confession time...

[canadian bacon]

yup.   it is confession time

I love my Jeep Wrangler.   

Not too Mustashian I know but I am making progress.  I am now considering selling one of our 2 Jeep Wranglers to get something slightly more fuel efficient and quieter on the road.  Yes I also have an old Series Land Rover. 


Anyone else have a confession?

[Retired To Win]

I've got one "good" confession and one "naughty"one.

The good:  I love my 1996 Dodge Dakota pickup truck.  Yep, it's 19 years old.  (Holy moly!)  But I really like it (and all the money it's saved me).

Now the naughty: I love my history book collection.  Hundreds of books.  Yards and yards of bookcase space.  Oh, the extra house room that takes.  Oh, the underuse of the public library system.  Oh... what the hell.  I LOVE my books.

So, there.

[jrhampt]

I love our Jeep, too.  We have had it for over 10 years now, but that doesn't improve the gas mileage any.  Every time we think about selling it...we have a Jeep appreciation day.  In the winter, that's when it snows, and in the summer, it's when you take the top off and it feels like you're automatically on vacation anywhere you go.

[JLee]

Yup.

Plus a combination daily driver / offroad truck. I'm tempted to sell that and downgrade, but it's hard. :-/

[Jersey Brett]

My confession is I listen to The Magnetic Fields WAY too much

[NoraLenderbee]

Now the naughty: I love my history book collection.  Hundreds of books.  Yards and yards of bookcase space.  Oh, the extra house room that takes.  Oh, the underuse of the public library system.  Oh... what the hell.  I LOVE my books.

So, there.

Same here. I love my books, all ~2000 of them. I also use the library voraciously, but there are lots of books the library doesn't have. I love the decluttering thread, but it makes me feel faint every time someone mentions they got rid of their books . . .

[202009]

I love my BMW M3 and will not part ways, but I do cycle to work so that cancels it out ;)

[Syonyk]

I like books, but lately have been mostly reading them in "e" form. I've helped people with a lot of books move a few too many times. If I just expect to read it once, I'll use a tablet.

And, uh, I like my truck. It rarely gets driven as I ebike to work. And it's useful having a truck when nobody else in the area does. Free dump runs (other people cover my costs if I haul their stuff too), free couches, free server racks, etc.

[RexualChocolate]

2008 Chevy Silverado LTZ bought brand new for 28k. 16 MPG

I've put less than 50k miles on it so its still worth >18k so it wasn't the worst financial decision ever, but man, I love that truck

[chuckaluck]

I keep 4 vehicles that I paid cash for:
1. 2000 Honda Odyssey (165k, 18.5 mpg) used for helping kids and friends move, Home Depot runs, etc;
2. 2002 Toyota Camry (120 k, 27 mpg) younger son uses when home from college, I use when he is in college;
3. 2003 Toyota Corolla (60k, 30 mpg); older son uses as needed [no parking or need of car in town where he lives], I use this when son is not using.  Also loan out to friends whose own car is in shop; and
4. 2012 Toyota Prius (25k, 52 mpg) wife uses exclusively as a commuting vehicle.   

If one of the cars breaks down or requires maintenance, it is put aside until the necessary work on it can be done, and another is used. As I do most of the repair/maintenance work, this strategy has saved thousands through the years with little stress. Also, insurance premiums on cars 1,2, and 3 are at a minimum. 

[2Birds1Stone]

I LOVE my motorcycle. Paid $7k Cash for it with 4000 miles. Sticker was $14.5k + TTR when new. Will never sell it.

[soccerluvof4]

Love my Toyota Tundra.. We have a toyota minivan, highlander and the tundra. All paid for and being used with a family of 6. I have tried going without a truck but with bad knees, being 6'3, the desire to hall or pull things once in awhile I just feel its something I am willing to have to be comfortable. I have sold so many other toys (snowmobiles, cabin, 4 wheelers etc) the last 2 years I am keeping the truck. Mind you I don't put a lot of miles on and feel it will last me 15 years +/-

[big_slacker]

I also love my jeep. I just had a week of 45+ minute commutes and used 1.25 tanks of gas in 5 days. Everything about owning such a vehicle is absurd, except it makes me smile every time I drive it.

With that said if I actually had that commute every day long term I'm afraid the jeep would have to go.

[Jon_Snow]

I love my Taco...will never part with it, will never apologize for driving it.

At least I use it as a TRUCK - wheras most pickup owners I know could swap them with a Prius for all the "trucky" things they actually do. ;)

[fartface]

Yuuuuuppp...I "heart" the heated leather seats in my Ford Expedition. I drive down the road like a bad-ass (hyper milling of course) getting about 18mpg, and I won't apologize for it.

