Debt Now or Memories Now? Rethinking Money as a Parent

How do you strike the balance?

On one side, you want to spend time with your children now and make the most of every experience before they're too old for some of them. That might mean getting into debt now and paying it off later.

On the other side, there's responsibility for money management and making sure you'll be okay in the future. I can already imagine future me saying, "Oh gosh, now I'm in debt for the next five or ten years because I enjoyed myself too much."

Would I Regret It?

The more I think about it, the more I believe I wouldn't regret it.

I can't get those five or ten years back. If I saved until my son was fifteen and spent the money then, we wouldn't have the same experiences we'd have when he's five. Take Legoland: it's made for younger children, not teenagers.