i live and work in the country not a big city like Seattle. I'm not moving.
I am moving. As soon as I retire I moving to a smaller town. It will be to a place where I don't have to drive much though.
i live and work in the country not a big city like Seattle. I'm not moving.
People have lived in places like Phoenix and Las Vegas before anyone had AC. You don't need AC.
Now Wagyu Beef and 1st growth Bordeaux wines. I couldn't survive without either. I wouldn't last a week.
But places like Phoenix and Vegas wouldn't exist and didn't exist as they presently do now. The ability to move easily to places out west and the south is directly correlated to the invention and usage of A/C. If that didn't exist or wasn't readily available and in usage then the density of the U.S. would look quite a bit different.People have lived in places like Phoenix and Las Vegas before anyone had AC. You don't need AC.
Now Wagyu Beef and 1st growth Bordeaux wines. I couldn't survive without either. I wouldn't last a week.
My elementary school and junior high had no AC. My high school only had AC in the offices, the library and the cafeteria. We survived.
I am not saying don't pay for AC to save for a Disney trip, but I think we have a skewed view of what is required vs what is a luxury in his country. Cars - not required. Do they make life easier? In most places - yes. But a necessity? No. Once again - car over Disney trip? For me - car. But - most every family owning a car or cars is a recent thing in this country. We had one growing up. My aunt and uncle had 2. Two other sets of aunts and uncles had none. My grandparents never owned one. So - not necessary.
Same-day parking for the Chiefs is $60 per game this year. Pre-purchased parking is $35.Stadium parking at an Eagles game is $40. (um twice WDW rate)
Seats are super expensive. We got tix from DHs boss that were priced at $200 each! For a FEW HOURS!! Not all day!
Food/drink is sloppy and outrageously priced and so are any souvenirs.
A few hours at an NFL game makes my rope drop til closing at any WDW park seem like a DEAL!!!
btw- I recently paid $22 for parking near a Phila museum for 9am-3pm. So we're complaining about $20 for all day? Really?
Stop the Disney hate!
I'm doing a long weekend in DC and it's going to cost me the same if I had stayed at Disney for the same amount of time. My only money saver is that I'm driving to DC. Not every place is cheaper than Disney and Disney isn't the most expensive place either.
Did you see my post about Disney vs Hersheypark? A very little difference in cost. So local amusement parks (that are comparable to Disney) in a driving distance and only really saving me airfare.
I'm surprised you've found that DC is more expensive. Generally flights into DC within the US aren't too pricey and once you're there almost all attractions are free. We were able to visit DC several years ago for about $1,500 with food and without airfare (which is usually about the price to fly to Orlando). Although if you compare one of the top downtown DC hotels vs Pop Century you're right. Agree about Hershey Park though and you don't even get the same feel as Disney. But with Disney there's so much pressure to buy the Photo Pass, to buy the ears, to reserve character dining... food is definitely cheaper every place else we go! You are definitely correct that it's not the most expensive place on earth (Paris, London, Auckland are up there) but sometimes it really feels that way!
D.C. can be done on the cheap if you stay outside the downtown area and take the metro into town. If you are in the downtown area, you are looking at 200 to 300 bucks a night and plus parking if you have a car. Also the big tourist attractions are the monuments and museums and they are free. That's not going to be the case in most other places. You go to the beach in summer you paying 200+ a night for oceanfront rooms.
I'm staying in Alexandria and near a metro. I'll compare that to staying on property due to the convenience factor. My three nights, including parking us $700 for 3 nights. And yes, some museums are free, but others aren't and they add up. And food prices aren't cheap. The metro is also more expensive than it used to be.
ETA: again it's about perceived value.
And I don't find flying into MCO very expensive, but I'm on the east coast, so I don't have a long flight to beGin with.
For me, personally, I see things as far more of spectrum than just need vs. want. I need calories. I might want them in the form of Wagyu beef, but that is on the luxury end of want. Tennis shoes from the second hand store may be functional, but my feet will be a lot healthier if I actually spend a little money on shoes - however, I don't really need $300 shoes - that, again, is a luxury want. A roof over my head is a need, one in good repair without health hazzards, need. One with a bedroom for each of my kids....middle class want. One with granite countertops and cherry cabinets and a media room - luxury. Down time is, I believe, a need. Going somewhere is a middle class want. Taking a three week cruise around the Greek Islands - luxury.
Could we do two big vacations a year? Sure but I refuse to give up my year long luxuries for one week of fun. I like cable, I like getting my hair done every 8-10 weeks, my nails and pedicures done. We don't drive new cars or go to lunch everyday or do Starbucks. I know people like to throw out there that a concert or sporting event can be $300-500 for one night and you could save that for a trip. But I refuse to live all year doing nothing for one week of entertainment.
I like the spectrum description a lot! Things are definitely not divided into absolute needs and absolute luxuries. (Take the A/C example, for instance. - Yes, people lived without it, but no, it's not completely frivolous either.)
Exactly! There are things I'm willing to give up to save for vacation and things I'm not, and those will be different for each person. (For instance, I'm with you on cable, but flipped on a couple of your other examples - I do my own nails but enjoy more meals out.) I think many people could afford Disney if it was really all that mattered to them, but there is definitely a point where you can't afford it without giving up too much.
DC food prices depend a lot on where you eat. If you get off the beaten track, it's pretty cheap. Admittedly though, it's hard to get off the beaten path in DC.
I agree that it's about perceived value and it does make a difference where you live. I like Disney but it can't compete with Smithsonian for me. Beyond that, it's usually much cheaper for me to fly to DC than Orlando.
Between cable and cell phone bills we could easily take an extra vacation each year. I would save a bit over $400 a month. But we like our iPhones (we all have the 6) with a high data plan. And I have a lot of premium cable channels. It's what works for us. I think we do it in moderation. We like our cell plan but we don't buy the latest and greatest phone every time one comes out. We like our cable plan but every two years we flip to the other company that gives us a better deal.