Do you have any Mustachian Kryptonite?

[hybrid]

Over the past few months I've begun to backslide a bit. I am not riding the bike much (in this weather!!!), we are eating out more, I am preparing less food at home, I've put on a few pounds. Not a full-blown regression to Exploding Volcano of Wastefulness by any stretch, but enough to bother me (especially the biking part). My philosophy about MMM hasn't changed, but clearly something is getting in the way. Somewhere in my life there is a large nugget of Mustachian Kryptonite that is tripping me up here and there.

For me, I think that mineral has presented itself in the form of having too many balls in the air at one time, and just general stress. My mother has recently moved from her run down house to an apartment for health reasons, and I am in charge of getting the house fixed up and sold along with helping her get acclimated to her new lifestyle (a job I took on because she is not physically capable of it, and, well, that's what sons are supposed to do for their Mom). Mom has been very grateful for the help, and it's a project I'm glad we took on while we could be proactive instead of reactive about it. It's stressing me out just thinking about it, however, as there's a decent bit of pressure I've put upon myself to get it right. This has been going on for the better part of two months and on one level I am very happy about the progress that has been made (a lot of MMM sweat equity has saved Mom thousands in contractor work), but it has been a stress pit all the same. I think that has been wearing me down and affecting my habits - I've opted for quick and easy on more than one occasion. We are finally at the part where contractors are doing the things we either don't have the skill or time to complete, and so my load is lightening up considerably in the next few weeks. We hope to have the house on the market by June 12, and then I can get back to my already busy life.

As things lighten up I need to make sure that backsliding remains an exception to the rule and not let that piece of Mustachian Kryptonite create new (old) bad habits. That's my short term challenge going forward.

How about you dear reader, do you ever encounter your own Mustachian Kryptonite? Share your experiences.

[CommonCents]

Not enough time (or the perception thereof) will get you every time.  It's a good chunk of why people pay for other people to do the labor.  (That and lack of knowledge+fear of rectifying the lack of knowledge.)

[soccerluvof4]

I think the very fact that its bothering you and your reaching out means before long you will be back on track. Sometimes we need a break all be it planned or not. I know I have taken pause only to come back to be more focused. Good Luck!

[hybrid]

Not enough time (or the perception thereof) will get you every time.  It's a good chunk of why people pay for other people to do the labor.  (That and lack of knowledge+fear of rectifying the lack of knowledge.)

I think that would make a great separate thread - when is it (in)appropriate to pay someone else to do labor you could do. Lord knows we've been doing that calculus the past few months with the house renovation.


 

[Thegoblinchief]

My comment would be: get back on the bike, or at least get some form of exercise. Yes, it takes time out of the day. But without that critical stress relief, I'm a wreck. It's why I push myself even harder, e.g. the bike 365 days challenge.

[pachnik]

Hybrid, you know that you will never regret helping your mom.  Kudos to you for being a good son. 

My Mustachian kryptonite used to be having change ($1 and $2 coins) in my wallet.  If I saw that there was money, that meant that I could spend it.  Now that I am tracking my spending, this kryptonite has evaporated.  What is spent, must be written down so no 'freebies'.

However, I am uneasy about a new one.  I go to a meeting every Saturday morning and before I go there I visit a coffee shop.  There I read the paper (Sat. ed. $3.00, drink a small coffee and eat a muffin $4.50.)    It is a relaxing, quiet time before going to the meeting.  But it adds up - the coffee/muffin $4.50 per week.  I'm not worried about the newspaper but I'm not happy with the other expense.  I think next Saturday, i will just forgo the weekly coffee shop visit and see how I feel.  So I guess the kryptonite here is an old habit that is associated with relaxation and quiet. 

[curlycue]

An authentic taco stand right outside my front door. I can in no way replicate that cooking. Like the sirens calling me. I need to tie myself to the stern of the boat.

[brewer12345]

Good whiskey, gourmet cooking ingredients, and things that go bang.  Since I actually get a great deal of pleasure from all of these, I debate whether it is even an issue.

[Insanity]

Good whiskey, gourmet cooking ingredients, and things that go bang.  Since I actually get a great deal of pleasure from all of these, I debate whether it is even an issue.

I originally mis read that as "things to bang" and that made me think of something entirely else.

[CommonCents]

Not enough time (or the perception thereof) will get you every time.  It's a good chunk of why people pay for other people to do the labor.  (That and lack of knowledge+fear of rectifying the lack of knowledge.)

I think that would make a great separate thread - when is it (in)appropriate to pay someone else to do labor you could do. Lord knows we've been doing that calculus the past few months with the house renovation.

Oh yes.  There have been a lot of topic specific threads (house cleaning to renos) although, though not a general one.  Everyone draws different lines.  Which is as it should be, as each person has different talents and are paid differenting amounts for their own work (which also differ in whether or not more hours = more pay).

[Ambition89]

Being single in my mid-20s it's hard to resist the calls from friends to go outgo ya apy hours/bars on weeken night.

