Do you chase the bling?

[athena53]

It likely...
<snip>
6. Be replaceable by something much cheaper

I used to work in NYC and there were bags with the conspicuous "LV" label for sale on every corner! Right next to the "Rollex" watches. ;-)

 

[aja8888]

If bling is paying for and flashing an expensive Rolex, then negative bling must be finding out your expensive Rolex is actually a knock off.

 

[rayinpenn]

Clearly I'm not a bling guy... But fake bling - sweet Moses never! What could be so sad as resorting to the fake Cartier watch.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forumh

 

[travelover]

Clearly I'm not a bling guy... But fake bling - sweet Moses never! What could be so sad as resorting to the fake Cartier watch.

To me, it would be preferable. Then I wouldn't worry about it getting lost or stolen.

 

[Danmar]

Clearly I'm not a bling guy... But fake bling - sweet Moses never! What could be so sad as resorting to the fake Cartier watch.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forumh

Agree. Buying fake "bling" confirms the fact that you are trying to impress others, rather than buying it for yourself. No excuse for this in my view. If you are going to be a shallow, slave to style, insecure, spendthrift, surely you should at least pay the price?

 

[Nemo2]

To me, it would be preferable. Then I wouldn't worry about it getting lost or stolen.

My watch, being a poor copy of a knock-off of a fake, isn't likely to be stolen anyway.

 

[bclover]

Clearly I'm not a bling guy... But fake bling - sweet Moses never! What could be so sad as resorting to the fake Cartier watch.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forumh

lol, this is me, except for the guy part. I like my bling, don't know what "chase" it means and I do wonder who er people hang out with.

It maybe that my friends and sibling are over 55. lol I don''t know one person who buys anything to " impress" anyone. Every piece of bling I have I got for one reason, I liked it.

 

[NW-Bound]

I am thinking about the last statement. Most of us have a regular home, and I wonder if tiny home dwellers think of our homes as blings...

lol, I think they definitely do.

Case in point. My sister and her husband. 2 retired NYC cops (great pensions) a couple of NYC apartments bring in extra income. when they retired they purchased a 9,000 square foot home right outside of West Point in Upstate NY. they have no kids and also hate to travel. NW, you should see this back yard. it would put some hotel spa's to shame.

Here's the thing, they take so much flak from people. stuff like "why do they need all that space, no kids" and "I can't believe they took out a million dollar mortgage after retirement", on and on.

they love their house, it brings them way more joy than traveling done (brings me joy too, lol they host some serious parties). yet they get all kinds of criticism...

My wife and I both like to travel, yet when we are not we are really homebound people. We can stay put for a week or two without feeling the need to leave home. So, the home must be comfortable for us. I often joked here about living in a cute tiny home, but the truth is that it would drive me nuts without enough space for my toys (I have many hobbies). No, not 9000 sq.ft., but 2000-3000 sq.ft. will do, like my two present homes, along with a workshop or garage.

Anyway, if I suddenly become a decamillionaire, the first thing I get would be a waterfront home on Bainbridge Island. People will not call it a bling, because they do not get invited to it. It's for my personal enjoyment and people can just keep off my deck.

By the way, people may not know but in Washington State or at least around the Puget Sound, the property line extends out to the water to the lowest tide level. So, it's my beach, and people'd better stay off it too!

 

[Options]

A view I personally agree with regarding the futility of spending to acquire happiness:

Acquiring Wisdom — Jonathan Clements

Our belief that happiness can be bought at the shopping mall seems to fade as we grow older.

By the time we reach our 40s and 50s, we’ve had many decades of eager spending and subsequent dissatisfaction—and the lesson has finally been hammered home. Instead, when we spend, we’re less focused on possessions and more on experiences—travel, concerts, dinner out with friends—which research suggests are far more likely to boost our happiness.

 

[Danmar]

A view I personally agree with regarding the futility of spending to acquire happiness:

Acquiring Wisdom — Jonathan Clements

Agree with your sentiment, but experiences can be expensive too. Some expensive experiences could be viewed as "Bling" I suppose?

 

[Options]

I personally don't "bling" anything. The thought is distasteful to me. An outstanding book on what people are really doing when they make choices (including spending) is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Influence-Hidden-Forces-Behavior/dp/1476759693

According to the book, for example, spending is a very inefficient way to "signal" to other people that you're worthwhile, and they don't really pay attention to your spending anyway (they're looking for something else).

 

[Nemo2]

According to the book

Books? BOOKS? What could be more pretentious, and 'superiority' flaunting, than indicating to people that you are in a position where you're able to read a book?

 

[Options]

Books? BOOKS? What could be more pretentious, and 'superiority' flaunting, than indicating to people that you are in a position where you're able to read a book?

