Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[Alternatepriorities]

I've been bummed about my net worth in Mint going nowhere for the past 3 months despite some kickass returns on long-term bond trades. Then I realized my accounts last updated 3 months ago, and my brokerage was absorbed in a merger during that time, breaking the links. Thus I was looking at my NW from 3 months ago. After some quick calculator math I found that I am a millionaire. A lazy one who doesn't always pay attention to details, but a millionaire nonetheless.

Congratulations!

It does seem like a very typical MPP to not notice becoming something like that! Well done!

[RWD]

I've been bummed about my net worth in Mint going nowhere for the past 3 months despite some kickass returns on long-term bond trades. Then I realized my accounts last updated 3 months ago, and my brokerage was absorbed in a merger during that time, breaking the links. Thus I was looking at my NW from 3 months ago. After some quick calculator math I found that I am a millionaire. A lazy one who doesn't always pay attention to details, but a millionaire nonetheless.

Congrats!

I had a similar issue with a net worth graph I was generating years ago that was getting farther and farther away from my actual net worth. At first I figured it was just some minor calculation differences but eventually it was so far off I had to look into it. Turns out it was using average fund prices (across multiple years) instead of closest to date.

[nouveauRiche]

When we first found MMM (2015) we went through our spending and made a ton of small & large cost-cutting changes that added up to a lot of money per month.

I'm still in that mindset - trying to find ways to save money here & there or earn extra money (like with a bank signup bonus).

My MPP:  It no longer makes any difference.  Daily fluctuations in the stock market dwarf any/all the little things I could do. 

[eyesonthehorizon]

I've been bummed about my net worth in Mint going nowhere for the past 3 months despite some kickass returns on long-term bond trades. Then I realized my accounts last updated 3 months ago, and my brokerage was absorbed in a merger during that time, breaking the links. Thus I was looking at my NW from 3 months ago. After some quick calculator math I found that I am a millionaire. A lazy one who doesn't always pay attention to details, but a millionaire nonetheless.

This is peak mustachian humor. Congratulations!!

Between the brokerage being acquired & Mint going away it seems like 2024 is going to be all about finding new ways to track.

[ChpBstrd]

I've been bummed about my net worth in Mint going nowhere for the past 3 months despite some kickass returns on long-term bond trades. Then I realized my accounts last updated 3 months ago, and my brokerage was absorbed in a merger during that time, breaking the links. Thus I was looking at my NW from 3 months ago. After some quick calculator math I found that I am a millionaire. A lazy one who doesn't always pay attention to details, but a millionaire nonetheless.

This is peak mustachian humor. Congratulations!!

Between the brokerage being acquired & Mint going away it seems like 2024 is going to be all about finding new ways to track.

The underlying issue was that it didn't give an error message that the accounts weren't updating, the way it does with credit cards, Treasury direct, etc. This compounded upon my laziness and lack of detail orientation to produce this gift - the realization I'm $100k wealthier than I thought I was.

[Sugaree]

I'm doing some tax planning for 2024 and realized that my recent changes to 529 contributions will put me slightly over the amount that is deductible on my state return.  It's not anywhere near the annual gift limit, but I've been using the 529 to fine tune my state return at the end of the year to get as close to a $0 refund as possible. 

[Gerard]

It no longer makes any difference.  Daily fluctuations in the stock market dwarf any/all the little things I could do.

I get this (and sometimes feel this way myself), but I'm not sure it's a productive perspective. 'Cause I don't own those fluctuations, and I'm not benefiting from them. Still worth optimizing where I can:

https://optimacheap.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/will-volatile-investments-make-me-take-more-taxis/

[nouveauRiche]

It no longer makes any difference.  Daily fluctuations in the stock market dwarf any/all the little things I could do.

I get this (and sometimes feel this way myself), but I'm not sure it's a productive perspective. 'Cause I don't own those fluctuations, and I'm not benefiting from them. Still worth optimizing where I can:

https://optimacheap.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/will-volatile-investments-make-me-take-more-taxis/

Yes - good point.  And thanks for the link.  Yes, much of our net worth is in retirement accounts we won't touch for years so the stock market fluctuations don't arrive in our checking account.

We haven't really changed our behavior much since becoming FI (although our definition of "de minimis" has certainly changed).  I still do little things that save money (i.e. cash-back credit card and free clothes from the Buy Nothing Group).

But the *fun* of those little savings is gone.  It doesn't feel like I'm contributing to our goal in a meaningful way.

[crocheted_stache]

When we first found MMM (2015) we went through our spending and made a ton of small & large cost-cutting changes that added up to a lot of money per month.

