Sorry to even ask this today, but you guys are who I respect the most as you make more sense then many of my real life friends...the ones who spend money like I used to.
I knew this was coming. He'd had another attack in June, and I flew across the country to see him. Luckily, he sort of came out of it and was able to speak a little and even make a few jokes.
The wake is Sunday, funeral Monday. I'm thinking of not going.
Why? It's 27 degrees here now. I just carried 5 gallon water buckets to 3 chicken coops, a duck coop, 2 horse pens. In June, I hired sitters and was able to leave the 4 dogs outside in 10x10 kennels. Not able to do that now...
I've got a blind (special pet, unlike the other 40) chicken I carry in and out of a special coop each night. All 4 dogs are on meds, one is on multiple seizure meds 2x a day so timing is important. While there are "pet sitters", with this much of a high maintenance zoo...it would probably be at least $200 a day, or more. I paid $150 last time, per day and that was with animals left outside.
The plane would be $1100, no idea what a rental car would be.
And...(this is tough) I have real issues with my half sister. She basically stole my Dad's house when he got too spacey to know what was going on. All his life he'd said, "Well, the house is paid off so you and she will have something when I go." She locked it into some sort of trust for her kid. In 1999 she called and said he was wandering off in the middle of the night and needed full time care and "I'm sending him to you" which wouldn't work because I work full time, hello? I told her to sell the house and we'll both go in on getting him a nurse: she said "oh, the house is in a trust for my kid".
"Um, what? Your half of the house?"
"NO, the house. Look, I don't wanna talk about this I have to go <click>."
I looked up property prices back then: at the time comps were going for $868K. (this state does have primogeniture laws, and I am first born)
Money is tight right now and I had planned on dumping everything left into another IRA. If I go...I'm pretty sure I'll say something pissy because...they have nothing but money and go on an average of 3 cruises a year. They send me pics from all over the world. They are major collectors of memorabilia and their house is packed with shit to the point where you literally can't walk in some rooms: Star Wars, action figures, etc. There's just this little path thru the boxes...insane.
And I feel like I've been paying for it. I could have retired in 1999 if they hadn't done that.
Anyway...what would you do?