Limited Spending Desires

[NW-Bound]

Yes, we all have different shoe sizes, and you will have to try on your own shoes, Major Tom. However, this is not the first thread where the OP asked whether to spend money, and more than 1/2 cheered him on.

Shortly after I found this forum, a poster asked whether he should spend $15K (I think) for a vacation, and many replied "just do it". And as I remember, many forgot to ask the OP if he was ER or FI. I think Suze Orman would pound her fists while screaming "Denied, denied, to all of you!"

 

[springnr]

Spring time baseball left field
285 sq ft x100s Feng Shui

 

[Walt34]

Love it!

 

[Mo Money]

You're right that my existing camera is perfectly capable of taking great pictures, but this one is much more compact. I'm getting fed-up of lugging the heavier gear around with me and think that a smaller, lighter camera will result in more photos, as I'll take it with me more often.

Ansel Adams had some gear, too. This is his pack mule.

I think this is more of a philosophical discussion -- delayed gratification, denied gratification, weighing what gratification and when.

You are likely to get the camera, IMV. I would focus (excuse the pun) on using what I already possessed. But I still think you want the toy.... To each his own. My best to you!

-- Mo Money

 

[frayne]

Ansel Adams had some gear, too. This is his pack mule.

I think this is more of a philosophical discussion -- delayed gratification, denied gratification, weighing what gratification and when.

You are likely to get the camera, IMV. I would focus (excuse the pun) on using what I already possessed. But I still think you want the toy.... To each his own. My best to you!

-- Mo Money

View attachment 18803

All that gear for B&W photos too !

 

[Major Tom]

You are likely to get the camera, IMV. I would focus (excuse the pun) on using what I already possessed. But I still think you want the toy.... To each his own. My best to you!

-- Mo Money

Thank you! Yes, I probably will get it at some point - and believe me, I am very good at not purchasing things that I deem not necessary. I have only a bicycle for transport, and no cellphone, no cable or satellite subscription. I have no recurring monthly bills other than rent, food and $35 for my land-line and DSL. Not that these other things are bad; far from it. They are simply not of sufficient value to me to warrant spending money on. Other people enjoy other things and, as you say, to each his own.

This particular camera is not the ultimate camera (a word that robert used); it is simply a very good fit for the type of shooting I do. For me, it is not a toy but a well-made tool, and based on the enjoyment and use I derived from the last camera I bought 9 years ago, I think I will derive sufficient utility from this purchase as well.

 

[Mo Money]

And (not to hijack the thread), but... WHAT A PHOTOGRAPHER!

I used to hate Ansel only because when I was in college, every desk calendar and dorm poster was yet another dam*ed Ansel photo. But then I saw a PBS American Experience documentary on him, and that changed my tune. It's not his fault he's that famous. Poor guy. Went to his death bathing in renown.

Sorry for the digression, Tom. (Moderator: Mercy, please! )

 

[Ozstache]

It is ironic that the frugal habits we adopt and learn to get us to FIRE can become the same habits that then deny us the capacity to enjoy it when we get there. A recent ERer myself, I too have suffered the overshoot from frugality into potentially miserly behaviour, seeing my initial spending falling well below what I can afford to fund.

I'm in the process of curing this by using a similar discipline that got me to FIRE in the first place ie. instead of having a savings plan that most efficiently gets me to FI, I have a spending plan that most efficiently draws down my pot of gold to meet my retirement goals.

For example, one of my goals for my late 40s is to adventure travel while I am still very physically able to, so I am not afraid to spend on experiences, or enabling items that I will get good use out of, to achieve that goal. To that end, my wife and I went to Queenstown (New Zealand's adventure capital) earlier this year and we will be riding my motorcycle to Uluru (central Australia) from Canberra later this year.

This is not to say that I am throwing money away - I am still more than happy with my 4 year old motorcycle and we traveled cheaply to/from and in NZ using Jetstar and a campervan respectively - rather I am efficiently directing it to exactly where I intended to spend it when dreaming of FIRE all those years ago.