Paid $12K cash for this beast in 2010 w/75,000 miles on it. Currently has 100K miles.

I have an 8 mile commute to work and don't drive it in summer (bike instead).

I think on a mustache scale I'd rate myself overall an 8 out of 10; therefore warming my ass in winter & using 4WD on bad roads is perfectly acceptable to me.

[Cougar]

Now the naughty: I love my history book collection.  Hundreds of books.  Yards and yards of bookcase space.  Oh, the extra house room that takes.  Oh, the underuse of the public library system.  Oh... what the hell.  I LOVE my books.

So, there.

with you there.

i got shelves of books and most could care less that i read them all, my dad didnt even notice i put up a new bookshelf and filled it with books since last time he visited; but what the hell; it's a sense of accomplishment that i enjoy.

[socalteacher]

I bought two Sonos speakers last year and I want three more. I subscribe to Pandora and have different music stations playing at different times on different days. Love the set up and sound quality.

[imustachemystash]

I bought two Sonos speakers last year and I want three more. I subscribe to Pandora and have different music stations playing at different times on different days. Love the set up and sound quality.

Me too!  I have 3 of them in our house and I love them.  It seems like they add another dimension to my home life.  I use the free Pandora app though since I don't mind the commercials that much.

[kendallf]

This is the most boring confession thread ever. 

Charlie Sheen would be ashamed of you all.

[Zamboni]

My cat gets two-three cans of Fancy Feast per day.  Yep, that's up to $1.80 per day on cat food for one ancient feline.  And no, he's not fat, he's mr. scrawny.  When he finally makes his way up to kitty heaven, he shall not be replaced.

Oh, and for Charlie Sheen: in elementary school I wrote a dirty rhyme on the stall wall in the bathroom. I blame it on the tiger blood coursing through my veins. So there! Take that Mr. Estevez I mean Mr. Sheen!

[raylit20]

When the original engine in my S10 pickup died I replaced it with a Corvette V8. 400hp & 13 mpg. 

It's a blast.

[sarah8001]

My cat gets two-three cans of Fancy Feast per day.  Yep, that's up to $1.80 per day on cat food for one ancient feline.  And no, he's not fat, he's mr. scrawny.  When he finally makes his way up to kitty heaven, he shall not be replaced.

Oh, and for Charlie Sheen: in elementary school I wrote a dirty rhyme on the stall wall in the bathroom. I blame it on the tiger blood coursing through my veins. So there! Take that Mr. Estevez I mean Mr. Sheen!

I got you beat . . . BOTH my cats get 3 cans of Fancy Feast a day! OUCH. I order it online 6 cases at a time. They're both a healthy weight too. One of my cats has kidney issues that cause him to have dysfunctional litterbox habbits. The only cat litter that he will reliably use is 30$ per bag, so 60$ a month for two boxes. He's my best bud though. Once he's gone I'll probably try to reduce my costs with the remaining, healthier cat.

[G-dog]

This is the most boring confession thread ever. 

Charlie Sheen would be ashamed of you all.

Mr. Sheen doesn't confess, he brags. I will admit he would likely be unimpressed with this lot.

[2ndTimer]

I have two different tea pots one for black or green tea and one for herbal teas containing mints because I can't get the taste of the mints completely out of the pot after I use it and it kills the flavor of my green teas.  AND one of them was purchased new.

[Snow White]

I unapologetically drive a Subaru Forester and likely always will!  I've read all the MMM posts rants saying AWD isn't worth the money but it is to me.  I started driving Subarus when I was a hospice RN making home visits in snowy Massachusetts in all kinds of weather.  I never missed a visit even in blizzards as my trusty Forester got me everywhere safely. 

I live in Central Texas now (no blizzards!) and thought I'd change cars when we moved here.  But you know what, we have torrential rain storms at times and the Forester never hydroplanes or slips.  Probably I could get that same feature in a less expensive vehicle but darn it, I LOVE my Forester and that is what being FI means to me.  I get to spend money on the stuff I care about.  😊

Yeah...Charlie Sheen has stopped reading a long time ago or died from boredom. 

[brooklynmoney]

I just gave the max donation to my favorite political candidate. Not even tax deductible! I got carried away because my friend is fundraising for this candidate and he is a millionaire. I am not quite a millionaire and probably should have given less. Oh well at least I didn't piss it away on consumer goods.

[beaster]

And don't forget the jeep waves.  Those count too!

[bzzzt]

Every vehicle I own has a V8 engine. If I drove them as much as the average American, I'd have the carbon footprint of a Sherman tank.

The car I lust for also has a V8 engine, but at least I won't let myself buy one until after I pay off my house.

