The weather in Vancouver last week was stellar to say the least but this week I hear there’s snow on the Coquihalla! We took the snow tires off weeks ago. I am working under the premise that summer weather is on the way and here to stay. On that note, it’s time to take a look at the calendar and make some plans. We do this for a few reasons:

• We are planners
• Coordinating with others over the summer months can be tricky
• Time off work = limited flexibility = booking ahead
• The little matter of budget

We have a ‘vacation fund’ but to be honest, regular deposits may be ‘deferred’ if we’ve overspent on other things through the year. Invariably, what’s in the fund plus what will make its way into the fund between now and the holidays will be the budget. And then, there’s matching the ‘budget’ to the plans. Rather than curbing our plans, we typically curb our spending in other areas to be able to take the summer holidays that we want which we are able to do if check our plans against our budget ahead of time…..like now!

Next post will be on some ideas to still have fun while being mindful of your budget.