Stealth wealth -- If they only knew (stories)

[American GenX]

A couple months ago I started paying more attention to our NW, after ignoring it for a few years.  We're a lot closer to FIRE than I thought.

Our neighborhood is probably the second-fanciest in our town, and I'm pretty sure we have the highest-mileage cars in the neighborhood, with well over 400,000 miles between the two.  I probably have the oldest lawnmower as well--a Honda from the late 80's that I picked up off the curb just outside our neighborhood.  A little valve adjustment, carb clean, and an oil change, and it runs like a champ!  I also do almost all my own car and home repairs, while many (many!) of our neighbors hire those out at obscene rates.  Honestly, I don't know how people get by when they have to pay professionals.

Same here, it’s crazy how much people are willing to pay to NOT learn something, although I get that a lot of people suffer from busying up their schedules way too much to tackle projects on their own, I have busy periods where I put projects off but if I think I can do it I’d rather try it myself than pay my hard earned after tax dollars to get someone else to do it.

In fairness, I'm sure there are some DIYers in the neighborhood, but since they don't post on the neighborhood Facebook group looking for recommendations for a plumber, their presence is hidden.

And it's not like they are going to go around advertising what they are doing themselves when they aren't getting permits.  It seems like most people do DIY work without getting permits, even when they are officially required for so many things.

[ilsy]

A couple months ago I started paying more attention to our NW, after ignoring it for a few years.  We're a lot closer to FIRE than I thought.

Our neighborhood is probably the second-fanciest in our town, and I'm pretty sure we have the highest-mileage cars in the neighborhood, with well over 400,000 miles between the two.  I probably have the oldest lawnmower as well--a Honda from the late 80's that I picked up off the curb just outside our neighborhood.  A little valve adjustment, carb clean, and an oil change, and it runs like a champ!  I also do almost all my own car and home repairs, while many (many!) of our neighbors hire those out at obscene rates.  Honestly, I don't know how people get by when they have to pay professionals.

Same here, it’s crazy how much people are willing to pay to NOT learn something, although I get that a lot of people suffer from busying up their schedules way too much to tackle projects on their own, I have busy periods where I put projects off but if I think I can do it I’d rather try it myself than pay my hard earned after tax dollars to get someone else to do it.

In fairness, I'm sure there are some DIYers in the neighborhood, but since they don't post on the neighborhood Facebook group looking for recommendations for a plumber, their presence is hidden.

And it's not like they are going to go around advertising what they are doing themselves when they aren't getting permits.  It seems like most people do DIY work without getting permits, even when they are officially required for so many things.

Just because someone hires a professional, doesn't necessarily mean that those professionals would pull the required permits, especially since most home owners are absolutely clueless of what permits are required. Permits aren't really a big deal, most professionals don't pull them because they don't want to deal with inspectors and with passing inspections.

[Money Badger]

Loved Spartana's comment about stuffing the mattress with cats and the walls with money...  Quite a visual!

At our place, the benefits of growing up poor farming come into play... I've developed a deep love for composting.   I don't mean just a leaf pile mildewing here or there...  I mean almost 100 feet long by 8' wide 4' deep of compost bays holding leaves, ashes, manure and straw from our couple acres and 3 of our neighbors...  I love the idea of turning other people's "waste" into an asset using a small diesel tractor to make it easy which then turns other people's "waste" into beautiful ornamental plant beds and more importantly lots of food which means tax free groceries and fun sharing with our neighbors.   And the food is organic from beds that are amazingly weed resistant and efficient and grows amazing veg and entertains our dogs as they chase squirrels and other critters that hang around the non-smelly bins full of worms and cool bugs.   We're heading for the double comma mark again next month, but all I'd really rather do is enjoy the alchemy of turning neglected carbon into gold.

[secondcor521]

Loved Spartana's comment about stuffing the mattress with cats and the walls with money...  Quite a visual!

At our place, the benefits of growing up poor farming come into play... I've developed a deep love for composting.   I don't mean just a leaf pile mildewing here or there...  I mean almost 100 feet long by 8' wide 4' deep of compost bays holding leaves, ashes, manure and straw from our couple acres and 3 of our neighbors...  I love the idea of turning other people's "waste" into an asset using a small diesel tractor to make it easy which then turns other people's "waste" into beautiful ornamental plant beds and more importantly lots of food which means tax free groceries and fun sharing with our neighbors.   And the food is organic from beds that are amazingly weed resistant and efficient and grows amazing veg and entertains our dogs as they chase squirrels and other critters that hang around the non-smelly bins full of worms and cool bugs.   We're heading for the double comma mark again next month, but all I'd really rather do is enjoy the alchemy of turning neglected carbon into gold.