[Sailor Sam]

My 2010 Mini Cooper S. A sweet little dark grey speedster, with black racing stripes on the bonnet and a lot of attitude. Her name is Rosie, and I would faint dead away if I had to sell her. All in all, I spent $2000+* to drive that car from Norfolk, VA to Seattle, WA.

*Including $117 for a speeding ticket outside Santa Fe. Did anyone know that NM makes you decide to contest or plead guilty to the ticket right there on the side of the road? I'm convinced the trooper saw my out of state plates, and bagged hisself a sucker.   

[JLee]

My 2010 Mini Cooper S. A sweet little dark grey speedster, with black racing stripes on the bonnet and a lot of attitude. Her name is Rosie, and I would faint dead away if I had to sell her. All in all, I spent $2000+* to drive that car from Norfolk, VA to Seattle, WA.

*Including $117 for a speeding ticket outside Santa Fe. Did anyone know that NM makes you decide to contest or plead guilty to the ticket right there on the side of the road? I'm convinced the trooper saw my out of state plates, and bagged hisself a sucker.

A lot of people say that, but I'd bet he was already going to pull you over before he was close enough to read your plate. :)

[J Boogie]

Totally different type of confession, but today I paid a $60 fee to borrow $3,500 from my 401k.  It'll be repaid in 6 months, taken from my paychecks. 

My wife and I (late 20's, recently married) are making an offer on a duplex.

We have been paying rent for another family that's very close to us for months now, and it's time to stop the financial bleeding.  Unfortunately the bleeding kept us from being able to save more than $5,000 cash for a down payment.

They're going to move into the other unit and we all have hopes that they will be able to thrive in the economy here and be able to get on their feet and eventually become paying tenants.  Even if they don't, we'll still save about $1,000/mo from how we were doing it before.  Not ideal, but there's a freedom in taking the path that squares with your conscience.  I'd have a much heavier heart if we didn't go this route.

[ChaseJuggler]

My restaurant budget is still higher than my grocery budget.

I always use a coupon though!!

[okits]

This is the most boring confession thread ever. 

Charlie Sheen would be ashamed of you all.

Anyone with confessions that would impress Charlie Sheen is living a lifestyle that has probably already killed them.

My confession is that I love going to restaurants.  And sometimes I rationalize ordering alcohol because it's a tough biz in my town, how are they going to stay afloat, otherwise?  (Coupon/deal use only some of the time.)

[ashwihi]

I unapologetically drive a Subaru Forester and likely always will!  I've read all the MMM posts rants saying AWD isn't worth the money but it is to me.  I started driving Subarus when I was a hospice RN making home visits in snowy Massachusetts in all kinds of weather.  I never missed a visit even in blizzards as my trusty Forester got me everywhere safely. 

I live in Central Texas now (no blizzards!) and thought I'd change cars when we moved here.  But you know what, we have torrential rain storms at times and the Forester never hydroplanes or slips.  Probably I could get that same feature in a less expensive vehicle but darn it, I LOVE my Forester and that is what being FI means to me.  I get to spend money on the stuff I care about.  😊

Yeah...Charlie Sheen has stopped reading a long time ago or died from boredom.

Haha. You sound like my wife and I... I drive a legacy, she drives a forester. We are likely to also until they stop moving or become to expensive to maintain, which I'm sure you know is a lot miles.

[Ricky]

I live in Central Texas now (no blizzards!) and thought I'd change cars when we moved here.  But you know what, we have torrential rain storms at times and the Forester never hydroplanes or slips. 

AWD has nothing to do with combatting hydroplaning.

[MakingSenseofCents]

I love my Jeep Wrangler as well. I'm 99.9999% positive I will always have one...

[marty998]

I live in a $500k 2 bed apartment (just me, 1 person),

And I have a 3 hour a day commute.

[Mrs. Iceland]

Last night I stopped at Burger King and bought dinner for the whole family....


... and then I could not sleep du to tummy aces - never again!

[Ysera]

I unapologetically drive a Subaru Forester and likely always will!  I've read all the MMM posts rants saying AWD isn't worth the money but it is to me.  I started driving Subarus when I was a hospice RN making home visits in snowy Massachusetts in all kinds of weather.  I never missed a visit even in blizzards as my trusty Forester got me everywhere safely.

I have an '09 and I have decided to keep mine for now. I bought it brand new <cringe> when I got stationed out in rural Alaska for nearly four years. It got me everywhere, even in horrible snowstorms and on countless unplowed roads. You do NOT want to be stuck off the side of the road in the middle of nowhere when it is -40F, and there were cases where people had bad accidents and their vehicles weren't spotted for weeks until the snow thawed. I've moved to a much less extreme place now, but I can't quite convince myself yet to trade down for something that could possibly be less maintained and less reliable long term.

