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Old 10-31-2017, 03:00 PM   #161
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RobbieB - those lobster tails look delicious! I enjoy reading your posts - you are enjoying your life and it shows!
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Old 10-31-2017, 07:48 PM   #162
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I was not that enthused about it, but once I did it, I enjoyed the newer technology, especially "blind spot monitoring"...
So...when DW's 11 year old Subaru started acting up, I really wanted her to have something new, reliable, and with blind spot monitoring. .
Just got my hands on an older relative's 2007 luxo-barge, which already has a backup beeper & HID headlights.

I'll have a 3rd-party blind-spot monitor installed for far cheaper than buying a new vehicle.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...-car/index.htm

https://mycardoeswhat.org/aftermarke...-21st-century/
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Old 10-31-2017, 07:58 PM   #163
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Just got my hands on an older relative's 2007 luxo-barge, which already has a backup beeper & HID headlights.

I'll have a 3rd-party blind-spot monitor installed for far cheaper than buying a new vehicle.

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...-car/index.htm

https://mycardoeswhat.org/aftermarke...-21st-century/
good work. what type of luxo-barge? I'm partial to older luxo-barges myself.
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Old 10-31-2017, 08:17 PM   #164
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good work. what type of luxo-barge? I'm partial to older luxo-barges myself.
Lincoln Town Car, which I hope to keep driving for another decade or two.
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Old 10-31-2017, 09:02 PM   #165
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i'm working on having more money to spend each month. Only problem is I am happier with a pretty large margin of error in my favor. I'd be curious how many x your actual expenses people here are content with? I'm sure people say with a cola fed pension are closer to say 1.4 x their need than someone on johny come lately stock dividends on designer toasters.. 10x?

I want 2x my expenses till the jettison money with reckless abandon lights come on in my cockpit. : )
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Retirees are too frugal!
Old 10-31-2017, 09:08 PM   #166
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Retirees are too frugal!

Does buying a jar of avocado oil Mayonaise at Costco count? It was $7.
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Old 10-31-2017, 10:20 PM   #167
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Charitable giving is good, and we do it; but I got far more satisfaction this weekend in D.C., giving cash tips to young immigrant Uber drivers who were beating up their Toyota Corollas and taking it on the chin in rainy city traffic for a couple bucks per fare. If I paid $8.00 to go from the hotel to the National Mall, they probably got $3.00 and spent $1.00 of it on gas. So the light in a young fellow's eyes, and the hearty "Thank you very much, madame" at a $5.00 tip was something to see. When was the last time you saw somebody delighted to get five bucks?


Yes! Wunna these days I'm gonna plunk down a $20 tip on a $20 lunch to a deserving server. It will make their day and I won't miss it. I would go $50 but I think my LBYM reflex would probably kick in and cause me to go spastic. I left my barber a big tip at Xmas and he ran out of the shop and caught me driving away.
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Old 10-31-2017, 10:29 PM   #168
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Does buying a jar of avocado oil Mayonaise at Costco count? It was $7.
LOL! Was it a big jar?
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Old 10-31-2017, 10:40 PM   #169
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Yes! Wunna these days I'm gonna plunk down a $20 tip on a $20 lunch to a deserving server. It will make their day and I won't miss it. I would go $50 but I think my LBYM reflex would probably kick in and cause me to go spastic. I left my barber a big tip at Xmas and he ran out of the shop and caught me driving away.
I did something like this 3 years ago. The check was about $12 and I left the young, 20-something girl about $25, in part to her fixing part of the order which was not done correctly. As I was leaving the place, I saw her behind the counter and she was walking on air, frantically and happily waving at me as I left.
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Old 10-31-2017, 11:08 PM   #170
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Very sorry for your loss, and I lost my twin due to a very rare and inherited myclonic disease about 14 years ago. I avoided the genetic bullet due to no virtue of my own. It did not make me spend per se, since we still had kids going to college and parental units that I was pretty sure would need support (after they supported my twin for 30 years after puberty).
But it does raise the question what is that nut for, if not for improving life and quality of life. I think I've convinced DW to retire next year, but we'll see (she's almost 5 years younger and afraid of running out of money and grew up on the mean streets of Philly dirt poor and has always made it on her own.)

