What do you think is the proper way to use money on everyday life?

[max225]

Hey Y'all,

This is a fairly loaded question... but I am having real struggles with this one...

AZN and myself are currently epic 's when it comes to living and it is really starting to eat away at me. We haven't bought a place for several reasons, some of which was in no doubt what you guys said on this forum. Believe or not ... I do listen. We can comfortably afford a much nicer place than where we're staying now, but are worried about fires blah blah, possible crotch fruit etc.

I honestly am starting to think we're overthinking everything. I have now been working for 14 years, and she's been working for about 12, we're at really good spots in our careers, but I suppose we're not sure what to do next. I think this level of planning is just unhealthy as the future has been anything but predictable. I have lost loved ones, things go down that aren't supposed to go down, others go up that aren't supposed to. Nothing is certain.

Do we move? Job prospects are slimish and pay cuts will be had and we'd be away from family.. no point it seems.

Do we stay? If we do, we have to move, and this means $7000 mortgage which is currently doable.

Do we just use all the money we have and have a nice life?

FOMO is starting to kick in... i am now officially closer to 40 than 30, and she is going to be where I am at in 2-3 years... What's the plan now?

Do we just use all the money we have or continue to save? For what ? Cancer and health issues ridden future?

I am having a really tough time with this one, as watching a random digital number grow online seems to be utterly pointless, and I am feeling more and more like 'ing and living life to the fullest.

Literally no one around me is doing something similar to us... so being surrounded by 's may pay an ultimate price at some point when this whole card house collapses, but like in 2008, ill be left behind not having enjoyed life... At least most people were able to "afford" shit on stretch pay and enjoy it vs ramen life.

What's the proper way of going about it. or better yet, what are you currently doing ? Paycheck to paycheck ?
Living large? what say yee? What's a solid numerical balance I suppose is the question...

[troyguitar]

I was getting pretty miserable trying to save every penny for a future that will never come to pass. We're still saving a lot of them but blowing an extra $500 or so a month on stupid stuff has really helped me to feel better. It ultimately wasn't going to make a big difference - we already can afford a down payment on any house that our incomes will ever be able to support (maybe $700k or so for the at the very most), so the extra daily misery wasn't worth it. We're never going to make $250k+ household so there is no need to have $200k+ in cash to buy a $1M+ house. It's time to live in reality vs saving for some dream scenario.

[Desertbreh]

Have you considered opening a Vodka Bar in Hawaii?

[max225]

Have you considered opening a Vodka Bar in Hawaii?

Every day, I wish the AZN was more ok with the staff I want to hire.

[max225]

I was getting pretty miserable trying to save every penny for a future that will never come to pass. We're still saving a lot of them but blowing an extra $500 or so a month on stupid stuff has really helped me to feel better. It ultimately wasn't going to make a big difference - we already can afford a down payment on any house that our incomes will ever be able to support (maybe $700k or so for the at the very most), so the extra daily misery wasn't worth it. We're never going to make $250k+ household so there is no need to have $200k+ in cash to buy a $1M+ house. It's time to live in reality vs saving for some dream scenario.

Right so what I am battling with here is, how do I maximize what I have, without going i can't seem to be able to find a proper equation for this.

I am really not ok with the "future" i tried this approach in 2005 when i first started working and it was a world of pain at points. Much sacrifice was made to no end. Now I feel like I am following the same path....

I guess I just don't know what the proper level of save/spend is... Everyone around me is essentially spending nearly everything with a few exceptions. But I am just ing along for now.... if that's the right approach...

It seems that what's the worst that can happen? If this area 's everyone will be in the same boat as me and get bailed out ala 2008...

So what if I get a lambo repossessed... Like at least I got to enjoy it before my money turns into Venezuelan bolivar.

[troyguitar]

I was getting pretty miserable trying to save every penny for a future that will never come to pass. We're still saving a lot of them but blowing an extra $500 or so a month on stupid stuff has really helped me to feel better. It ultimately wasn't going to make a big difference - we already can afford a down payment on any house that our incomes will ever be able to support (maybe $700k or so for the at the very most), so the extra daily misery wasn't worth it. We're never going to make $250k+ household so there is no need to have $200k+ in cash to buy a $1M+ house. It's time to live in reality vs saving for some dream scenario.

Right so what I am battling with here is, how do I maximize what I have, without going i can't seem to be able to find a proper equation for this.