I'm still in that mindset - trying to find ways to save money here & there or earn extra money (like with a bank signup bonus).

My MPP:  It no longer makes any difference.  Daily fluctuations in the stock market dwarf any/all the little things I could do.

This looks mighty familiar...

My current MPP: I recently identified and eliminated around $45/month of useless expenses. Applying the Rule of 173, the savings should add up to nearly $8000 over 10 years. The MPP is that this amount is dwarfed both by other routine-for-me savings (paid-off car and house, bike most local trips, cook at home) and by daily swings in the market.

I think I first did some version of the calculation in grade school. "If you just bought bread and sandwich stuff and put that $5/day that you're spending on packaged/cafeteria lunches into savings, you'd have over $1000 saved in a year." The friend didn't seem to appreciate the point I was trying to make.

I'm still happily wearing a 10-year-old t-shirt that's fraying around the edges because it's the weekend, because who cares if I get it covered with sweat/cooking/paint/garden mud/grease, and because the planet doesn't need more apparel extracted, manufactured, and discarded. I don't wish to drive that demand any more than I already do.

I also took the time to reduce those expenses because they were providing me no value, and because optimizing the heck out of expenses is the kind of thing I do.

[Gerard]

But the *fun* of those little savings is gone.  It doesn't feel like I'm contributing to our goal in a meaningful way.

Yup, that sounds familiar.

Although even after years of this (and actually being retired now and all), I still get that little "zing!" when I find a money-saving or investment thing that's *completely* new to me, like, "holy cow, that wasn't even on my radar!'

[nouveauRiche]

This looks mighty familiar...

Down to the use of "dwarf" as a verb!

I'm still happily wearing a 10-year-old t-shirt that's fraying around the edges because it's the weekend, because who cares if I get it covered with sweat/cooking/paint/garden mud/grease, and because the planet doesn't need more apparel extracted, manufactured, and discarded. I don't wish to drive that demand any more than I already do.

Spouse & I both wear shirts that are older than some of our coworkers.

[nouveauRiche]

Although even after years of this (and actually being retired now and all), I still get that little "zing!" when I find a money-saving or investment thing that's *completely* new to me, like, "holy cow, that wasn't even on my radar!'

Where are you finding new things?  I feel like we already know all the frugal tricks we're ever going to find.

[Sibley]

I've been bummed about my net worth in Mint going nowhere for the past 3 months despite some kickass returns on long-term bond trades. Then I realized my accounts last updated 3 months ago, and my brokerage was absorbed in a merger during that time, breaking the links. Thus I was looking at my NW from 3 months ago. After some quick calculator math I found that I am a millionaire. A lazy one who doesn't always pay attention to details, but a millionaire nonetheless.

This is peak mustachian humor. Congratulations!!

Between the brokerage being acquired & Mint going away it seems like 2024 is going to be all about finding new ways to track.

I use quicken. It's not perfect, I don't like that it's subscription based now, but it's also not going away. That combined with excel and I'm good.

[markbike528CBX]

...snip...
I'm still happily wearing a 10-year-old t-shirt that's fraying around the edges because it's the weekend, because who cares if I get it covered with sweat/cooking/paint/garden mud/grease, and because the planet doesn't need more apparel extracted, manufactured, and discarded. I don't wish to drive that demand any more than I already do.
.....snip... 

I have T-shirts that are over 20 years old in usable condition.  My "major rock band show" T-shirt is 29+ years old, 30 years as of  March 12. 2024, from 1994* .
My shirts have survived this even with bachelor-style washing machine use.  This consists of throwing _everything_ in, turning the temp high/long and then drying on high.
The key is maintaining a smoothly rotating use.   I hang each new dry washed shirts on one end of the rack and take off the other end.
 
Another shirt is still plastic wrapped with a Chinese laundry tag from the cleaner in Taipei from 2001.   
My goal is to loose enough weight to wear it again <sips beer>.

To keep on topic, I guess my MPP is that it is hard to get rid of shirts when they are still good, even 20+ years later.


*My "unabridged resume" tells me that I was in San Diego the Sunday before a conference week.
Therefore I saw Black Happy that night and got the shirt.   
Black Happy -- one saxophone, two trombones, two drums
Cherry Poppin' Daddies -- two saxophones, one trombone, one drum.

[Taran Wanderer]

I’m finally having to retire a couple of 20-year-old t-shirts. I only buy the 100% organic cotton Patagonia t-shirts when they’re on sale, but when I wear them almost weekly for 20 years before they literally fall apart, I could probably justify paying full price. 750 washes / $20 = ……..  Nah, better to get them on sale!

