I wrote in July about deciding to spend a bit more.
The rationale: if I have hit my FIRE number, but am still working, I can loosen the purse strings and maybe enjoy my money a bit more.
Then I spent a ton in July, and a good bit more in August.
The July spending took care of some overdue purchases (like a usable computer, and new carpeting), and some splurges (fancier plane tickets for an upcoming vacation). I felt pretty good about these purchases.
In August, our spending was mostly about traveling a little fancier, and I didn’t feel so comfortable with the cash outflow.
It seems learning to enjoy spending more, but not too much more, is something I need to work on.
So, how did September go in this regard?
We found some good value
Overall, I had decided to avoid big purchases until I could see what my annual bonus might look like. That’s not something I will see for a few months yet, so the real plan was to cool off on the spending. However, I was more willing to spend if the amount wasn’t too high.
I feel pretty good about the splurges we enjoyed this month:
- Dinner at the super fancy restaurant in town for our 15th wedding anniversary.
- Ordering food from a local caterer to take care of 2-4 meals. This was cheaper and healthier than ordering Door Dash, but still took the pressure off Mr. PiN while he manages the work at his parents’ house.
- Finally replacing our over-stove microwave, which hasn’t been functional for several months.
Overall, this extra spending did not add up to very much. The anniversary dinner, in fact, was something we could have done before, when we felt less flush. I have to admit, though, it felt very nice to go out and not worry about the cost at all for our celebration. It was worth every penny.
The special dinner was just one event. The other spending has already made our lives more comfortable, something we have been able to enjoy many days in a row, for not too much of an outlay.
Going forward
Even though, in theory, I could spend my entire take home salary on splurges and still be fine financially (using my savings to manage the day to day costs of living), I am not comfortable with that yet.
On the other hand, I feel okay spending a bit more than what I bring in, especially if it’s used for a truly special occasion, or to reduce stupid friction in our lives. (I would consider dealing with poorly functional machinery stupid friction.)
Going forward, I have a vacation next week, and I’ll have some transportation and hotel costs to cover. That will come out of my splurge spending, and will probably be all that the extra that I want to spend this month. Mr. PiN and I are making some cost-conscious choices, but still, travel isn’t cheap these days.
After that, I think concentrating on removing annoyances might be my preferred plan: help with meal preparation, and possibly addressing some of the other concerns around the house.
In the meantime, I hope to stay appreciative of what we are buying with the extra money. Eventually I will find myself on the hedonic treadmill, but I’m enjoying the microwave and some of my prior home upgrades.
Do you have any favorite splurges? Did (do) you find yourself spending more on them as retirement approached?