It’s Only Money

        My mother was raised in Switzerland, so it was only natural that she would teach me and my sisters how to ski. We had a local hill, literally, near where we lived. On weekends, she would pack us up and spend the day teaching us the basics – the snow plow, the stem christy, and most importantly, how to fall without injuring yourself.

     On several occasions, my mom would pack and load us and everything into her yellow Packard convertible and drive almost five hours to Stowe, Vermont. Stowe is where I truly learned how to parallel ski. It was the highlight of my winter, and I look forward to it every year.

     Years later, with three kids of my own, I decided to return to Stowe. Two years earlier, I had outfitted the kids with skis and equipment.- three sets of used skis and boots at $349.00 each set, three parkas at an average of $119.00 each, three ski helmets at $65,00 each, three sets of ski pants at $33.00 each, and gloves at #30.00 each. The total was  $1788.00.

    I taught my kids the same basics my mother had taught me, and I decided it was time to introduce them to Stowe.

    My wife and I packed the car and headed out one Friday afternoon. We had reservations at the Trapp Family Lodge and intended to ski for the weekend. The cost was $891.00 per night or $1782.00 for two nights.

    The cost for ski passes was $167.00 for each child per day and $197.00 for two adults per day. This total came to $1,790 for two days of skiing. They also charged $30.00 a day for parking—another $60.00.

    The total for the weekend was $5,420.00, which included the earlier cost of outfitting them.

    I felt good about that because we had planned a trip to Disney World, which would have cost over $8000,00.

    No, I don’t feel good about that. I priced out approximately what the Stowe trip would have been back when I went with my mom to Stowe. It came to around $600.00.

    Next year, I will take them to the Museum of Science on a one-day trip.

    Inflation: a general increase in prices and a fall in money’s purchasing value.