<p>Okay, I know this may have been discussed before, maybe many times. But I thought i’d ask anew?</p>
<p>H and I finished paying for tuitions last year. We are not empty nesters, (a college grad living home but paying rent) but not paying the tuitions we had been paying for 8 years, 4 paying two and 1 three at a time. I tried to count the amount paid 1 or 2 times out of curiosity. It was an approximate amount for various reasons, financial aid or scholarship adjustments, etc, that I missed, etc. but the number was easily and well into the six figures.</p>
<p>So now H and I are not paying this every semester. We just bought a new car (needed) for cash. We always said we were buying a new car every year, or every semester for the 4 years, and driving it off a cliff.</p>
<p>So my question is, since we have cash not being paid to tuition and we have a fairly good amount saved for retirement and are saving more into these accounts recently, what do we do for fun!!</p>
<p>IN other words, do you have suggestions for short term (5-7 day) vacation ( we are still working) or 3-4 day weekend fun. We live in upstate NY. D1 lives in Manhatten and we have use of her apartment, which we have taken advantage of. So other suggestions would be welcome.</p>
<p>We are going for a family vacation at a beach house we rented in August in Cape Cod. Suggestions for this would also be welcome. Best restaurants, beaches, things to see. We are staying in Chatham.</p>
<p>I know I can google and I do belong to jetsetter, etc. but I would like your input because I have learned and used many things I have learned on CC.</p>
<p>One thing you may also want to consider is buying Long Term Care insurance, to protect your assets. We just came back from nice visits to DC, Chicago and Philadelphia/Gettysburg. It was great! Also love Eastern Canada, Niagra Falls, and national parks. You’ll have a blast!</p>
<p>AmTrak train rides are fun–we caught a train NYC to Buffalo on our honeymoon. Cruises are also a lot of fun. Enjoy! Maybe set aside a bit for future weddings and maybe to contribute to grand kids’ educations? </p>
<p>We paid A LOT for our kids’ degrees at pricey private U and are loving traveling. We were looking for a new car too but opting to settle for 2nd hand car and more travel instead. (We hardly drive anyway, so figure our cars will last quite a while.)</p>
<p>Also consider prepaying some of your mortgage, so it can be paid off when you retire.</p>
<p>I love to travel and trying new restaurants.</p>
<p>Morrismm - I am sure your D has a lovely apartment, but why not stay at some great hotels in NYC? We have been back in NYC for a year, but we are still sampling a lot of restaurants in the city. I know someone who just went to Europe for a month with her H and met up with their kids here and there. I was very jealous looking at her pictures on FB. There are some great places to go to in Asia - Kyoto, HKG, Phuket, Singapore, Shanghai…What about Australia and New Zealand? </p>
<p>Since you have some disposal income, try out some Four Seasons resorts. There is no going back once you are hooked. I know there are some people only go where there is Four Seasons resort.</p>
<p>“We are going for a family vacation at a beach house we rented in August in Cape Cod. Suggestions for this would also be welcome. Best restaurants, beaches, things to see. We are staying in Chatham.”</p>
<p>Chatham is lovely. A great choice for a quintessential Cape Cod vacation.</p>
<p>A few restaurant suggestions in Chatham: Del Mar , The Squire, Chatham Pier Fish Market (great lobster rolls), Impudent Oyster, Marion’s Pie Shop (take out - a local institution - great pies both sweet & savory - great baked goods too), The Chatham Bars Inn (I like having lunch on the Veranda)</p>
<p>Things to Do:</p>
<p>Cape Cod Baseball League: If you or anyone in your group are into baseball this is a premier amateur summer league. Elite college players from around the country come to play all summer on Cape Cod. The season runs until around August 10th. </p>
<p>Cape Cod Rail Trail: Rent (or bring bikes) and explore the Rail Trail - it is miles of paved bike paths.</p>
<p>Seal Tour: See the seals off the coast of Chatham. We like the Monomoy Island Ferry - The Rip Rider. It is about a 90 minute boat ride.</p>
<p>Day Trip to National Seashore: If you have never been before it is worth a visit. They have an interesting visitor center and some beautiful beaches.</p>