[Suit]

I'm having a Mustachian Kryptonite month myself. I think it's partly as Ambition89 pointed out and partly that my job is sending me to a conference later this month so I'll be eating out, going to Disneyland (since the conference is close by- at least it's a discounted pass) and having a dog sitter watch my dog so I generally feel like "F it, this month is just going to be whatever it's going to be." I haven't gone off the deep end yet but I've been doing chippy things I usually wouldn't.

[jr1029]

3 letters. R E I.

[jordanread]

3 letters. R E I.

This.
Especially with the sale going on right now. I've been waiting to finally get a few things I couldn't justify at full price. I still find myself eyeballing the other stuff, especially when it's 30% off...

As far as kryptonite goes from a general standpoint though, once I realized the value of buying good stuff that lasts instead of cheap stuff that needs to be replaced, I started to go overboard. I also over-analyze certain purchases, missing out on opportunities.

[smalllife]

Wanting to do too many projects with a limited budget after saving . . . .

[hybrid]

Over the past few months I've begun to backslide a bit. I am not riding the bike much (in this weather!!!), we are eating out more, I am preparing less food at home, I've put on a few pounds. Not a full-blown regression to Exploding Volcano of Wastefulness by any stretch, but enough to bother me (especially the biking part). My philosophy about MMM hasn't changed, but clearly something is getting in the way. Somewhere in my life there is a large nugget of Mustachian Kryptonite that is tripping me up here and there.

I've addressed some of this by spending money. Let me explain.... My office building downtown does not have a shower, so biking to work is a challenge for me (bathing in the sink ain't gonna cut it). The answer was to join the local Y, which is a block away. I will spend $61 a month there (including initiation), but at 0.25 a mile I spend per mile driving I will offset that by $37.50 for every 10 days I bike to work, and the exercise is what I need most of all right now, so I'll gladly pay a little to work a 15 mile bike ride into my day.

Looking forward to my new work regimen and shaking off that Mustachian Kryptonite.

[frompa]

Hybrid, Excellent job! And if you can, keep us posted on your progress.

[dude]

Organic produce, grass-fed meats, pastured eggs (at $7.49 a doz.(!), except this time of year when a friend picks them up from local farms for me for $2), and Starbucks coffee. I was doing good for a while brewing at home, but cleaning that damn coffee maker all the time is a pain in the ass, and taking 5 minutes out of my morning work prep time is annoying if I'm in a hurry, so I drop the $1.76 for a coffee (in a stainless steel travel mug -- that I've had for like 5 years -- of course) at Starbucks.  Oh well.  Savings rate is still FAR above average.

[Thegoblinchief]

Organic produce, grass-fed meats, pastured eggs (at $7.49 a doz.(!), except this time of year when a friend picks them up from local farms for me for $2), and Starbucks coffee. I was doing good for a while brewing at home, but cleaning that damn coffee maker all the time is a pain in the ass, and taking 5 minutes out of my morning work prep time is annoying if I'm in a hurry, so I drop the $1.76 for a coffee (in a stainless steel travel mug -- that I've had for like 5 years -- of course) at Starbucks.  Oh well.  Savings rate is still FAR above average.

My grocer has cage free eggs for as low as $2.50 a dozen.

I need to research more on organic produce, but I definitely stay away from all conventional animal products and notice a huge difference in taste and subjective health.

[William]

No kryptonite for me.  But as long as I'm earning good money, I'll never be able to convince myself that doing everything DIY is worth my time.

Sure I could save $50 on something but if it takes hours to accomplish, sorry I just can't make that work.  I'm pretty darn DIY but no, I'm not gonna buy a sewing machine and make my own clothing.

Everyone has their own level of DIY.

It's like with donating my time.  Say I make $50/hour.  If I volunteer at a soup kitchen for 8 hours, that's dandy.  But I'm pretty sure they would rather me write a check for $400 instead.

[legacyoneup]

"However, I am uneasy about a new one.  I go to a meeting every Saturday morning and before I go there I visit a coffee shop.  There I read the paper (Sat. ed. $3.00, drink a small coffee and eat a muffin $4.50.)    It is a relaxing, quiet time before going to the meeting.  But it adds up - the coffee/muffin $4.50 per week.  I'm not worried about the newspaper but I'm not happy with the other expense.  I think next Saturday, i will just forgo the weekly coffee shop visit and see how I feel."

Don't feel bad about this. Everyone is entitled to a little guilty pleasure!

It's $4.50 a week. As long as you are on track with your FI targets, I say let this continue.

[jordanread]

No kryptonite for me.  But as long as I'm earning good money, I'll never be able to convince myself that doing everything DIY is worth my time.

Sure I could save $50 on something but if it takes hours to accomplish, sorry I just can't make that work.  I'm pretty darn DIY but no, I'm not gonna buy a sewing machine and make my own clothing.

Everyone has their own level of DIY.

