[ SECRET POST #2608 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2608 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 090 secrets from Secret Submission Post #373.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

04. http://oi58.tinypic.com/9rul4o.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

Well, it's entirely possible that it really meant a lot to Bill to have his parents come to see what he was working on. And a vacation like that can go a long way as far as morale raising goes in a poor family, which can be more important than good textbooks.

[quantumreality]

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Bill covered some of the expenses in Egypt. And don't forget, it was right after Ginny had undergone a pretty traumatic several months in her first year, so going on a family getaway would have been a big morale booster for her in particular.

[(Anonymous)]

I was always under the impression that the amount of money won from the drawing wasn't all that great and they just decided to spend it on something everyone could enjoy. Sure, they had money problems but every year they managed to get by, and I think in the long run of your life you'd appreciate an amazing family trip and all the great memories associated to it more than getting some new schoolbooks that one time, especially if extravagances like that are rare for your family.

As for what they spent the money on... when you're on holiday in a foreign country, stuff adds up, even if you're getting free lodging. Things like eating out, souvenirs, getting from one location to another, etc. With a parcel of kids attached it wasn't as if they could've apparated everywhere in Egypt for sightseeing.

[rubbertea]

It's actually fairly realistic. A lot of real life poor people who win a large sum of money have no experience dealing with such a huge amount of it and generally don't know how to manage it, so they end up spending a lot of it very quickly.

[(Anonymous)]

Money has never quite made sense in the HP wizarding world and probably never will. Don't worry about it, just MST3K mantra it.

After all, money makes no sense in the real world either, just in a different way. There's still nonsensical and counterproductive rules about who gets it and who doesn't and how it's distributed according to who needs it and how it will help solve the problems in society that people complain about. There's just a set of different nonsensical rules here, adjusted for wizarding society.

[morieris]

You can be sensible and have no fun, or you can do something cool. At least Ron got a new wand from it.

[(Anonymous)]

Stuff like that always annoyed me as a kid. For a pretty impractical adult, I was a practical-minded kid.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree with anon above that the amount of money probably wasn't very large. It's the difference between winning a million dollars and winning a thousand dollars. The former can change your life and you'd better give it some thoughts, but with the latter... You could put it in a bank and watch it accrue measly interest. You could invest, but unless you're a genius or damn lucky that's probably not going to go anywhere. You could buy yourself summin' nice or fix up some of your broken-down things... but you did without perfectly well before. In that case, putting it toward some awesome bucket-list-ish activity seems the best choice to me. A Burberry handbag doesn't go with my normal wardrobe, there's a leak in my roof but I was living with it pretty well--but I have always wanted to see the pyramids.

[othellia]

I never got why a trip to Egypt is so expensive when you've got portkeys and floo powder and apparation and all that. Okay, so you can argue that Egypt's not in Britain's floo network and the kids are underage, but I still think portkeys would've been a valid option. Even if you had to chain them from like London to Paris to Rome to Cairo or something because of distance issues.

Still a lot less expensive than 9 round trip plane tickets, which would normally be the biggest part of a regular budget.

[intrigueing]

This kind of thing always reminds me of that great Calvin and Hobbes quote:

"In the short run, I'd like to go outside and play. In the long run, I'd like to stay in and study and become successful. But in the very long run, I know which one will make better memories."

(Obviously this doesn't apply to all circumstances, but I think that the memories and morale boost of a vacation like that would far outweigh the meager benefits of having better textbooks and non-shabby clothes for a few years. I mean, they weren't starving or unhappy or unstable or anything, just poor.)

[(Anonymous)]

No, I get why they did that. I'm not exactly poor but I only have a part-time job so money for luxuries isn't really a happening thing. I save religiously as much as I'm able from the money I make at work, trying to pad out a nest egg to enable me to move farther afield in search of a more permanent job. But I do that saving from my consistent money. The one or two times I've gotten a windfall, I've spent that money on having the odd luxury or trip away, because other than windfalls that just basically doesn't happen to me. I'm taking those chances to have the really good, really nice things for a little while, because otherwise I might not get them at all, and fuck that. I want to have fun once in a while.