[crocheted_stache]

Between the brokerage being acquired & Mint going away it seems like 2024 is going to be all about finding new ways to track.

I use quicken. It's not perfect, I don't like that it's subscription based now, but it's also not going away. That combined with excel and I'm good.

See also: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/reader-recommendations/mint-closing-down-alternatives/

[crocheted_stache]

It no longer makes any difference.  Daily fluctuations in the stock market dwarf any/all the little things I could do.

I get this (and sometimes feel this way myself), but I'm not sure it's a productive perspective. 'Cause I don't own those fluctuations, and I'm not benefiting from them. Still worth optimizing where I can:

https://optimacheap.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/will-volatile-investments-make-me-take-more-taxis/

Thanks for the link. Some good points.

In my case, it's also true that I still have a firehose going strong, and otherwise low enough expenses that if I FIREd tomorrow, I'd be at a WR somewhere under 1%. An incrementally higher spend just wouldn't change the picture that much.

What recovering the little extra savings does do, in my case, is eliminate spend that was adding no value. If I'm going to spend a little more, it might as well be on something I care about, not a more comprehensive phone plan or larger trash bin than I really use.

[LennStar]

I think I first did some version of the calculation in grade school. "If you just bought bread and sandwich stuff and put that $5/day that you're spending on packaged/cafeteria lunches into savings, you'd have over $1000 saved in a year." The friend didn't seem to appreciate the point I was trying to make.

Yes, it's like when a medium-heavy smoker is complaining about money and you tell him his habit is literally setting his retirement home on flames.
People don't want their stupidity pointed out, they want reassurance that they can't do anything about it because X. A real MPP.

Spouse & I both wear shirts that are older than some of our coworkers.

Haha, I also have some clothes that are 20+ years old. As long as it works, keep it! If you can do that long enough you will even end up at the top of the latest fashion trend! (it still hurts me seeing jeans intentionally made with holes)

-----

My MPP:
My now-company has a retirement account matching plan, very unusual for Germany. Which means nothing prepared me for having
-100€ from pre tax
+200€ in retirement account X
-60€ on after tax/amount I get each month.
=confusion

I only have "salary" in my stats (I don't go deep anyway, I am not budgeting).
What do I do now? Use the -60€ for income and put in +200€ "can't touch savings" I guess, but that won't add up with "pre tax income" and "taxes" combined!

[Sibley]

Between the brokerage being acquired & Mint going away it seems like 2024 is going to be all about finding new ways to track.

I use quicken. It's not perfect, I don't like that it's subscription based now, but it's also not going away. That combined with excel and I'm good.

See also: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/reader-recommendations/mint-closing-down-alternatives/

You are missing the point. My usage of Quicken is substantially unchanged since I started using it in 2007. Yes, they've done updates. Icons are different, the color scheme changed, they've added stuff, etc. But the basic functions have been there since day 1. More than that, I have it on my local desktop. I have control over my data. It doesn't matter if Intuit's data server goes down, I can input transactions manually if I want.

Stability and continuity matter, and I have it. Why would I give that up?

[BlueHouse]

I've been bummed about my net worth in Mint going nowhere for the past 3 months despite some kickass returns on long-term bond trades. Then I realized my accounts last updated 3 months ago, and my brokerage was absorbed in a merger during that time, breaking the links. Thus I was looking at my NW from 3 months ago. After some quick calculator math I found that I am a millionaire. A lazy one who doesn't always pay attention to details, but a millionaire nonetheless.

This is peak mustachian humor. Congratulations!!

Between the brokerage being acquired & Mint going away it seems like 2024 is going to be all about finding new ways to track.

The underlying issue was that it didn't give an error message that the accounts weren't updating, the way it does with credit cards, Treasury direct, etc. This compounded upon my laziness and lack of detail orientation to produce this gift - the realization I'm $100k wealthier than I thought I was.

Just curious:   If your net worth had shown decreases during that time without any evidence of market forces driving it down, would you have cracked open an Excel spreadsheet and done the math to find out what was driving the difference between the reported NW and your gut feelings on where it would be? 

[Catbert]

I traded in two old rifles that I inherited 15+ years ago.  In exchange I got two $100 Target gift cards from the police department.  So now my MPP is what to buy at Target that (a) I need and (b) isn't cheaper somewhere else.

[techwiz]

I traded in two old rifles that I inherited 15+ years ago.  In exchange I got two $100 Target gift cards from the police department.  So now my MPP is what to buy at Target that (a) I need and (b) isn't cheaper somewhere else.

