quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
I'm not going.

So, what about her friend don't you like?

Put aside $ per month, make sure the car is road worthy, find a decent hotel, and enjoy a few days with the wife and kids. You'll live.

Just be sure to change your attitude as soon as possible. Bitching and moaning about it for 9 months will not help.

You really need to find a way to make this happen. The rewards will outweigh the cost in your future relationship with your wife. I of coarse have no idea of your financial situation or budget but there are ways to work it out in that time frame.
One thing you can do is get one of the many zero interest credit cards that are being offered. Some are good for 2020 with no interest. That would stretch out the cost even further. It may not seem like it now, but that really is a small amount to keep your wife and daughter from going and making a long term memory.

Jim

Politely, suck it up and do it. Marriage is the most important thing. We have a family wedding next year in the UK.

That means we have to fly us and 5 kids to the UK and stay in some high-end hotel. That is pretty much our budget for fun next year. I do NOT want to go.

The in-laws are great, no issue with that, just so tired of going there. I want to go out west to Wyoming to see my extended family, and this was going to be the year to do it.

of course as the years go by it means less people to fly as the older ones are out doing their own thing. Wyoming is going to be cheaper.

Edmond, if you take the position that your wife and daughter cannot afford to attend a wedding several months from now, you will pay a price the next time you want to spend some money on something she is not particularly enthusiastic about. Weddings are a BIG deal to women. My wife recently attended a wedding half way across the country. I was invited, but didn't care to go. My wife knows our finances, and the trip cost whatever it cost. I didn't bug her about it, I'm happy she went and enjoyed herself. By the same token, she has never bugged me about what I spend on things I enjoy. Life is good...ymmv

"
So, what about her friend don't you like?

Put aside $ per month, make sure the car is road worthy, find a decent hotel, and enjoy a few days with the wife and kids. You'll live.

Just be sure to change your attitude as soon as possible. Bitching and moaning about it for 9 months will not help"

Ditto this post

happy wife, happy life is man card inert, make mamma happy, you will be a hero. It's in the husband job description

Are you not in a position where you cant stash away $100 a month till the wedding?

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:

quote:

Originally posted by Sr_Bull:
Road trip.

Definitely not worth the cost of flying for an easy car trip. Plus, the airport in NOLA is not terribly close to downtown (it's further west of the city). Additionally, by driving, your wife will be able to load up the car with the overpacking of "stuff" generally associated with weddings, and avoid trying to pack it all into luggage for an airline.

Flying is generally the equivalent of going to Wal-Mart; avoid it if at all possible.

I agree with this. If you drive it would basically cost you nothing to go over their costs and you might enjoy it.

All you have to pay for is a little gas, maybe $100, hotel and some food. I think you could get by for less than $500 if you want to.

Absolutely. No excuse not to drive if cost is the major concern.


I might view it differently it were somewhere a lot further away or somewhere not drivable, but central FL to NOLA is a day's drive away.

I had a close neighbor in Pennsylvania whose daughter wanted to get married in Hawaii and have an elaborate party afterward. Her Dad, of course would be funding the whole affair: plane trip, lodging, food and other expenses both way.

He reportedly told her in words to the effect: Are you out of your fu**ing mind?

She got married in a small church in Reading and the last I heard is she's still happily married.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
next summer that's in NOLA.

Looking at the cost now, flights for both of them would be around $400 round trip. I can assume a hotel would be around $120/night for 3 nights. That's $360 there. Without factoring food or a rental car, that's $760 there. Plus the cost of renting a dress this would go well over $1,000.

$1,000 to do a favor for someone?

I'll leave it to you and the others for the pros & cons of allowing he r to go. But I will point out that there's a gap (missing item) in your budget figures.

For three nights in NOLA I'd budget at least one box of HST ammo. Assuming she'll be carrying a 9mm, that'll add about $30 to the cost of the trip. (Any unused ammo can be sold later to defray unexpected expenses she might incur.)

First off, I'm not married. This is purely based on what I've seen observing my married friends lives. If you want to live peaceably, figure out a way to cover the expense. Including digging ditches @ minimum wage if that's what it takes.
Second, the advice to drive and make it a family trip seems well founded. Never been to NOLA, but I find it hard to imagine there is nothing there of interest to you (ex-Army, O3 correct?) or your family. If you have vacation time, that would alleviate some financial burden for the down time. If not, that may be a valid point of contention for YOU not to go. Shouldn't impact her either way.

I agree with the OP. No way in hell would I travel that far for a wedding.

Add another grand to your budget. Make the savings work.

Drive, don't fly.

Tell her the quid pro quo of her going is that you won't let her in that shithole unless you are there providing security for her and your daughter.

Make sure your CC is up to date with reciprocity through and to NOLA.

Buy the CC gun you've always wanted.

Driving the gun and the dress will be much safer.

She leaves with the memories of the girls' event.

You get a great gun forever after. You also don't have to regret that something happened and you weren't there.

I understand if you don't want to go, but let your wife and kid go and have fun. The occasion is a year away, so put aside some money each month, like others have said. It's not like this wedding is next week, or a month away.