I fully intend to work my way up the slow way, and I save and budget accordingly, but when luck drops good things in my lap I'm gonna enjoy them, you know? Take a little love while you can, and all that.

[loracarol]

I always wished my family had had the resources to go on a family vacation as a kid. :/ I mean, we'd go to our grandparent's house, but my Dad was never with us*. We did go to a couple of family reunions, but I feel like that's not quite the same thing?

I wish we had won money like the Weasley's had, and just been able to go on a vacation as a family. Would have been fun, and we were doing alright with everything else; we could afford our school supplies, and second hand clothes aren't that big of a deal, I don't think. I mean, new undergarments are important, but shirts and stuff?

* He worked with a company that fought forest fires, which meant that his main "on" season was in the summer, which just so happened to be when we would go nad visit my grandparents.

[birdsofshore]

How would they have stayed with Bill? Bill's not a wealthy chap, so I doubt he would have a house out there with, well, 3 spare rooms seems the minimum for all the Weasleys to stay in any sort of comfort. Plus, did Bill feed them all while they were out there? Eight extra people? Holidays cost money, even if you are wizards.

I must admit, the fact the Weasleys spent their money on this trip did surprise me when I read it, but I think it's cool. I like to think of them saying, "Let's just blow it - it'll be fabulous and we can remember it for years to come." It's not like that amount of money would have solved their financial problems, anyway.

[(Anonymous)]

They probably had to spend the money bribing the British customs inspectors, because wizarding government is shit.

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think the Weasleys are actually all that poor. Molly doesn't have a job and doesn't seem to be looking for one, even after all the kids are in school. They're thrifty -- they don't usually spend money they don't need to, and their definition of 'need' is stricter than some.

[(Anonymous)]

They deserved a treat for once. And by this time, Fred and George were making their own money weren't they? So they probably bought their own school supplies. So second hand stuff for Ginny and Ron is not that bad. Honestly, buying second hand is not as traumatic as it seemed in the books, and as for food, I don't remember a time when Molly didn't keep her family AND a bunch of other people extremely well-fed. I know the narrator/Harry emphasized their poverty but I grew up in similar circumstances (minus the many siblings). And one of the things you miss out on is going on trips. I remember being the only kid in my class who hadn't gone to Disney world, and when I asked why I couldn't the answer was "Because we are paying for heat/food/dental insurance/etc." If we got a little extra for once you bet we'd plan a trip.

[(Anonymous)]

This is the Harry Potter economy that we are talking about here. It makes no sense, and it's not worth trying to make it make sense. Out of all the things in a world that generally makes no sense when you think about it a bit, the economy makes less sense than anything else.

[iggy]

This is like the wizarding equivalent of people getting mad at poor people for buying themselves an occasional luxury like an iPad.

[(Anonymous)]

See, I feel like if they'd spent it on shiny new robes and brand new textbooks, fandom would complain that they didn't visit one of their sons. (Also, there'd be no way for a huge plot point in PoA to happen.)

Umm, I'm pretty sure they DID?

[nyxelestia]

I know for sure that they got Ron the new wand he needed. I kind of took it to mean they probably did use a bit to cover some basic necessities and such, and then spent the rest on a nice treat for the family.

Besides, from what I could gather, that wasn't exactly life-changing money, just a bonus. If they were doing okay before (and they were - no one was ever starving, they had a nice home, and no one was missing supplies when they went to school), then they'll do just fine without this extra money.

And quite frankly, I'm pretty sure all of them would take being able to visit family in another country over brand-new textbooks any day. I sure as hell would.

[(Anonymous)]

Molly & Arthur probably haven't had a proper holiday since they got married because of all the children so why not go on one when they definitely have the means to afford it. They know they can manage on Arthur's wages alone so spending their winnings like that doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

[miarrow]

I don't know, when you don't have a ton of money and your family lives far away sometimes spending it on that is something you need so you can reconnect and stay in touch. That seems like it would be very important to them.

[(Anonymous)]

How dare poor people have ANY luxuries, NECESSITIES FIRST ALWAYS. Even if it means you never see a luxury in your life. Should have thought of that before they became poor.

[ladysugarquill]

Ginny had just been possessed by a cursed Dark artefact.

Bill works curse-breaking Dark stuff.