The Caribbean Vacation Standard

I've been preparing my taxes, which is the sort of thing that focuses the mind on finance. And I realize that I've adopted a financial unit called the Caribbean Vacation Standard, which I recommend to all of you.

I used to visit the Caribbean a good deal--- once or twice a year. But now I realize that I haven't gone in, hmmm, seven years. And that was a special trip, occasioned by the marvelous coincidence of Carnival and a total solar eclipse. (A description is available on my adventure diary.)

It was seven years ago that I decided to give maid service to my wife Kathy as a birthday present. Paying someone else to do moderate-to-light housekeeping costs over a year just about what a Caribbean vacation would cost. No wonder I haven't enjoyed the reefs of the Quintana Roo lately.

Thanks to computerized tax-return software it's also possible to add up the amount of money that we spend on electronic access to the rest of the world. Groundline phones, mobile phones, high-speed internet access, web hosting, satellite TV.

Guess what? It all comes to two Caribbean vacations per year.

What more motivation do I need to become a Luddite?