Using "target" gift cards as the payment method for a gun exchange program seems appropriate. ;P 

[Morning Glory]

I traded in two old rifles that I inherited 15+ years ago.  In exchange I got two $100 Target gift cards from the police department.  So now my MPP is what to buy at Target that (a) I need and (b) isn't cheaper somewhere else.

Their store brand groceries are around the same price as Walmart and Aldi. I shopped there a lot when I lived biking distance to one.

[ChpBstrd]

I've been bummed about my net worth in Mint going nowhere for the past 3 months despite some kickass returns on long-term bond trades. Then I realized my accounts last updated 3 months ago, and my brokerage was absorbed in a merger during that time, breaking the links. Thus I was looking at my NW from 3 months ago. After some quick calculator math I found that I am a millionaire. A lazy one who doesn't always pay attention to details, but a millionaire nonetheless.

This is peak mustachian humor. Congratulations!!

Between the brokerage being acquired & Mint going away it seems like 2024 is going to be all about finding new ways to track.

The underlying issue was that it didn't give an error message that the accounts weren't updating, the way it does with credit cards, Treasury direct, etc. This compounded upon my laziness and lack of detail orientation to produce this gift - the realization I'm $100k wealthier than I thought I was.

Just curious:   If your net worth had shown decreases during that time without any evidence of market forces driving it down, would you have cracked open an Excel spreadsheet and done the math to find out what was driving the difference between the reported NW and your gut feelings on where it would be?

In this case it didn't require a bunch of analysis, just some rough mental addition of what I had in about 3 major accounts. So I figured it out long before getting to the Excel stage, but somehow didn't notice the discrepancy for 3 months. Perhaps this means I don't actually need to monitor my NW number, and that it doesn't matter.

[zolotiyeruki]

Here's my MPP: DS and I fixed up an old car. We paid "tow it in" money ($400) for it and another $400 for engine work and parts. The car runs great now. What a deal, right? The problem? To buy a car in Illinois and get the title transferred and to get plates coats a minimum of $400, thanks to his much they've jacked up the fees and taxes over the last few years. And the insurance company told me that liability-only coverage is going to run us ~$700/year, thanks to "new system" they're deploying.

Time to go insurance shipping, I guess.

[pasadenafr]

I thought today was tomorrow, payday. So I went to Fidelity to check that and update my spreadsheet.

Fidelity first told me that today was indeed today, not tomorrow. So I have no new money to play with.

Then Fidelity (and Excel) told me that I am $422.29 away from the next NW milestone.

$422.29

IF TODAY HAD BEEN TOMORROW LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, I WOULD HAVE BEEN OVER THAT $#$@^ MILESTONE.

[crocheted_stache]

It no longer makes any difference.  Daily fluctuations in the stock market dwarf any/all the little things I could do.

I get this (and sometimes feel this way myself), but I'm not sure it's a productive perspective. 'Cause I don't own those fluctuations, and I'm not benefiting from them. Still worth optimizing where I can:

https://optimacheap.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/will-volatile-investments-make-me-take-more-taxis/

Gerard, I was inspired to look at at few of your other posts. https://optimacheap.wordpress.com/2023/12/05/better-cheap-stuff-doesnt-need-as-much-expensive-stuff-on-it/ is about buying decent ingredients, and I agree, but I can't help reading the headline differently. I'd like to be able to buy a basic, dependable fridge (or other appliance) that just works, and uses the same kind of electromechanical controls that have worked for decades, or maybe has enough electronics for a simple LCD readout for temperature. I don't need a screen, and I don't need it connecting to headquarters. I wonder if when we'll have a consumer backlash where more people go looking for the no-frills model, whether it's made for apartments or pro kitchens, or some other purpose.

[NorthernIkigai]

I thought today was tomorrow, payday. So I went to Fidelity to check that and update my spreadsheet.

Fidelity first told me that today was indeed today, not tomorrow. So I have no new money to play with.

Then Fidelity (and Excel) told me that I am $422.29 away from the next NW milestone.

$422.29

IF TODAY HAD BEEN TOMORROW LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, I WOULD HAVE BEEN OVER THAT $#$@^ MILESTONE.

An unusually transient MPP :-)

[crocheted_stache]

Latest MPP: Empower has now auto-classified my various bike shop purchases as

• Hobbies
• Automotive
• Restaurants (?!)

There's a category for "travel," which I'm reluctantly using as a stand-in for the non-existent "transportation."

[LennStar]

Latest MPP: Empower has now auto-classified my various bike shop purchases as

• Hobbies
• Automotive
• Restaurants (?!)

There's a category for "travel," which I'm reluctantly using as a stand-in for the non-existent "transportation."

