I’ve had a trip to Chicago planned for a few months now with a friend of mine. Everything has already been booked and is non-refundable, save for the hotel, which is booked but was a "book now, pay when you get here" deal. I’ve been saving to put money towards my half of the hotel cost + food/activities we plan to do (save for the one we already have booked), but things have gotten a bit off-track recently, and my savings has been fully funneled into paying for necessities for the time being (groceries/bills/etc). I did just list a few things to try and sell that I'm no longer using/have room for to try and replenish my savings too, but I've had no luck yet.

As I said, I’m going with a close friend who’s taking his first vacation. It will be our first time in Chicago, and we're planning to attend a convention while there, among other things, and it means a lot to both of us. I don’t want to risk having to cancel/back out on my friend, as we’ve already put our hearts and wallets into this, and it’s something we’ve been holding onto and looking forward to.

If anyone could help me with the cost of the hotel + food + activities, it would mean a great deal to me. Thank you for your time and for reading this.