Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[Dicey]

My daughter was invited to test by her karate instructor. He offered to let her perform in an empty dojo, cancelling class. My wife took the van to go shopping, so I had to drive my car for the first time in five weeks to get my daughter to the testing. I'm not sure it's worth it to be a two-car family, honestly, but we've saved enough already that selling my car and investing $6,000 won't move the needle for us very much.

Too many cars, too much money. Will you guys accept me?

Only because you are cute :)

And because you hang out at the DPOYM Club. Cute + smart is an irresistible combination!

[talltexan]

@Dicey , I may have that one, small thing right, but I can still find many other places to mess up!

[Taran Wanderer]

Can’t get through a bottle of wine?  Yeah, um, we never have that problem!

[Morning Glory]

Autocorrect on my phone changes "wtf" into "ETF"

[RWD]

Autocorrect on my phone changes "wtf" into "ETF"

Haha, that is a Mustachian problem indeed!

[Alternatepriorities]

Autocorrect on my phone changes "wtf" into "ETF"

That is awesome! Congratulations on training the AI properly.

[Linea_Norway]

My wife switched us to box wine because we never have enough adults in the house to drink an entire bottle at one time. The problem is that boxed wine is really not very good.

We usually drink one and a half glass at dinner the first day and another glass at dinner a day or two days later. With 2 people, that finishes a bottles. With red wine that goes fine. Yesterday however, I drank white wine for the second day, and it has lost most of it's sparkling elements and tasted a bit dead.

[PhilB]

Can’t get through a bottle of wine?  Yeah, um, we never have that problem!

I remember we once stayed at a place in France that had their own vineyard.  The owners explained that their USP was going to be selling the wine in half litre bottles rather than the usual 700 ml.  Their thinking was that people would be more able to get through that in one sitting, but before they could explain that my wife and I went 'Great idea!  So you can have white with the starter and red with the main course!'  Oops.

[zolotiyeruki]

Can’t get through a bottle of wine?  Yeah, um, we never have that problem!

I remember we once stayed at a place in France that had their own vineyard.  The owners explained that their USP was going to be selling the wine in half litre bottles rather than the usual 700 ml.  Their thinking was that people would be more able to get through that in one sitting, but before they could explain that my wife and I went 'Great idea!  So you can have white with the starter and red with the main course!'  Oops.

As a non-drinker, I have to confess ignorance--why was that such a faux pas?

[LennStar]

Can’t get through a bottle of wine?  Yeah, um, we never have that problem!

I remember we once stayed at a place in France that had their own vineyard.  The owners explained that their USP was going to be selling the wine in half litre bottles rather than the usual 700 ml.  Their thinking was that people would be more able to get through that in one sitting, but before they could explain that my wife and I went 'Great idea!  So you can have white with the starter and red with the main course!'  Oops.

As a non-drinker, I have to confess ignorance--why was that such a faux pas?

I don't drink either, but I think you are supposed to drink the red first, white later?

[PhilB]

No, it's just that when he thinks a couple struggle to drink one 70 cl bottle in a night you're not supposed to tell him that you frequently drink the best part of two.

Or, put another way, he thought he was on to something because a standard bottle was too big, but I thought he had an answer to a standard bottle being too small.

[LennStar]

No, it's just that when he thinks a couple struggle to drink one 70 cl bottle in a night you're not supposed to tell him that you frequently drink the best part of two.

Or, put another way, he thought he was on to something because a standard bottle was too big, but I thought he had an answer to a standard bottle being too small.

Huh???

But now, instead of 1 bottle at $10 he can sell 2 bottles at 2x$8!!  30% more wine but 60% more income!

[Faramir]

I was in Australia for a month over the southern hemisphere summer with my Dad and we noticed some cheaper red wine sold in 1 litre bottles. Dad had no problem with that in 1 evening without my help.

[Freedomin5]

On our morning walks around our apartment complex, 6-year-old DD and I like to walk past the communal dump to look for “treasure”, especially during the summer months as many expats repatriate and throw out a ton of perfectly good stuff.