I really want to know what on your bike is edible, and how it tastes.

I wonder if when we'll have a consumer backlash where more people go looking for the no-frills model, whether it's made for apartments or pro kitchens, or some other purpose.

Unfortunately it will probably go the car way: manufacturers simply choosing to not build those cheap models, because they can make more profit with the more expensive ones and people will buy them anyways.

[Metalcat]

Latest MPP: Empower has now auto-classified my various bike shop purchases as

• Hobbies
• Automotive
• Restaurants (?!)

There's a category for "travel," which I'm reluctantly using as a stand-in for the non-existent "transportation."

I really want to know what on your bike is edible, and how it tastes.

A few bike shops around here have fancy coffee bars

[NorthernIkigai]

Latest MPP: Empower has now auto-classified my various bike shop purchases as

• Hobbies
• Automotive
• Restaurants (?!)

There's a category for "travel," which I'm reluctantly using as a stand-in for the non-existent "transportation."

“There’s something wrong with this person, they can’t possibly be buying that much from bike shops. And also, they’re spending way too little on cars and eating out. Let’s fix this for them.”

[GuitarStv]

Latest MPP: Empower has now auto-classified my various bike shop purchases as

• Hobbies
• Automotive
• Restaurants (?!)

There's a category for "travel," which I'm reluctantly using as a stand-in for the non-existent "transportation."

Gotta lay off the energy gels.  :P

[AnotherEngineer]

There's a category for "travel," which I'm reluctantly using as a stand-in for the non-existent "transportation."

I've used Empower for a long time, but had been classifying transactions in Mint. While I haven't fully explored Empower's categories, but it appears you can both add new categories and rename most of the existing categories. I assume the latter changes just the name and it will still use the same criteria logic. Anyone else miss Mint's former categorization rules? I appears I will have to manually classify my paycheck and a few utility bills because the transaction description includes a date or a tracking number, so doesn't match the last time I reclassified it. MPP...

[Dollar Slice]

Latest MPP: Empower has now auto-classified my various bike shop purchases as

• Hobbies
• Automotive
• Restaurants (?!)

There's a category for "travel," which I'm reluctantly using as a stand-in for the non-existent "transportation."

I used to endlessly confuse Mint because I repeatedly did:
Vanguard (investments)
The Village Vanguard (a great jazz club)
Harvard Vanguard (medical group practice)

And it would just see the word "Vanguard" and think it must be the same as the last time I did a "Vanguard" thing. Had to reclassify it almost every time.

[glacio09]

I work for a company that is also very ubiquitous in modern society. Unfortunately, my paycheck and the retail shop come through as the exact same short merchant name in my bank statement and each of the individual stores have different expanded names. It seems that Monarch's AI is starting to figure it out, but there's no combination of rules to catch it every time.

[sayonara]

My MPP from a few months ago - I had just wrapped up building a camper van and was headed up from Washington state into Canada & Alaska to enjoy the balance of summer traveling through some national parks, checking out the remote lakes of the Yukon, visiting friends, hiking, biking, etc. I had no specific pre-planned route, no specific timeline to get through the area and back down into the Lower 48 - after all, one of the best parts of being a retired mustachian is to follow life as we please and as it comes to us, without too much of that planning ahead stuff. But, with me as a 30-year old single male, the Canadian border patrol agent wasn't so convinced. Conversation went something like this -

Me: *Drives up to border, enjoying the scenery, with an unsuspecting smile plastered on my face*

Canadian Border Agent: "Where are you headed?"

Me: "Oh, I plan to head on up through BC and the into the Yukon, eventually making my way into Alaska"

BA: "Is that right? And how long are you going to be in Canada?"

Me: "Well, probably 2-4 weeks on the way up. Maybe something similar on the way back down after coming back in from Alaska and heading south. Depends a little bit on the weather, and if I meet some cool people along the way who have ideas of other things to see. Maybe a little bit longer if that happens."

BA: *Looks at my $10k, self-converted 2010 Ford Transit Connect van with 145,000 miles on it that gets great mileage for a van but doesn't exactly scream 'normal and well-heeled traveller'* - "And how exactly do you intend to finance these travels? Do you understand that it's expensive to travel through Canada, and you're talking about 2+ months in our country. You do understand that it's illegal to work while you are here, and I'm going to need proof that you are able to finance your travels".

Me: *Realizing that I probably should've shown up a little bit more than 0% prepared for this conversation* - "Um, well, yes, I mean, I understand that. But, I have the money though".

BA: *Suspicion deepening rapidly* - "And what exactly do you do for work that allows you to be gone for months at a time and not work while you're here?"

