Have you bumped up fun spending?

[Lsbcal]

After 5 good stock market years we are spending quite a bit more now on discretionary (fun) stuff. By discretionary I mean things like larger cost house improvements, travel, furniture, eating out more, etc. I try to have fun and resist the urge to conserve and the initial emotional guilt that might come with spending on fun things.

Also we have much lower expenses on the base living costs now. DS is out of college and earning his living, we have SS, medical is less then it used to be for us. I target now for overall 3.3% (of portfolio) spending.

My regularly updated spreadsheet points to us spending about 1.5% of our portfolio on discretionary stuff in 2014. Last year we spent at about this level but a third of it went to helping DS get started.

Have you bumped up fun spending?

 

[LOL!]

Yep, fun spending has been bumped way up, but on travel mostly. It would be very hard for us to eat out more.

 

[brett]

Absolutely. 14 day Caribbean cruise over Christmas. Leaving tomorrow for 7 weeks in Thailand. Australia/Fijii cruise booked for next winter. And there will be something in the fall if I can convince DW to go.

 

[Ready]

We spent a fair amount last year on home renovations to freshen up the house. I'm not sure I would refer to it as "fun", but once it was done, we were pleased with the results.

 

[W2R]

I just bought a Concept2 Model D rowing machine about 10 minutes ago. So, my answer is an unqualified YES!!! And I am having fun doing it. Last year I bought a nice 55" Panasonic TV and stand to go in my home gym room, so I am keeping up my end in supporting the world economy, mostly in expanding my home gym.

I know I am not overspending because my baseline was on the way-too-thrifty side. I would not suggest spending more than one's plan allows.

 

[Lsbcal]

We spent a fair amount last year on home renovations to freshen up the house. I'm not sure I would refer to it as "fun", but once it was done, we were pleased with the results.

Doing the due diligence can be trying and not fun at all. As you say, getting to live with the results is the fun.

 

[Lsbcal]

I just bought a Concept2 Model D rowing machine about 10 minutes ago. So, my answer is an unqualified YES!!! And I am having fun doing it. Last year I bought a nice 55" Panasonic TV and stand to go in my home gym room, so I am keeping up my end in supporting the world economy, mostly in expanding my home gym.

I know I am not overspending because my baseline was on the way-too-thrifty side. I would not suggest spending more than one's plan allows.

Glad you are "stepping out" there W2R. Those big TV's can be fun viewing. Sometimes I'm bowled over by the intense colors.

 

[Midpack]

Against my better judgement, I probably just went totally crazy with fun spending (yesterday), but I'll leave it at that for now...

 

[steelyman]

I'm treating 8 friends to a beach vacation. I also bought a "new" old acoustic guitar that I intend to play at the beach. My spending has increased, but I lived like a pauper while working.

 

[bbbamI]

Oh yes...

Even though we keep an eye on our spending, we are looking more to what gives us pleasure. Time seems to be flying by...we're gonna enjoy it while we can.

 

[travelover]

I've turned the heat up to 65 degrees for the winter.

 

[NanoSour]

In my first 6 months of ER I've cut spending. My plan says I can spend considerably more than I am, but I'm too early in the journey and still in the gun-shy phase.

 

[NW-Bound]

My most expensive indulgence was the 2nd home up at 7000 ft for us to escape the summer heat, and I bought it 7 years ago. Other than that, the largest discretionary item in my list would be travel expense, meaning overseas travel in addition to domestic RV'ing. But I am not a perpetual traveler, so even that is self-limiting. I do not see what else that would bring me pleasure. And that's a good thing as I am trying to stay within 3.5% WR.

 

[Walt34]

I've turned the heat up to 65 degrees for the winter.

Compared to you we're wild spenders! 78° F here. When the house was built we paid for extra insulation and house wrap knowing that we like it warm. Also a major consideration when we bought was natural gas heat. And I'm still wearing thermals and a long sleeve shirt.

 

[Khan]

Much air travel, and setting up for marriage and move in next year or so. Expenses will go down with one combined household.

 

[powerplay]

I've turned the heat up to 65 degrees for the winter.

+5

 

[clifp]

It has been drunken sailor spending the last year for me. New roof, new solar, new electrical all this for the new Tesla. Now a kitchen remodel which I'm about 1/2 way done spending for, but the work is just starting.

 

[NW-Bound]

Looks like posters here have done their share of stimulating the economy. Excellent! We need to keep that money flowing. Instead of the money being stagnate in our accounts, let it flow to the tourist industry, our subcontractors, our restaurateurs, etc...

