Author Topic: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?  (Read 24373 times)

PBandJelli

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NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« on: February 19, 2018, 04:15:12 PM »
I would venture to guess that 90% of those of us lurking on this board have our finances under control - at least in the sense that we know what we should be doing, independent of whether we take the steps to do them or not.  I'd also guess that all of us have little luxuries or splurges that we just don't want to do without.  (And accept the toll they may take on our budgets.)  Confess them here!

For me:
1) I get 75$ haircuts every six weeks.  I could have a longer hair style that costs less to maintain, but I like the cut I have and the hairdresser I have.  It requires a cut every six weeks to maintain. 

2) Out of season produce.  Fresh raspberries year round?  YES!  (But I don't buy precut or other pre-assembled groceries. Ask me about the less than two minute way to chop fresh riced cauliflower....)

3) Soda - DH and I go through a six pack of diet coke a week.

4) Dinner or lunch out twice a week for DH and me.  Not any place crazy expensive, and sometimes we get out for under twenty bucks but this is obviously not a necessary expense.

Mindful that we become millionaires ten bucks at a time (as our "patron saint" says), these do have an impact on our long-term goals, but we've decided the tradeoffs are worth it.

DreamFIRE

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2018, 04:33:57 PM »

$12 haircuts every two months or so if I don't catch a special for $7 or so.

I drink at least one can of pop per day in the summer, sometimes more, but I tend to cut back on that more in the winter and drink more milk.

I very rarely eat out, but occasionally, I splurge to grab something in the drive-through, usually just $1 to $3, no more than once a week on average.

I can't think of anything else.  I don't have cable TV, I don't consider internet access to be splurging, and my cell phone plan is costing me about 50 cents per month.

NewPerspective

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2018, 04:57:56 PM »
We seem to splurge on our house.  We have a mid-century modern house and it has been rather high maintenance.    We are getting ready to spend a small fortune on some plumbing work.  Plumbing isn't a splurge exactly but choosing this house wasn't very mustachian of us. (the actual house wasn't very expensive but all the updating has been a small fortune).

BudgetSlasher

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2018, 05:05:23 PM »
We seem to splurge on our house.  We have a mid-century modern house and it has been rather high maintenance.    We are getting ready to spend a small fortune on some plumbing work.  Plumbing isn't a splurge exactly but choosing this house wasn't very mustachian of us. (the actual house wasn't very expensive but all the updating has been a small fortune).

Yup, We just removed the kitchen and scraped the popcorn ceiling in the kitchen and living rooms this weekend. Before that is was the rotten wall due to bad flashing on the deck . . .

PBandJelli

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2018, 05:07:32 PM »

$12 haircuts every two months or so if I don't catch a special for $7 or so.

I drink at least one can of pop per day in the summer, sometimes more, but I tend to cut back on that more in the winter and drink more milk.

I very rarely eat out, but occasionally, I splurge to grab something in the drive-through, usually just $1 to $3, no more than once a week on average.

I can't think of anything else.  I don't have cable TV, I don't consider internet access to be splurging, and my cell phone plan is costing me about 50 cents per month.

WHAT?!  50 cent cell plan?  Do tell!

FI4good

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2018, 05:14:09 PM »
I have a 44 y/o Rolls Royce , more mustachian than it seems as it's insurance is very low , it has nill rate road tax and from April this year wont need an MOT test , it probably wont suffer from depreciation as they are on an upwards slope price wise.

I also like dial a pizza once every few weeks and buy a few video games a year .

Every few years i like to buy some great art i really enjoy.   


Brother Esau

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2018, 05:18:57 PM »


3) Soda - DH and I go through a six pack of diet coke a week.


Switch to Root Beer, your teeth will thank you later.

Splurge? European vacations each year.

JLee

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2018, 05:21:17 PM »
I have a rather decent alcohol collection...I don't drink much/often, but I have a lot of variety.

And cars...I'm down to two because of parking limitations (moved from Phoenix to northern NJ, and...well, I don't have space anymore).

DreamFIRE

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2018, 06:26:37 PM »
WHAT?!  50 cent cell plan?  Do tell!

