Dream a Big Dream
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Setting goals and dreaming big dreams can be just the right motivation to help you save money and accomplish great things.
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This is my bedside table. Most are books that I’ve read before. A few I’m still finishing off for the first time. Most of them are books that I’m revisiting.
See a theme?
In 1994 we spent our honeymoon (and my 22nd birthday) in France, less than a year after I came home from living a year in Bordeaux. Having spent two consecutive birthdays in France, I was hopeful — and naive — that it would become a yearly tradition.
We haven’t been back in eighteen years!
Life happened. Babies, and houses, and debts. Life.
Dreaming a Big Dream
Over the last month or two, however, hubs and I have decided to dream a big dream: to take our family of eight to France for our 20th wedding anniversary. Our hope is to spend a minimum of four weeks in France in 2014.
- Ambitious? Yes. It will cost a very pretty penny.
- A little bit crazy? Yes. Six children on a European vacation is like the Griswolds on steroids.
- Impossible? Never say die.
We realized that while it will take some time to save up the cash (yes, we’re going to pay cash) and brush up on my language skills, research and plan, it will be a wonderful experience for our kids who will be 16, 13, 11, 9, 7, and 5. The kids will all be young enough to still be at home, old enough to not need a potty every hour.
Plus, we’re just itching to go back.
We also know that saving and economizing is easier — and more fulfilling — if you have a goal in mind.
To save just for the sake of saving ends up feeling rather empty and boring after a time. It’s harder to keep at it if it’s just a few more dollars in the bank. But, if you have something to work for, you have motivation.
So, we’re adding a little fun to our future, we’re planning a HUGE family memory, and we’re adding fuel to the fire of our frugality.
Certainly, it’s a plan to spend money, but it’s also an impetus to save, which is always a good thing.
Today’s Frugal Friday!
Time to swap ideas and inspiration for saving money.
How do YOU save money?
Please remember to follow the Frugal Friday Guidelines or be deleted.
- Post a money saving idea and explain how it is helpful in your post.
- No giveaways or deals posts.
- Recipes are allowed, but you must explain how it saves people money.
- Please include a link back to Life as MOM.
I love how you are wanting to pay cash for this trip!! So many people use credit cards these days!! We do not and I am glad we don’t. We have finally got money put back into our savings so hopefully by this time next year we will have a nice amount put back for a down payment on a new house.
Yay Mama! What a great dream! I’m sure us other Moms won’t mind hearing more France trip posts! You might look into renting a house instead of hotel rooms, since you plan on being there so long…
Yes, that is what we do here in the States, too, since we can’t all be in one room anymore.
How exciting! We put our tax refund away for a trip to India in the fall (sister-in-law’s wedding). However, we aren’t taking the kids and if I get pregnant, it will just be hubs. Our kids are just too little to go because of the sanitation issues (everyone, including a coworker from Delhi, where the wedding is, agrees). Ditto if I’m pregnant. SIGH.
I have a lot of travel dreams but right now just dreams, nothing material. I’m adding travel to our yearly strategic plan!
India is a fabulous country to travel in with children…there didn’t get to be 1.2 billion people there without people loving children!
I have traveled all around India with my children since they were babies and prefer it to traveling with children in the US. People are understanding and helpful and the culture opens up before you if you have children in tow.
This too has been a dream of ours for our “little” family of 6. Having been born and raised in West Texas and a recent transplant to Southern California, my husband and I are trying to pursue the extraordinary for ourselves and the kids. You will have to let me know how you plan a vacation like that? Where do you stay? How to cross the language barrier? (Don’t know if my Texas twang would produce flowing French words) How much money would you need? Would love to plan our trip for our 20th Anniversary, June 22, 2016!
I was a French major in college and lived there for a year, so “hopefully” it will all come back to me in the next two years and I’m planning to add it to our homeschool curriculum this year.
We plan to save the cash and rent apartments so that we can cook many of our meals as well as lodge together rather than many hotel rooms.
How wonderful! I love your huge goal. We’ve been saving 50% of our income for a while now so we can finally build our home. It’s involved a lot of sacrifice, but having a big goal really does make saving and sacrifice a lot easier! I can’t wait to hear about your adventures in France!
That is a great goal!
Dream a big dream…Dh & I talk about talking a trip to Europe every so often. Both of us love to cook, and we dream of eating our way across France. I’d love to see England where my dad’s family came from, and hear the wonderful accents of Ireland where my mom’s family came from. Can’t wait to hear about your progress on your dream.
I love this! It looks like your kids will be the perfect ages for a family trip like this – all of them old enough to remember it, too. I think you will have as much fun, if not more, with the planning as you will on the trip itself.
Yes, I think it should be the right ages. After several delayed flights this weekend, I’m very thankful that we are choosing to do it later rather than sooner.
Awesome! I’m so impressed. You’re absolutely right that having a goal makes saving easier. And what a goal that is!
Thats a lovely idea. I love France too. I took my boys to Paris when they were 5 and 2, that was almost 8 years ago. We went back again last year, to a different part of France and had an amazing time. The French countryside is beautiful and I loved learning the language. Creating beautiful memories is the best thing you could ever spend money on.
Cheering you on!
We had a similar goal and lo and behold my hubby’s company offered to move us to Germany for 2 1/2 yrs. We took full advantage and managed to visit several countries. We even attended a wedding {a THREE day event} in Croatia.
I look forward to seeing you accomplish your goal, and seeing pictures of your trip!