Life Balance, Maintaining Relationships and My Finances

I admit, it is a budget stretch when I do certain things like take an occasional trip out-of-town, or travel to my hometown on a regular basis to attend to family commitments and keep up with my friends that still live there. But though I’m not perfect, I do save money monthly, I do save for retirement, and though I have a fairly large amount of debt (largely student loans and some credit card debt), I have very good credit.

So I will be taking a few weekend trips between now and December. If a friend asks me to go to dinner or a happy hour while the weather is warm, if I’m free, I will go. I will be attending at least one family reunion this summer. I will be visiting my father in Florida in the near future (maybe in May?). I’ve learned that it sometimes costs money to maintain relationships with people. I don’t want to look back on my twenties and say, “I saved a bunch of money and got out of debt, but I didn’t make time/spend some money to maintain relationships with my family and friends.” I don’t want to miss family reunions, baby showers, weddings, cookouts, traveling with my aging grandparents and traveling with friends while I’m young. I'll do what I believe I can afford without incurring more debt. I will get my finances in shape, but I will do in on my own terms in a way that suits my life.