Voluntary wealth distribution is much preferred to involuntary ones. In fact, it is an exchange, not strictly a distribution. Besides, you cannot take it with you.

 

[Midpack]

I've turned the heat up to 65 degrees for the winter.

We're up to 65 on weekends and Mon-Fri when we're both home & awake - 6 hrs/day, but still 62 for the other 18 hrs/day. Brrrrrrrrr...

 

[Mulligan]

We're up to 65 on weekends and Mon-Fri when we're both home & awake - 6 hrs/day, but still 62 for the other 18 hrs/day. Brrrrrrrrr...

You are tougher than I am. It's just not worth it to me. Each year I guess my skin gets thinner. I'm up to 71 and 68 while sleeping. I live in cold MO and including a subzero stretch a couple weeks ago, the monthly heat bill was $125 ( natural gas ). I am kind of a tight wad, but $3 a day to stay comfortably warm is cheap to me!

 

[W2R]

You are tougher than I am. It's just not worth it to me. Each year I guess my skin gets thinner. I'm up to 71 and 68 while sleeping. I live in cold MO and including a subzero stretch a couple weeks ago, the monthly heat bill was $125 ( natural gas ). I am kind of a tight wad, but $3 a day to stay comfortably warm is cheap to me!

I have bumped the thermostat up to 74 lately, 75 at bedtime, and still I need my trusty wool socks to keep my feet warm. I never used to keep the house this warm. The older I get, the more sensitive to cold I seem to be. My last natural gas (heating) bill was $51, which I think is the highest it has ever been.

I think I'll file this under, "reasons why staying in New Orleans might not have been such a bad idea, after all"....

 

[Mulligan]

I have bumped the thermostat up to 74 lately, 75 at bedtime, and still I need my trusty wool socks to keep my feet warm. I never used to keep the house this warm. The older I get, the more sensitive to cold I seem to be. My last natural gas (heating) bill was $51, which I think is the highest it has ever been. I think I'll file this under, "reasons why staying in New Orleans might not have been such a bad idea, after all"....

Something tells me even if your bill was double, you wouldn't drop the temp. any. . I certainly agree being warm and comfortable is worth a couple dollars a day.

 

[NW-Bound]

The thermostat in my boonies home at 7,000 ft is left at 45F year round whether we are there or not. The highest bill was $82 for the heat pump, which is never needed to run in "cool" mode in the summer. No nat gas up there, although most fulltimers have a large propane tank outside the home. My neighbor spends as much as $350 on propane during the coldest winter months, and her home is smaller.

We do use a radiant portable electric heater in the bedroom. As the sun comes up, the large south-facing windows let in enough light that by midday the temperature rises from 45F to the low 70F.

PS. I sleep with a small portable fan blowing a breeze on my face. Same for winter as for summer.

 

[Walt34]

Right now we're actually spending less than normal. When I turned 62 the pension dropped by what the SS amount would have been had I not worked since retiring in 2002. But since I was working then and it more than made up the difference I didn't apply.

I want to put off SS until I'm at least 65, I'm now thinking about 67 since the difference is $310/month for the rest of our lives. It makes a bigger difference for DW because the pension drops 30% when I croak but she would receive the full SS benefit when she's that age so the pension drop would have less effect. Based on her family history she can expect to see her mid-80's, ~30 years from now. We have plenty in the savings/investments to see her though comfortably if I "go" in the meantime. Some life insurance is icing on the cake.

Glad we socked away most of the bones when I was working at the last job. That gives us more options. But for the first time in our lives we are faced with the reality of drawing down on some of what we saved. Now I understand the mental anguish so many others have posted about that. Reasonably, rationally, logically, the numbers work easily with plenty of slack.

But it sure is hard to do.

 

[Mulligan]

The thermostat in my boonies home at 7,000 ft is left at 45F year round whether we are there or not. The highest bill was $82 for the heat pump, which is never needed to run in "cool" mode in the summer. No nat gas up there, although most fulltimers have a large propane tank outside the home. My neighbor spends as much as $350 on propane during the coldest winter months, and her home is smaller. We do use a radiant portable electric heater in the bedroom. As the sun comes up, the large south-facing windows let in enough light that by midday the temperature rises from 45F to the low 70F.

NW, am I understand you correctly when you are there, you ride the temperature wave all the way to 45 degrees in the morning? I assume if you drink coffee you set it on a warmer plate to drink it or do you stay in the bedroom?