Tello pay as you go.  Paid $5 almost a year ago, got a free $10 credit, and I hardly ever talk on the phone and rarely text.  I use it more for other things but have wifi at home and work, so I use very little mobile data.  That 50 cent monthly average is actually getting lower with each passing month.  I communicate mostly by email, in person, or from my work phone.

EmFrugal

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2018, 07:21:45 PM »
My $45 p/month gym membership and some yoga classes here and there at about $20 each.

A summer pool membership for our family that costs about $600 annually.

ATLAtty

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2018, 07:45:21 PM »
Fancy pants gym with yoga/barre classes and spa facilities. $145/month, but I go at least 4-5 days a week. Total splurge but I love it.

TartanTallulah

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2018, 11:20:53 PM »
Bicycles, and trips abroad to ride them, are our main YOLO extravagance. And eating at restaurants instead of carrying a picnic on long bike rides.

Food that doesn't need much preparation. I work long hours, and cooking from scratch is something I chose to sacrifice so that I have time and energy to exercise. I'm not interested in prepping a week's meals in advance.




drunkenNoodles

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #12 on: February 20, 2018, 06:07:58 AM »
One weekend every two months or so, my girlfriend and I borrow her dad's car (free except tolls/gas) and take a trip usually staying at my parents home (free except some wine or dessert for my parents) and spend the weekend eating and drinking and exploring a bit. Sometimes we book an Airbnb but stick to a low-cost option.


kimmarg

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #13 on: February 20, 2018, 08:34:17 AM »
I work rotating shift and I allow myself one fancy coffee drink on each set of night shifts (~ 1/month) It makes being awake at 3am a treat rather than dread.

PDXTabs

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #14 on: February 20, 2018, 08:37:18 AM »
I go to lunch ~ 1x per week at work, and dinner ~1x per week with girlfriend.

Also, I spend a lot on groceries, mainly due to very real immune disease which means that I eat a lot of vegetables and lamb, but almost no cereal or white potatoes.

Also, I try to do one international trip a year.

Roadrunner53

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #15 on: February 20, 2018, 08:44:07 AM »
We buy 3 lb lobsters when they go on sale at our grocery store. They are usually $8.99 a lb and we usually get two or three of them. They typically go on sale during the summer holidays.

I buy food service froze foods on the internet. The dry ice costs $39 to ship the stuff. I hate that cost but the food is restaurant quality and comes in 10 lb boxes. I just chalk it up to part of the cost of the food.

I spend a LOT at the grocery store but pick up bargains and stock up. I have prime rib roasts in my freezer, turkeys, and much, much more!

2Birds1Stone

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #16 on: February 20, 2018, 09:12:09 AM »
I replace my toothbrush every 12 months instead of 3 years.

Sometimes we splurge and put beans in our rice for dinner.

If my fiance behaves I let her use one of the free honey packets I bring from the continental breakfasts at hotels on work travel.

Somtimes if the temperature drops below 20f in the apartment I will let her turn on her heated blanket instead of using the Tupperware with lukewarm leftovers trick.




ketchup

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #17 on: February 20, 2018, 09:18:04 AM »
We go out to eat about once a month.

We have too many Australian Shepherds (but I DIY their food and GF bathes/grooms them, so everything there is optimized pretty hard).

We drive a 17 year old luxury station wagon that gets shitty gas mileage (24MPG city, 29MPG highway).  Luckily, we only have one car for a household of two adults.

GF has been spending a lot on clothes lately due to ongoing weight loss (good problem to have, but spendy short-term).  I compensate by spending about $20/yr.

Warlord1986

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2018, 09:33:06 AM »
Travel. I like going new places and seeing new things.

Books. But I've gotten much, much better about this in the last few years. All glory to the hypno-library!

The cat. My purr-bucket is pretty cheap though.

Slee_stack

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #19 on: February 20, 2018, 09:49:35 AM »
Eat out once per week...~120-$150 per month.

Spendy vehicle....$22k

Spendy MTB... $2k

Gym membership... $30/mo

Spa stuff for her... $150/mo

High Speed internet...$70 per month

Beer/wine...$100 - $150 per month

Otherwise we are pretty cheap (relatively speaking) on everything else....housing, food, clothing, all other amenities/treats.

We feel pretty decadent overall, but at our current income and NW, don't feel guilty about it.  We still save 60%-70% pre tax.   Waiting on date for pension/health care to retire. 