Me: *Realizing this is not going to go well, but without enough time to think of something that sounds less ridiculous* - "Um, well, I'm.... retired, sir".

BA: "You're what?"

Me: *At this point, the look on BA's face shows clearly what he's thinking - that my story is most ridiculous fake cover-up story of all time and that I have now fully convinced him that I am entering his country primarily to participate in one or multiple illicit activities, for a minimum of 3 months, possibly in perpetuity* - "Well, yeah... you know... I mean... I'm... retired..."

BA: "I'm going to need you to shut off your car right now, and come with me. We'll be searching your vehicle and my colleague over there is going to take down and record all of your answers to our questions....."

-----

All of this ended up costing me 2+ hours in the interrogation room with them searching every nook and cranny of my vehicle inside and out... I'm convinced they were deeply disappointed when the worst thing they found was that my bear spray wasn't properly secured and fell onto the passenger seat floorboard when they knocked it over.

-----

Moral of the story - Sometimes it pays to prepare the "off-the-shelf regular person" answer, or something similar to it. I'll keep that in mind next summer when the great white north comes calling once again.

[Dollar Slice]

Me: *Realizing that I probably should've shown up a little bit more than 0% prepared for this conversation* - "Um, well, yes, I mean, I understand that. But, I have the money though".

BA: *Suspicion deepening rapidly* - "And what exactly do you do for work that allows you to be gone for months at a time and not work while you're here?"

For future reference, the phrase you want to go with is "independently wealthy," not "retired." That could include things like an inheritance, trust fund, lottery win, startup sale, and other things much less weird when you're 30.

[deborah]

I can just imagine what would have happened if you’d been going in the other direction, as a Canadian rather than a US citizen.

The first time I visited Canada l had been wandering through the Great Lakes, and naively decided that I could visit Lake Michigan for a day. That meant crossing the border. I had an esta, so I was legal. However, as an enemy alien (I think your president of the time had just said that we were the closest of allies), I had to say where I was staying in the US. A day trip, to admire the lake, and find lunch at whatever place I could find that overlooked the lake and then come back to Canada to stay in a hotel where I’d already booked my accommodation didn’t cut muster. I had to have a US address - even the US address of where I was having lunch would do.

I won’t go into the remaining time I spent within a kilometre of the border, but the total experience has etched itself in my mind as one of my worst ever.

[nouveauRiche]

The first time I visited Canada l had been wandering through the Great Lakes, and naively decided that I could visit Lake Michigan for a day.

Out of curiosity, can I ask which border crossing this was?  From Detroit or Port Huron, it's about a six hour round trip to Lake Michigan.  Sault Ste. Marie to St. Ignace is only 50 miles but that's not the first Canadian border crossing that comes to mind.

[Alternatepriorities]

I had a similar experience years ago sayonara although i was far from retired at the time.

I had a goal of making it to every state in the US and was short Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. I had plenty of SW airlines miles and a long weekend so I flew from Abu to Ohio with a plan to drive around Lake Erie with a little spur into W Virginia... Figured I'd see both side of Niagara falls that way. I brought nothing with my but a very small carry on bag.

When I got to the border with Canada they asked the reason for my visit and I explained the above. So they searched my rental car.

Got back to the US border and they again asked the reason for my trip. I explained again. And they searched the rental car too. They did seem to find my answer to "did you buy anything in Canada" amusing. "Gas and Tim Hortons."

Apparently it was just unbelievable that a 30 year old would just want to see a bit more of the continent.

Possibly helpful for future trips: The correct answer for how long you'll be in Canada when driving WA to AK is also not "36 hours" although it is technically possible to make the drive in that amount of time driving the speed limit.

[deborah]

The first time I visited Canada l had been wandering through the Great Lakes, and naively decided that I could visit Lake Michigan for a day.

Out of curiosity, can I ask which border crossing this was?  From Detroit or Port Huron, it's about a six hour round trip to Lake Michigan.  Sault Ste. Marie to St. Ignace is only 50 miles but that's not the first Canadian border crossing that comes to mind.

Yes, Sault Ste. Marie.

[AnotherEngineer]

I had a similar experience years ago sayonara although i was far from retired at the time.

I had a goal of making it to every state in the US and was short Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. I had plenty of SW airlines miles and a long weekend so I flew from Abu to Ohio with a plan to drive around Lake Erie with a little spur into W Virginia... Figured I'd see both side of Niagara falls that way. I brought nothing with my but a very small carry on bag.

When I got to the border with Canada they asked the reason for my visit and I explained the above. So they searched my rental car.