It is a prisoner's dilemma.

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Yes, this is me. Lost wife quickly due to Pancreatic cancer. Did a lot of sobbing. Now ready to live again and live as large as possible with whatever time I have.

Also out of large Maine lobster tails, time to order more -
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Old 10-31-2017, 11:17 PM   #171
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I can't tell anyone whether they are too frugal or not--that depends way too much on circumstances. But we're starting to give the yewts a couple K a year and just gave the car to the oldest and his wife after I bought the new truck, since the car will host the grandbaby seat much better than their car. She stopped teaching for a year or two after the birth (or maybe a few more if they decide to have another), so it's the least we could do for the Blessed Grandchild.
They asked or expected nothing, to be clear, but I'd a lot rather see them and the grandchild in a safer car. They sold their car and sent us the money, btw.
If you can't do something good with the money, for yourself or loved ones or others, what is it good for? (Assuming you provide for yourself, to be sure. . . )
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Old 11-01-2017, 02:42 AM   #172
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Charitable giving is good, and we do it; but I got far more satisfaction this weekend in D.C., giving cash tips to young immigrant Uber drivers who were beating up their Toyota Corollas and taking it on the chin in rainy city traffic for a couple bucks per fare. If I paid $8.00 to go from the hotel to the National Mall, they probably got $3.00 and spent $1.00 of it on gas. So the light in a young fellow's eyes, and the hearty "Thank you very much, madame" at a $5.00 tip was something to see. When was the last time you saw somebody delighted to get five bucks?
Yes I agree. Quite often we will give an extraordinary tip for extra good service. Usually $50 or $100 (on top of regular tip). Love the look on their faces.
But this kind of thing really doesn’t move the spending dial much.
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Old 11-01-2017, 06:17 AM   #173
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Lincoln Town Car, which I hope to keep driving for another decade or two.

sweet! sounds like a great plan.
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Old 11-01-2017, 07:10 AM   #174
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I definitely think that many "well off" retirees spend much less than they "could". Heck, we have people here with 7 figure (or more) investment balances who live off their pensions/SS alone when they could comfortably spend tens of thousands of dollars more every year and still never have to worry about running out of money. They'll almost certainly die with a larger balance than the average person will ever reach.

Personally, I plan to spend as much as I can without feeling like I'm risking running out of money after I retire. Due to the last part of that statement, I expect that my first 5 or more years will likely involve spending less than hindsight will tell me I could have.
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Old 11-01-2017, 07:53 AM   #175
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I definitely think that many "well off" retirees spend much less than they "could". Heck, we have people here with 7 figure (or more) investment balances who live off their pensions/SS alone when they could comfortably spend tens of thousands of dollars more every year and still never have to worry about running out of money. They'll almost certainly die with a larger balance than the average person will ever reach.

Personally, I plan to spend as much as I can without feeling like I'm risking running out of money after I retire. Due to the last part of that statement, I expect that my first 5 or more years will likely involve spending less than hindsight will tell me I could have.
+1

We'll also w*rk longer than we had to. Better safe than sorry.
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Old 11-01-2017, 08:53 AM   #176
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I definitely think that many "well off" retirees spend much less than they "could". Heck, we have people here with 7 figure (or more) investment balances who live off their pensions/SS alone when they could comfortably spend tens of thousands of dollars more every year and still never have to worry about running out of money. They'll almost certainly die with a larger balance than the average person will ever reach.

Personally, I plan to spend as much as I can without feeling like I'm risking running out of money after I retire. Due to the last part of that statement, I expect that my first 5 or more years will likely involve spending less than hindsight will tell me I could have.
Agree. For instance when people talk about their Firecalc results, I hardly ever hear of anyone who feels comfortable with a success ratio less than 90% This means they are very likely to have more at the end than when they started. I’ve been retired for 11 years and have generally just spent divs. Now with the portfolio up quite a bit I’m going to liquidate extra amounts to spend.

