Since I didn't buy a house, I'm going to Rome.

About 8 or 9 months ago, there was a house in the neighborhood that I rent from near my job that was going to auction.  I decided, "What the hell?  Why not start the process to bid on it?"  So I did.  I signed up with a mortgage company, got an agent, and started the process.
Well, it didn't go well.  The house never went on auction.  It was in the process with another buyer.  I got to look inside, and it was beautiful and big and had a pool and jacuzzi.  Although the pool was all fool of scum so I couldn't really tell if the pump worked or anything.  Then the bank dropped the other potential buy, but asked for $50k or more than what my agent thought that it was worth.  So I made a low offer, was declined, and let it go. 
Then, about 4 months ago my agent called me out of the blue and said that the house had been appraised for about what we offered for it.  I said "Cool, let's offer what it was appraised for!"  And we did.  And it was accepted!  Great!  Scary!!  Gary inspected it (with no water or power on), and found a couple problems, but said it was mostly good.  We still didn't know if the pool worked.

I had planned to visit a friend in New York city this spring, but put it off because I needed all of my savings for a down payment!

After deciding that my budget could just barely manage the payments, a lot of thought, and a pro-con list, I decided not to buy the house.  I loved it, but it wasn't the right time for Gary and I.  If I had bought the house, I couldn't pay rent where we live now, and he'd basically be homeless.  Not a good situation.

But from then on, I was pretty free with my money.  I kept saying, "Since I didn't buy a house, I can afford this!"  I bought $100 boots and $100 pants just because I liked them.  I bought plane tickets for 5 people and didn't have them pay me back.  I bought expensive cheese, went to the movies, paid for all of our dinners out.  

It was a great few months!  Then, my niece's best friend for 16 years (starting when they were toddlers) said that she was going to nanny in Rome for a month this summer.  This sounds like a great excuse to go to Rome with one of my favorite people!  I checked package costs, and ended up buying a package from Orbitz for 7 days in Rome this July!

The only downside is that I can't say, "Since I didn't buy a house, I can afford this!" because now my extra savings is taking my niece and I to Rome!

If I do end up buying a house in the next couple of years, I hope my nephews are okay with a slightly less epic trip...  May be stay with family in Finland?  Hawaii?  Latin America?  But I have a few years to save for those trips, and a house.

I worked hard for my degree and avoided having children, which is what allows me to have some money now.  But I know that my family's support through most of my education and being White also has helped me get as far as I have.
How far is that?  Rome with the one who made me an aunt!