I am really not ok with the "future" i tried this approach in 2005 when i first started working and it was a world of pain at points. Much sacrifice was made to no end. Now I feel like I am following the same path....

I guess I just don't know what the proper level of save/spend is... Everyone around me is essentially spending nearly everything with a few exceptions. But I am just ing along for now.... if that's the right approach...

It seems that what's the worst that can happen? If this area 's everyone will be in the same boat as me and get bailed out ala 2008...

So what if I get a lambo repossessed... Like at least I got to enjoy it before my money turns into Venezuelan bolivar.

Bare minimum savings for most folks on forums like this ought to be maxing out tax-advantaged stuff like 401k, HSA, and roth IRA's. Backdoor roth for you since you're rich.

Beyond that? If you can make the down payment on anything you might be able to sustain regular payments on, then there's little objective reason to save more. That's my take on it these days at least. I'm sure I'm in some way.

[max225]

Right so what I am battling with here is, how do I maximize what I have, without going i can't seem to be able to find a proper equation for this.

I am really not ok with the "future" i tried this approach in 2005 when i first started working and it was a world of pain at points. Much sacrifice was made to no end. Now I feel like I am following the same path....

I guess I just don't know what the proper level of save/spend is... Everyone around me is essentially spending nearly everything with a few exceptions. But I am just ing along for now.... if that's the right approach...

It seems that what's the worst that can happen? If this area 's everyone will be in the same boat as me and get bailed out ala 2008...

So what if I get a lambo repossessed... Like at least I got to enjoy it before my money turns into Venezuelan bolivar.

Bare minimum savings for most folks on forums like this ought to be maxing out tax-advantaged stuff like 401k, HSA, and roth IRA's. Backdoor roth for you since you're rich.

Beyond that? If you can make the down payment on anything you might be able to sustain regular payments on, then there's little objective reason to save more. That's my take on it these days at least. I'm sure I'm in some way.

So essentially there at this point... but I am not supposed to pull the trigger because impeding So we're just ing along at this point with no goal in sight.... talked about doing it next year.... but that was the same as the year prior for this year...

[troyguitar]

I don't think there's any reason to wait in your area if you know what you want and can afford it. Prices aren't going down significantly unless the whole world implodes, at which point there will be no bank left to take the house anyway so

[max225]

I don't think there's any reason to wait in your area if you know what you want and can afford it. Prices aren't going down significantly unless the whole world implodes, at which point there will be no bank left to take the house anyway so

I mean I am trying to see outside of just this area...
NY is expensive AF 1.5-2M for something nice
Boston is 1.1-1.4M for something nice
Seattle is expensive 900/1M for something nice
Austin proper is close to 1M for something decent
Portland is 750k/800 for something nice
Miami in nice paces is 700-800
Hong Kong is 2M for something nice
Moscow is close to 1M for a nice place
And none of those places are anywhere near our income levels... so... it seems "priced right" along the rest of the madness that is the real estate market today.

It doesn't seem like we're in "more" of a bubble than anywhere else. but there seems to have been an immense amount of worldwide real estate inflation/money RPP devaluation.

[troyguitar]

I know. My take is that almost every other area is worse than yours right now and there is no reason to leave if you can afford to stay - except for retirement, which you are not doing in the foreseeable future.

Other places are expensive for no reason and not worth paying the premium unless you just love them for some unique factor. Pay Area is expensive because it's got high incomes, low (relative) density, epic weather and low (relative) taxes. Stay there, keep winning, and take your ball and go home when you're 50. There's no reason not to enjoy your situation right now except end times type prepper fantasies.

[max225]

I know. My take is that almost every other area is worse than yours right now and there is no reason to leave if you can afford to stay - except for retirement, which you are not doing in the foreseeable future.

Other places are expensive for no reason and not worth paying the premium unless you just love them for some unique factor. Pay Area is expensive because it's got high incomes, low (relative) density, epic weather and low (relative) taxes. Stay there, keep winning, and take your ball and go home when you're 50. There's no reason not to enjoy your situation right now except end times type prepper fantasies.

Income taxes and a few other factors are shitty, I.E it is quite expensive to live here, but if you do it right (some ) you can still pretty much come out on top, unless you NEED acres of land, for some odd reason.