Today, DD excitedly told me that for her next birthday, she wanted to invite her friends over for a sleepover and they could “wake up early and go look for treasure at the dump!” My kid thinks dumpster diving is a fantastic birthday party activity. She’s going to go to her posh, expensive, private school and ask the other kids if they want to go to the dump in the same way that normal kids ask their friends if they want to go to the mall.

[Sibley]

On our morning walks around our apartment complex, 6-year-old DD and I like to walk past the communal dump to look for “treasure”, especially during the summer months as many expats repatriate and throw out a ton of perfectly good stuff.

Today, DD excitedly told me that for her next birthday, she wanted to invite her friends over for a sleepover and they could “wake up early and go look for treasure at the dump!” My kid thinks dumpster diving is a fantastic birthday party activity. She’s going to go to her posh, expensive, private school and ask the other kids if they want to go to the dump in the same way that normal kids ask their friends if they want to go to the mall.

Um, that's great for your DD, but I really think you're going to need to get her to revise her birthday plan. Hopefully the birthday isn't for a while.

[Freedomin5]

On our morning walks around our apartment complex, 6-year-old DD and I like to walk past the communal dump to look for “treasure”, especially during the summer months as many expats repatriate and throw out a ton of perfectly good stuff.

Today, DD excitedly told me that for her next birthday, she wanted to invite her friends over for a sleepover and they could “wake up early and go look for treasure at the dump!” My kid thinks dumpster diving is a fantastic birthday party activity. She’s going to go to her posh, expensive, private school and ask the other kids if they want to go to the dump in the same way that normal kids ask their friends if they want to go to the mall.

Um, that's great for your DD, but I really think you're going to need to get her to revise her birthday plan. Hopefully the birthday isn't for a while.

Thankfully, I have nine months to get her to change her mind.

[Taran Wanderer]

Two of the four machines at the bottle return are down, so DW and kids have to wait to return the bottles and cans for the deposits. (She is more mustachian than I am...)

[StashingAway]

My wife switched us to box wine because we never have enough adults in the house to drink an entire bottle at one time. The problem is that boxed wine is really not very good.

Box wine varies as much as bottled wine. We've tried them all and have a strong preference for Black Box for reds. Bota is decent and the rest are OK. Some are downright awful (worse than Franzia). If you haven't tried Black Box then I'd put it on your list.

[Plina]

My wife switched us to box wine because we never have enough adults in the house to drink an entire bottle at one time. The problem is that boxed wine is really not very good.

Box wine varies as much as bottled wine. We've tried them all and have a strong preference for Black Box for reds. Bota is decent and the rest are OK. Some are downright awful (worse than Franzia). If you haven't tried Black Box then I'd put it on your list.

Here they sell halfbottles. I normally buy them if I don’t need a whole bottle.

[SquashingDebt]

I was curious how my current net worth (just hit $200k, woo!) compared to the traditional retirement savings benchmarks, so was browsing a few websites.  I ended up on the Fidelity retirement savings calculator, which includes the age you want to retire.  I thought "Hmm, I guess I'll set it for 50.", trying to be conservative.  Then I found out the lowest it goes is 62!

[talltexan]

It never occurred to me I could become wealthy until my wife downloaded the mint app and it put our net worth at $400,000. It created such a cognitive dissonance inside of me to have those kind of resources.

[Zaga]

It never occurred to me I could become wealthy until my wife downloaded the mint app and it put our net worth at $400,000. It created such a cognitive dissonance inside of me to have those kind of resources.

I usually just figure with invested assets, not full net worth.  Well last week we had to do a full net worth for a bank and boy that number was higher than I thought it would be!

[Fomerly known as something]

I’m in a career where people can routinely retire early with a pension (law enforcement). I’m 5 years away from my date.  I hate having to explain that yes, I will be retiring and no I don’t plan to take another job then.

