When we visit my family for Thanksgiving, there’s a certain holiday-themed business we drive by each year. It’s right off the highway and sprawls over several acres. Every year, my husband and I will make a comment of how it would be neat to take the boys and get to experience the holiday decorations and festivities. This year, we decided to pull the proverbial trigger and buy the tickets.
In addition to the tickets to get in, I bought the parking pass one level up from the basic level and splurged on “expedited” passes for a hayride through the holiday lights. It was an easy $200 all told just for the various passes. When you attend an entertainment venue, you go into it knowing you’ll be dropping some serious coinage while you’re there. It was not easy but knowing that yes, this was going to be costing us at least $200-300 for the experience helped ease the pain. Planning means you can budget for it!
Once we got in, though, I was not completely prepared for the prices. Between a meal (with bottled drinks at $3 each!), desserts, hot chocolate, souvenirs ($50ish between two kids), and a photo op that I splurged on ($25 for a single photo!), that was another $100-ish in the park. We didn’t even do the face painting, little train ride, nor the petting zoo. There was still a decent amount of things to do and see that were included in the ticket prices. However, some things you just can’t put a price on. Watching my children’s faces, their eyes all wide and staring at the various holiday light displays, playing with the created snow, seeing all the fun things available to buy as a souvenir, it was worth it.
Budgeting is a wonderful tool to help us manage our money and I am all about being thrifty, finding deals and making savings where I can. Sometimes, however, we need to remember that we only have this one life to live and make the memories and spend time with our loved ones while we can. This does not mean going into debt to make things happen but with planning, saving, and budgeting ahead of time, we can still make those memories with our kids and it won’t destroy our finances to do so.
‘Tis the holiday season when gift giving is creeping up with things to buy for this relative or that friend or the office Christmas party. While we can budget for the gifts and the meals that we create, it helps me to remember that sometimes the price for making memories with my children and loved ones may seem high in the fiscal sense but in life, these times are priceless and worth investing in.
Stay green, my fellow Texans, and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Going Green In Texas 