Well end of times will I think end for everyone, as while there are "fake money" companies here like Lyft/Uber there are real money companies here also like Apple and salesforce, so even with all that said, they will likely prevent the full on down to the bottom race in income if shit hits the fan. And given the # of H1B visa people here... they will be forced to go "home" with no jobs... as they won't be able to stay once shit hits the fan...

It really does not make too much sense to leave at this moment. I have really tried to look elsewhere but I can't seem to find something better, and I tried to keep an open mind,.

[troyguitar]

I'm on the outside looking in and reaching the same conclusions. So we're obviously both

[max225]

But what about in general ? Should one live to as much as the paycheck allows - maximum 401k contributions +6 month rainy day fun?
Or should one just live to the bare minimum that doesn't cause self loathing?

[razr390]

You need a Dodge Viper in your life.

All seriousness I am nowhere near your level of wealth/net worth, but I think investing in hobbies that help you deal with the stresses of life are key.

Everything in moderation. What’s the point of accruing money if you aren’t going to spend some of it on making your life better or more fulfilled? (Better + fulfilled is entirely up to you to determine what that exactly means).

That being said, 80% of people around me are in mid 500’s credit score and living negative paycheck to paycheck equity; you are definitely overthinking some things but it’s not a bad idea to think about these things.

I think the key is to do as much to spend discretionary (a la knives, guns, etc) on shit that makes you happy or gives you something to look forward to outside of work.

Or invest in some commercial real estate and go crazy. Friend of mine from high school’s BF and his dad bought a warehouse in St. Louis and turned it into a huge multi sport complex that has indoor fields and rentable sporting space. They pull in ~$2M in revenue on a bad year.

Obviously it’s also market and region dependent, but I believe if you are maintaining a super lifestyle just for a house or the potential for a house, it ain’t really worth it in the long run.

[razr390]

But what about in general ? Should one live to as much as the paycheck allows - maximum 401k contributions +6 month rainy day fun?
Or should one just live to the bare minimum that doesn't cause self loathing?

I’d say after investing in maximum tax advantage accounts and having maybe at most a 12-24 month emergency fund, after you are at that point allow yourself to treat some of the money as fun coupons.

[max225]

You need a Dodge Viper in your life.

All seriousness I am nowhere near your level of wealth/net worth, but I think investing in hobbies that help you deal with the stresses of life are key.

Everything in moderation. What’s the point of accruing money if you aren’t going to spend some of it on making your life better or more fulfilled? (Better + fulfilled is entirely up to you to determine what that exactly means).

That being said, 80% of people around me are in mid 500’s credit score and living negative paycheck to paycheck equity; you are definitely overthinking some things but it’s not a bad idea to think about these things.

I think the key is to do as much to spend discretionary (a la knives, guns, etc) on shit that makes you happy or gives you something to look forward to outside of work.

Or invest in some commercial real estate and go crazy. Friend of mine from high school’s BF and his dad bought a warehouse in St. Louis and turned it into a huge multi sport complex that has indoor fields and rentable sporting space. They pull in ~$2M in revenue on a bad year.

Obviously it’s also market and region dependent, but I believe if you are maintaining a super lifestyle just for a house or the potential for a house, it ain’t really worth it in the long run.

I certainly wouldn't mind doing a business of some kind. And living off of that vs doing the current corporate rat race. But outside of the restaurant/real estate fiasco type businesses. The options are quite limited out here IMO. I would likely have to move elsewhere and learn something outside of my area of expertise. (Open to any pointers including vodka bar on the big island)

I don't necessarily want to spend money on a hobby. (I want to go wheelin) outside of cars and travel, not much brings me joy. I feel like I am ok in that regard for now. The Mini is literally the MINImum level of fun that I require to stay entertained. I do miss having a oooohhh aahhh type car at points but I don't certainly NEED it right now. However I feel like I do NEED to live in a a better place.

[Desertbreh]

Hey Y'all,

This is a fairly loaded question... but I am having real struggles with this one...

AZN and myself are currently epic 's when it comes to living and it is really starting to eat away at me. We haven't bought a place for several reasons, some of which was in no doubt what you guys said on this forum. Believe or not ... I do listen. We can comfortably afford a much nicer place than where we're staying now, but are worried about fires blah blah, possible crotch fruit etc.