[Dicey]

It never occurred to me I could become wealthy until my wife downloaded the mint app and it put our net worth at $400,000. It created such a cognitive dissonance inside of me to have those kind of resources.

Does Mint include Real Estate equity?

Seriously, that's a damn good start. Just wait until you hit the two comma club. At the rate you're going, it won't take long.

[dragoncar]

It never occurred to me I could become wealthy until my wife downloaded the mint app and it put our net worth at $400,000. It created such a cognitive dissonance inside of me to have those kind of resources.

Does Mint include Real Estate equity?

Seriously, that's a damn good start. Just wait until you hit the two comma club. At the rate you're going, it won't take long.

Mint will include whatever you want.  I have documented my $5000 equity in troll dolls

[frapa]

Biking around so much for every day transport that my jeans are always wearing holes in the seat.

+1 My work jeans all have the same problem, too.

The last time I had to buy new pants was because they tore while cycling. I now start to think we should include the cost of pants in the cost of commuting, because they tear down much quicker :-)

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[talltexan]

It never occurred to me I could become wealthy until my wife downloaded the mint app and it put our net worth at $400,000. It created such a cognitive dissonance inside of me to have those kind of resources.

Does Mint include Real Estate equity?

Seriously, that's a damn good start. Just wait until you hit the two comma club. At the rate you're going, it won't take long.

Mint will include whatever you want.  I have documented my $5000 equity in troll dolls

Using the word "equity" with troll dolls sure makes it sound like you've found a reputable financial institution that offered you a loan against them. Anyone else seeing this?

[talltexan]

It never occurred to me I could become wealthy until my wife downloaded the mint app and it put our net worth at $400,000. It created such a cognitive dissonance inside of me to have those kind of resources.

Does Mint include Real Estate equity?

Seriously, that's a damn good start. Just wait until you hit the two comma club. At the rate you're going, it won't take long.

@Dicey DNPYM love to you as always!

I probably should have clarified that this episode occurred in the distant past, several years and one comma ago. After our most recent house transaction, I actually opted not to add our current house and mortgage into Mint because I didn't want members of my household thinking we were as rich as we are. Keeping that lean and hungry mindset!

[crocheted_stache]

The MPP on my mind right now is that I saved up tons of money to RE, including a $12,000 annual travel budget, and a year and a half out from REing, I...am not so enthusiastic about making travel plans for next year. 

A big contributor is the truly horrible, godawful, horrifying experiences I had flying this year.  But even planning road trips or other non-airplane travel is not catching my imagination right now.  A few years ago, I was planning constant trips and didn't mind going solo most of the time - Svalbard/the Arctic Circle, Sri Lanka, a month hiking in Patagonia, trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal and hiking in the Romanian Alps (both with a trekking group).  Now, it's just not ringing my bell.  I think I'll just stay home most of 2020, maybe do some local backpacking trips, and hope my wanderlust returns in future years.

You picked an awfully good year for staying home!

[crocheted_stache]

My MPP: DH and I have been giving each other home haircuts for ages and cannot commiserate or even relate to all the complainypants neighbors and colleagues getting progressively shaggier and grumpier.

[Taran Wanderer]

Two MPP's today:

1)  Tax and employer-paid medical insurance dominate our expenses so much that everything else is crammed into less than half of Quicken's standard pie chart.

2)  Saw an article about "Super Savers" on CNBC.  Sent it to DW.  She said she we obviously don't qualify because save too much and that what they call "Super Savers" is what she always thought was "normal".  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/super-savers-make-these-sacrifices-to-help-them-reach-their-goals.html?&qsearchterm=super%20saver

[pdxmonkey]

I spent slightly less than 6% of my gross income year to date due to spending almost no money due to pandemic, not because of any higher income than usual... So taxes are even more dominant than usual.

I'll have a new benchmark for what truly minimal spending looks like though as this should be my lowest spending year on record by a wide margin.

