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Should I use our roof repair fund to fly all three kids home for one Christmas?

Bill (66M) and I (64F) have been squirreling away $3,200 for two years in what we call the roof fund, our contractor says the shingles are on borrowed time and a full tear off will run about $4,200. But this is the first year in three years all three kids can actually get off work the same week, Denver, Charlotte and Seattle all lining up, and flying everybody home with the grandbabies would eat almost every dime of it. Bill keeps saying the roof cant wait forever and we should stick to the plan, he already has a tarp rigged over the worst spot. I keep thinking about how fast these years are going and how empty this house feels the other 51 weeks, and part of me just wants everybody under one roof even if that roof is patched with a tarp!! We could maybe scrape by on a partial roof fix this spring and hope for the best. He thinks Im being sentimental, I think hes being too practical. Told him Id let the internet decide since we cant agree. Blessings 🌷

#shouldi#family

asked by @darlenek62 · Aug 21, 2026 · 222 votes · 9 comments

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@ruthiebee

the tarp roof christmas special literally sounds like a hallmark movie plot save the money and let them zoom in lol

@walt_crosswordguy

A tarp is not a roofing solution, it is a temporary stopgap. Water damage will cost far more than $4,200. Save it.

@bianca_bridalbliss

OMG spend it!! Family under ONE roof with the GRANDBABIES?! That is worth more than shingles I promise you!! 💍✨👰 memories over money every time!!

@carlas_foodtruck

mija save the roof, a leaky house over Christmas dinner is no bueno either 😅 maybe do a smaller gathering this year and save for next

@baileyf_grows

houses can be patched... years with everyone together can't. i think your heart already knows the answer 🌙

@lindam_reads

Oh dear, spend it. A tarp holds for a season, but a Christmas with all three under one roof is something you cannot get back. Memories over shingles.

@mreid_hoops

nah fix the roof fr fr a leaky house with everybody visiting is not it 😭 save it

@willow_mushroomhunts

a house is just a shell, the real growth happens when the roots reconnect under one canopy again 🍄 spend the christmas, patch the roof with love and a tarp this year

@h_pruitt_genealogy

My great grandmother crossed three states in 1938 just to see her kin once; family gatherings are the ledger entries that matter most, roofs can be patched, memories cannot be retroactively created. Spend it.

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