DC on a Batchelders budget

Unique in my trips with the Batchelders this time was a budget. Well at the least this was the first time I remember a budget looming over the trip. Balancing a family with 2 young kids, a full-time job, and attending school is not an easy task and it doesn't allow much flexibility in the pocketbook. Yet they do it very well as far as I'm concerned.



Under the watchful eye of Lincoln

And how often does anyone go on a trip without having a loose budget in mind? Well I guess if you're rich enough you don't have to. You just hire someone else to manage that aspect. But I usually impose a soft budget of my own when I travel. A soft budget being one where I know all the major expenditures are accounted for. But leaving room for occasional splurges. Concentrating too much on money can take a certain amount of spontaneity and fun out of a trip. On the other end, if you are not conscious of money flow you can pay for it when the trip is long done. It can be quite a balancing act.



Having said that. I don't really like it when Adam & his family have one, at least when I'm around. I'm not comfortable seeing them sacrifice certain aspects of their trips due to insufficient funds, especially when I have the means to alleviate it. Granted at the same time, I have to be conscious not to overstep my boundaries and not to insult their budget & situation. Money can have a negative effect on people and I've had the misfortune to deal with it among a few friends. And so I'm keen on not allowing any destructive impulses related with money to pollute my close friendship with the Batchelders.