[dragoncar]

It never occurred to me I could become wealthy until my wife downloaded the mint app and it put our net worth at $400,000. It created such a cognitive dissonance inside of me to have those kind of resources.

Does Mint include Real Estate equity?

Seriously, that's a damn good start. Just wait until you hit the two comma club. At the rate you're going, it won't take long.

Mint will include whatever you want.  I have documented my $5000 equity in troll dolls

Using the word "equity" with troll dolls sure makes it sound like you've found a reputable financial institution that offered you a loan against them. Anyone else seeing this?

If you don’t leverage your troll position, you are leaving money on the bridge

[BicycleB]

It never occurred to me I could become wealthy until my wife downloaded the mint app and it put our net worth at $400,000. It created such a cognitive dissonance inside of me to have those kind of resources.

Does Mint include Real Estate equity?

Seriously, that's a damn good start. Just wait until you hit the two comma club. At the rate you're going, it won't take long.

Mint will include whatever you want.  I have documented my $5000 equity in troll dolls

Using the word "equity" with troll dolls sure makes it sound like you've found a reputable financial institution that offered you a loan against them. Anyone else seeing this?

If you don’t leverage your troll position, you are leaving money on the bridge

Is this rule set in stone?

[PhilB]

It never occurred to me I could become wealthy until my wife downloaded the mint app and it put our net worth at $400,000. It created such a cognitive dissonance inside of me to have those kind of resources.

Does Mint include Real Estate equity?

Seriously, that's a damn good start. Just wait until you hit the two comma club. At the rate you're going, it won't take long.

Mint will include whatever you want.  I have documented my $5000 equity in troll dolls

Using the word "equity" with troll dolls sure makes it sound like you've found a reputable financial institution that offered you a loan against them. Anyone else seeing this?

If you don’t leverage your troll position, you are leaving money on the bridge

Is this rule set in stone?

It definitely gets my goat.

[crocheted_stache]

MPP: Back-read this entire thread and ended up with a dozen more tabs open with recipes to try, an Amazon cart-filler search, a gift card exchange search, assorted free/open CAD options, calculators and spreadsheets, and other goodies that are sure to come in handy...someday.

[sui generis]

The MPP on my mind right now is that I saved up tons of money to RE, including a $12,000 annual travel budget, and a year and a half out from REing, I...am not so enthusiastic about making travel plans for next year. 

A big contributor is the truly horrible, godawful, horrifying experiences I had flying this year.  But even planning road trips or other non-airplane travel is not catching my imagination right now.  A few years ago, I was planning constant trips and didn't mind going solo most of the time - Svalbard/the Arctic Circle, Sri Lanka, a month hiking in Patagonia, trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal and hiking in the Romanian Alps (both with a trekking group).  Now, it's just not ringing my bell.  I think I'll just stay home most of 2020, maybe do some local backpacking trips, and hope my wanderlust returns in future years.

You picked an awfully good year for staying home!

Ha, good flashback, thanks for reminding me of this!  I had booked a trip to the Caucasus, but of course that didn't happen, and I ended up, as I suggested, doing some backacking trips, as well as a short road-trip.  And you know what I've said several times in just the last few weeks?  "I haven't been to an airport in almost 6 months and I could NOT be happier about that!"  I don't really miss traveling too much and I really, really don't miss flying and airports.  I wonder how long I'll feel that way?

[NorthernMonkey]

The MPP on my mind right now is that I saved up tons of money to RE, including a $12,000 annual travel budget, and a year and a half out from REing, I...am not so enthusiastic about making travel plans for next year. 

A big contributor is the truly horrible, godawful, horrifying experiences I had flying this year.  But even planning road trips or other non-airplane travel is not catching my imagination right now.  A few years ago, I was planning constant trips and didn't mind going solo most of the time - Svalbard/the Arctic Circle, Sri Lanka, a month hiking in Patagonia, trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal and hiking in the Romanian Alps (both with a trekking group).  Now, it's just not ringing my bell.  I think I'll just stay home most of 2020, maybe do some local backpacking trips, and hope my wanderlust returns in future years.