Agreed! If it's one thing a retiree can flaunt it's having time!

 

[GravitySucks]

I liked my Burberry eye glass frames. Now have Mark Ecco frames as Costco doesn't carry Burberry.

Shoes are SAS, but that was from being told I must by the podiatrist. I do find women avoid men with cheap or crappy shoes.

My good clothes come from JC Penny so I doubt that counts.

My only jewelry is a titanium Fluer di Lis pinky ring DD bought to match the titanium pins in my ankle that year. I only wear it to the horse track for luck.

I did notice while waiting for someone at the casino bar that the guys wearing gold chains were attracting more gals than those with no bling on. Might need to pick one up at the pawn shop and lease that Porsche to attract that wrong woman....

 

[RobbieB]

That's when I wear my bling, to the casinos. Inspires fear in the opposition -

 

[Nemo2]

I did notice while waiting for someone at the casino bar that the guys wearing gold chains were attracting more gals than those with no bling on.

Yabbut, were those girls working?

 

[athena53]

I did notice while waiting for someone at the casino bar that the guys wearing gold chains were attracting more gals than those with no bling on.

My Ex was heavily into deep-sea fishing off the coast of NJ. He had a favorite ship/captain he'd use for the day. Once he was on the deck and a couple of women in bikinis came up and said, "Oooh, is this your boat?" The Ex admitted it was only a charter. The women wandered off.

 

[HFWR]

Yabbut, were those girls working?

At least then you'd know the rules of engagement, and the cost...

 

[unclemick]

[-][/-]

What, no Yorkshiremen yet?

Bling? At 180 degrees.

heh heh heh - I still choke when I see 'designer jeans' with ? holes and wear spots from the factory.

 

[Walt34]

I still choke when I see 'designer jeans' with ? holes and wear spots from the factory.

The reasoning behind that completely escapes me too.

 

[GravitySucks]

That's when I wear my bling, to the casinos. Inspires fear in the opposition -

My $15 for the night in the video poker machine inspires nothing, except possibly the derision of DD2

 

[GravitySucks]

Not to keep harassing the bag lovers, but relearn something everyday.

https://www.1843magazine.com/style/demand-curve

Veblen goods are goods that rise in demand when priced higher. Examples are cameras, stereo equipment, and leather goods.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I personally don't "bling" anything. The thought is distasteful to me. An outstanding book on what people are really doing when they make choices (including spending) is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Influence-Hidden-Forces-Behavior/dp/1476759693

According to the book, for example, spending is a very inefficient way to "signal" to other people that you're worthwhile, and they don't really pay attention to your spending anyway (they're looking for something else).

That sounds like an interesting book. I added it to my Amazon cart as a save for later item. I do think some of the ways we planned to spend retirement originally were shaped by advertising and TV. Books on topics like happiness and spending motivations have been good investments for us and helped us kind of counteract the consumer oriented TV and commercial version of happiness into more research based kind of spending (less things, more experiences, many small pleasures, etc.)

 

[athena53]

I had an interesting Bling experience yesterday.

Last month we visited my 85-year old mother, who is getting hospice care at home for the cancer that's ravaging her body (she chose not to fight it and we support that). She's been giving away a lot of her things and as the oldest daughter I got her engagement ring and another diamond engagement ring that belonged to a great-great aunt. Mom always wore both but said she was afraid they'd disappear if she ended up unconscious in a hospital. I bought a 3rd diamond to match them from Blue Nile.

Two days ago we got the news that my husband's polycythemia has morphed to acute myeloid leukemia. We've known this was a possibility since he was diagnosed with polycythemia over 10 years ago and are grateful for the good years we've had since. Monday we meet with a doctor about his possibly entering a clinical trial for a promising new drug, but it may be Game Over and, at almost 78, it's to be expected.

So- with that happy prologue- yesterday I went into the nicest jewelry store in the area (Tivol, for those of you who know KC) and handed over the rings and the 3rd diamond to have them all set in a platinum band. As they wrote it up, I had plenty of time to wander around and admire the merchandise, most of it laughingly outside of my reality (a lovely diamond parure- too substantial to be called a necklace- was $55,000). It was beautiful, it was calming. These things are virtually permanent (provided they're not lost or stolen). The workmanship was amazing. The ring I'm having made, God willing, will go to my daughter-in-law and then to my granddaughter.

I'm not into retail therapy but it was good to be briefly surrounded by such beauty, even though it was partially man-made. I'm sure Amethyst can relate!

 

[aja8888]

Sorry to hear the not so good news about your DH. I wish him the best and hope he can get past this problem. I'm in my early 70's and get wake up calls every time I hear news like this.

And great job on the ring! I'm sure it will be beautiful when done.