Is it OK to indulge?

[HokieInPa]

My wife and I are lifelong savers. We both have nice salaries, we max out our 401k's and IRA's, and save even more in a taxable account. Our house will be paid off within the next year (20 years early). We should be able to retire very comfortably at 55. We have no kids. I drive a modest car (paid in full in cash) with 110,000 miles and she has a free company vehicle. We always look to minimize our expense to the bone (special thanks to IP Daley, for saving us $750 a year in cellphone, Internet, and home phone). I brown bag my lunch every day. To sum it up we are frugal, very frugal....except..... We indulge in fine wine and fine food. We love nothing better than a great meal (in or out) with a great bottle of wine, and great company. I spend more on wine than many people spend on car payments. I justify by cutting back in other areas. But can I be a true mustachian, when I am very un-mustachian in one area???

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

The mustache philosophy is to reject consumerism just for the sake of consumerism.  If something is important to you, go for it. 

[Devils Advocate]

I agree with Iron Mike.
DA

[Numbers Man]

I say enjoy the wine! The idea is to be smart with your money not live like a miser.

[golden1]

I agree.  I think that the idea is that your spending should match your values.  You shouldn't spend just to keep up with a certain expectation of how to live.  If you love eating out and it is in the budget, enjoy!

[jrhampt]

Sure, why not?  There are several areas in which I spend money which are not strictly necessary: I have a cat, I like expensive sports bras and winery tours, and I am going to Italy in December.  My approach has been to first subtract everything, get rid of all subscription expenses and pare down to the essentials.  Then start adding back what you feel is most valuable to you - it is easier to see once you strip away everything else.  And congrats on paying off your house early! 

[limeandpepper]

Why do you have to ask other people whether it's okay to indulge? As long as you're not hurting anyone, live life to your own values and goals and pleasures, not for the approval of others. Who cares if some randoms think you are a "true mustachian" or not? Labels are pointless anyway. If you're cutting out things that are important to you just because you feel like you have to live up to someone else's ideal rather than your own,  then it's just another form of keeping up with the Joneses.

[Jamesqf]

What others have said: if it's what you enjoy, and can handle the expense without going into debt/not building a stash, then enjoy.  I would, however, suggest that you look at the studies showing that, in blind taste tests, most people (including a lot of "experts") can't tell the difference between expensive wines and cheaper ones.

[HokieInPa]

It's not  that I'm looking for others approval. It's more a personal feeling that I'm being wasteful or excessive. Was wondering if others had that "thing" that they regularly splurge on that makes them feel a little guilty that they are not being their normal frugal selfs?

[frugalman]

Hokie - we spend a lot on golf. That's our passion, what's important to us. Like you, I've trimmed the rest back pretty far, brown bag lunches etc. So what if my savings rate is only 52 percent, versus 60 percent if we gave up golf or 85 percent if we lived in a tar paper shack in the woods.

You go for it! And, I'll bet YOU can tell the difference between a fine wine and a cheap wine, blindfolded!

[HokieInPa]

Thanks Frugal man and good point with the tar shack. I guess it is about living within your means while still living the way you want.

Damn straight I can tell the difference. There are great wines at $10-$15 and bad wines at $100 a bottle but (in general) as the price goes up the quality does too. I bet you would pay $300 (or whatever it costs) to play Pebblebeach or Augusta in given the opportunity.

[brewer12345]

For some reason the joke about the wine expert who volunteers to be blindfolded and identify any wine comes to mind.  He is given several exotic wines and successfully identifies vintage and winery.  Finally someone hands him a glass and he spits it out saying, "this is urine!"  A reedy voice from the back of the crowd responds: "yes, but whose?"

Hokie, at some point it is worth asking yourself what money is for.  When you have the answer to that (and it will be different for different people), you will have clarity on questions like this.

[Spork]

I'm going to repeat everyone and say "yes, of course".  For me, I view mustacianism as a toolbox full of tools.  I am by no means "as badass" as a huge number on this site.  And that's ok.  I live quite a bit higher than a lot of folks here (and will, in turn, retire later than most here).  It's a trade off.  The important thing is to mentally make the trade:  know what you're giving up and walk the mental gymnastics and decide "that trade is awesome!  I'll live $X above what the badasses here are living and I'll enjoy it and still retire early!"

[Jamesqf]

Damn straight I can tell the difference. There are great wines at $10-$15 and bad wines at $100 a bottle but (in general) as the price goes up the quality does too.

