It’s hard to believe summer vacation for the kids is almost over.  For the first time in a long time, all three of our counties are on the same schedule with school starting on Monday August 20^th.  That’s only three weeks away!  At this point moms and dads are either rejoicing for the quick draw to the end of having their kids home, or feeling a little sad that they didn’t get to do all the things they wanted to do over summer vacation.  If your family experienced a change in circumstances to one or both parents’ job status, summer vacation may be a mere memory of what you could afford to do in years past.

People are hurting out there.  We know because we see it every day in as South Florida bankruptcy attorneys.  Whether it is because of total job loss, or just a reduction of hours or overtime, taking the kids on a cruise, to a luxury resort, or even one of our state’s magical theme parks just might not be in the cards this summer. The South Florida Business Journal (May 16, 2012) reported a mild increase of 2.5% in tourism for Florida first quarter versus prior year.  Much of that came from domestic travelers into our state.  I wonder what the statistics are for Florida resident tourism within our own state?  

Many clients and colleagues I talked to recently have scaled back this summer on vacation spend, but still managed to spend some quality time with their families.  Whether you are currently a candidate for filing bankruptcy, a family experiencing some hardships, or scaling back because it makes sense to do so in these economic times, summer vacation is still a much needed scheduled period of time to be away from home, school or business.  Don’t deny yourself this “time off” no matter what your circumstances.  Even if you can’t get away from work, or you’re currently out of work and can’t afford a trip, take the kids to the beach, a park, an outdoor festival, or visit relatives in another part of our state.  Circumstances will change, but time with your school-age kids, like this summer, won’t be around much longer.

by Raysa I. Rodriguez, Esq.