I honestly am starting to think we're overthinking everything. I have now been working for 14 years, and she's been working for about 12, we're at really good spots in our careers, but I suppose we're not sure what to do next. I think this level of planning is just unhealthy as the future has been anything but predictable. I have lost loved ones, things go down that aren't supposed to go down, others go up that aren't supposed to. Nothing is certain.

Do we move? Job prospects are slimish and pay cuts will be had and we'd be away from family.. no point it seems.

Do we stay? If we do, we have to move, and this means $7000 mortgage which is currently doable.

Do we just use all the money we have and have a nice life?

FOMO is starting to kick in... i am now officially closer to 40 than 30, and she is going to be where I am at in 2-3 years... What's the plan now?

Do we just use all the money we have or continue to save? For what ? Cancer and health issues ridden future?

I am having a really tough time with this one, as watching a random digital number grow online seems to be utterly pointless, and I am feeling more and more like 'ing and living life to the fullest.

Literally no one around me is doing something similar to us... so being surrounded by 's may pay an ultimate price at some point when this whole card house collapses, but like in 2008, ill be left behind not having enjoyed life... At least most people were able to "afford" shit on stretch pay and enjoy it vs ramen life.

What's the proper way of going about it. or better yet, what are you currently doing ? Paycheck to paycheck ?
Living large? what say yee? What's a solid numerical balance I suppose is the question...

You keep changing the options. I thought her family in the Pay Area meant "going" was not an option? Which is it?

Also, how many crotchfruit? Any? TBH staying single and being a lecherous Vodka Bar owner in a Hawaiian shirt is starting to have a lot of allure from here vs. a $7K Mortgage and changing diapers, but I've done my time in purgatory.

[razr390]

You need a Dodge Viper in your life.

All seriousness I am nowhere near your level of wealth/net worth, but I think investing in hobbies that help you deal with the stresses of life are key.

Everything in moderation. What’s the point of accruing money if you aren’t going to spend some of it on making your life better or more fulfilled? (Better + fulfilled is entirely up to you to determine what that exactly means).

That being said, 80% of people around me are in mid 500’s credit score and living negative paycheck to paycheck equity; you are definitely overthinking some things but it’s not a bad idea to think about these things.

I think the key is to do as much to spend discretionary (a la knives, guns, etc) on shit that makes you happy or gives you something to look forward to outside of work.

Or invest in some commercial real estate and go crazy. Friend of mine from high school’s BF and his dad bought a warehouse in St. Louis and turned it into a huge multi sport complex that has indoor fields and rentable sporting space. They pull in ~$2M in revenue on a bad year.

Obviously it’s also market and region dependent, but I believe if you are maintaining a super lifestyle just for a house or the potential for a house, it ain’t really worth it in the long run.

I certainly wouldn't mind doing a business of some kind. And living off of that vs doing the current corporate rat race. But outside of the restaurant/real estate fiasco type businesses. The options are quite limited out here IMO. I would likely have to move elsewhere and learn something outside of my area of expertise. (Open to any pointers including vodka bar on the big island)

I don't necessarily want to spend money on a hobby. (I want to go wheelin) outside of cars and travel, not much brings me joy. I feel like I am ok in that regard for now. The Mini is literally the MINImum level of fun that I require to stay entertained. I do miss having a oooohhh aahhh type car at points but I don't certainly NEED it right now. However I feel like I do NEED to live in a a better place.

Honestly if you have capital and net worth to qualify I don’t see how you could fail franchising fast food joints in some BFE flyover state/city that relies on automotive/highway traffic.

[max225]

I certainly wouldn't mind doing a business of some kind. And living off of that vs doing the current corporate rat race. But outside of the restaurant/real estate fiasco type businesses. The options are quite limited out here IMO. I would likely have to move elsewhere and learn something outside of my area of expertise. (Open to any pointers including vodka bar on the big island)

I don't necessarily want to spend money on a hobby. (I want to go wheelin) outside of cars and travel, not much brings me joy. I feel like I am ok in that regard for now. The Mini is literally the MINImum level of fun that I require to stay entertained. I do miss having a oooohhh aahhh type car at points but I don't certainly NEED it right now. However I feel like I do NEED to live in a a better place.

Honestly if you have capital and net worth to qualify I don’t see how you could fail franchising fast food joints in some BFE flyover state/city that relies on automotive/highway traffic.

How much does a franchise go for and does it need to be paid for in cash?