Maybe you can, even without labels/pricetags to help :-)  But I know I can't, which reduces my spending on wine by a considerable amount.  And that, I think, is part of being Mustachian: being aware of when you're getting bang for your bucks, and when you're just engaging in pointless consumerist spending.

[seattlecyclone]

I'd say it's a good idea to identify how much you're spending on wine (or other vices) and run the numbers to see how much quicker you could get to FI if you gave up that spending entirely. If it turns out that you'll retire three years later because of the fine wine, but you're okay with that, then I say go for it! The problem arises when people spend money on things they say they like, without any notion of how much it will affect their future financial goals. Every spending is a trade-off of some sort. As long as you have the information about what the negative consequences of the spending are, and you still feel it's worthwhile, I don't think any of us can fault you too much for deciding to spend the money anyway.

[Albert]

I see no problem either as long as you are not going into debt because of it, are still saving a considerable amount of money and are convinced that wine and food is really what you are into.

There are some  truly "badass" posters here, but I believe most of us are regular people who save a considerable amount of our income but still spend money on things which are not absolutely must (I spend thousand every year on optional travel...). It's not about being a "true mustachian" whatever that means, but about being aware of what you are spending and why.

[HokieInPa]

All great points! I know and accept that many on this site are far more badass than I am (or want to be). It is that balance between when you want to retire (for me 55), whether you are on track, and what you want to "give up" to get there. I give up things I dont care about (luxury car, "unlimited cell phone", name brand groceries, etc) to spend on things that we enjoy.

A couple people answered, but very curious as to what other splurge on (and if they splurge). and what they "give up" to achieve balance in their finances.

[lifejoy]

I think part of Mustachianism is being conscious of how you're spending your money, and making sure it is in line with your goals. Often this will look like frugality, because many of us have early retirement as a primary goal. But if your goal is to live comfortably, have enough $ to retire on, and enjoy your wine - hell, I'd say you get the stamp of approval :)

Have a glass for me!

[SnackDog]

All things in moderation. My experience with people who Really like fine food and wine is that they Really like wine, lots of it. As long as you are not having more than one or two glasses at a meal, you are probably fine. More than that could be a problem.

[NumberJohnny5]

I like to call it "conscious spending." Be aware of exactly what you're spending money on, and how that's affecting your life. MOST of us would scoff at spending $500/mo (I assume that's close, as you compared it to a car payment) on wine, but that's because wine is not all that important to us. Same with a daily latte, 2-3 meals at McDonald's during the work week, etc. But if you have truly evaluated your spending, and believe the money spent on wine is worth the sacrifice (less money for other material goods, more time spent working to achieve FI, having to live in a smaller house, whatever), then I would say go for it.

The only real advice I could give, would be to see if you could get the same or very similar enjoyment out of your wine "hobby" with a lower outlay of cash. Perhaps like the Starbucks latte, less may be more (one fine bottle of wine monthly could be more enjoyable than one bottle three times weekly). Keep buying expensive wine, but buy an occasional cheap wine that you haven't tried before (perhaps make it into a game; you or your wife buys one expensive bottle and one cheap, you have a bit of a blind taste-test and try to guess which is which; super bonus if you find an incredible $15 bottle of wine that you can put into your regular rotation). At best, you'll save a few bucks; at worst you'll know that the $300 bottle of wine is worth every penny (but do test yourself every so often, at least once yearly).

A couple people answered, but very curious as to what other splurge on (and if they splurge). and what they "give up" to achieve balance in their finances.

Travel is our splurge. We already went on one cruise this year, and are about to go on another two-week cruise. Will spend three days in Hong Kong and three in Malaysia pre-cruise (I will neglect to mention that two of the three days in Hong Kong will be devoted to Disneyland). The costs for this trip do seem slightly out of control, but not too terribly so.

As for what we're giving up, that's hard to say really. I don't really look at it in the sense of "I can only go to McDonald's once this week; I'm giving up the other one/two/five visits so we can travel." Rather, we focus on what is important, and pare down where it's not that important. Going out to eat is nearly as enjoyable whether we go once of five times a week, so we budget $20/wk and that's that (though we do go out more often than that, i.e. date night is a separate category). We don't have cable/satellite tv, because there's plenty to watch ota (we do have a $50/mo budget for entertainment, which is mostly used going to the movies). I walk more than I used to; it's somewhat enjoyable plus I save maybe $80/mo in fuel.

