Singapore?

Well, again I've been avoiding my blog because I have some financial issues that I don't want to deal with right now.

- I need to get my car repaired
- I need some furniture
- My family wants me to go to Singapore

Ah! The car repair isn't a "must have," but it's a "should get." My window on the drivers side doesn't work. It's stuck in the UP position (which is better than the DOWN position that it was in for a few days). That's going to cost me $185, and really, I'm out of funds for the month, so that goes on the credit card. Next month then becomes another catch-up month, because that means I have about $565 I need to pay down on the credit card (that includes a previous car repair for $200, school fees of $180, and this repair).

I was looking on Craigslist for some more living room furniture, as my place is bare-as-can-be, and I found two nice antique chairs for $120, newly refinished and reupholstered. It's one of the give-away deals, where someone with too much money is re-doing their place and wants to offload some furniture. BUT, I'm already behind for the damn month, and I can't really afford them, even at the price they're at. So I ask myself, should I take advantage of a deal on a purchase that I will eventually have to make? I'm getting sick of guests sitting on folding chairs.

SINGAPORE! Damn it. Well, I have a rather wealthy aunt and cousin (read, they own a vineyard, 200 acres of seafront property just outside of Sydney, and a string of wine bars in Singapore, among other things), and they want me and my sister to come visit early next year, sometime around February. This has all sorts of back story attached to it. My sister, a resident surgeon at a highly regarded research institute, doesn't make that much money (as a resident, she has about the same salary as I do) but she will be making a high six-figure salary in a few years. However, she and I got our mother's financial skills, and while we're both making an effort, we're in a "rebuilding" phase. She had about twenty thousand in high-interest credit card debt, however someone just paid that off by giving her a 5% loan, so she's in much better shape than she was. She only has to pay the interest until she finishes her residency. Her monthly payments went from $1,000 to $100.

My sister wants to go. I sighed and looked over the books, and because her credit is trashed for the time being, I came up with a "maybe" solution. I applied for and got a 0% Discover card, with the rate lasting for 12 months. The tickets cost about $1,200-$1,500. I told my sister we can think about it, if she agrees to a payment plan of $100 a month until that ticket is paid off. When we get to Singapore, we'll be staying with family, and they'll pay for dinners, etc. I would expect about $500-$1000 in additional expenses, although that's a shot in the dark.

So. I'm trying to figure this out. I'll be honest--I really want to go to Singapore. I went to Spain and Portugal a few years ago, but that's all I've done for international travel. I've spent a lot of my life saying that I want to go explore the world, and I'm turning 30 and haven't followed through. Life isn't just about finances, but I said a few months ago if I get this debt paid off, I will have the opportunity to really enjoy life. This is a great opportunity, it's just a few months before I wanted it. BUT. That said, I spent the morning going over the books, and I can still have all the credit card paid off, as well as the (ever-postponed) car by March, if I do this. That's including a $120/month payment to a "travel" fund, and $50/month payment to a new "car" fund, which I'm setting up in two weeks.

I have to keep thinking about this.