OH yeahhhh! Going to a bachelor party this weekend in Charleston, South Carolina! Nothing like a few days away w/ the boys to celebrate some awesome falling in love and manly relationships :) I haven’t been back there either since being a kid on family vacations, and something tells me this will be quite different than those, haha… but probably not in the same way you’re thinking right now ;)
First off, I don’t do strip clubs. Which I know I’m gonna get $hit for, but the idea of paying tons of money to get teased all night long is just no fun at all to me – why not go get the *real* thing for free? (*ahem* If I were single, of course). Plus, the fact that it’s Easter this weekend means I REALLY need to be on my best behavior as it’s probably not the best time for participating in any of these things anyways. Though on the positive side, I haven’t eaten junk food in over 6 weeks! Which means my Lenten goals have been met so far – woohoo!
But just cuz I won’t be throwing dollar bills out and making it rain, doesn’t mean I won’t be splurging money elsewhere. Here’s a list of the top four things I’ll be paying for this weekend that seems to keep going UP as we get older and continue these friendly traditions:
- Alcohol. While I def. can’t party it up like the true rock star I used to be, I most certainly will be engaging in some fine beer drinking… And probably the good stuff too considering we’re all past our Beast days, haha…
- Food. Now that we’re all in our early 30s, this area has also been upgraded on these bro trips of ours :) Half the gang no longer eats at Micky Dees or Taco Hell, so now we tend to do more nicer sit-downs since it’s morphed into more of a “bonding time” than a “scarfing down” thing. Which is a lot easier to swallow now that we all have more savings under our belts and can act like adults. – but I can tell you it was a group divider back in the day when decisions like these were made ;) You can’t dip out on strip clubs AND dinners, so you’d have to choose your wallet’s poison.
- Hotels. This is probably the one area where we still act like college kids again, haha… we have no shame in filling up the room with a half-dozen guys or so to save money (and we’ve gotten more sneakier about it too ;).) Which is great cuz all the other areas have been sucking more of our money out as time goes on! The only thing that sucks with this, of course, is that not only do we all need to share 1 bathroom (and I always get labled the “girl” cuz of my mohawk), but then most of us also need to sleep on the floor in this case too… not a fun thing. Though in recent past it’s been a unsaid rule that the ones who make it home the latest, have to suck it up and crash on the ground. And usually those are the most drunkest too, and they could care less by that point ;)
- Airfare. This is really the only category that hasn’t changed much over time, except that I now have more flexibility on when I can leave (which sometimes equates to more money saved) now that I work for myself. But in the grand scheme of things it seems airfare keeps getting more expensive so it’s not really helping out *as much* as it could. But really it’s out of your control anyways, unless you want to tack on more days to drive there and back too (when it’s possible).
So I’ll def. be spending a lot more money this weekend than I normally would, but in the end it’s ALWAYS 100% worth it because it’s life experiences that we’re using our money for here. Even without the debauchery and crazy antics, you never want to be the one left out and hearing all the stories for years and years to come ;) I’ve done that once – 5 years ago – and to THIS DAY I still wish I would have gone on that adventure!
But you can bet your sweet ass I haven’t missed a boys weekend since – which has taken us all over the world from New Orleans to Prague. Something that money really can’t buy when it comes to spending time with your friends and family. It’s the only department I truly have an open budget for because I would MUCH rather go on all these trips and have to cut back somewhere else than the opposite… even if it made me miss a savings goal at some point (*gasp!*)
What do you guys think about traveling and/or bachelor parties? Anyone have any crazy stories they’d like to share with us? ;) Or how about the difference between your travels now vs. 10 years ago when your lives (and wallets) were much different? How have your priorities changed over time?
I’m off to start packing up and getting ready for this crazy, but hopefully non-trouble making, weekend, but I’ll be hopping on and off here to check in when I have no beer in my hand ;) Or better yet, maybe when I DO?! Have a fun and blessed weekend everyone, we’ll talk soon…
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PS: Another perk of this bachelor party? Charleston is on the wife and I’s list to check out for possible moves on day – so I’ll be doing some recon work on the side too during our down times… I’ve heard it’s a WONDERFUL place to live!
(Photo by wickdani – which I’m sure I’ll be mimicking in just a few short hours…)
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That sounds like a blast! (And good for you for no strip clubs!) A few summers ago two of my closest friends (who happened to be best friends, grew up together, and were each others best man) got married two weeks apart. One in St. Louis, the other in Virginia. So the whole “crew” had some awesome roadtrip stories that month and I don’t want to know how many people we were able to fit into one hotel room! The weird/interesting/odd/cool thing about our group though is that it’s not just “the guys” or “the girls.” It’s all of us. So the bachelor/bachelorette parties started separate, but then we just ended up combining because it was more fun that way!
Enjoy the bachelor party J$! While you claim to be past your beast days, I’m sure it’ll still get pretty crazy. It’ll likely be just like old times. Sorry to hear you’ll be missing out on the strip club though. Sounds like someone’s a little whipped :) Someone needless spending is well worth it.
I’ve got a BP to go to in Louisville (why?) in a few weeks. Though the expense hurts a bit, the fun is worth it. Have fun!
Sounds like you all will have a Awesome time down there in SC. I agree with you on the stripclub thing why pay for her college, just head on down to 14th & K for the real deal. I’m looking forward to my bachelor party here come june/july. I’ve got my buddy working out the last details of it but from what was leaked out its looking like it will be in the FL Keys. Either way I’m just looking forward to an all guys weekend (drinking, fishing, boating being stupid.. the works)
Psssh looks who is all uppity, saying you’re past your Beast days.
Enjoy the weekend…if you can remember it come Monday.
Have fun! I have lots of crazy stories from bachelorette parties, but I won’t be sharing. Charleston is a place we would like to possibly move to one day as well. We love it there!