Yeah, I can see that. For me personally, it's not the end result that matters, it's just learning. I love it all. I did buy a sewing machine, and learn how to make my own clothes (with a huge amount of support from my SO...who did most of the work :D). The knowledge for me is invaluable, but I still buy clothes. DIY doesn't necessarily mean always doing it yourself. I hold the view that I should try everything twice (just in case I screwed up the first time). I wouldn't even consider what you are talking about as anti-mustachian. Catching FIRE is about freedom. That includes the freedom to use your money instead of your time. Which leads me to:

It's like with donating my time.  Say I make $50/hour.  If I volunteer at a soup kitchen for 8 hours, that's dandy.  But I'm pretty sure they would rather me write a check for $400 instead.

Now, I don't think much about charity unless it's fun (for example: I paid $70 to our trails and open spaces coalition...because they host a hell of a bike ride). However, this has given me an interesting perspective. You are probably right in what they would prefer, and that is something that I hadn't thought about. Thanks for that!!

[dude]

Organic produce, grass-fed meats, pastured eggs (at $7.49 a doz.(!), except this time of year when a friend picks them up from local farms for me for $2), and Starbucks coffee. I was doing good for a while brewing at home, but cleaning that damn coffee maker all the time is a pain in the ass, and taking 5 minutes out of my morning work prep time is annoying if I'm in a hurry, so I drop the $1.76 for a coffee (in a stainless steel travel mug -- that I've had for like 5 years -- of course) at Starbucks.  Oh well.  Savings rate is still FAR above average.

My grocer has cage free eggs for as low as $2.50 a dozen.

I need to research more on organic produce, but I definitely stay away from all conventional animal products and notice a huge difference in taste and subjective health.

Yeah, here as well, but there's a difference between cage-free and pastured.  The cage-free birds are usually still kept in large housing units eating chicken feed, whereas the pastured birds are free to roam outside and subsist largely on bugs, grubs and other stuff, augmented by some feed.  There is, to me, a huge difference in the taste and mouthfeel of pastured eggs.

[hybrid]

It's like with donating my time.  Say I make $50/hour.  If I volunteer at a soup kitchen for 8 hours, that's dandy.  But I'm pretty sure they would rather me write a check for $400 instead.

Now, I don't think much about charity unless it's fun (for example: I paid $70 to our trails and open spaces coalition...because they host a hell of a bike ride). However, this has given me an interesting perspective. You are probably right in what they would prefer, and that is something that I hadn't thought about. Thanks for that!!

There have been some good posts on this site recently about how to optimize charity contributions that have made me rethink some of my old assumptions. There is a part of me that feels better when I get my hands dirty doing volunteer work, and there is a part of me that realizes perhaps the better yet impersonal role is to donate money instead depending on the situation. The local food bank would be a good example. They need both labor and money. Lots of people can donate their labor, not everybody can donate a decent sum of money, and money ultimately stocks the food bank. Better for me to make good money doing side gigs and donating a portion of that to charity than stock shelves. My neighborhood organization needs volunteers for local projects, not cash. They are a good counter-example.   

[jordanread]

It's like with donating my time.  Say I make $50/hour.  If I volunteer at a soup kitchen for 8 hours, that's dandy.  But I'm pretty sure they would rather me write a check for $400 instead.

Now, I don't think much about charity unless it's fun (for example: I paid $70 to our trails and open spaces coalition...because they host a hell of a bike ride). However, this has given me an interesting perspective. You are probably right in what they would prefer, and that is something that I hadn't thought about. Thanks for that!!

There have been some good posts on this site recently about how to optimize charity contributions that have made me rethink some of my old assumptions. There is a part of me that feels better when I get my hands dirty doing volunteer work, and there is a part of me that realizes perhaps the better yet impersonal role is to donate money instead depending on the situation. The local food bank would be a good example. They need both labor and money. Lots of people can donate their labor, not everybody can donate a decent sum of money, and money ultimately stocks the food bank. Better for me to make good money doing side gigs and donating a portion of that to charity than stock shelves. My neighborhood organization needs volunteers for local projects, not cash. They are a good counter-example.

That's kind of where I was going with that. Charity isn't really my thing so I don't think too much about it, but I've seen some of those posts as well. It's a cool perspective directly related to being helpful instead of just helping. :-)

[hybrid]

Hybrid, Excellent job! And if you can, keep us posted on your progress.

The Y has been a total success so far. Biking to work in warm weather is a lot more enjoyable in the 65 degree cool than the 85 degree heat, so I have thoroughly enjoyed my ride into work so far (I may not be singing that tune in five months, but that's five months). The Y has been pretty straightforward, and they have free coffee! So when I am done with the shower in the morning I can take a cup of Joe with me to the office. Nice little perk I was not expecting.

I feel so much better getting regular exercise again, though it was dreadfully obvious to me that I had fallen out of riding shape a bit (and at my age, harder to get back into it).   

[ThriftyD]

I agree with Ambition89.  I enjoy hanging with friends and I also enjoy trying fancy craft beers, which are always more expensive than the cheap macro brews.