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Yesterday at the hair salon, I was talking to my stylist about the woes of being a responsible adult. She recently was invited to a friend’s 40th birthday party in Las Vegas but couldn’t attend because she’s saving her money to buy new curtains for her new house. Getting window coverings is certainly not as glamorous or fun as a romp in Sin City but she made the decision that it was more important. That’s a very adult choice, don’t you think?
Sometimes being a responsible adult is not a choice. Case in point: This morning my husband called me in a panic on his way to work. He hit a patch of black ice and slid off the road in our hand-me-down 2003 sedan that does not have anti-lock brakes or 4-wheel drive. I had to drive out to him in our SUV with a shovel to help dig him out of a snow bank. This is the second time this Winter that he’s been in an accident in the sedan. Two years ago during a snowfall I was rear-ended while driving the sedan and now refuse to drive it at all during the Winter. In fact, that’s why we bought our SUV. Now it looks like we might need to invest in another Winter-friendly car.
Unfortunately, the sedan belongs to my sister, so if we want to get something new, we’ll have to give it back to her… no trading it in. We’ll need to pony up a lot of cash if we want to upgrade. But from where will the money come? Well, it will come from being responsible and curtailing our spending on non-essentials. It won’t be fun, but we don’t really have a choice!
When did you have to make the decision to become responsible when you would have rather been carefree?
Twitter: @sillylittle
Sigh. I hate being all responsible all the time. Especially with money. I wish that we could be frivolous all the time. But we have bills to pay and sacrifices to make. Being an adult is nothing like what I thought it was as a child!
.-= Linda’s most recent blog post: Library Loot =-.
oh gosh I’m still not responsible! We’re about to buy a house so my husband is trying to force responsibility on me… but it’s no fun!
.-= Kelly’s most recent blog post: Styrofoam Ceilings and Hidden Chimneys =-.
Twitter: @Just1Week
I think your situation is very different than your friend saving for curtains. I used to have your friend’s mentality until my husband came along. Choosing curtains over friends? Our vacation budget is now one of our largest line items because we do have to travel to see our family and close friends – and we’d rather see them than have expensive curtains. So I think part of being an adult is deciding what is more important – and if it is the curtains, you may need to think why that is.
But the situation with the car – totally different – and we’ve been there too. Safety and practical issues (you need transportation to work, you don’t need fancy curtains) are certainly adult decisions. And it is sad that we dipped heavily into our vacation fund when our car was barely off of warranty and magically needed a complete transmission rebuild. Sigh.
.-= Erin’s most recent blog post: Kettlebells =-.
Ice is a BIG deal and I’ve dealt with a lot of it. I drive an Accord, but have studded tires for it in the winter. No slipping. They weren’t that expensive, plus they reduce the wear on your normal tires, so those last longer…good investment!