March 23 We drive to Long Beach, Washington for a weekend on the beach. In Vancouver, we buy gas ($40) fast food ($25) and coffees/Italian sodas for the kids ($14). In Astoria we stop at the local bookshop and I agree to buy my 9 year-old the new Dog Man book and another book that is the latest installment in a favorite series ($28). He loves to read and I know he will read and re-read these many times in the future. I am not buying books for myself this year, but I am willing to support this local bookstore as part of our long family vacation tradition of buying books for the kids from the local independent bookstores.
We arrive at the cottage we rented, unpack and the kids immediately spend over an hour digging holes on the beach. This is their happy place. Nate and I sit with the dog, share a beer, and talk.
March 24 We spend an incredible morning at Cape Disappointment State Park ($10 day pass). I decide the lighthouse and rugged cliffs right next to lush forest trails make it my new favorite spot on the coast. A conundrum at the local bookshop in Ilwaco, WA: the kids ask for little souvenirs. This is a norm when we travel somewhere on vacation. They have each chosen an adorable little plush caterpillar for about $14 each. There is no denying that this would constitute the buying of un-needed stuff. Since we owe them allowance money, I ask if they are willing to use their allowance money for the purchase, because I’m not going to buy them more stuff that is not a need. They agree and gleefully play with their new treasures in the car, making each other laugh.
That evening, we make a reservation at a restaurant with 180 degree views of the beach, and have one of the best dinners I can recall. Our food is photo-worthy and special, and when the bill with tip totals $148 I silently wince but wouldn’t trade the experience. We will come here again next time we visit.
March 25 I have a lovely jog on the beach. We all get dressed, pack up and clean out the Airbnb. I work remotely for a few hours while Nate takes the kids to the beach to dig a few more holes. We buy lattes and a disappointing scone, $14, at a nice hotel on the beach before making the 3 hour drive home. We stop at Wendy’s, $16, and the Astoria Coffeehouse for more lattes and their giant molasses cookies, $24.
We arrive home, haphazardly unpack, and feel that lovely feeling of being in our own beds at night.
March 26 After work, I meet my friend Melissa (who I’d cancelled with when my mom went to the hospital) at a bar for a cocktail and salad, $32. Afterwards, I make an evening trip to Costco and spend $318 on groceries, telling myself I will pack lots of lunches this week.
March 27 I spend $16.62 including tip for a Reuben sandwich at Charlie’s which everyone at work says is a “downtown institution.” It’s pretty good. But I still can’t used to how expensive everything has become.
March 28 I spend $12.50 including tip (which feels “cheap” for a burrito these days) at the local Mexican restaurant which is the only place to eat in walking distance from our clinic in East Portland.
Despite not buying “stuff,” I am feeling the anxiety of spending a lot of money on eating out. On vacation, I have let most of my regular habits go (besides walking/running in the morning), including tracking my budget and updating my transactions in YNAB. Much like my recent visit to see my parents, I am once again out of my routine, off my game, and apparently gaining weight. Worse, I am offically in a money fog – and this is not a good place for me. I take some solace knowing we have taken one of our first ever vacations without using a credit card even once. But I need to get back my purpose, which is decreasing the amount of stuff in my life, spending time and on what matters, and building our financial future.
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