Money is only temporary. As long as it won’t put you in a hole, I recommend going to experience the world, especially with your friends. I have been to a couple bachelor parties in my day and they are always entertaining and no one breaks the rule of taking incriminating photos (not that we did anything that would cause relationship problems).
Enjoy the weekend and here’s to manageable hangovers!
This may be considered an unpopular opinion, but if having almost naked ladies surrounding a man in a relationship is not acceptable in a normal social context, I don’t see how turning that relationship into a transactional one makes it any better. CB thinks like you – he said that strip clubs = paying to get teased. LOL. I also told him just think about how he’d feel if it were me + lots of guys, and to make his decision accordingly.
It’s not “whipped.” It’s mutual respect.
Have a great time! Pretty soon all your friends will be married and there won’t be anymore bachelor parties. :)
Charleston is ok. The weather is nice September-April. The girls are beautiful (if you are a high school guy, think about attending College of Charleston. You’re Welcome.)
The crime is awful. The job market is terrible. The school system is terrible for most of the area. The people are usually nice, at least to your face.
I could go on but the moral is, Charleston is great to visit for the weekend, but don’t stay.
It’s interesting to see how much certain expenses have changed over time. The most obvious is probably the food – now that you know what real food should taste like, it’s tough to go back to the old stuff. Also indeed good for you for no strip clubs.
I didn’t Didn’t know you spent some time in Prague. I kind of did too, but not really. I spent 5 boring hours at their airport, on my way to another destination. Europe is good times!
Hmmm…. I wonder if one particular expense is missing on your list. Strippers (in bold and as a seperate item.) ;)
On a serious note – sounds like a blast. Be careful, my friend, don’t overdo. :)
Have a good time! The only bachelor party I went to was last year in Vegas after SXSW. But the guys did their thing and me and JB hung out by the pool. Not sure if that counts.
Sounds like a blast! Have a great time.
Have fun brother, you work hard so enjoy yourself and have some fun : )
Nice, have an awesome time with your crew! I’ve got to start planning these kinds of things with my friends.. we’re only a year out (almost) but still, might as well start early! Haha
Check out the Daniel Island and Mt. Pleasant areas outside of Charleston. Beautiful!
I was the first to get married and my bachelor party was in Vegas so I thought I’d have 6 or 7 guys….17 went! So I know have to go to all theirs lol have had to go to a couple in NYC and then:
Vegas
DC
Jersey Shore house
Boston
and I have a few more in there lol
I hate BPs, but then, I am a woman in a committed relationship. So that makes a little sense :)
I love to splurge with the travel. I try to travel frugally just so I can go places that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to go. But I also try to save so that I can get the most out of those experiences. I’m frugal all the time. Vacation is the time to just let go and have fun.
I’m back! And almost in one piece ;) I’ll have to blog about it soon, but let’s just say I could have stayed down in Charleston for a good year or so, haha… beautiful place! And people are INCREDIBLY nice too, my word. Makes DC people look terrible. Hope you all had a good Easter weekend! Some comments:
@Emmy – That IS awesome! I love it! The wife and I did a co-bachelor/ette party together too, it was great :) I can hang out with my boys by myself anytime anyways, does’t matter if I’m single or not.
@Modest Money – Haha… funny enough when I declined the strip clubs, others chimed in too and there ended up being none of it ;) Hanging out together as a crew became a bigger priority than naked girls apparently, haha…
@John @ Married (with Debt) – Cool! That def. sounds fun actually, maybe you can hit up some distilleries while there?
@Kevin – Nice! Sounds like a great time – I’m already jealous even though I just got back from one! :)
@Him – It seems it got replaced by PBR this weekend ;)
@Jessi – You totally should!! I’d move there in a heart beat – wonderful city! (And if we’re both there at the same time ever, then I’ll have to get those bachelorette stories out of you, haha…)
@Brian – Thanks! And I agree! Def. money well spent :)
@Well Heeled Blog – I know, right? No way in hell I want naked guys around my girl so why would I do the same? Even IF I didn’t also think it was nasty ;)
@retirebyforty – He’s one of the last ones to go! I think we have maybe one or two left, if that ;)
@John – I def. saw all of that except for the crime one – but I’m sure the areas we were staying were drastically different than the rest, since it seemed everyone was super rich downtown :) Def. loved it there.
@ImpulseSave – We ate out a LOT this weekend, and they were def. at nicer places than fast-food joints, that’s for sure. Though I was impressed with how normal the prices were considering how they looked – I thought I’d need a tux and top hat for some! :)
@Tino – Haha… well, if you ever get a chance I HIGHLY recommend spending some good time there – by far my fave place in the world I’ve been. And I’ve been around! :)
@Aloysa @ My Broken Coin – No strippers were had! I was a good little boy ;)
@Jenna, Adaptu Community Manager – I remember that! JB had a blast there, sounded like fun!
@This Aggie Saves – Thanks! Sure did :)
@Ryan – Thank you sir – it was a much needed break, that’s for sure :)
@Tyler S. – Oh yeah dude, as the years get longer the fun trips start dwindling :( Do as many as you guys can!
@SC – I wish we had enough time to do so! We didn’t even have a car – just stayed downtown and walked everywhere the whole time. Was a lot of fun, but I could have used another week too ;)
@Evan – Nice! Jersey Shore house??? I didn’t even know you could rent that out? That is awesome! Wow… my wife would be jealous, she loves that show :)
@femmefrugality – Agreed! Traveling is the one thing I’ll never stop spending money on — it opens your eyes (and mind) to so much stuff! Love it. Thanks for stopping by :)
J,
Not THE Jersey Shore house lol just A jersey Shore house lol
Haha…. well that changes everything ;)