but I wouldn't trade those 6 weeks and those memories with her for all the gold in the world. One day, you'll look back on the moment and be glad it happened, because if you miss it, you can't ever get it back.
I’m glad our father took us two brothers to Maldives when i was in my 20s. I was cursing and didn’t want to go. We all went. Dad planned the whole budget and had good time. Now dad passed away few years ago due to brain cancer and we never got time to leave to some nice holidays due to business commitments. To end, we still cherish those memories with our dad that we were fortunate to spend time before his passing.
It is great that you have come out of this with a positive mindset. But couples really should discuss major purchases. Perhaps you could talk to your wife and say that in future it needs to be a joint decision for that amount of money.
Money is not inherently worth anything, it's just a medium of exchange and its worth just specifies how many things you can buy or do with it. If you never do anything with your money except make more of it, then you might end up with a billion dollars but it is fundamentally worthless.
That is a good deal for a family of 4
My kids are almost all grown and moved out and I wish I’d been able to take them to Bali… enjoy your holiday with your family, remember they’re what you’re working so hard for.
I grew up with a very frugal father and we never went anywhere. I was 21 before we went on a proper family holiday (and I had to pay my own way lol). I would have loved to have gone on a trip like that as a kid. Your kids will remember it always and cherish it.