Travel

Back From Family Vacation

Family Vacation

Family Vacation

I’ve been away so long that I feel the need to say ‘Hello everyone!’  It really hasn’t been that long, only two weeks, but it really feels like a long time.

For those of you who don’t know, I just returned from a family vacation to Italy. This was the first vacation I’ve taken with my entire family in over 15 years and it was pretty awesome.

My brother, my sister, and I – along with our significant others – decided to take my mom to Italy.  My mom has always wanted to go to Europe, but never had the opportunity to go.  So when I saw a Groupon for a trip to Italy, I knew this could be her opportunity.

I mentioned the deal to my brother and sister to see if they wanted to join Kate and I on this trip, and also to see if they wanted to split the cost of our mom’s ticket.  Everybody said that they would go, but my sister said she couldn’t really contribute for my mom’s trip because she’s planning a wedding and she’s already over-budget… Yet another reason why I don’t understand big weddings, but that’s a different discussion.

The Friday Five – City of Brotherly Love

city of brotherly love

Philadelphia, PA

Sep 19th – Sep 25th

Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five. This is where I share what I consider the week’s top-five money related articles from around the web.  There are a lot of great personal finance websites publishing amazing content daily and I feel that I must share them with you.  I hope you enjoy my five favorite articles of the week.

If you haven’t, please read this week’s posts on Frugal Dates: NYC High Line and on The Surprise Cost of A Visit to The Doctor.  Please don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Google+, and like Million Dollar Ninja on Facebook.

In no particular order here are The Friday Five

9 Signs You Need A Vacation

need a vacation

Just Go!

As a person who is trying to be debt free and reach financial independence someday, I’m always looking for ways to cut expenses and save money.  I’m okay with sacrificing cable and switching my cell phone to a virtually unknown company.  I’m also okay with telling coworkers, “sorry, I can’t go out to lunch today.”  I’m okay doing a lot of things differently to save money, but the one thing that I cannot do is NOT go on vacation.

I understand vacations could get expensive and if you are deeply into debt, I highly recommend you put vacations on hold for a little bit.  However, if you are making headway into paying off your debt and haven’t taken a break in a while, maybe it is time to take a vacation.

If you are not sure whether you should take a break or not, here are some signs that you need a break.

Our Trip to Boston

State House - Boston

Massachusetts State House

Kate and I have been working pretty hard at work lately – okay maybe Kate has been working hard – so we decided to take a much needed mini vacation.  Our destination:  Boston, MA.

Boston is renowned for its champion sports teams, world-class educational institutions and for its involvement in the American Revolution. It is also one of the oldest cities in the United States and it was the scene of major events of the American Revolution – Boston Tea Party, Battle of Bunker Hill, and Boston Massacre.  Lonely Planet listed Boston as a Top 10 US Travel Destination because of its rich history.

Boston also has one of the highest cost of living in the United States, which means everything is expensive.

We wanted to enjoy a three-day weekend in Boston without having to spend a crazy amount of money – I guess we wanted to Visit Boston on A Budget.  And I would say that we were quite successful at accomplishing this feat.