NorthernBlitz

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #20 on: February 20, 2018, 09:50:08 AM »
Our biggest annual expense is property tax. We live in an area with low(ish) home prices so we were able to buy cash. But, the taxes are the mortgage that never goes away.

We also bought a new (to us) van last year. It was 1.5 years old with ~ 20k miles on it. It was the most expensive vehicle we've ever purchased and we financed half of it (which I've never done before). If all other spending stays the same, this will reduce my annual savings rate by ~ 1.5% to ~40.5%. But, it makes our frequent trips to see grandparents easier (with our 3 kids) and we'll keep it for 10 - 12 years or so. So, I'm comfortable enough with the purchase.

Our big recurring splurge is food. We almost never go out for food, but we buy fresh food that is generally pasture raised / organic. Luckily, we live in a place with good local farmers so we can buy direct from them at prices way less than what we'd find in the grocery store (particularly for meat). We like this because we know the farmers and have been to the farms. Despite the "deals" we get from local farmers mean that we pay less than we would if we bought similar food from the grocery store, but we could easily save money on groceries if we were optimizing for cost (instead of whatever we've defined as "quality").

Lately, I've been in to board games. From Black Friday to now, I've purchased a bunch of games to play with my kids (Catan Jr, Ticket to Ride First Journey, Catan, and Forbidden Island). Many of these were Christmas or Birthday gifts (I'm getting my 5 YO Codenames Pictures on her birthday), but I certainly need to go cold turkey (but I've heard my 8 YO say that she wants to get me a game for my birthday...I'm hoping for Stuffed Fables which I think would be awesome to play with my kids). I justify this to myself because we play the games together as a family, but we certainly have (more than) enough now.

The other thing I splurge on from time to time is video games. But I only really play off-line, so I almost always buy 1-2 year old games (preferably used on craigslist) because pretty much nothing depreciates faster than video games. I've spend way less on this habit since I realized that with a NY State address I can assess audio-books from the NYPL for free.

NorthernBlitz

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #21 on: February 20, 2018, 09:53:10 AM »
WHAT?!  50 cent cell plan?  Do tell!

Tello pay as you go.  Paid $5 almost a year ago, got a free $10 credit, and I hardly ever talk on the phone and rarely text.  I use it more for other things but have wifi at home and work, so I use very little mobile data.  That 50 cent monthly average is actually getting lower with each passing month.  I communicate mostly by email, in person, or from my work phone.

How do you find Tello?

After PTel died, I went to Ting but my use case is similar to yours and the bill was too much at ~$15.

Then, I went to H20 wireless but the service sucked. At one time, I had no reception for 5 days. No one there answers the phone (service). And using the chat service keeps you waiting forever then cuts out when you're next in line.

I'm currently with T Mobile and their $3/month Tmobile pay as you go. It's fine, but paying $0.50/month would be better (if Tello is more like PTel and less like H20 Wireless).

Edit: The prices of the packages look good too. My wife uses far more texts than me, but they have (No 4G data) + (100 minutes) + (unlimited texts) for $5. That's about ~ $10 less than she pays with Ting for similar total usage (she doesn't really talk but texts a fair amount). It also says you get unlimited 2G data after 4G data runs out...not sure if that means you get unlimited 2G even if you pick 0 MB 4G (we don't use data anyway, but having even slow access in emergencies could be a benefit).
« Last Edit: February 20, 2018, 10:04:18 AM by NorthernBlitz »

Lmoot

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #22 on: February 20, 2018, 09:55:57 AM »
House (repairs and interior design); repairs are a splurge bc like another poster I chose a mid century house that hadn’t been updated (ideal since most modern updates are horrific).

BIFL - after getting a taste of quality, long lasting items, I will never go back. I BIFL things that have an impact/ improves my daily life, such as good shoes, water filtration, comfortable durable clothing (I am slowly replacing my wardrobe as it wears out, with BIFL-esque pieces.

Pets: they get what they want and I am constantly investing in things to improve their quality of life

Candace

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #23 on: February 20, 2018, 10:02:29 AM »
Just splurged on five new bras. I didn't need five. In fact, I didn't *need* any because I still have a few that aren't falling apart. But you know what? New bras that fit make me look better. I'm struggling to lose weight, and sometimes wonder why I should make the effort to groom when I don't look like I'd want to anyway. But at least my girls are going to be where they should be, and not near my belly button and not mashed up against my chest.