Got back to the US border and they again asked the reason for my trip. I explained again. And they searched the rental car too. They did seem to find my answer to "did you buy anything in Canada" amusing. "Gas and Tim Hortons."

Apparently it was just unbelievable that a 30 year old would just want to see a bit more of the continent.

Possibly helpful for future trips: The correct answer for how long you'll be in Canada when driving WA to AK is also not "36 hours" although it is technically possible to make the drive in that amount of time driving the speed limit.

On the contrary, sometimes saying you will be in Canada only a short time may be a benefit. We had an exciting border crossing moment moving out of Alaska (tear) during COVID. The passport renewals were so backed up my wife didn't actually have a valid passport when we pulled up to the remote Alcan crossing. We had all the paperwork to make it through the closed-to-tourists border because we were moving, but we also had a ferry to Bellingham to catch, so our Plan B if they wouldn't let her in was we leave her at the border to hitchhike 300 miles to Fairbanks to catch a flight to catch back up to the ferry. Note that while hitchhiking is more common in AK, there are few cars on that very rural road even when the border is open, so this was not a good option for many reasons. Many reasons...  Thankfully after a long dialogue they let us through. We had called ahead and had reason to believe this would happen, but I think think three kids in the back helped, as did we were only going to Haines for the ferry as COVID rules meant we couldn't camp or stop at Laird Hot Springs or visit Banff/Jasper on the way. We ended up driving through beautiful but deserted highways of Yukon and BC for six hours to get back into Alaska near Haines. (Yes you have to drive through Canada to get between parts of Alaska.) I don't remember the US border guards taking more than 30 seconds to let us back in.

[deborah]

Those same US border guards stole my capsicums when I went through in an RV. I’d hired the RV to go from Seattle to anchorage, and went into the Alaskan panhandle at every opportunity. At each border crossing, the US border guards stole a different vegetable, even though I had the same ones each time. However, they didn’t expect me to give an address where I’d be staying.

[LennStar]

Those same US border guards stole my capsicums when I went through in an RV. I’d hired the RV to go from Seattle to anchorage, and went into the Alaskan panhandle at every opportunity. At each border crossing, the US border guards stole a different vegetable, even though I had the same ones each time. However, they didn’t expect me to give an address where I’d be staying.

Sounds like a good opportunity for trying to smuggle a California Reaper.

[Alternatepriorities]

I had a similar experience years ago sayonara although i was far from retired at the time.

I had a goal of making it to every state in the US and was short Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. I had plenty of SW airlines miles and a long weekend so I flew from Abu to Ohio with a plan to drive around Lake Erie with a little spur into W Virginia... Figured I'd see both side of Niagara falls that way. I brought nothing with my but a very small carry on bag.

When I got to the border with Canada they asked the reason for my visit and I explained the above. So they searched my rental car.

Got back to the US border and they again asked the reason for my trip. I explained again. And they searched the rental car too. They did seem to find my answer to "did you buy anything in Canada" amusing. "Gas and Tim Hortons."

Apparently it was just unbelievable that a 30 year old would just want to see a bit more of the continent.

Possibly helpful for future trips: The correct answer for how long you'll be in Canada when driving WA to AK is also not "36 hours" although it is technically possible to make the drive in that amount of time driving the speed limit.

On the contrary, sometimes saying you will be in Canada only a short time may be a benefit. We had an exciting border crossing moment moving out of Alaska (tear) during COVID. The passport renewals were so backed up my wife didn't actually have a valid passport when we pulled up to the remote Alcan crossing. We had all the paperwork to make it through the closed-to-tourists border because we were moving, but we also had a ferry to Bellingham to catch, so our Plan B if they wouldn't let her in was we leave her at the border to hitchhike 300 miles to Fairbanks to catch a flight to catch back up to the ferry. Note that while hitchhiking is more common in AK, there are few cars on that very rural road even when the border is open, so this was not a good option for many reasons. Many reasons...  Thankfully after a long dialogue they let us through. We had called ahead and had reason to believe this would happen, but I think think three kids in the back helped, as did we were only going to Haines for the ferry as COVID rules meant we couldn't camp or stop at Laird Hot Springs or visit Banff/Jasper on the way. We ended up driving through beautiful but deserted highways of Yukon and BC for six hours to get back into Alaska near Haines. (Yes you have to drive through Canada to get between parts of Alaska.) I don't remember the US border guards taking more than 30 seconds to let us back in.

I know that border station well! I even hitchhiked through it back 2002. They also let me back into Canada one time an hour after I'd left so I could buy gas in the town there because the place on the US side was closed. (For anyone who hasn't crossed that border the US and Canadian stations are 20 miles/30km apart) If your wife had hitched back to Fairbanks she would have gone through the town I grew up in on the way.

