I hear some people, including friends in my life, suggest that saving too much is just as much of a problem as saving too little. There's probably some truth in that, but it certainly doesn't seem like a direct comparison.
I'm perfectly happy living on less than 50% of my take home income. I try to make sure I'm not being too stingy. If my friends are going to a restaurant or brewery than I tag along and spend just as much as they do. I've just chosen to cut back in other areas that aren't important to me. I have a small apartment in the part of town I want to live in, which is more than sufficient for me. I drive a Honda and I plan to keep it until it becomes unrealistically expensive to repair or self driving taxis become a thing (so like indefinitely). I could get a nicer car or buy a big house, but I don't think that would meaningfully improve my life.
Money buys me options. In maybe ten years I can choose to not work if I want to (though I hope that doesn't happen because I enjoy my work and get at least a little sense of meaning out of it).
But if the apocalypse arrives the day I hit my FIRE number or I get terminal cancer in 9 years I don't think I will look back on my life and think I should have had a nicer car or a big house or an expensive watch. I was probably happiest in my early 20s sharing a tiny three bedroom apartment with two (or sometimes three) roommates, eating ramen noodles and driving a 20 year old motorcycle I bought for $500. Saving my disposable income right now gives me more enjoyment than spending and I feel no need to keep up with the Joneses... even if some of the Joneses think I'm a bit weird for not trying to keep up.
Submitted April 01, 2021 at 10:01PM by funklab https://ift.tt/3wl5GJu