Hopefully they'll still fit when I get to my goal weight (rolls eyes).

Mezzie

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #24 on: February 20, 2018, 10:21:16 AM »
Theater tickets, travel, Twitch subscriptions, concert tickets, Apple music, Corgi, art supplies, college classes for fun, hosting friends and family (food costs), good whisky, fountain pens and ink (currently on a no spend until I use up most my inks), tattoos, gardening supplies (this year we just may break even with the food production), eating out once or twice a month and treating our friends/family when it's our idea, movies, whatever my students are selling for fundraising, yoga studio membership, Playstation Network, HBO Now just for John Oliver, board games.

Monthly housekeeping and garden care have become necessary with my disability, but I still consider them an extravagance.

That said, we drive old cars, invest a good chunk of our income, and use the library like crazy. Our house is small and drab compared to friends (and MUCH cheaper because of that; plus, we love it), and a lot of the above is paid for by actively spending below our budgeted amounts for things like groceries, getting rebates, and cashing in loose change (that last one makes up 100% of my tattoo and fountain pen fund, for example).

wbranch

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #25 on: February 20, 2018, 10:29:32 AM »
We have a 2017 Toyota Tundra with a rooftop tent, put 18k miles on it in the last 12 months with 3 months of travel and moving across the country. So 2018 mileage will be quite a bit lower.

Also have 72 month loan on it at 1.75%! But invested $ is higher so it doesn't bother me. I will likely breakdown and pay it off early.

sparkytheop

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #26 on: February 20, 2018, 11:30:22 AM »
Travel, concert/theater, and property.  I travel frugally, but my work schedule allows for some great trips (five two-week long vacations/year!), so hope to take advantage of that soon.  I enjoy live concerts and theater.  And does anyone really need to build a house in the woods on almost 9 acres?  My answer is "yes!"

gobius

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #27 on: February 20, 2018, 11:47:41 AM »
I drive a lot in my work commute, albeit in an old $2K car that gets 30 mpg.

We go out to eat a ton.  Multiple times per week.

We just started renting in a new place that is about 30% more, for no real practical reason.  We just like it better.

Our spending has gotten a bit out of control, mostly on eating out.  However, we still save probably 2/3 of our pay roughly and have a good amount saved up.  We could cut back and get to 75% or even a bit better, but oh well.

Slow&Steady

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #28 on: February 20, 2018, 11:59:15 AM »
FOOD is the biggest line item on our budget, bigger than our Mortgage.  DH does all of our kitchen related chores (dishes, cooking, groceries, etc) and although it drives me crazy to spend the amount that we do on food, it is not a hill I am willing to die on nor do I want to start doing any of these chores.

We also spend more than most MMM on transportation.  We purchased a house that is located in the middle of nowhere (before MMM) and don't really want to move but jobs are 30-60 miles away.  We have discussed potentially moving but usually just end up depressed at the thought of leaving our house or seeing what is available on the market (I am not into McMansions or split-level homes). 

I will probably be spending more than I normally will spend annually on clothes this year.  I am currently 8 months pregnant and just took a new job in a very corporate setting, prior to that I worked in this field but at the factory level.  The dress expectations are very different from one to the other so my pre-pregnancy work clothes will be useless with the new job.  I plan to hit up sales during maternity leave but I am also a buy quality over quantity so I anticipate a full professional wardrobe will probably be more than I normally spend on clothes.  Especially if you count the maternity clothes that I had to buy, but most of those I got at thrift stores because I do not plan to need them for long. 

BTDretire

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #29 on: February 20, 2018, 12:27:51 PM »
I spent $4.82 for two scoops of ice cream in a waffle cone at Baskin Robbins. Facepunch worthy!
 It was my second trip with in 10 days, but the first trip they didn't have waffle cones so I didn't
get one.
 Can I divide $4.82 by 2, because I made two trips for one cone? ;-/

boarder42

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #30 on: February 20, 2018, 12:35:21 PM »
we own a boat that costs us about 1-2.5k a year
we go to restaraunts about 2k a year worth
we have dogs - 1-2k a year
we travel a ton for about 2-3k a year
we own a big mcmansion on a lake - this added 1-2 years to our FIRE timeline when we decided it would be worth it - it is worth it to drop a paddle board in out of your back door and load up the boat with people from behind your house.

most of the first 3 things are just noise after we decide to upgrade our house - once you have the money stacked up in your 20s you're really just waiting on the compounding unless you truly want to go to a 40k a year budget like MMM

the_fixer

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #31 on: February 20, 2018, 12:40:47 PM »
Travel we probably spend more on that than our house or anything else each year.