Any good online resources for how to compost?  I try, but don't succeed very well and not 100% sure what I'm doing wrong.  Current guesses are not enough browns, or not turning enough, or not enough moisture.

[Nutty]

Compost!  Now there is a topic I dig.

Water the compost.  Needs to be wet, not drenched.  That is my mistake, but I'll build it up (4 free pallets wired together).  Use free shredded yard waste from the county (woodchips, hay bales from holiday decorations, leaves).  Mix with chicken bedding (get chickens, they are an amazing resource for gardeners).  If watered enough, it composts in 6 months.  If too dry, it will take a year for the rain to work it's magic.

The kitchen scraps are picked through by the chickens.  Picked up and added to the working pile.  Then open the pallets and the chickens sort through it for bugs.  Then onto the garden.  I'm still learning the garden thing.  Too many honey-dos.

For compost resources, utube has several.  Find one that is your style and suits your schedule.  I don't like turning so I don't, but it is good exercise.  I'm not in a hurry.

[spartana]

Loved Spartana's comment about stuffing the mattress with cats and the walls with money...  Quite a visual!

At our place, the benefits of growing up poor farming come into play... I've developed a deep love for composting.   I don't mean just a leaf pile mildewing here or there...  I mean almost 100 feet long by 8' wide 4' deep of compost bays holding leaves, ashes, manure and straw from our couple acres and 3 of our neighbors...  I love the idea of turning other people's "waste" into an asset using a small diesel tractor to make it easy which then turns other people's "waste" into beautiful ornamental plant beds and more importantly lots of food which means tax free groceries and fun sharing with our neighbors.   And the food is organic from beds that are amazingly weed resistant and efficient and grows amazing veg and entertains our dogs as they chase squirrels and other critters that hang around the non-smelly bins full of worms and cool bugs.   We're heading for the double comma mark again next month, but all I'd really rather do is enjoy the alchemy of turning neglected carbon into gold.

LOL. Yeah they are a bit lumpy and it takes awhile to get use to all the yeowling but once they settle into purr-mode its bliss!

[GreenToTheCore]

This goes back many decades when my wife and I were poor.   I don't mean a lower middle class income, I mean a 1/3rd median family income and paying child support poor.

We lived in a slumlord doctor's apartment.   

The business we worked at had gone under, a victim of the owner snorting too much coke and drinking too much alcohol.   My wife and I (with his blessing) took over the accounting software he had been writing and finished it up and integrated it with the school software I had designed and written much of.

We had a commission-based partnership arrangement with a local businessman and had a room in his office building.

What we had been waiting for had finally arrived, our state figured out each technical school should have the same software instead of each school making their own.   We had already ported ours to the DEC VAX at the time for one of our customers.   

So we were putting in a bid for a statewide contract to put our software in another 30 or so schools.    We would end up millionaires if it worked out.   We arranged for the DEC salesrep to visit our office so we could figure out the hardware pricing.

Only the river thru town flooded before he got there and the office flooded out.   So we had to meet him in our slumlord doctor's apartment.

So there he is in is 3 piece suit and wingtip shoes, uncomfortably trying to figure out how to leave without being rude.

His 2nd try at this was that to make the deal work we would need a line of credit in the $2 to $3 million dollar range.   

Here we are in this cheap apartment with our cheap hand-me-down furniture and our cheap clothes.   We look like we're poor because, well, we are.

I pick up the phone and call our business partner.   "Hey, Tom, the Digital rep says we need a two to three million dollar line of credit."

I hang up the phone, look him in the eye, and say, "Ok."    He knows I'm not joking and he can tell I'm telling him the truth.

"Ummm...   Can I have that number?" he asked.

Ni-ice

[SunnyDays]

Loved Spartana's comment about stuffing the mattress with cats and the walls with money...  Quite a visual!