I guess the biggest thing we're "giving up" is an earlier retirement. Once we reach a certain point (should take another couple years or so), our investments could go on auto-pilot and we'd automatically reach retirement without trying. While it won't be true FI or retirement, it means that in a matter of 2-3 years we'd be even more in the "do whatever we want, for the heck of it" phase than we are now.

[chasesfish]

All great points! I know and accept that many on this site are far more badass than I am (or want to be). It is that balance between when you want to retire (for me 55), whether you are on track, and what you want to "give up" to get there. I give up things I dont care about (luxury car, "unlimited cell phone", name brand groceries, etc) to spend on things that we enjoy.

A couple people answered, but very curious as to what other splurge on (and if they splurge). and what they "give up" to achieve balance in their finances.

So what's your saying is Hokie Red and Hokie White from Chateau Morrisette isn't enough for you?  I'm not a wine fan, but I have both of those collecting dust in my house.

It's fine if that'd what you like, time and money both are finite to me and I find I trade time for money at work.  My crutch is travel and nice accommodations.

[ny.er]

All great points! I know and accept that many on this site are far more badass than I am (or want to be). It is that balance between when you want to retire (for me 55), whether you are on track, and what you want to "give up" to get there. I give up things I dont care about (luxury car, "unlimited cell phone", name brand groceries, etc) to spend on things that we enjoy.

A couple people answered, but very curious as to what other splurge on (and if they splurge). and what they "give up" to achieve balance in their finances.

Our big splurge was having 3 children, which in turn meant bigger house, bigger bills, and fewer extras for ourselves. To me, kids are what makes life worthwhile, fun, interesting, and also fraught with anxiety and worry ~ both ends of the emotional spectrum so to speak.

[Jamesqf]

A couple people answered, but very curious as to what other splurge on (and if they splurge). and what they "give up" to achieve balance in their finances.

In my case, the splurge is currently the horse.  (And associated expenses, like gas for my friend to haul the horse trailer to nice riding places.)  To some extent, also the house & land.  I choose to live in a rural area, and have a pretty extensive garden.

As for what I give up, really nothing, if by giving up you mean not spending money on things I really want.  I don't spend money on car payments, cable TV (or TV period), smart phones & cell plans, or a whole lot of other things, but that is because I don't want them.

[NinetyFour]

I splurge on recreational ice hockey.  I spend an average of about $100 per month on it.  (Yikes!) But it is great exercise, it is my way of playing a team sport, and it gives me the perfect amount of socialization.  I have decided that it is a good investment in my physical and mental health.

[limeandpepper]

It's not  that I'm looking for others approval. It's more a personal feeling that I'm being wasteful or excessive. Was wondering if others had that "thing" that they regularly splurge on that makes them feel a little guilty that they are not being their normal frugal selfs?

I don't know... "Is it OK to indulge?" "Can I be a true Mustachian?" does come across that you're asking for permission/approval. If all you want is to discuss splurges, you may find these following threads relevant. However, I still don't think one should feel guilty if they are spending according to their values.

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/what-is-the-most-non-stache-thing-that-you-still-do/

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/what-are-your-non-mustachian-weaknesses/

[avonlea]

Why do you have to ask other people whether it's okay to indulge? As long as you're not hurting anyone, live life to your own values and goals and pleasures, not for the approval of others. Who cares if some randoms think you are a "true mustachian" or not? Labels are pointless anyway. If you're cutting out things that are important to you just because you feel like you have to live up to someone else's ideal rather than your own,  then it's just another form of keeping up with the Joneses.

+1

[mpbaker22]

I can't imagine these responses on this forum 6 months ago.

You're spending as much on wine as some people's car payments?  Is that several hundred dollars a month?  That's insane.

Sure if you have the money, it's your choice; of course.  But how much less could you work by not buying that wine that most people see as indistinguishable from cheap wine?

[jrhampt]

A couple people answered, but very curious as to what other splurge on (and if they splurge). and what they "give up" to achieve balance in their finances.

Well, for example, I don't have cable tv or a fancy cell plan, I get my books at the library, and I drive a 12 year old car that gets great gas mileage and is very low maintenance.  But I do like to travel (I have family overseas).  I don't get my hair or nails done and spend very little on cosmetics/toiletries, but I do go for some, er, injection-style "maintenance".  I don't buy perfume, jewelry, or handbags, but like nice clothes.  We cook at home most of the time, but a couple of times a year we will splurge at Morton's.  We don't use the A/C and keep the thermostat pretty low in the winter so the natural gas bill is low, but we upgraded our wood stove.