1 or 2 trips out of the country per year down from 2 or 3.

2 or 3 extended trips out of the state

And camping 2 weekends a month during the summer.

Working to reduce the spend without  cutting back on travel. Should have my companion pass soon, working on travel hacking and planning to boondock in the camper opposed to staying at pay sites.

I know it is anti MMM but it is the one thing that keeps me going and that I (so far) refuse to give up. Sold my Clown car last year, sold the mc mansion the year before and purchased a small townhouse.

On the plus side I hit a 91% Savings rate and 67% combined household even with the travel :)


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deek

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #32 on: February 20, 2018, 01:01:37 PM »
- $39 monthly for the gym
- breakfast out once to twice a week (breakfast out and people watching/catching up on news is my weakness)
- my best friend and I treat ourselves to Steak n Shake every couple weeks (those $4 meals are the real deal)
- $10 a month for spotify (I love music too much not to)
- once spring hits I will be doing a lot more fishing with my dad, which will turn into a few more meals out

Mika M

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #33 on: February 20, 2018, 02:46:16 PM »
Haha for us also house repairs. Killer! We're planning to take a break from that this year. We've been diligent about keeping up with regular checks and preventative maintenance of the top shelp Carrier heat pump (including getting the air ducts professionally cleaned every few years) installed a few years ago to try and extend it's life as long as possible.

Haircuts, I keep mine long so I get a $30-50 hair cut like once or twice a year...

I  go through phases where I splurge on fancy cheese wedges from Whole Foods. (I recently picked up Cabot's premium reserve block of cheese at Costco to keep those taste buds satiated for a while.)

A few times a year DH and I will go out for a fancy meal with nice wines. Otherwise we don't splurge too much on takeout but will occasionally order from the neighborhood Thai restaurant or Dominos.

DH had a bad habit of shopping online for hot deals on good toys and last year collected far more than we could even give kiddo without overwhelming her... he also had a similar habit with shopping for his fancy whiskeys.

All of the worst of unnecessary shopping habits are under scrutiny and the main priority for our resolutions this year.

redbird

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #34 on: February 20, 2018, 03:36:08 PM »
Wow, I'm super frugal on some things mentioned in this thread. Like hair cuts. I literally pay $0/year for that. I have my husband cut my hair for me. He does a good job and I'm happy with it. Also, we're super frugal for eating out. DH's budget spreadsheet says that we only spent $150 eating out for the entirety of 2017.

I just bought a slightly over $800 mattress (taxes and shipping included, sale price) from a local mattress store. It's a very nice mattress though. It will be replacing a mattress that is over 10 years old that probably should've been replaced a while ago. Considering it gets slept on pretty much every single night (minus a couple of vacations a year) each year, it's worth the investment. I COULD HAVE bought something cheaper, but I wanted something that is most likely going to last for years.

I have a pet, which of course is a splurge. But it's a VERY cheap pet - a cockatiel that costs $30 in a big tub of the fancy, expensive food (not an exaggeration, there's much cheaper food choices for parrots) every 3-4 months. Cage liner cost is free though, since I just ask the in-laws to save their newspapers (they're old school) and use that.

I've had Amazon Prime for most of the time that I've been FIRE. That's a splurge too, though I honestly feel I get more than my money's worth. I'm now currently going on a month without it though since the year ran out and I haven't had to buy much from Amazon lately. I most likely will get it again sometime during this calendar year.

And then of course, there's my hobbies. Some are free, like checking out books from the library or bird watching. But some of my hobbies, like video games, add up for sure. They are generally way cheaper of a hobby than people think they are though, considering how many hours of entertainment you can get from a single one and if you make sure to buy them on sale.