Amusingly, I too have agonised over whether to upgrade my camera from a very capable compact P&S to a mid-level DSLR, in my case as an enabling item to enhance my adventure travel experiences. Mine keeps failing the ongoing usability test, because it is the convenience of pocketing my compact P&S, not so much its technical abilities, and therefore always having it on me that has allowed me to take some (IMO) awesome photos on my travels. I cannot see myself hiking or riding (pedal or motor powered), which is what I do most, with a DSLR hanging around my neck or shoulder, so why buy something expensive that I am not really going to get effective use out of?

 

[frayne]

Ozstache, love the picture and am a bit envious of your plan to adventure ride in Oz. BTW, what are to two animals to the left ? One looks like a camel and the other a big ground hog ?

 

[HFWR]

I have a 7-yo camera that works perfectly for my needs, an 11-yo big screen TV that works just fine, I drive my cars for 10 years or more, my house is nice but not a McMansion and no pool...

I'm sure I could spend more if I had it, but I have stuff that works for me, and I don't give a rat's butt about impressing others. And, frankly, I'd be broke just like so many others if I'd have always bought the latest geehaws.

I don't consider being "thoughtful" about purchases to be a vice or a personality defect. I think it's smart!

 

[Walt34]

I cannot see myself hiking or riding (pedal or motor powered), which is what I do most, with a DSLR hanging around my neck or shoulder....

Exactly. In that case a DSLR is the wrong tool for the job. "The best camera is the one you have with you."

 

[sengsational]

a 7-figure investable asset ... where that 1st digit is not a "1"

LOL. I think we should define a term for that.

 

[sengsational]

I wondered too, but I think I've found it...

 

[jimbee]

Ozstache, love the picture and am a bit envious of your plan to adventure ride in Oz. BTW, what are to two animals to the left ? One looks like a camel and the other a big ground hog ?

I think the middle sign is an image of a wombat.

(wow, how'd that happen?)

 

[springnr]

Quote:
Originally Posted by NW-Bound
a 7-figure investable asset ... where that 1st digit is not a "1"

LOL. I think we should define a term for that.

Only fair to pay due homage:

Bountiful-NW

 

[NW-Bound]

Oh boy! I may regret shooting my mouth off earlier. The truth is all it took was a dual [-]steady[/-] income, a spouse who's frugal despite her love for dishes and glassware, and a life-long habit of frugality. Throw into that mix the stock bull market of 1980-2000, and we have to wonder why there aren't more millionaires.

Yes, I do not buy a $1600 camera if I do not know how to use it, nor am interested enough to find out. I think that in my hand it will turn out photos no different than the ones I have been taking with my pocket Canon. The latter already has more shooting modes than I have experimented with.

And speaking of bountiful NW, that's what's possessed by people who buy stuff that I did not know existed until yesterday when I was shopping for a new kitchen faucet. A kitchen faucet that costs as much as that camera! Could you believe that? And I do not believe that's the most expensive faucet on earth either. How could it be if it was carried by Home Depot, a hardware store for the common man?

 

[chris2008]

When I startet working I was often thinking about what I would buy when I'd have more money.
But when my income grew and I / we had accumulated some savings these thoughts changed: I was often happy just thinking that I could buy the stuff if I really wanted.
And I was even more often happy to think that I did not really want to and that I was able to walk away from the marketing blabla of "better, newer, ..."

 

[springnr]

Just kiddin NW, poke poke,
I want a new vehicle and rationalize a hybrid would let me drive to town and get out an about more. Then pencil to paper and the a regular vehicle + gas cost is cheaper.... and old dependable is even cheaper yet.

 

[imoldernu]

Aftr recapping my retirement years here on ER, not much else to offer.

Truth be told, DW and I don't think much about money anymore.

 

[Major Tom]

I cannot see myself hiking or riding (pedal or motor powered), which is what I do most, with a DSLR hanging around my neck or shoulder,

Your version of adventure travel sounds fantastic, Ozstache!

One of the new breed of so-called mirrorless cameras might fit the bill. By that, I am referring to the cameras that have a larger sensor (the same or similar size as is in many DSLR's) but don't have the flip-up mirror or pentaprism/pentamirror. The result is a smaller and lighter camera that has the image quality of a DSLR. They are not quite as small and light as the small sensor compacts such as what you have, but definitely an improvement on "traditional" DSLR's.