You picked an awfully good year for staying home!

Ha, good flashback, thanks for reminding me of this!  I had booked a trip to the Caucasus, but of course that didn't happen, and I ended up, as I suggested, doing some backacking trips, as well as a short road-trip.  And you know what I've said several times in just the last few weeks?  "I haven't been to an airport in almost 6 months and I could NOT be happier about that!"  I don't really miss traveling too much and I really, really don't miss flying and airports.  I wonder how long I'll feel that way?

I've lost my desire to travel far and wide, and instead I've started thinking about adventures much closer to home. Bike packing really appeals right now. Me, my bike and a tent. Only travelling 50 or so miles a day, but not at the whim of the TSA, airlines, immigration, visas or any of the other crap we have to put up when travelling

[LennStar]

If you are tired of traveling, maybe you should look for youtube channels like Nippon Wandering
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIDTgYVs-rEHx-fE4qSPZhQ
Someone just takes a walk through the town for you. Day, night, sunshine, rain... you can have a calming experience from your seat - and see other parts of the world.

It certainly isn't the healthiest walk, but you save a lot of nerves and money and time ;)

[Just Joe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpo62RjldVA

The channel is called "Pro Walks".

[dcheesi]

Two MPP's today:

1)  Tax and employer-paid medical insurance dominate our expenses so much that everything else is crammed into less than half of Quicken's standard pie chart.

2)  Saw an article about "Super Savers" on CNBC.  Sent it to DW.  She said she we obviously don't qualify because save too much and that what they call "Super Savers" is what she always thought was "normal".  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/super-savers-make-these-sacrifices-to-help-them-reach-their-goals.html?&qsearchterm=super%20saver

I love how that article lists "no housecleaner" as a "sacrifice" --as if every normal household hires someone to clean their house for them.

[LennStar]

Two MPP's today:

1)  Tax and employer-paid medical insurance dominate our expenses so much that everything else is crammed into less than half of Quicken's standard pie chart.

2)  Saw an article about "Super Savers" on CNBC.  Sent it to DW.  She said she we obviously don't qualify because save too much and that what they call "Super Savers" is what she always thought was "normal".  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/super-savers-make-these-sacrifices-to-help-them-reach-their-goals.html?&qsearchterm=super%20saver

I love how that article lists "no housecleaner" as a "sacrifice" --as if every normal household hires someone to clean their house for them.

That's because those super savers are not defined by the % of their income saved, but by the total amount.
If you can save 17'100 dollar it's extremely likely you are not earning minimum wage (Where a 30% savings rate would qualify you to me as a super saver), but more likely six figures. Then of course it is easy to save 30% if you don't hire cleaners or dog walkers like your peers.

[RWD]

Two MPP's today:

1)  Tax and employer-paid medical insurance dominate our expenses so much that everything else is crammed into less than half of Quicken's standard pie chart.

2)  Saw an article about "Super Savers" on CNBC.  Sent it to DW.  She said she we obviously don't qualify because save too much and that what they call "Super Savers" is what she always thought was "normal".  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/super-savers-make-these-sacrifices-to-help-them-reach-their-goals.html?&qsearchterm=super%20saver

I love how that article lists "no housecleaner" as a "sacrifice" --as if every normal household hires someone to clean their house for them.

I'm more amazed that a higher percentage of them are willing to downsize their house and car but not give up the house cleaner...

[ysette9]

Two MPP's today:

1)  Tax and employer-paid medical insurance dominate our expenses so much that everything else is crammed into less than half of Quicken's standard pie chart.

2)  Saw an article about "Super Savers" on CNBC.  Sent it to DW.  She said she we obviously don't qualify because save too much and that what they call "Super Savers" is what she always thought was "normal".  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/super-savers-make-these-sacrifices-to-help-them-reach-their-goals.html?&qsearchterm=super%20saver

I love how that article lists "no housecleaner" as a "sacrifice" --as if every normal household hires someone to clean their house for them.