But life isn't worth living if you don't enjoy it, so it's worth splurging on things that actually matter to you.

mathlete

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #35 on: February 20, 2018, 03:54:33 PM »
Travel is the first thing that comes to mind, but we travel crazy cheap thanks to credit cards rewards and general toughness when it comes to travel. I guess splurging is relative though. Some people might think it a splurge that I spend $70 on a private airbnb w/ bathroom instead of $25 on a hostel or something.

I'm kind of running out of things I could cut that would make an appreciable difference. I could give up playing video games and maybe that'd save me ~$500 a year (if I didn't pick up a more expensive hobby), but that doesn't move my FIRE date at all.

mathlete

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #36 on: February 20, 2018, 04:08:56 PM »
Okay, I think I have an interesting approach to answering this question. I'll define a splurge as anything that I could realistically cut without majorly impacting my living situation (i.e., no moving 10 towns away) that also moves my FIRE date up by at least one year.

A brief glance at Zillow indicates that I could sell my house and buy a condo free and clear that we could make it work in. It adds 15 miles to my commute, but axing a mortgage and investing the proceeds would shave off 1 year. So would cutting out restaurants completely.

I could also save a year by reducing my travel spending down to $1K a year + rewards.






SC93

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #37 on: February 20, 2018, 04:13:01 PM »
I didn't realize Dr. Peppers was splurging. I've cut down to about 6-8 per day. I was up over a case a day back a few years ago. And guess what? Good teeth & gums. I also eat sweets like they are going out of style.... yeah, those tricky dentists like to get people on that sugar trick. Kinda like weight lose.... I'm not fat either AND I don't work out. My buddy who never eats sweets because they are so 'BAD' for you had to get 2 teeth fixed the other day. lol

We don't really call it splurging, we just live life. Who is going to die tomorrow? Yep, ya never know.....

On a side note, we can afford it but even if we made $8 an hour.... ya never know what tomorrow will bring.

JoJo

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #38 on: February 20, 2018, 04:47:53 PM »
By far it's travel.

I've been keeping it close-ish to 5,000 a year for many years.   Last year I went part time and have 100 vacation days.  I spent something like (best estimates, haven't added this up yet: biting nails):

2,500 to go to Indonesia for 7 weeks (used points for the flight)
5,000 for 7 weeks in Ethiopia, Djibouti & Somaliland
150 go home for Christmas
1,500 for 3 weeks in Midwest & make my way down to a conference in AL
50 for the eclipse.

So about 9,200 for the year - I guess not too bad.  2018 will be way worse.  Taking a month long cruise in April with my mom and that's around 4,000.  Haven't decided what to do with my other 75 vacation days. 


Turnbull

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #39 on: February 20, 2018, 05:34:33 PM »

And cars...I'm down to two because of parking limitations (moved from Phoenix to northern NJ, and...well, I don't have space anymore).

Oh no. No, no, no! Please tell me that sexy, forced induction beauty from '91 is still with you.

frooglepoodle

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #40 on: February 20, 2018, 06:11:15 PM »
Food... milk from a local dairy farm's herdshare program, pastured eggs and meat, lots of delicious fruits and veggies. Good beer (when I'm not pregnant).

Travel... less so than many people here, but our not-yet-three-year-old has been on 8 different plane trips since we travel to visit family so often and took a trip to Spain.

Kid activities and education... we go to toddler art class once a week, and will be enrolling him in a Montessori preschool this coming fall.

My sewing hobby.

Living in a walkable location.

expatartist

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #41 on: February 20, 2018, 06:46:05 PM »
Frequent splurges:

Cheap sushi once a week (~$20/month)
Though I cut my own hair, I splurge on Aveda and similar expensive haircare/body products, buying in bulk when possible: ~40/month

JLee

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #42 on: February 20, 2018, 07:36:32 PM »

And cars...I'm down to two because of parking limitations (moved from Phoenix to northern NJ, and...well, I don't have space anymore).

Oh no. No, no, no! Please tell me that sexy, forced induction beauty from '91 is still with you.

lol yes, for the moment at least.

DreamFIRE

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #43 on: February 20, 2018, 08:37:48 PM »
WHAT?!  50 cent cell plan?  Do tell!