<p>Day Trip to Provincetown: Along Commercial Street there are many interesting local shops & restaurants (I enjoy the seafood crepes at The Lobster Pot). Provincetown is great for people watching. Art’s Dunes Tours are fun. Race Point beach is beautiful. Along the way to Provincetown I like to stop in Wellfleet at PB Boulangerie - they have some amazing croissants.</p>
<p>Hyannis Sound: This is an all male A Cappella group made up of college age guys. They perform weekly shows at various places across Cape Cod. Chatham is one of their locations. They have quite a following. Their shows run until the end of August (around the 23rd).</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I’m going to print your suggestions sportsmom since that vacation is happening in a few weeks.</p>
<p>Oldfort- I have never been to any part of Asia. This is definitely on my bucket list.</p>
<p>We enjoy cruises. Even day or short trips on boats are fun. We just went on an Erie Canal boat trip for Father’s Day. H said he really enjoyed it.</p>
<p>If you enjoy cruising and haven’t yet done a cruise to Alaska, I recommend that. Being out on the water is the only way to see Glacier Bay and it is a sight worth seeing for sure. We went last June on Princess as lucky for me DH had a business trip to Vancouver. We loved Vancouver, went early to tour for a few days and then the seven day cruise from Vancouver, flying home from Anchorage. We met many people who were doing back to back cruises as well as others who were adding on trips to Denali National Park or touring on their own in Alaska as well as many combinations on all of the above. The cruise season runs from late May through September.</p>
<p>Well, H is retiring so we can pay more attention to the house and maybe do some traveling. May be helping the folks figure out to do with their swimming pool as well. I may be retiring sooner than later as well, we shall see.</p>
<p>For trips I am with BookMama on the idea of an Alaskan cruise. We did a 7 day on Princess a few years ago and I would go back in a heart beat. The scenery is stunning.If (or when) I get the chance to do this again I would go all out and spend the time doing the land tour portion as well as the cruise. </p>
<p>For other things to do: Do you have a favorite place that you like to visit? My place is New Orleans so I would LOVE to rent a place in New Orleans for a year and have that be my weekend get away and vacation spot. I would spend the holidays there, have friends & family come to visit. I would enjoy living like a local!</p>
<p>Some nice places for a long weekend trip: Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA ( together or separate).</p>
<p>On the practical side I would work on things that will make my life in the long term more worry & hassle free. Big ticket house projects (whatever they may be) such as a new roof or upgrade to the electrical system or new heating/ac - things that are not fun to do but can make you feel better when they are done.</p>
<p>When S2 was a rising college sr, we totally updated our house (new in 1988) and then sold it. Two years earlier we had built a small retirement home in the coastal region of our state (5 hours fr. current home) S2 graduated last year.</p>
<p>We are currently living in a rental (no responsibilities…awesome). DH plans to retire next May. We paid off the retirement house w/ the proceeds fr. sale of suburb house. In order for DH to retire, we had to be mortgage free. </p>
<p>We really enjoy attending live music performances (indoor and outdoor). I’m always searching for nearby shows/festivals. My Mother’s day gift was two tickets to see Old Crow Medicine Show!
We love to hike and bike. We’re always looking for state parks/trails that are new to us and within easy driving distance.
We bought kayaks (our retirement house is on a river). Don’t have to be a great athlete and once you buy the kayak, it’s free. It’s something we can continue to enjoy as we age. Also enjoy putting around on our little boat. Am trying to talk DH into buying stand up paddle boards. Oh, we crab and fish too.</p>
<p>We like roadtrips too…vacation places we’ve never been to before but are within driving distance and relatively economical. We had a great adventure last summer in VA, WVa,PA and the eastern shore of MD. We hiked on the Appalachian Trail, went Zip Lining, biked on a famous canal trail, toured Monticello and Gettysburg and spent a couple of days on beautiful Assateague Island where the wild ponies meander up and down the beach. We also vowed to eat no “chain” food while traveling so had some great food in out of the way places.