I really wish Subaru would have front wheel drive options for the US market, or even part time 4WD options like their old vehicles. My dad's '82 ran like a top, made it through every snowstorm, and got excellent mileage. He only replaced it because the floor rusted through after 20 years.

[trailrated]

I went to starbucks this morning... To be fair it was to get a "thank you" coffee for a coworker that closed last night so I could leave early and swoop my son from daycare. Well worth it imho

[Davin]

I LOVE my motorcycle. Paid $7k Cash for it with 4000 miles. Sticker was $14.5k + TTR when new. Will never sell it.

Me too, except I only paid $800 cash for mine. Still it is my naughty luxury, along with fancy wines. It is a '92 Yamaha FZR 600R and it goes really fast!

[minority_finance_mo]

Confession: I once paid $80 for some overdue books I forgot about in the midst of exams. Talk about a fail. Its a good thing I go to the library fairly often to justify (though one can hardly say it is justified) that kind of fine...

[Taran Wanderer]

I have a camper van... that weighs 9,000 lbs (10,500 lbs loaded)... with 4WD... and 33" tires... and a V-8... diesel... turbocharged... and it's our third vehicle.

On the plus side, I actually use the 4WD.  And I paid cash for it.

[Snow White]

I live in Central Texas now (no blizzards!) and thought I'd change cars when we moved here.  But you know what, we have torrential rain storms at times and the Forester never hydroplanes or slips. 

AWD has nothing to do with combatting hydroplaning.

Oh No!  Don't tell me you want me to base my beliefs upon facts and science and all that?  Did you not see the part where I am from Texas?! 😎.  No seriously, explain what helps with hydroplaning since it seems like I do it less in the Subaru and I had a period of about three months with a car without AWD and that baby slipped and slid every time we got rain.  I can accept though that it might be completely related to something else. 

[Hunny156]

My cat gets two-three cans of Fancy Feast per day.  Yep, that's up to $1.80 per day on cat food for one ancient feline.  And no, he's not fat, he's mr. scrawny.  When he finally makes his way up to kitty heaven, he shall not be replaced.

Oh, and for Charlie Sheen: in elementary school I wrote a dirty rhyme on the stall wall in the bathroom. I blame it on the tiger blood coursing through my veins. So there! Take that Mr. Estevez I mean Mr. Sheen!

I got you beat . . . BOTH my cats get 3 cans of Fancy Feast a day! OUCH. I order it online 6 cases at a time. They're both a healthy weight too. One of my cats has kidney issues that cause him to have dysfunctional litterbox habbits. The only cat litter that he will reliably use is 30$ per bag, so 60$ a month for two boxes. He's my best bud though. Once he's gone I'll probably try to reduce my costs with the remaining, healthier cat.

My hall closet is currently stockpiled with 46 cases of Friskies, plus at least 5 more cases in the pantry.  I have five cats, and that is about a year's worth of food for them.  These are the 5.5 oz cans, and they get 3 cans/day, plus 3 cups of dry food/day.  Plus treats.  Oh, and my neighbor's cat has figured out how to use our cat door and now she comes in every morning, so we feed her too!

[boarder42]

i have a wakeboarding boat.

its a 1999 i bought it for a good deal.  i have equity in it.  i live on a lake and use it 3-4 days a week.

[GuitarStv]

I live in Central Texas now (no blizzards!) and thought I'd change cars when we moved here.  But you know what, we have torrential rain storms at times and the Forester never hydroplanes or slips. 

AWD has nothing to do with combatting hydroplaning.

Oh No!  Don't tell me you want me to base my beliefs upon facts and science and all that?  Did you not see the part where I am from Texas?! 😎.  No seriously, explain what helps with hydroplaning since it seems like I do it less in the Subaru and I had a period of about three months with a car without AWD and that baby slipped and slid every time we got rain.  I can accept though that it might be completely related to something else. 

Better tires (wider, tread compound, pattern on them) help with hydroplaning, as does vehicle weight (heavier being slightly better).  AWD actually makes you more likely to hydroplane than two wheel drive.

That said, if you are hydroplaning often . . . slow down.  You're driving dangerously for road conditions and are putting your (and everyone else's) life at risk.

[Reepekg]

My wedding cost like $70k.

And it was awesome.

[G. Thomas]

I skied at 11 different mountains this season across the U.S.

[TheAnonOne]

My wedding cost like $70k.

And it was awesome.

Wow, mine is coming up quick but all in all closer to 20k.


Also, I love my Mustang GT and ZX14R. Won't sell them, I use them all the time and get real enjoyment from them.

That being said, they have been paid off for years and the rest of my existence is pretty low-key.