Tello pay as you go.  Paid $5 almost a year ago, got a free $10 credit, and I hardly ever talk on the phone and rarely text.  I use it more for other things but have wifi at home and work, so I use very little mobile data.  That 50 cent monthly average is actually getting lower with each passing month.  I communicate mostly by email, in person, or from my work phone.

How do you find Tello?

After PTel died, I went to Ting but my use case is similar to yours and the bill was too much at ~$15.

Then, I went to H20 wireless but the service sucked. At one time, I had no reception for 5 days. No one there answers the phone (service). And using the chat service keeps you waiting forever then cuts out when you're next in line.

I'm currently with T Mobile and their $3/month Tmobile pay as you go. It's fine, but paying $0.50/month would be better (if Tello is more like PTel and less like H20 Wireless).

Edit: The prices of the packages look good too. My wife uses far more texts than me, but they have (No 4G data) + (100 minutes) + (unlimited texts) for $5. That's about ~ $10 less than she pays with Ting for similar total usage (she doesn't really talk but texts a fair amount). It also says you get unlimited 2G data after 4G data runs out...not sure if that means you get unlimited 2G even if you pick 0 MB 4G (we don't use data anyway, but having even slow access in emergencies could be a benefit).
I have no complaints about Tello.  Since I'm such as low usage user, the PAYG option is great.  About 3 years ago, I was on Sprint proper for years edging up to about $50/mo (what a waste), then I was with RingPlus before they had to shut down.  And Tello is another Sprint MVNO - but no roaming on Verizon towers, but for most places I go combined with such little usage requirements, the coverage is certainly good enough for me.

I only had to deal with support during signup, and they responded by email within a day or two.  I haven't had any reason to contact them since.

With the Tello PAYG, you just have to make sure you show some usage at least once every 3 months (it used to be 6 months) to keep your existing balance rolling over and to keep your account active, and your balance can last a long time if you don't use it much.  I keep updates and most apps disabled for background mobile data and avoid using data based apps unless I'm on wifi.

You have to get a plan with a data bucket to get the unlimited 2g.  I had a family member get one of those low cost plans.  You can also add a PAYG balance on top of a plan.

Here's the official Tello thread over at the old R+ forum that was started when I first registered with Tello.

https://social.ringplus.net/discussion/11778/official-tello-mobile-thread

If I had felt my usage warranted a plan with buckets of minutes, texts, and data, I might have gone with Twigby, which has roaming on Verizon towers.  Tello actually lowered their plan prices a few months ago and also have a 30% off 3 months deal right now for new accounts.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2018, 08:44:15 PM by DreamFIRE »

Turnbull

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #44 on: February 20, 2018, 09:01:19 PM »

And cars...I'm down to two because of parking limitations (moved from Phoenix to northern NJ, and...well, I don't have space anymore).

Oh no. No, no, no! Please tell me that sexy, forced induction beauty from '91 is still with you.

lol yes, for the moment at least.

Good. If you need a fellow Mustachian to drive her from AZ to NJ, let's just say I could probably find someone to help with that.

JLee

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #45 on: February 20, 2018, 09:54:13 PM »

And cars...I'm down to two because of parking limitations (moved from Phoenix to northern NJ, and...well, I don't have space anymore).

Oh no. No, no, no! Please tell me that sexy, forced induction beauty from '91 is still with you.

lol yes, for the moment at least.

Good. If you need a fellow Mustachian to drive her from AZ to NJ, let's just say I could probably find someone to help with that.

Oh it's in NJ already -- sitting in my garage waiting for me to figure out why it won't run...hopefully eliminating the entire (lately problematic) OEM ignition system and going to coil on plug will help.  I might find that out this weekend!

11ducks

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #46 on: February 21, 2018, 04:01:44 AM »
I replace my toothbrush every 12 months instead of 3 years.

Sometimes we splurge and put beans in our rice for dinner.

If my fiance behaves I let her use one of the free honey packets I bring from the continental breakfasts at hotels on work travel.

Somtimes if the temperature drops below 20f in the apartment I will let her turn on her heated blanket instead of using the Tupperware with lukewarm leftovers trick.

Not a whole packet of honey surely? You spendthrift

mountain mustache

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #47 on: February 21, 2018, 06:43:18 AM »
I buy good coffee, which I define by not anything sold at the grocery store or starbucks

I mostly buy organic, grass fed, etc meat/eggs. Surprisingly since making this switch, I find myself eating smaller portions, so it hasn't really caused my food costs to change.

