So as some of you know, I am currently in Latvia celebrating my best mate’s birthday. A group of 7 good friends (who I might add haven’t seen each other in a few months) in a cheap Eastern European city, with cheap beer and even cheaper… activities?.
Cost of a Trip to Latvia
In true Mastercard advert fashion:
- Ryanair flight from London Stanstead to Riga – £79
- Fuel to drive to airport – £15
- Car Parking for 4 days – £49
- Share of an 8 person apartment in central Riga for three nights – £35
- A pint of local beer – £1
- Firing 100 rounds of a semi-automatic weapon – £30
- Spending a long weekend with the best friends in the world – PRICELESS
Live for the Experiences
Just a gentle reminder that Life is all about the experiences… sure I could have made a few hundred quid overpayment on my mortgage with the money that I am set to spend; but the experiences and fun that I am going to have with my friends is worth SO MUCH MORE than that to me. If paying off your mortgage early truly makes you happy – then do it. Seriously. Paying off my mortgage early is definitely a priority of ours, but it is not above experiences.
We have all heard expressions that ‘life is short’ or ‘you could be run over by a bus tomorrow’ – well guess what folks… this is so true! Just ask Holly at Club Thrifty – she works in a Mortuary and knows better than anyone that Life can be VERY short for some people.
Just remember the 4 Things They Never Told You About Life.
That’s the best weekend ever. Experiences are so important. I think I sometimes get so wrapped up in trying to save, that I don’t take the time (and money) to enjoy vacations or little getaways, or even a good massage. This is a great reminder that I need to be a little less uptight, because like you said, life is short. Have a great time!
Wow going to the airport is almost as expensive as the flight! I love those friends weekends, my GF and I gather once or twice a year for a weekend of gossip and fun, usually we all go to one friend’s house to cut costs and those are my favorite moments when I go back to France. Can’t put a price on it.
Great breakdown! Thanks for your insight. Looking forward to more along the same lines.
I’ve been thinking more and more about that lately…this idea that I want to save, but I need to start planning for adventures. Now that all my debt is paid off I hopefully can start moving in that direction. Hope you had a fun weekend for the birthday!
Priceless indeed!
I’ve been to Riga (from Edinburgh) and Latvia is an experience. I found the “grey” square with the only colour the yellow “M” for McDonald’s brilliant!
Great point sir! It really is those experience that make life worth living, not to mention what makes life interesting. It can be so easy to get caught up with money or other tasks, but I’ll take a great experience over pretty much anything.
You appear to be missing the part where you go watch the Women’s World Curling Championships?! I would like you to rescind your Scottish citizenship. FYI, Scotland beat Canada on the weekend.
That certainly does sound priceless. As much as I hate credit cards, Mastercard were spot on when they made those adverts!
Sounds like you had a fabulous weekend! And I couldn’t agree more – life is about experiences and the memories you make. Being frugal and living life can co-exist very well together! You just have to figure out what you want – hanging out with BFFs – and save your money so you can do it, guilt-free.
All I have to say is I wish I lived in Europe, the cost of a Ryanair flight is amazing. In Canada it’s so expensive to try and fly anywhere “fun” for a decent amount of money. But then again we are a massive landmass. Enjoy the weekend!