At our place, the benefits of growing up poor farming come into play... I've developed a deep love for composting.   I don't mean just a leaf pile mildewing here or there...  I mean almost 100 feet long by 8' wide 4' deep of compost bays holding leaves, ashes, manure and straw from our couple acres and 3 of our neighbors...  I love the idea of turning other people's "waste" into an asset using a small diesel tractor to make it easy which then turns other people's "waste" into beautiful ornamental plant beds and more importantly lots of food which means tax free groceries and fun sharing with our neighbors.   And the food is organic from beds that are amazingly weed resistant and efficient and grows amazing veg and entertains our dogs as they chase squirrels and other critters that hang around the non-smelly bins full of worms and cool bugs.   We're heading for the double comma mark again next month, but all I'd really rather do is enjoy the alchemy of turning neglected carbon into gold.

LOL. Yeah they are a bit lumpy and it takes awhile to get use to all the yeowling but once they settle into purr-mode its bliss!

Like one of those vibrating mattresses at cheap motels!

MoneyBadger, where do you live that groceries are taxed?

[Money Badger]

@secondcor521,  Our setup is very close to one on youtube about "Making Compost in 30 Days"...   Ours still takes 3 months or so since we don't add green in winter... or turn the pile as often as we should for fastest turnaround.     I started about 18 mos ago doing it the old fashioned way turning it by hand.   But now, graduated to wider bays with 60" pallets that are sized nicely for my 54" tractor loader's bucket, it really is simple.   2 parts brown, 1 part green.   Add vegetable and egg shell kitchen scraps for a nice odor free compost.  Our neighbors have horses, so adding some manure REALLY gets the heat going.

@SunnyDays, Georgia taxes everything.   State income tax of 5.5%.   County property tax of roughly 1% of value plus further sales taxes of 7% or 8%.   City property tax roughly .5% of value.  Food is taxed at same sales tax rate.   Suggest folks consider TN or FL or SC instead of GA to enjoy the south but actually have higher standard of living by about 8% to 12% depending on the combination.    The game now is the last 2 governors say they are raising use based taxes in order to be able to remove income taxes so they can compete with these other states... It's been all lies resulting in taxing more on property, income and sales.

[SunnyDays]

@secondcor521,  Our setup is very close to one on youtube about "Making Compost in 30 Days"...   Ours still takes 3 months or so since we don't add green in winter... or turn the pile as often as we should for fastest turnaround.     I started about 18 mos ago doing it the old fashioned way turning it by hand.   But now, graduated to wider bays with 60" pallets that are sized nicely for my 54" tractor loader's bucket, it really is simple.   2 parts brown, 1 part green.   Add vegetable and egg shell kitchen scraps for a nice odor free compost.  Our neighbors have horses, so adding some manure REALLY gets the heat going.

@SunnyDays, Georgia taxes everything.   State income tax of 5.5%.   County property tax of roughly 1% of value plus further sales taxes of 7% or 8%.   City property tax roughly .5% of value.  Food is taxed at same sales tax rate.   Suggest folks consider TN or FL or SC instead of GA to enjoy the south but actually have higher standard of living by about 8% to 12% depending on the combination.    The game now is the last 2 governors say they are raising use based taxes in order to be able to remove income taxes so they can compete with these other states... It's been all lies resulting in taxing more on property, income and sales.

Hm, that's interesting.  Where I live, basic groceries and kid's clothes (under 14) are not taxed at all.  Things like junk food, convenience foods, soft drinks etc, in other words, everything that's not good for you is taxed, both provincially (7%) and federally (5%).  Restaurant meals under a certain amount are not taxed either, but the amount is so small (something like $6) it makes little difference.  The tax is added at the till, so sometimes the total is a bit of a surprise.

[ixtap]

@secondcor521,  Our setup is very close to one on youtube about "Making Compost in 30 Days"...   Ours still takes 3 months or so since we don't add green in winter... or turn the pile as often as we should for fastest turnaround.     I started about 18 mos ago doing it the old fashioned way turning it by hand.   But now, graduated to wider bays with 60" pallets that are sized nicely for my 54" tractor loader's bucket, it really is simple.   2 parts brown, 1 part green.   Add vegetable and egg shell kitchen scraps for a nice odor free compost.  Our neighbors have horses, so adding some manure REALLY gets the heat going.

@SunnyDays, Georgia taxes everything.   State income tax of 5.5%.   County property tax of roughly 1% of value plus further sales taxes of 7% or 8%.   City property tax roughly .5% of value.  Food is taxed at same sales tax rate.   Suggest folks consider TN or FL or SC instead of GA to enjoy the south but actually have higher standard of living by about 8% to 12% depending on the combination.    The game now is the last 2 governors say they are raising use based taxes in order to be able to remove income taxes so they can compete with these other states... It's been all lies resulting in taxing more on property, income and sales.