[Adventine]

Why do you have to ask other people whether it's okay to indulge? As long as you're not hurting anyone, live life to your own values and goals and pleasures, not for the approval of others. Who cares if some randoms think you are a "true mustachian" or not? Labels are pointless anyway. If you're cutting out things that are important to you just because you feel like you have to live up to someone else's ideal rather than your own,  then it's just another form of keeping up with the Joneses.

+1

Tis true, tis true.

[chardog]

Sure, why not?  There are several areas in which I spend money which are not strictly necessary: I have a cat, I like expensive sports bras and winery tours, and I am going to Italy in December.  My approach has been to first subtract everything, get rid of all subscription expenses and pare down to the essentials.  Then start adding back what you feel is most valuable to you - it is easier to see once you strip away everything else.  And congrats on paying off your house early!

Agree.  It's important to strip away everything else before adding back expensive sports bras. :)

[Spork]

I can't imagine these responses on this forum 6 months ago.

You're spending as much on wine as some people's car payments?  Is that several hundred dollars a month?  That's insane.

Sure if you have the money, it's your choice; of course.  But how much less could you work by not buying that wine that most people see as indistinguishable from cheap wine?

I sort of share your "that's insane" feeling....  but (IMO) as long as the OP understands your question "much less could you work by not buying that wine..." I have a hard time getting too upset. 

Personally, I know people that want to work up until the day they die.  And I'm willing to retire in early 50s instead of some badass 35 like some people.  As long as it's a conscious trade-off, I don't see an issue.

[Rebecca Stapler]

A couple people answered, but very curious as to what other splurge on (and if they splurge). and what they "give up" to achieve balance in their finances.

Disclaimer: Also not a badass. Here are our indulgences:

1) I refuse to give up my expensive haircuts because not hating my hair every morning is a wonderful feeling. I do buy some expensive products for it too, but I get the best deals I can on those products.

2) We continue to eat lean meats and produce and sometimes organic / hormone-free dairy, but again I find the best deals I can so we can still enjoy them.

3) We took a vacation this summer and it was awesome. Like the other indulgences, our vacation was extremely frugal and only camping would have been less expensive.

I'm having a hard time remembering all the stuff we gave up, because it's just a lot of stuff -- I stopped going to Target and Bed Bath and Beyond to get things for the house that just turn into stuff. We rarely dine out or get take out. We rarely drink anything other than seltzer from the Sodastream. We brown bag lunch. We do free activities like the playground, library, and picnics instead of paid entertainment like the movies or kids' playspaces. We freely accept invitations to other peoples' swimming pools ;) We drive cars that are 12 and 7 years old. We don't give lavish gifts and ask that our family not get us gifts at Christmas (although, they don't necessarily listen so IDK if that counts as "giving up" something). We do not have the latest gadgets like iPads, iPhones, etc.

[limeandpepper]

I can't imagine these responses on this forum 6 months ago.

You're spending as much on wine as some people's car payments?  Is that several hundred dollars a month?  That's insane.

Sure if you have the money, it's your choice; of course.  But how much less could you work by not buying that wine that most people see as indistinguishable from cheap wine?

If it was a post saying "I'm in serious strife" and asking for advice on how to get out of debt / save more, then it would be DUH, face punch, stop drinking so much expensive wine, obviously. But in this case it's "I'm frugal and we have healthy finances, but we have an pricey indulgence, what do you think", so I feel that "do what's in line with your priorities" is a perfectly reasonable response. I agree with what Spork said, basically.

[pattertall]

How can you be frugal if you spend hundreds on wine per month?

I consider myself frugal, but I spend hundreds on housing per month :P

I'm being facetious, but the point that others have made and that I agree with is that as long as one has objectively evaluated the importance of a particular category of spending and can fit it into a well balanced budget with a high savings rate, it's okay to spend more in that category than others might choose to.  To me, being frugal is recognizing one's means and living well below them.  So if the OP makes 5k/month and spends 1.5k/month (just an example), I'd consider that frugal even if 500/month is spent on wine!

[jrhampt]

How can you be frugal if you spend hundreds on wine per month?

I consider myself frugal, but I spend hundreds on housing per month :P

I'm being facetious, but the point that others have made and that I agree with is that as long as one has objectively evaluated the importance of a particular category of spending and can fit it into a well balanced budget with a high savings rate, it's okay to spend more in that category than others might choose to.  To me, being frugal is recognizing one's means and living well below them.  So if the OP makes 5k/month and spends 1.5k/month (just an example), I'd consider that frugal even if 500/month is spent on wine!

