[Avalon]

Well, a(nother) dear friend of mine from back home is getting married. And he wants me to be his best man :nice1 (I dont have many normal friends.)

So, by the time we get to Autumn 2008 - ive got to find enough money to buy 2 return flights back to the UK again. Only ive used up a lot of the spare UK money I had to fund the trip to the last UK wedding! (Why cant they all just compare diaries and all get married at the same time :wah ). I tell ya - if I get back from this one and another freind says "im getting married next year" - im gonna start bashing heads together.

Problem is - ive just about balanced my budget - so theres really no spare money (Im having visions of my coffee allowance going down the toilet rapidly here). And to top things off - ive been set a challenge to add $100 a month to my savings anyway - every 3 months for the next year. Looks like I need to stop eating :)

Ho Hum - just as you think you have life figured - along comes something to ley you know that you really havent got a clue!

I think im off for one last coffee.

Hxxx

[jubjub]

Av, you may just have to divert that $100 to a plane ticket fund...

You are going to need around $5k for airfares, plus whatever spending money you will need.

I estiimate that you have got 18 months, and for the plane fare alone, its going to be $280 per month you need to find. Not even you can make that up from just skipping coffee....

I reckon all our UK friends should just hold big group weddings every 5 years or so, so we can actually afford to go!

Good luck! My philosophy would be credit card, but thats how we got ourselves in a mess last time....

[Carol]

Couldnt they just come over here to get married?
;-)

[Trigirl]

well not a cat in hells chance am i going to advise you on budgeting!!! but good luck with it - sounds like you might need some of that coffee allowance at least!

its going to be $280 per month you need to find. Not even you can make that up from just skipping coffee....

oh i don't know - i've heard tall (even grande) tales about avalon's coffee habits....

[Avalon]

oh i don't know - i've heard tall (even grande) tales about avalon's coffee habits....
:clap Good one!

Hxxx

[Avalon]

Good luck! My philosophy would be credit card, but thats how we got ourselves in a mess last time....
Yeah - been there - done that - and then couldnt afford the flippin t-shirt! Not going back there again.

I can feel a weekend of coffee (homemade :p ), Tim Tam subsitutes, reams of paper and coloured pens coming soon. Oh - and stress balls. Great for thowing at the wall and catching them when we run out of silly budgeting ideas.

$280 !!!! Jeeze - I hadnt got that far yet. Now I need a big bar of chocolate.

Maybe I really should look at the risk / benefit ratio of robbing a bank :D

[Smiler]

Maybe I really should look at the risk / benefit ratio of robbing a bank :D

I'll share a pair of tights with you :D does that split the risk 50-50?

No really, like Carol said invite them here to get married and offer them free treatments as a wedding pressie. ;)

Any airmiles you can use up to fund flights? Even with Eva air will the cost be impossible?

*wonders about the irony of Av's allowance budget going down the toilet*

[Avalon]

I'll share a pair of tights with you :D does that split the risk 50-50?

No really, like Carol said invite them here to get married and offer them free treatments as a wedding pressie. ;)

Any airmiles you can use up to fund flights? Even with Eva air will the cost be impossible?

*wonders about the irony of Av's allowance budget going down the toilet*
Used up all the points on getting the last lot of flights to be slightly less hideoulsy expensive :D

I wonder if they WOULD consider NZ as a decent place to get hitched. I could slap up a marquee in the garden (not from The Great Marquee Company though). And if they made it the summer - they could have a pool party / barbie reception. Hmmm - you know Carol - I may just suggest that!

[diforsyth]

You could be blunt & tell them how expensive it is. Don't quote $'s, tell them it's x% of your annual take home pay or y weeks/months pay. Only this way will they realise the magnitude of what they are asking of you.

David.

[Avalon]

David,

He knows. But this is one of my dearest friends.

Sorry if I gave the impression that Im actually miffed that Im expected to fly all the way back home for this. Im really not. This is actually supposed to be a lighthearted thread (given that I seem to be the boards "Finance whizz" and yet have no idea how im going to get the money together to do this).

There is pretty much no way im missing his wedding. He is someone I love dearly, and the fact that there is a woman who makes him that happy - thats enough to get me on a plane.

I knew this was a risk when I decided to move over here. I have 4 unmarried friends that I knew I would get back for if they got married. Infact - we joked about it at our leaving party. I would hate them to assume That I cant make it back and not invite me because of that. The last friend who did this, when I told them how much it would cost (just to tell them we were going to delay booking to see if we could get it cheaper) - actually asked us not to go. But we cant do that. And when I walked into the hotel the day of the wedding - the look on his face that I had actually made it - was worth any amount of coffee I may have to give up.

I dont have a huge circle of friends. The ones I have got are worth everything to me. I WILL be on that plane, and I will be his best man (as long as I dont have to wear a morning suit and top hat - im drawing the line at that!)

:)

[Smiler]

Nicely said. :nice1


Like Trigirl, I'm wondering about offering Av advice, but here goes......... :p

Hey would it mess with your budget if you put all your treatment money towards the trip? I can 'do' extra stoning's if it helps?

Just racking ma brains girl to see what we can come up with, apart from sending you busking. :raebanana

[Avalon]

Nicely said. :nice1


Like Trigirl, I'm wondering about offering Av advice, but here goes......... :p

Hey would it mess with your budget if you put all your treatment money towards the trip? I can 'do' extra stoning's if it helps?

Just racking ma brains girl to see what we can come up with, apart from sending you busking. :raebanana
Hey - great minds think alike! I had just thought about myself. That was going to go towards extra mortgage payments, but I think for the time being - its got to be diverted.

One of the problems with uber-budgeting - youve already cut back on most things!

Busking - not a good idea!

Extra stonings - LOL :D