Hm, that's interesting.  Where I live, basic groceries and kid's clothes (under 14) are not taxed at all.  Things like junk food, convenience foods, soft drinks etc, in other words, everything that's not good for you is taxed, both provincially (7%) and federally (5%).  Restaurant meals under a certain amount are not taxed either, but the amount is so small (something like $6) it makes little difference.  The tax is added at the till, so sometimes the total is a bit of a surprise.

How do you verify the age of the child if your 10yo wears adult sizes?

[zolotiyeruki]

hehe, I've got one!  I got a DM from my boss/company owner the other day: " was going to ask this morning, is it a unique feeling driving into the parking lot, knowing that you're the highest paid employee and you have the cheapest car?"

Now, you have to understand, the boss/owner is pretty frugal himself.  And while I drive a '95 Corolla with 235k miles, his ride is a 2001 Honda Accord with even more miles and rust.

[SunnyDays]

@secondcor521,  Our setup is very close to one on youtube about "Making Compost in 30 Days"...   Ours still takes 3 months or so since we don't add green in winter... or turn the pile as often as we should for fastest turnaround.     I started about 18 mos ago doing it the old fashioned way turning it by hand.   But now, graduated to wider bays with 60" pallets that are sized nicely for my 54" tractor loader's bucket, it really is simple.   2 parts brown, 1 part green.   Add vegetable and egg shell kitchen scraps for a nice odor free compost.  Our neighbors have horses, so adding some manure REALLY gets the heat going.

@SunnyDays, Georgia taxes everything.   State income tax of 5.5%.   County property tax of roughly 1% of value plus further sales taxes of 7% or 8%.   City property tax roughly .5% of value.  Food is taxed at same sales tax rate.   Suggest folks consider TN or FL or SC instead of GA to enjoy the south but actually have higher standard of living by about 8% to 12% depending on the combination.    The game now is the last 2 governors say they are raising use based taxes in order to be able to remove income taxes so they can compete with these other states... It's been all lies resulting in taxing more on property, income and sales.

Hm, that's interesting.  Where I live, basic groceries and kid's clothes (under 14) are not taxed at all.  Things like junk food, convenience foods, soft drinks etc, in other words, everything that's not good for you is taxed, both provincially (7%) and federally (5%).  Restaurant meals under a certain amount are not taxed either, but the amount is so small (something like $6) it makes little difference.  The tax is added at the till, so sometimes the total is a bit of a surprise.

How do you verify the age of the child if your 10yo wears adult sizes?

You just tell the cashier and they give you a form to sign verifying that you are buying adult sized clothes for a child.

[Dicey]

hehe, I've got one!  I got a DM from my boss/company owner the other day: " was going to ask this morning, is it a unique feeling driving into the parking lot, knowing that you're the highest paid employee and you have the cheapest car?"

Now, you have to understand, the boss/owner is pretty frugal himself.  And while I drive a '95 Corolla with 235k miles, his ride is a 2001 Honda Accord with even more miles and rust.

Was your reply, "Is that how you feel?"

[Adventine]

hehe, I've got one!  I got a DM from my boss/company owner the other day: " was going to ask this morning, is it a unique feeling driving into the parking lot, knowing that you're the highest paid employee and you have the cheapest car?"

Now, you have to understand, the boss/owner is pretty frugal himself.  And while I drive a '95 Corolla with 235k miles, his ride is a 2001 Honda Accord with even more miles and rust.

That made me laugh out loud at the office.

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure my coworkers feel sorry for carless old me, toting a scratched up, low-end, generic smartphone.

Ah, if only they knew :D

[Green_Tea]

hehe, I've got one!  I got a DM from my boss/company owner the other day: " was going to ask this morning, is it a unique feeling driving into the parking lot, knowing that you're the highest paid employee and you have the cheapest car?"

Now, you have to understand, the boss/owner is pretty frugal himself.  And while I drive a '95 Corolla with 235k miles, his ride is a 2001 Honda Accord with even more miles and rust.

This reminds me of a similar funny story: My dad was the highest ranking person (of a couple hundred) where he worked and had the cheapest car on the parking lot. Then one day someone with a higher role came to visit - and had a car that was just as crappy or even more so ;D

[Dumb blonde]

This goes back many decades when my wife and I were poor.   I don't mean a lower middle class income, I mean a 1/3rd median family income and paying child support poor.