Well, I'd consider that "living within your means", but not necessarily being frugal.  The higher your income is, the easier it is to spend within your means without being frugal.

[MrsPete]

Why would you "ask permission" to spend your own money?  You've given details in your initial post that justify your ability to afford this splurge, but it's not our business. 

Of course you can splurge on something here and there.  Always be honest with yourself about whether you can /can't afford this item.  Always be honest with yourself about whether you're indulging too often or in too many things.  But this is your decision.   Weigh the choice against your overall resources, be certain that this purchase is in line with your overall goals, set yourself a budget for how much you can afford to spend for this luxury. 

Personally, I dislike wine and would not spend on it . . . but I'm sure I spend on something that you would consider frivolous. 

[mpbaker22]

Asking permission wasn't the intent of the OP.  The specifically stated question is, 'can it be mustachian?'

Do we have a definition of mustachian?  I think MMM isn't all that mustachian :P  he seems to spend a lot more money than is necessary, but it's also within his plan and within his SWR.  So, spending hundreds on wine when you aren't FI is probably not mustachian.  I also wouldn't spend tons of money on wine like that, personally.  But I do spend about $75-$100 on alcohol a month.  And I'm not FI.  So, in that regard, I am not mustachian.

In the end, I'm not going to start living out of dumpsters to declare FI.  But drinking fine wine isn't quite the same as living in a cheap apartment.

[NumberJohnny5]

How can you be frugal if you spend hundreds on wine per month?

Frugal ≠ Cheap

Cheap would be not buying wine, or only wine that's under $5/bottle. Frugal is realizing that Le Expensive Wine is really awesome, worth every dollar at $300/bottle, and buying a whole crate when it's on sale for $150/bottle.

*Note, it's not as simple as that, many other factors should be taken into consideration. For example your overall financial health, how much it'll cost to store all those crates of $150 bottles of wine, whether you're occasionally testing other wines to see if a $20/bottle is just as good or better, etc.

[chicagomeg]

How can you be frugal if you spend hundreds on wine per month?

Frugal ≠ Cheap

Cheap would be not buying wine, or only wine that's under $5/bottle. Frugal is realizing that Le Expensive Wine is really awesome, worth every dollar at $300/bottle, and buying a whole crate when it's on sale for $150/bottle.

*Note, it's not as simple as that, many other factors should be taken into consideration. For example your overall financial health, how much it'll cost to store all those crates of $150 bottles of wine, whether you're occasionally testing other wines to see if a $20/bottle is just as good or better, etc.

I agree that frugal doesn't equal cheap, but $150 wine is neither frugal nor cheap. That's the kind of shit we put people into the Anti Mustachian Hall of Fame for.

[NumberJohnny5]

I agree that frugal doesn't equal cheap, but $150 wine is neither frugal nor cheap. That's the kind of shit we put people into the Anti Mustachian Hall of Fame for.

When searching for the world's most expensive bottle of wine, I came across this:

"The sale of 2,000 bottles direct from Lafite’s cellars, held by Sotheby’s in the Hong Kong Mandarin Oriental on Oct. 29, generated 65,473,000 HKD ($8,440,124). From the first lot of 2009 to the aforementioned 1869, prices sometimes hit three times the U.S. market rate."

That is an AVERAGE of $4,220.06 PER BOTTLE. Ok, take out the highest ($233,972), leave in the lowest (no idea), that's 1,999 bottles which cost $8,206,152 which is a per bottle average of...$4,105.13.

Ok, that's just ridiculous. I should search for the most expensive wine that one would actually drink, not just buy to collect. Surely that can't be too...ohmygod it's $6,999 for a bottle of 1997 Domaine de la Romanee Conti. Number 10 comes in at "only" $2,249 (hrm, even fine wines have a 9 at the end...cause $6,999 is reasonable, but $7,000 is just over the top).

Frugal is not defined merely by the price tag. If it were, then whose ruler do we get to use? Cause if we use a global standard, then I should be going "Ooh, look at Mr. Fancypants there, with his house, and indoor plumbing, and shoes." Frugal? Ha! $50 for shoes is outrageous, when you can simply go barefoot. $30/mo for water to flush down your toilet and washing with? Try $0 and just do all that down in the river (good place to get drinking water while you're at it). $100 for a bicycle...what's wrong with your feet? Your two pampered feet with "Dr Scholl's" whatever in your SHOES! Seriously, you guys think you're frugal with your a/c set to 80 in the summer?