I'll bet you had some long sections without seeing another car with covid restrictions. I started a drive back to AK the day they lifted their entry limitations. It was a little nerve wracking that morning because there was no announcement before hand. I had all my paperwork lined up and ready to go. I was sitting on the ferry back to Seattle and tried to check in with the app only to have nothing work. After about 5 minutes of trying things, I googled it and discovered they dropped all the restrictions that day. That trip the only issue was convince boarder patrol that I really did have permission to drive my friends car to Alaska for him. Fortunately she accepted our text conversation which included pictures of where he'd left the car.

[Taran Wanderer]

So many funny stories about heading into Canada.

Canadian border official:  “Why is her last name different?” (DW kept her maiden name)
Me:  “Because she’s stubborn.”
Him:  :|
Me:  “Uh, well sir, if you’ll notice, the kids have her last name as their middle name.”
Him:  Eye roll, waved us through.

Different trip:
Canadian border official:  “Do you have any guns?”
Me:  “No.”
Her:  “Do you have any alcohol?”
Me:  “No, wait, honey, did my dad send that beer with us?”
Her:  Eyeroll
DW:  “No, we don’t have alcohol.”
Canadian border official:  “Okay, let’s try this again. Do you have any guns?”
Me:  “No.”
Her:  “Do you have any alcohol?”
Me:  “No.”
Her:  “Welcome to Canada, eh!”  Yes, she actually said “eh”.

There are more, but they’re too foamy.

[The Beebsta]

I finally have a mustachian people problem.

I’ve been watching our superannuation balances (Australian retirement account) daily for the last  couple of weeks as they inch ever closer to a combined value of $1m for SO & I. I made sure to push through my last 2 months of contributions this week (self employed so I pay the contributions from company bank account) to try to get us over the line. I logged in today and the balance is $999,965. My MPP is that while I am tempted to transfer $36 to get to a balance of $1,000,001 it’s  Sunday and transfers are not instant, they take a day or two to be processed. So even if I transfer the money, depending on the mood of the market gods tomorrow, I could be well over or well under the $1m mark. I guess I just have to wait patiently for a few more days or weeks to hit this milestone and share the good news with my SO. They don’t know this is coming, I told them several months ago that we had hit $930k. I’m fairly sure their reaction will be along the lines of “oh… ok”.

[Dave1442397]

I finally have a mustachian people problem.

I’ve been watching our superannuation balances (Australian retirement account) daily for the last  couple of weeks as they inch ever closer to a combined value of $1m for SO & I. I made sure to push through my last 2 months of contributions this week (self employed so I pay the contributions from company bank account) to try to get us over the line. I logged in today and the balance is $999,965. My MPP is that while I am tempted to transfer $36 to get to a balance of $1,000,001 it’s  Sunday and transfers are not instant, they take a day or two to be processed. So even if I transfer the money, depending on the mood of the market gods tomorrow, I could be well over or well under the $1m mark. I guess I just have to wait patiently for a few more days or weeks to hit this milestone and share the good news with my SO. They don’t know this is coming, I told them several months ago that we had hit $930k. I’m fairly sure their reaction will be along the lines of “oh… ok”.

Funny, I update my spreadsheet on the second of the month. Friday's stock market gains bumped our 401(k) balance from $993,631.48 on Friday morning to $1,001,982.91 today. It feels good to see that second comma show up! Hopefully it'll still be there at the end of the month.

[Dicey]

I finally have a mustachian people problem.

I’ve been watching our superannuation balances (Australian retirement account) daily for the last  couple of weeks as they inch ever closer to a combined value of $1m for SO & I. I made sure to push through my last 2 months of contributions this week (self employed so I pay the contributions from company bank account) to try to get us over the line. I logged in today and the balance is $999,965. My MPP is that while I am tempted to transfer $36 to get to a balance of $1,000,001 it’s  Sunday and transfers are not instant, they take a day or two to be processed. So even if I transfer the money, depending on the mood of the market gods tomorrow, I could be well over or well under the $1m mark. I guess I just have to wait patiently for a few more days or weeks to hit this milestone and share the good news with my SO. They don’t know this is coming, I told them several months ago that we had hit $930k. I’m fairly sure their reaction will be along the lines of “oh… ok”.

Funny, I update my spreadsheet on the second of the month. Friday's stock market gains bumped our 401(k) balance from $993,631.48 on Friday morning to $1,001,982.91 today. It feels good to see that second comma show up! Hopefully it'll still be there at the end of the month.

Congratulations!