We lived in a slumlord doctor's apartment.   

The business we worked at had gone under, a victim of the owner snorting too much coke and drinking too much alcohol.   My wife and I (with his blessing) took over the accounting software he had been writing and finished it up and integrated it with the school software I had designed and written much of.

We had a commission-based partnership arrangement with a local businessman and had a room in his office building.

What we had been waiting for had finally arrived, our state figured out each technical school should have the same software instead of each school making their own.   We had already ported ours to the DEC VAX at the time for one of our customers.   

So we were putting in a bid for a statewide contract to put our software in another 30 or so schools.    We would end up millionaires if it worked out.   We arranged for the DEC salesrep to visit our office so we could figure out the hardware pricing.

Only the river thru town flooded before he got there and the office flooded out.   So we had to meet him in our slumlord doctor's apartment.

So there he is in is 3 piece suit and wingtip shoes, uncomfortably trying to figure out how to leave without being rude.

His 2nd try at this was that to make the deal work we would need a line of credit in the $2 to $3 million dollar range.   

Here we are in this cheap apartment with our cheap hand-me-down furniture and our cheap clothes.   We look like we're poor because, well, we are.

I pick up the phone and call our business partner.   "Hey, Tom, the Digital rep says we need a two to three million dollar line of credit."

I hang up the phone, look him in the eye, and say, "Ok."    He knows I'm not joking and he can tell I'm telling him the truth.

"Ummm...   Can I have that number?" he asked.

And did you get the deal?

[SwordGuy]

This goes back many decades when my wife and I were poor.   I don't mean a lower middle class income, I mean a 1/3rd median family income and paying child support poor.

We lived in a slumlord doctor's apartment.   

The business we worked at had gone under, a victim of the owner snorting too much coke and drinking too much alcohol.   My wife and I (with his blessing) took over the accounting software he had been writing and finished it up and integrated it with the school software I had designed and written much of.

We had a commission-based partnership arrangement with a local businessman and had a room in his office building.

What we had been waiting for had finally arrived, our state figured out each technical school should have the same software instead of each school making their own.   We had already ported ours to the DEC VAX at the time for one of our customers.   

So we were putting in a bid for a statewide contract to put our software in another 30 or so schools.    We would end up millionaires if it worked out.   We arranged for the DEC salesrep to visit our office so we could figure out the hardware pricing.

Only the river thru town flooded before he got there and the office flooded out.   So we had to meet him in our slumlord doctor's apartment.

So there he is in is 3 piece suit and wingtip shoes, uncomfortably trying to figure out how to leave without being rude.

His 2nd try at this was that to make the deal work we would need a line of credit in the $2 to $3 million dollar range.   

Here we are in this cheap apartment with our cheap hand-me-down furniture and our cheap clothes.   We look like we're poor because, well, we are.

I pick up the phone and call our business partner.   "Hey, Tom, the Digital rep says we need a two to three million dollar line of credit."

I hang up the phone, look him in the eye, and say, "Ok."    He knows I'm not joking and he can tell I'm telling him the truth.

"Ummm...   Can I have that number?" he asked.

And did you get the deal?

No, we didn't get the contract from the Bible Belt state we were in.   A pregnant lady delivered a pitch for a software product they named "Genesis" and got the deal.   Simply brilliant Marketing.

[Money Badger]

She may have won, but the almighty will judge her sincerity.   Payback is a bit$h.

[ChipmunkSavings]

By forum standards, our car is nothing to brag about. We have a 2010 civic in generally good condition. We are a one-car household and have a rather short commute to work (5 min each). Given that we live in Canada with very cold winters, our car battery sometimes has issues starting, especially given that short distances don't give much chance for it to recharge. We have had to change it twice in three years, although they were still under warranty so at no cost to us. DH goes along with most of MMM's principles, but this is non-negotiable and we only drive about 5000-6000 miles per year so we learn to live with it.

My husband works with many mechanics. One of them offered to help with the car for mechanical issues, and said that he has contacts for access to inexpensive repairs. This was said very kindly (not trying to make money) because he was concerned that we might be struggling financially (he knows we only have one car, and it's ''old'' according to most) and he wanted to help as he got along very well with DH. DH was a bit confused by the implied financial issues and turned down his offer while thanking him. We're a mid-twenties couple with about half a million in assets. Felt very stealth wealth when he told me about this conversation!