[Desertbreh]

I certainly wouldn't mind doing a business of some kind. And living off of that vs doing the current corporate rat race. But outside of the restaurant/real estate fiasco type businesses. The options are quite limited out here IMO. I would likely have to move elsewhere and learn something outside of my area of expertise. (Open to any pointers including vodka bar on the big island)

I don't necessarily want to spend money on a hobby. (I want to go wheelin) outside of cars and travel, not much brings me joy. I feel like I am ok in that regard for now. The Mini is literally the MINImum level of fun that I require to stay entertained. I do miss having a oooohhh aahhh type car at points but I don't certainly NEED it right now. However I feel like I do NEED to live in a a better place.

Honestly if you have capital and net worth to qualify I don’t see how you could fail franchising fast food joints in some BFE flyover state/city that relies on automotive/highway traffic.

Ha Ha. A lotta hard truth here.

[max225]

Hey Y'all,

This is a fairly loaded question... but I am having real struggles with this one...

AZN and myself are currently epic 's when it comes to living and it is really starting to eat away at me. We haven't bought a place for several reasons, some of which was in no doubt what you guys said on this forum. Believe or not ... I do listen. We can comfortably afford a much nicer place than where we're staying now, but are worried about fires blah blah, possible crotch fruit etc.

I honestly am starting to think we're overthinking everything. I have now been working for 14 years, and she's been working for about 12, we're at really good spots in our careers, but I suppose we're not sure what to do next. I think this level of planning is just unhealthy as the future has been anything but predictable. I have lost loved ones, things go down that aren't supposed to go down, others go up that aren't supposed to. Nothing is certain.

Do we move? Job prospects are slimish and pay cuts will be had and we'd be away from family.. no point it seems.

Do we stay? If we do, we have to move, and this means $7000 mortgage which is currently doable.

Do we just use all the money we have and have a nice life?

FOMO is starting to kick in... i am now officially closer to 40 than 30, and she is going to be where I am at in 2-3 years... What's the plan now?

Do we just use all the money we have or continue to save? For what ? Cancer and health issues ridden future?

I am having a really tough time with this one, as watching a random digital number grow online seems to be utterly pointless, and I am feeling more and more like 'ing and living life to the fullest.

Literally no one around me is doing something similar to us... so being surrounded by 's may pay an ultimate price at some point when this whole card house collapses, but like in 2008, ill be left behind not having enjoyed life... At least most people were able to "afford" shit on stretch pay and enjoy it vs ramen life.

What's the proper way of going about it. or better yet, what are you currently doing ? Paycheck to paycheck ?
Living large? what say yee? What's a solid numerical balance I suppose is the question...

You keep changing the options. I thought her family in the Pay Area meant "going" was not an option? Which is it?

Also, how many crotchfruit? Any? TBH staying single and being a lecherous Vodka Bar owner in a Hawaiian shirt is starting to have a lot of allure from here vs. a $7K Mortgage and changing diapers, but I've done my time in purgatory.

Well perhaps that's a further down the road type gig. But current options are 1 CF at most. She does prefer to Pay Area, but is coming around. Even got her to interview in NY... so things are changing.

[razr390]

Honestly if you have capital and net worth to qualify I don’t see how you could fail franchising fast food joints in some BFE flyover state/city that relies on automotive/highway traffic.

How much does a franchise go for and does it need to be paid for in cash?

I think most franchises require you to put up $250k or so (depending on location/franchise types).

The rest is pretty much paid back in royalties or licensing (aka you’re buying uniforms from them, etc).

Idk, it’s something that could be worth a look.

[Desertbreh]

How much does a franchise go for and does it need to be paid for in cash?

I think most franchises require you to put up $250k or so (depending on location/franchise types).

The rest is pretty much paid back in royalties or licensing (aka you’re buying uniforms from them, etc).

Idk, it’s something that could be worth a look.

McDoe is EZ MONEY. You give me cash, I give you beetus.

[razr390]

I think most franchises require you to put up $250k or so (depending on location/franchise types).

The rest is pretty much paid back in royalties or licensing (aka you’re buying uniforms from them, etc).

Idk, it’s something that could be worth a look.

McDoe is EZ MONEY. You give me cash, I give you beetus.

take away my sweet tea and apple pie

[max225]

I never really realized the draw of sweet tea, that doesn't exist out here... Texas was full of it... including EXTRA SWEET TEA. Like 30% sugar is NOT GOOD ENOUGH.