When Cash Cuts Into Your Social Life

My close friend Ashley recently contacted me in reference to getting her entire wedding party together for a Vegas vacation this upcoming May.  I was the Maid of Honor at her wedding, and I'm close friends with most everyone who is also invited.  However, this marks the first of what I imagine will be many events that I had to force myself to reject due to money concerns.

I'm not one for planning ahead, but the recent raise in my mortgage threw me for a loop - and even though I could probably afford the weekend trip the entire ordeal has made me paranoid about where I spend my meager savings.  Not to mention that my main priority is continuing with repair work at my new home, which is a process that I can imagine will take years, and plenty of cash, to fully complete (replacing the downstairs tile being next on my list).

Besides the money I have put aside for my kitchen renovation, I'm only working with a couple thousand dollars worth of cushion in my savings.  A trip to Vegas - and the subsequent gambling - would hardly be conducive to my long-term finance goals.  It's unfortunate, but something that I have to deal with as a (gulp) responsible adult.