[spartana]

I cannot pass on the sign up bonuses, get approved to all of them and then sell as TLs. None of them knows how much I make by selling TLs (well, no one talks about TLs anyways).

What is TLs? I tried a Google search but that didn't help.

I am enjoying this thread. We are not at the "Wealth" stage yet, but we are doing okay on the Stealth part.

Trade Lines. Huge thread about them around here somewhere.

[centwise]

@secondcor521,  Our setup is very close to one on youtube about "Making Compost in 30 Days"...   Ours still takes 3 months or so since we don't add green in winter... or turn the pile as often as we should for fastest turnaround.     I started about 18 mos ago doing it the old fashioned way turning it by hand.   But now, graduated to wider bays with 60" pallets that are sized nicely for my 54" tractor loader's bucket, it really is simple.   2 parts brown, 1 part green.   Add vegetable and egg shell kitchen scraps for a nice odor free compost.  Our neighbors have horses, so adding some manure REALLY gets the heat going.

@SunnyDays, Georgia taxes everything.   State income tax of 5.5%.   County property tax of roughly 1% of value plus further sales taxes of 7% or 8%.   City property tax roughly .5% of value.  Food is taxed at same sales tax rate.   Suggest folks consider TN or FL or SC instead of GA to enjoy the south but actually have higher standard of living by about 8% to 12% depending on the combination.    The game now is the last 2 governors say they are raising use based taxes in order to be able to remove income taxes so they can compete with these other states... It's been all lies resulting in taxing more on property, income and sales.

Hm, that's interesting.  Where I live, basic groceries and kid's clothes (under 14) are not taxed at all.  Things like junk food, convenience foods, soft drinks etc, in other words, everything that's not good for you is taxed, both provincially (7%) and federally (5%).  Restaurant meals under a certain amount are not taxed either, but the amount is so small (something like $6) it makes little difference.  The tax is added at the till, so sometimes the total is a bit of a surprise.

Sunnydays: Manitoba, right? Or is there another province with the same set of tax-exempt items? I remember reading a post somewhere that said that in MB, potatoes were taxed but Twinkies and Poptarts were exempt! The potato thing turned out to be an error (store made a mistake, they are supposed to be exempt) but the nevertheless the article give me a chuckle.

[zolotiyeruki]

By forum standards, our car is nothing to brag about. We have a 2010 civic in generally good condition. We are a one-car household and have a rather short commute to work (5 min each). Given that we live in Canada with very cold winters, our car battery sometimes has issues starting, especially given that short distances don't give much chance for it to recharge. We have had to change it twice in three years, although they were still under warranty so at no cost to us. DH goes along with most of MMM's principles, but this is non-negotiable and we only drive about 5000-6000 miles per year so we learn to live with it.

My husband works with many mechanics. One of them offered to help with the car for mechanical issues, and said that he has contacts for access to inexpensive repairs. This was said very kindly (not trying to make money) because he was concerned that we might be struggling financially (he knows we only have one car, and it's ''old'' according to most) and he wanted to help as he got along very well with DH. DH was a bit confused by the implied financial issues and turned down his offer while thanking him. We're a mid-twenties couple with about half a million in assets. Felt very stealth wealth when he told me about this conversation!

You might consider getting a float charger for your battery, and plug it in overnight once a week, to make sure it stays charged up enough.  It'd pay off in the long run--car batteries are expensive!

[Dicey]

By forum standards, our car is nothing to brag about. We have a 2010 civic in generally good condition. We are a one-car household and have a rather short commute to work (5 min each). Given that we live in Canada with very cold winters, our car battery sometimes has issues starting, especially given that short distances don't give much chance for it to recharge. We have had to change it twice in three years, although they were still under warranty so at no cost to us. DH goes along with most of MMM's principles, but this is non-negotiable and we only drive about 5000-6000 miles per year so we learn to live with it.

My husband works with many mechanics. One of them offered to help with the car for mechanical issues, and said that he has contacts for access to inexpensive repairs. This was said very kindly (not trying to make money) because he was concerned that we might be struggling financially (he knows we only have one car, and it's ''old'' according to most) and he wanted to help as he got along very well with DH. DH was a bit confused by the implied financial issues and turned down his offer while thanking him. We're a mid-twenties couple with about half a million in assets. Felt very stealth wealth when he told me about this conversation!

