Hi frugal friends,
Being a mustachian, I am contributing 35% of my income to my 401k with the aim of maxing it out. My boss noticed this and asked me if I had meant to do that, or if I accidentally typed "35" instead of "3", as 3% is apparently the general recommendation for 401k contributions (lol). I've talked to him about Mustachianism and he appreciates the idea, but it was interesting to see how surprised he was about my contribution percentage, which is where the rubber really hits the road, so to speak, with this whole philosophy.
Anyways, I work as a carpenter, and on a number of occasions my boss has brought up my 401k contributions and used it as a reason for why I should buy this or that tool, ie - "Well you could contribute less to your 401k and buy such and such a tool". He doesn't do it in a mean or super serious way, so I honestly don't really mind it. Furthermore, as a tradesperson I plan on having a complete tool set so I can be maximally effective in my job.
That being said, I have more tools than most of my colleagues, and the reason I am able to contribute so much to my 401k is because I make lifestyle sacrifices (minimal driving, have a roommate, don't eat out etc) and I have a side hustle. My colleagues by contrast, who have less tools than me, lead lives that are truly "exploding volcanoes of wastefulness", like driving a truck to the store to buy cigarettes multiple times a week, going out to eat everyday, etc. These same coworkers often use my tools, like my levels and my laser, because they don't have them. It's interesting to me how I have more tools than them, yet I am told I should contribute less to my 401k to buy MORE tools, while my coworkers who have less tools aren't told to reign in their lives of exploding wastefulness so they can buy the tools for themselves that they ask me to borrow.
None of this is surprising, but it is interesting how being frugal and wealth oriented is targeted while being massively wasteful is not. Anyone else experience this? Any thoughts on the matter?
I also realized I passed 100k net worth recently, yippee!
edit: rein in