Or should we set the bar a little higher? What would frugal mean to Donald Trump? Heck, flying first class instead of a private jet would probably not count as frugal...it'd be downright barbaric.

I suppose you could say mustachianism is simply a subset of being frugal. Specifically, it's being frugal with a single common goal: early retirement (or financial independence, depending on your like or dislike of official dictionaries). One can be frugal with different goals (cars, shopping, travel, home theater, fine dining), but being mustachianism requires being frugal with a goal of FI (though if the forums here are any indication, that only has to be a major goal...does not have to be the only goal or even the most important goal).

[chicagomeg]

Yes, but this is MMM and we cut through all the consumerism bullshit. $150 on a single bottle of wine is insane. If that's your choice, fine. But it's crazy.

[plantingourpennies]

Actually, I asked a very similar question of the forum in December of 2012:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-does-everybody-feel-about-spending-2k-on-a-stereo/

I don't think you (or i) can purchase luxury good and be considered Mustachian. But who the hell cares?

Come by my place, bring some nice wine, my wife will make some of her special tikka masala, and we'll laugh at all the people who can't tell good wine from bad, and good sound from crap.

Best,
Mr. PoP

[SnackDog]

There is an old saying about wine: everyone can tell a $5 bottle from a $15 bottle, but nobody can tell a $15 bottle from a $50 bottle. Plenty of blind tastings back this up.

[Jamesqf]

...we'll laugh at all the people who can't tell good wine from bad, and good sound from crap.

But there is no such thing as bad wine :-)

As for the sound, what you play matters far more than the equipment you play it on.  Bach on a windup victrola is far superior to most contemporary music on the best sound system in the universe.

[Albert]

Not everyone has the same taste. You'd have to pay me to listen to Bach for more than 15 min no matter the sound system...

[Jamesqf]

True enough about taste, but that doesn't detract from my point.  The content is usually much more important than the delivery.

Something similar even applies to wine: I've had some fairly expensive wines that, to my taste, came as close to being undrinkable as any wine can: very dry, full of tannins, etc.  I really prefer the cheap stuff that comes in a box to those.

[mpbaker22]

Ah, it appears I've seen some agreement after a few days.  Yes, it's perfectly fine for the OP to spend a ton on wine, but it's not frugal and it's not mustachian.  Mustachianism does allow for certain non-frugal purchases, but not to the extent of the OPs question.

There is an old saying about wine: everyone can tell a $5 bottle from a $15 bottle, but nobody can tell a $15 bottle from a $50 bottle. Plenty of blind tastings back this up.

Actually blind tastings show no difference between a $2.50 bottle of wine and a $50 bottle.

[Jamesqf]

Yes, it's perfectly fine for the OP to spend a ton on wine, but it's not frugal and it's not mustachian. 

I think the truely Mustachian wine lover would be spending his or her time checking out the less expensive wines, looking for good but comparatively cheap bargains.

[sloof70]

I was going to ask about this, and being the good forum member I am, I sought out an existing discussion on it.

I am a pretty frugal guy.  I make a good income for a young, single guy.  Not as good as those tech kiddos pulling six figures, but above average.  Put almost $1500 monthly into retirement.  Drive a shit little pickup.  Cheap rent with a roommate.  Cook mostly.  Don't really buy consumer crap. 

But you know what I still enjoy?  Fun things that I can't make happen on my own.  I like going to concerts, or comedy shows, or new bars, or fun restaurants.  I like to travel abroad for a couple weeks once a year.  Recently, I went skydiving for the first time.  It was $250.  I didn't second guess that purchase.  Saving money is great, but at the expense of doing the things that are new and different and exciting?  Not for me.

[happy]

Quote from: mpbaker22 on September 23, 2013, 11:53:38 am
Yes, it's perfectly fine for the OP to spend a ton on wine, but it's not frugal and it's not mustachian. 

I think the truely Mustachian wine lover would be spending his or her time checking out the less expensive wines, looking for good but comparatively cheap bargains.

+1.

I used to be a big wine buff, but stopped when I became single as I couldn't afford it. Even then,when really into it,  I most enjoyed finding the $10 bottle that tasted as good as the $30 one, and buying a dozen of the $10 one. I also enjoyed cellaring wines (still do).... 5 or 10 years later if you chose well, you have a unique aged wine, that costs a lot to buy. Unfortunately these days Down Under , market research shows that most wine is consumed within a short time of purchase so most winemakers make "drink now" wines, that don't cellar well :( .