You might consider getting a float charger for your battery, and plug it in overnight once a week, to make sure it stays charged up enough.  It'd pay off in the long run--car batteries are expensive!

+1. It probably saves a lot of hassle and has a lower environmental impact than replacing batteries.

[Malossi792]

+1
Bought one at Aldi. Cost about a fifth of what a new car battery would. Have been using it for years, does a great job at maintaining batteries, even has a 'revive' function in case the voltage gets a bit too low. Can be left attached indefinitely. I can not recommend it enough.

[Dicey]

+1
Bought one at Aldi. Cost about a fifth of what a new car battery would. Have been using it for years, does a great job at maintaining batteries, even has a 'revive' function in case the voltage gets a bit too low. Can be left attached indefinitely. I can not recommend it enough.

Oops...charging indefinitely can usher in unwanted hazards, including fires. Not a good idea to do that. Just use as needed.

[Malossi792]

+1
Bought one at Aldi. Cost about a fifth of what a new car battery would. Have been using it for years, does a great job at maintaining batteries, even has a 'revive' function in case the voltage gets a bit too low. Can be left attached indefinitely. I can not recommend it enough.

Oops...charging indefinitely can usher in unwanted hazards, including fires. Not a good idea to do that. Just use as needed.

This one shuts off completely when the battery is charged. As it loses voltage over time, starts then stops charging as needed. Common stuff  with motorcycle enthusiasts.

[markbike528CBX]

+1
Bought one at Aldi. Cost about a fifth of what a new car battery would. Have been using it for years, does a great job at maintaining batteries, even has a 'revive' function in case the voltage gets a bit too low. Can be left attached indefinitely. I can not recommend it enough.

Oops...charging indefinitely can usher in unwanted hazards, including fires. Not a good idea to do that. Just use as needed.

There ARE charger/ battery maintainers that CAN be left connected.  They have special circuitry.
Your average charger, even low (1 Amp) cannot, as they try to charge a full battery, generate hydrogen, heat, and boil the battery dry.
Once every two weeks, for a few hours can work, but you MUST disconnect them, and not forget about them, or the aforementioned unwanted hazards will occur.
Doing without a smart charger may awake you in the dead of night to go check to see if you have unplugged it. YMMV

[Samuel]

Yeah, definitely worth paying a bit more for a float charger/battery tender than a basic trickle charger. Like a coffee pot with an auto off feature, you don't want to be out somewhere and think, "I did turn that off, didn't I...?"

[ChipmunkSavings]

As it happens we did buy a battery charger about a year ago, but it didn't seem to work and with Covid we didn't really bother to replace it so far. I didn't know there were different types of battery chargers however!

[Nederstash]

I'm not wealthy by MMM standards, but I definitely do pretty well. I don't necessarily try to be stealthy about money. My problem is that I don't give a hoot about appearances. Car washing? Once of twice a year. New clothes? When the mood suits me. I will wear things to tatters - especially things like pj's, socks and underwear. I'm a bit better at outer clothing, since I do have to meet clients for my work. Home repair? Eh, it can wait. Doesn't bother me.

My eldest brother is my polar opposite. Everything has to be spick and span, or he will genuinely be bothered by it. Can NOT relate. What utter stress must that be.

It's not that I'm too cheap to replace items... it goes through my mind "yeah I should probably get new ones" and then I just forget. It's a handy trait if you want to save money, but it's honestly completely unrelated.

[talltexan]

@Nederstash it sounds like you'll get wealthier with the passing days, tho

[Astro]

I think we confuse everyone.  We're triple members of the double comma club.   I own a tesla but also wear a winter coat with a large chunk of black duct tape because it still keeps me warm just fine and my 10 year old shoes are nearing end of life.   I can't remember the last time I've purchased a clothing item except for socks that annoyingly keep wearing out.  We live in a nice neighborhood but do all our own maintenance.  My wife works part-time at a hospital for health insurance because right now it's ridiculously expensive for those of us over the ACA cliff and older than 50.  She brown-bags every day.  We have a very nice stereo system which is nearing 20 years and a 12 year old plasma tv that still has a great picture.  We are 'game-ifying' our expenses and with the exception of our mortgage and taxes we are currently spending low 20k's annually.    The only reason we still have a mortgage is because we just refinanced at 2.1% and can almost certainly earn more with our investments.   Still running our own business out of our home but we'll see how much longer we do that.  I'm ready to dump northern winters!