Once DH retires and we have no time constraints, we hope to venture further afield.</p>
<p>We installed a photovoltaic system last year. It brought our electric bill to $17/month, which makes us very happy! You could buy a timeshare or just have funds in a travel and splurge account where you can lend without guilt. </p>
<p>It is very freeing to have mortgage paid off, especially before retirement. Love it!</p>
<p>For me personally, nothing is more comforting than having $ socked away, so I’d use most of the “extra” money to build wealth. But I’d also use some to upgrade my lifestyle a bit. For me, that would mean things like reupholstering furniture or buying some really comfy bedding that was outside of my budget before. Oh, and hiring someone to upgrade my landscaping/garden.</p>
<p>I’ve taken some classes - it’s such a luxury to not worry about grading, and learn for the sake of learning. Take a look at your local community college (or similar) to see what’s being offered and try something new. A side-bonus was meeting some really interesting young people (mostly just barely younger than my own kids).</p>
<p>If you don’t have something specific in mind right now, just put the money aside to be used when the right thing comes along. It’s a guarantee that something WILL come along and you’ll be glad to have a “fun fund” available.</p>
<p>Agree that it is a VERY comforting feeling having a FUN FUND stashed away and growing that you can have access to, to help a dream come true. I’m confident your dreams will materialize and the money will allow you to do something special that you might not ordinarily think of but will be happy you CAN do it. It’s amazing how fast it can grow, especially when you’re stashing money there instead of turning it over to Us. :)</p>
<p>We are happy and plan to travel and fix our house while our health is pretty good, so that we can enjoy both. We also hope to travel with my folks in the near future, taking a trip that appeals to all of us.</p>
<p>How about a long weekend in Quebec, Chicago, or D.C.? A cruise to Canada from NY is nice. Take an Iceland Air 4 day tour to Iceland. A short Bermuda trip is also doable from NY.</p>
<p>3 week trip to Africa to see DD who was a Peace Corps volunteer at the time. First went to Capetown, then to Rwanda, then to Brussels on the way home. Well worth every penny!</p>
<p>Got new granite counters, quartzite sink, and new Hansgroh faucet.</p>
<p>Went to Florida for five days in the winter.</p>
<p>Got new fridge, range and dishwasher.</p>
<p>Went on a cruise.</p>
<p>Got new car.</p>
<p>Plans in place for trip to Sun Valley Idaho this summer via Salt Lake.</p>
<p>We also have taken three trips to see DS where he lives.</p>
<p>Next up…plan to visit Australia and New Zealand.</p>
<p>thumper, DH and I visited New Zealand in 2006, when S1 was doing a semester abroad. Loved it. Great country, great people, and tons of sheep. (Ten times as many sheep as people.) You’ll have a ball. For us, that was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I’m too cheap to spend the extra $; pretty well-entrenched in my personality. As the retirement balances creep up I keep thinking our goal should also. Just how much should one have before the traveling and remodeling begin?</p>
<p>Thumper
-Got the granite for the kitchen. Now want it for the bathrooms.
-Got a new fridge, range and dishwasher in the last year.
-Bought and paid for a new car a month ago.
-Have gone to Florida for several days in the winter for the last several years. Discovered we like Key West.</p>
<p>So I guess it’s time for a trip to Africa, Australia or New Zealand!! I’d also love to do the Alaska trip. I found a good one and tried to talk my H into it this summer. But things have been crazy the last few months concerning his job. Another new glitch occurred and we will know more this week. But I told him I’d really like to do Alaska next summer.</p>
<p>Bluejay-one can probably never have enough for retirement. But I have known several people who died or got ill right before or soon after retirement. So I figure, save for retirement but also enjoy life now while I’m relatively healthy and alive. But my H thinks more like you. So I have to talk him into the trips, remodels and purchases.</p>