I'm more amazed that a higher percentage of them are willing to downsize their house and car but not give up the house cleaner...

Heck yeah I’d rather have a smaller house and a house cleaner than a larger house to clean myself. Then again, in HCOL areas the cost of a house cleaner is dwarfed by the cost of housing itself so the two aren’t that comparable.

House cleaners have saved countless arguments between my husband and me. That is priceless. Currently due to me no longer working and him doing one more year, plus covid, I’m doing the cleaning. I am CONSTANTLY cleaning something and the damn house is never clean because I can only do a little bit at a time. It is frustrating. It is a good exercise to better appreciate the service they provide, but I can’t wait to go back to hiring that bit out.

[Freedomin5]

Two MPP's today:

1)  Tax and employer-paid medical insurance dominate our expenses so much that everything else is crammed into less than half of Quicken's standard pie chart.

2)  Saw an article about "Super Savers" on CNBC.  Sent it to DW.  She said she we obviously don't qualify because save too much and that what they call "Super Savers" is what she always thought was "normal".  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/super-savers-make-these-sacrifices-to-help-them-reach-their-goals.html?&qsearchterm=super%20saver

I love how that article lists "no housecleaner" as a "sacrifice" --as if every normal household hires someone to clean their house for them.

I'm more amazed that a higher percentage of them are willing to downsize their house and car but not give up the house cleaner...

Heck yeah I’d rather have a smaller house and a house cleaner than a larger house to clean myself. Then again, in HCOL areas the cost of a house cleaner is dwarfed by the cost of housing itself so the two aren’t that comparable.

House cleaners have saved countless arguments between my husband and me. That is priceless. Currently due to me no longer working and him doing one more year, plus covid, I’m doing the cleaning. I am CONSTANTLY cleaning something and the damn house is never clean because I can only do a little bit at a time. It is frustrating. It is a good exercise to better appreciate the service they provide, but I can’t wait to go back to hiring that bit out.

I agree. We’ve had our cleaner for a year, and the difference is huge. DH used to do the cleaning, and while adequate, the quality of work is just not as good as a good deep cleaning by our house cleaner. We live in a 1200 square foot apartment and don’t have a car, and I’m happy to give up square footage and a vehicle to have a house cleaner.

When I read the article I was initially impressed that these people were saving $17000+. Then I realized that’s how much they were saving $17K per year, not per month. I guess it’s hard to know whether or not that is an impressive amount, since we don’t know their income.

[okisok]

Couponing isn't any fun any more. I used to have such fun matching sales to coupons and getting the 'best deals'. Now I realize I don't need much of that stuff--packaged snacks, makeup, prepared foods. There are more frugal options in most cases.

[dragoncar]

1)  Tax and employer-paid medical insurance dominate our expenses so much that everything else is crammed into less than half of Quicken's standard pie chart.

Might as well leave those off the chart!  Taxes are a curiosity on spreadsheets but you can't really control them and they will be lower in retirement.  Employer-paid insurance is definitely not an expense.  I understand why you might want to include a projected insurance spend, but do you really think you will spend exactly what your employer pays for insurance after your retire?

[Plina]

Two MPP's today:

1)  Tax and employer-paid medical insurance dominate our expenses so much that everything else is crammed into less than half of Quicken's standard pie chart.

2)  Saw an article about "Super Savers" on CNBC.  Sent it to DW.  She said she we obviously don't qualify because save too much and that what they call "Super Savers" is what she always thought was "normal".  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/super-savers-make-these-sacrifices-to-help-them-reach-their-goals.html?&qsearchterm=super%20saver

I love how that article lists "no housecleaner" as a "sacrifice" --as if every normal household hires someone to clean their house for them.

I'm more amazed that a higher percentage of them are willing to downsize their house and car but not give up the house cleaner...

