Buying a house: realistic or are we overextending ourselves?

2025-05-17 20:13:26

Great, I think I'm doing something wrong. Also always have to go on vacation during the holiday season

I am strongly connected to the travel industry and therefore know the amounts that are nowadays naturally paid for various trips.
But I myself would never do it that way. Even in the supposedly expensive Norway, I have a cheap and nice vacation. It depends on what you understand by vacation and especially how you define "travel." The originally meant travel is still not really expensive today.
In my environment, annual vacation expenses around 8-10,000 are not uncommon; for that, I installed air conditioning in my house. I really wonder that it has almost become an almost reflex-like obligation to really take one or several expensive hotel trips every year and at the same time also own a house, do skiing anyway, and go to wellness once....
But I also know people who have never lived like that and don’t even like it and experience them as satisfied people; so it is possible otherwise. For example, we order food exactly never and are almost as rarely in restaurants; we like it at home or also at friends’ with good quality for food, drink, seating, and also listening.

Great, I think I'm doing something wrong. Also always have to go on vacation during the holiday season

Why does one "have" to go on vacation, honestly asked?

2025-05-17 20:37:24

Why "must" you go on vacation, honestly asked?

Not necessarily. But in doubt, in old age, only the Black Forest remains (which can also be nice). The world has so much to offer. So make use of the time when you can.

2025-05-17 20:37:42

Why "do" you have to go on vacation, honestly asked?

In the first years, each time in the new house, I also preferred to stay at home: at first, of course, I used the days off for planting, then enjoyed the garden and the new terrace.

In the meantime, we do go on vacation, of course, but with the weather for about 8 years now, you can very well endure it in your garden project. "With age," you also learn not to spend your time at home doing housework, but to relax on the lounger.

2025-05-17 20:50:40

I understand that correctly. What I mean by that is the often-mentioned self-evidence that it somehow has to work. Maybe it won’t work or only financially limited for a few years after the construction. I don’t find that bad, because that also makes one inventive. Today, somewhat older and without children, I travel completely differently and unfortunately I have to do that even during vacations. When I was younger it simply didn’t always work, but I had a fancy house for that. What I mean is the sometimes felt self-evidence to really spend so much money on vacations every year without exception. Some things you maybe never see, and in my opinion, you don’t have to. But if you want to, truly travel to the people and customs there, then it is (must be) done differently than in the catalog. It is a reflection of house building. That’s how it is , but also as a young father, I almost never took expensive hotel vacations with the children. When I travel for work today, I experience almost everything as overcrowded and rip-off (and therefore unpleasant for me), which I see pictured as a dream in catalogs; I know that. I could undertake many more trips, but I don’t (anymore). It’s not just the age or the phase of life, but also a big part the own basic attitude to this topic and sometimes (luckily) only one or the other is possible; I don’t find that bad.

2025-05-17 21:10:06

I understand that correctly. What I mean is just the often mentioned self-evidence that it somehow must work. Maybe after the construction it simply doesn’t work for a few years or only financially limited. I don’t find that bad, because that also makes you inventive. Today, a little older and without children, I travel completely differently and unfortunately also have to do that on vacation. When I was younger it simply didn’t always work, but then I had a fancy house. What I mean is the sometimes felt self-evidence to really spend so much money on vacations every year without exception. Some things you maybe never see, and in my opinion you don’t have to. But if you want to, to really experience travel also with the people and customs there, then it has to (must) be done differently than in the catalog. It is a reflection of house building. That’s how it is , but even as a young father I hardly ever made expensive hotel vacations with the children. When I travel for work today, I experience almost everything as overcrowded and rip-off (and therefore unpleasant for me), which I see pictured as a dream in catalogs; I know that. I could take many more trips, but I don’t want to (anymore). It’s not just age or the life phase, but also a big part the own basic attitude to this topic and sometimes, luckily, only one or the other is possible; I don’t find that bad.

I think it is predominantly the basic attitude to this issue, then certainly also the life phase (with children not everything is possible, and during working life the number of vacation days is limited). But it is not age (if you’re reasonably fit) that influences the way vacations are arranged. Traveling is extremely important to us, for that we give up other things. But we always travel individually and explore the world. By now about 3 months a year, mostly in autumn and the long dull winter. There are still plenty of destinations that are not overcrowded. We find vacationing on a lounger boring after 3 days.

2025-05-17 21:43:33

For vacation, I spend about 5000, max 6000€, half of that just for one week of winter vacation for the three of us (my two daughters and me). That is important to us and I also want to do that with the two of them as long as they want to travel with me. Otherwise, for example, last year in autumn we were in Croatia, holiday apartment, by car: around 1100€. The year before about 1500 for Corsica, we still needed the ferry from Livorno then. In summer there is only something "small": holiday apartment in Germany where you can hike. In addition, class trips, occasional holiday camps, etc. Shopping is about 300...400€ per month, although the girls are only with me half of the time. Lunch at work about 100€ (buying something every day is too expensive for me now, I bring something from home 2-3 times a week). The father pays for school meals. Restaurants are rare, possibly sometimes takeout/snack. Only on vacation, but not daily there either.

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Buying a house: realistic or are we overextending ourselves?

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