OTOH, if you're happy with the image quality you're getting from your current compact, then keep on using that and whatever you decide to do - carry on with the travel!

 

[FIREd]

Yes, we all have different shoe sizes, and you will have to try on your own shoes, Major Tom. However, this is not the first thread where the OP asked whether to spend money, and more than 1/2 cheered him on.

Shortly after I found this forum, a poster asked whether he should spend $15K (I think) for a vacation, and many replied "just do it". And as I remember, many forgot to ask the OP if he was ER or FI. I think Suze Orman would pound her fists while screaming "Denied, denied, to all of you!"

We all have to take other people's opinions with a grain of salt. When I bought my $1,600 camera, some people seemed amused that I would spend so much money on a "gadget". But many of the same people would have no problem dropping many times more money on things like vacations, ATVs, motorcycles, boats, RVs, second homes, etc... So yes, we all have our own priorities. Personally, I travel very little. I live a simple life in an apartment with little storage space so I spend nothing on home improvement, furnishings, tools, and outdoors toys. I rarely drive anymore so I don't waste much money on cars, gasoline, and insurance. I dress in jeans and t-shirts almost exclusively. My idea of fun is going to the beach (free), hiking (free), and walking around town (free). All I want is a reasonably fast computer and a good camera (and in the world of digital photography, $1,600 is not even that expensive) because I spend several hours a day using one or the other.

 

[richfei]

I bought a used Canon 1d over 10 years ago for about $2000. It's a really bulky 4 megapixel camera and very much top rated in its day.
Canon EOS-1D Review: Digital Photography Review

I bought a few expensive but great lenses over the years. I still use it today and prefer it over everything else I've had. I thought long and hard at the time about spending so much money but it's given me so much pleasure and tens of thousands of pictures later, that I never begrudge the cost

 

[Elbata]

You're lucky it's a camera and not my current dream...an Airstream trailer!!!!

But life has taught me that just because I CAN afford something, doesn't mean I will get enough use out of the thing to make the purchase worthwhile....

In other words, I have made purchases over a lifetime that seemed like something I'd really like to do and develop, then lost interest....

Now, I try to evaluate the whole picture.....and in the case of a travel trailer, when I see the dozens and dozens of them out there sitting beside their owners homes for 50 weeks of the year, sinking into the ground, I say.."Nope"....

So I frequent the Travel Trailer owner forums and live life vicariously thru those folks!!!

This is why wisdom is learned. Fantastic. I love this thread.

How to Live to be a Hundred, by Luigi Cornaro, written by a man who lived in the 15, 16th century. Discourse on the Sober Life

In the book Luigi says there are things we can't have known until our fifties or sixties. But after knowing them, there's no excuse not to act.

Went to dinner with DW this Saturday in an area with lots of bars. In a few hours the place would be filled with party goers. My guess very few would be over the age of 50. Why? I know for one reason, I'll be sleeping, but mostly spending $10/drink and getting drunk is just not my kind of fun.

 

[Mulligan]

No, it's not odd if you consider that perhaps 1/2 of the forum posters are already early retirees, and the rest ER wannabes. The ERs like myself have saved and scrimped through our life, and now we may want to let loose of our wallet a bit before our time runs out.

Signed someone who survives (so far) a life-threatening disease...


I agree full-heartedly with this. That's why we never buy the "best" of anything. We normally buy just a-bit-above-average products, and figure that's the most cost-effective level. Well, quite often we cannot afford the best anyway, such as a 6-figure auto or HiFi loudspeakers.

Unfortunately maybe for you, NW, but my thinking falls exactly in line with your thinking. I kind of have the opposite feeling of other poster implying too many people think about spending instead of saving. It's because like what you mentioned above, I tend to focus more on the retired posters comments and thoughts than the ones still reaching retirement; mainly I suppose because I am already retired myself. I find myself thinking "spend some it you cheap bastard and enjoy it or your offspring will!"
But then again, it is easy for me to say that because I don't have to draw down a substantial portfolio I spent my life accumulating. I just receive a monthly pension I live off of easily and dump the leftovers into my investment accounts that I never have any intention of ever spending.


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[robnplunder]

LOL. I think we should define a term for that.

Multi-millionaires? MM for short.