Took me up till now to get over that idea of “never spending principle”. Also, in my case, I seem to be pretty flexible in my spending. That is, if I have more to spend I seem to be able to find worthwhile things/activities to spend it on. Many people apparently can’t.
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Old 11-01-2017, 09:26 AM   #177
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We don't think about money very often.
I guess what we spend, is mostly from habil. Truthfully, can't even think of anything we'd buy, even if we had the money to spend.
I guess the term is "comfortable in our own skins".
So the Cadillac is now old enough to drink, and the lincoln, less than a year behind. Love the comfort, love the ride, and the looks are becoming "Classic". Book value of the Cadillac has gone up 300% in the past 3 years...
Love the leather, love the ride, love the JBL and BOSe sound systems, and now that we don't drive very much, really like the low upkeep.
http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ml#post1701956

Now... about the diamond rings...and thereby hangs a tale. Senior in college, and working all summer long, and three meals a day in the fraternity kitchen doing dishes for 56 guys... for the whole school year... for four years. that and Summer work as a life guard and then waterfront director at the Maine State YMCA Camp. Back then, pay worked out to about $.60/hr, and free meals. (Imagine... the school costs $62,500/yr, today).

In Senior year, 1957, proposed to Jeanie... Yeah.. the diamond. So she was in school at BU, in Harvard Square... (Read that "Money"). A few of her classmates were engaged, and the big thing was "the diamond". Not to be outdone, my trip to Kay Jewelers. I really couldn't afford the 'setting', never mind the diamond. The diamond they showed me was $300... and so small, I couldn't hardly see it. OMG... her classmates would laugh her out of the room!
"Wait...wait!..." the saleslady spotted my dejection... Out from under the counter, a 1/2 carat biggie. For me... $200. Never mind the viewer... that baby was HUGE!... $20/mo. for two years. A week later... in her living room... the formal, "on his knees" proposal interrupted only by the milkman, coming to the door... Our first congratulations. Thrill of a lifetime... and then to go back to her dorm, to show off that gleaming beauty. Life's highpoint!!!.

It was only a few months later that Doug, my best friend, quietly pointed out that there was a big piece of black carbon, floating around in the middle of that magnificent jewel. Sobeit... DW has a one of a kind diamond unmatched throughout the world, and throughout the centuries.

My original post here on ER, was Sharing 23 years of frugal retirement. Somehow, in retrospect, the word frugal doesn't seem appropriate. It's no longer a matter of trying to "save"... Although we don't look at anything resembling a "budget", a look at our net worth YTY, shows ever decreasing expenses, even though it's not intentional.

Hmmm... spoke too soon. Yesterday DW bought two brand new lampshades at the Salvation Army store, for a total of $6.99 for both. I looked them up on google, found they are indeed new and current, and sell for $49.95 each.

I guess it's just a way of life.
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Old 11-01-2017, 09:45 AM   #178
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Yes! Wunna these days I'm gonna plunk down a $20 tip on a $20 lunch to a deserving server. It will make their day and I won't miss it. I would go $50 but I think my LBYM reflex would probably kick in and cause me to go spastic. I left my barber a big tip at Xmas and he ran out of the shop and caught me driving away.
My wife and I did that this year. We were going to eat at Ruby Tuesday and they couldn't even get a server over to our table to take our order so we left. We went to the Waffle House, got great service on a slow night there and the entire meal was 15 dollars. We left a 30 dollar tip. The smile on her face was worth every penny.
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Old 11-01-2017, 10:03 AM   #179
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Bought DW an iPhone 8 Plus to replace her 5. She is loving it! But I shopped at every vendor for the best deal and ended up at Virgin Mobile. Old habits are hard to break.

Like Im I was offered a deal on diamond studs with the black speck (on 45 St in the city). I decided to pay the extra for purity!
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Old 11-01-2017, 11:53 AM   #180
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Honest to goodness... this just happened.
I thought DW might enjoy remembering so I read her my post (above).

So listen to this... "You left something out!!!" "You didn't mention that right after we got married six months later, I found the bill from the jeweler... You didn't even finish paying for my ring!!!!!!!. I was mad at you for two weeks after I found out".

Can you believe?... 59 years later, and she's still holding a grudge.
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