I buy and own a lot of nice gear for mountain biking, skiing, hiking camping. My life revolves around being outdoors, so it's worth it.


deek

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #48 on: February 21, 2018, 06:48:41 AM »
I didn't realize Dr. Peppers was splurging. I've cut down to about 6-8 per day. I was up over a case a day back a few years ago. And guess what? Good teeth & gums. I also eat sweets like they are going out of style.... yeah, those tricky dentists like to get people on that sugar trick. Kinda like weight lose.... I'm not fat either AND I don't work out. My buddy who never eats sweets because they are so 'BAD' for you had to get 2 teeth fixed the other day. lol

We don't really call it splurging, we just live life. Who is going to die tomorrow? Yep, ya never know.....

On a side note, we can afford it but even if we made $8 an hour.... ya never know what tomorrow will bring.

I'm not judging, just observing. And reading this made my gut hurt!! ughhh
I used to go 1-2 cream soda's at day from my grandmas house when I was in middle school/high school.. if I did that today I would feel awful! Funny how different peoples' tolerance can be.
« Last Edit: February 21, 2018, 06:51:22 AM by dj »

NorthernBlitz

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Re: NonMustachian Confessions....How do you splurge?
« Reply #49 on: February 21, 2018, 08:51:24 AM »
WHAT?!  50 cent cell plan?  Do tell!

Tello pay as you go.  Paid $5 almost a year ago, got a free $10 credit, and I hardly ever talk on the phone and rarely text.  I use it more for other things but have wifi at home and work, so I use very little mobile data.  That 50 cent monthly average is actually getting lower with each passing month.  I communicate mostly by email, in person, or from my work phone.

How do you find Tello?

After PTel died, I went to Ting but my use case is similar to yours and the bill was too much at ~$15.

Then, I went to H20 wireless but the service sucked. At one time, I had no reception for 5 days. No one there answers the phone (service). And using the chat service keeps you waiting forever then cuts out when you're next in line.

I'm currently with T Mobile and their $3/month Tmobile pay as you go. It's fine, but paying $0.50/month would be better (if Tello is more like PTel and less like H20 Wireless).

Edit: The prices of the packages look good too. My wife uses far more texts than me, but they have (No 4G data) + (100 minutes) + (unlimited texts) for $5. That's about ~ $10 less than she pays with Ting for similar total usage (she doesn't really talk but texts a fair amount). It also says you get unlimited 2G data after 4G data runs out...not sure if that means you get unlimited 2G even if you pick 0 MB 4G (we don't use data anyway, but having even slow access in emergencies could be a benefit).
I have no complaints about Tello.  Since I'm such as low usage user, the PAYG option is great.  About 3 years ago, I was on Sprint proper for years edging up to about $50/mo (what a waste), then I was with RingPlus before they had to shut down.  And Tello is another Sprint MVNO - but no roaming on Verizon towers, but for most places I go combined with such little usage requirements, the coverage is certainly good enough for me.

I only had to deal with support during signup, and they responded by email within a day or two.  I haven't had any reason to contact them since.

With the Tello PAYG, you just have to make sure you show some usage at least once every 3 months (it used to be 6 months) to keep your existing balance rolling over and to keep your account active, and your balance can last a long time if you don't use it much.  I keep updates and most apps disabled for background mobile data and avoid using data based apps unless I'm on wifi.

You have to get a plan with a data bucket to get the unlimited 2g.  I had a family member get one of those low cost plans.  You can also add a PAYG balance on top of a plan.

Here's the official Tello thread over at the old R+ forum that was started when I first registered with Tello.

https://social.ringplus.net/discussion/11778/official-tello-mobile-thread

If I had felt my usage warranted a plan with buckets of minutes, texts, and data, I might have gone with Twigby, which has roaming on Verizon towers.  Tello actually lowered their plan prices a few months ago and also have a 30% off 3 months deal right now for new accounts.

That's awesome info! Thanks DreamFIRE. I think that this will lower the cost for both my wife and I (probably saving $12-15 / month).

And we all know that Millionaires are made $10 at a time.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!