Heck yeah I’d rather have a smaller house and a house cleaner than a larger house to clean myself. Then again, in HCOL areas the cost of a house cleaner is dwarfed by the cost of housing itself so the two aren’t that comparable.

House cleaners have saved countless arguments between my husband and me. That is priceless. Currently due to me no longer working and him doing one more year, plus covid, I’m doing the cleaning. I am CONSTANTLY cleaning something and the damn house is never clean because I can only do a little bit at a time. It is frustrating. It is a good exercise to better appreciate the service they provide, but I can’t wait to go back to hiring that bit out.

I agree. We’ve had our cleaner for a year, and the difference is huge. DH used to do the cleaning, and while adequate, the quality of work is just not as good as a good deep cleaning by our house cleaner. We live in a 1200 square foot apartment and don’t have a car, and I’m happy to give up square footage and a vehicle to have a house cleaner.

When I read the article I was initially impressed that these people were saving $17000+. Then I realized that’s how much they were saving $17K per year, not per month. I guess it’s hard to know whether or not that is an impressive amount, since we don’t know their income.

I had a house cleaner for a couple of years. I loved it. It was so nice to come home to a clean home on Friday. I stopped the service because I went traveling but I am contemplating getting it back. I hate cleaning and it never is as good. Especially the kitchen and bathroom. It was definitely worth the money.

[ysette9]

Two MPP's today:

1)  Tax and employer-paid medical insurance dominate our expenses so much that everything else is crammed into less than half of Quicken's standard pie chart.

2)  Saw an article about "Super Savers" on CNBC.  Sent it to DW.  She said she we obviously don't qualify because save too much and that what they call "Super Savers" is what she always thought was "normal".  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/07/super-savers-make-these-sacrifices-to-help-them-reach-their-goals.html?&qsearchterm=super%20saver

I love how that article lists "no housecleaner" as a "sacrifice" --as if every normal household hires someone to clean their house for them.

I'm more amazed that a higher percentage of them are willing to downsize their house and car but not give up the house cleaner...

Heck yeah I’d rather have a smaller house and a house cleaner than a larger house to clean myself. Then again, in HCOL areas the cost of a house cleaner is dwarfed by the cost of housing itself so the two aren’t that comparable.

House cleaners have saved countless arguments between my husband and me. That is priceless. Currently due to me no longer working and him doing one more year, plus covid, I’m doing the cleaning. I am CONSTANTLY cleaning something and the damn house is never clean because I can only do a little bit at a time. It is frustrating. It is a good exercise to better appreciate the service they provide, but I can’t wait to go back to hiring that bit out.

I agree. We’ve had our cleaner for a year, and the difference is huge. DH used to do the cleaning, and while adequate, the quality of work is just not as good as a good deep cleaning by our house cleaner. We live in a 1200 square foot apartment and don’t have a car, and I’m happy to give up square footage and a vehicle to have a house cleaner.

When I read the article I was initially impressed that these people were saving $17000+. Then I realized that’s how much they were saving $17K per year, not per month. I guess it’s hard to know whether or not that is an impressive amount, since we don’t know their income.

I had a house cleaner for a couple of years. I loved it. It was so nice to come home to a clean home on Friday. I stopped the service because I went traveling but I am contemplating getting it back. I hate cleaning and it never is as good. Especially the kitchen and bathroom. It was definitely worth the money.

It baffles me sometime how I can spend X hours cleaning and at the end it isn’t as clean as when the professionals do the job. I suppose that is why they are professionals.

And I agree with you: I LOVE coming  home to a clean house on Friday after a long week. Aaaahhh

[TartanTallulah]

My MPP: DH and I have been giving each other home haircuts for ages and cannot commiserate or even relate to all the complainypants neighbors and colleagues getting progressively shaggier and grumpier.

We're the same. Back in March I started saying that my husband and I would be the only people who looked the same at the end of lockdown as at the beginning because none of our personal grooming is outsourced.