Blow that Dough 2023

[DrRoy]

DW and I are being fairly extravagant right now (for us anyway). We're midway through a 10 week ramble through Europe. Cost sounded high until we realized it will end up being about 0.6% of our NW - meaning we could do this every year without blinking and should have started 10 years sooner.

We have been doing the same in the last couple years, at about .8%, although that covers several trips over the course of the year, not just one.

 

[Winemaker]

Interesting article in Wall Street Journal - "The U.S. Economy’s Secret Weapon: Seniors With Money to Spend"

https://www.wsj.com/economy/consumers/us-economy-seniors-spending-money-d9f529c5 (subscription required)

"Americans 65 and older account for record share of spending...In August, 17.7% of the population was 65 or older...the highest on record going back to 1920... Americans age 65 and up accounted for 22% of spending last year, the highest share since records began in 1972 and up from 15% in 2010...Another factor in the elderly’s favor: relatively strong finances. Americans age 70 and older now hold nearly 26% of household wealth, the highest since records began in 1989, according to the Federal Reserve...By the Fed’s reckoning, baby boomers alone have now amassed $77.1 trillion in wealth..."

My 35+ neighbor needed some boards planed, so while we talking he mentioned that he had lunched at a local restaurant. He said the placed was packed with geezers (my word) lunching, and knocking back the drinks at noon. DW and her visiting friends from college stopped in about 2, she said the same thing. LOL!

 

[audreyh1]

DW and I are being fairly extravagant right now (for us anyway). We're midway through a 10 week ramble through Europe. Cost sounded high until we realized it will end up being about 0.6% of our NW - meaning we could do this every year without blinking and should have started 10 years sooner.

I’m really glad to hear it. This is the perspective needed to decide what is important enough to spend on. It’s all a matter of priorities.

 

[Music Lover]

We've been blowing dough the last few years, nothing overly expensive or extravagant like many people here, so I haven't posted about many of our purchases other than us buying a lake house in 2021.

I was 59 and my wife was 55 when we bought the lake house and we decided that to upgrade it and buy a few nice things before we got too old to enjoy them. None of these items individually really fall into "blow that dough" category, and some were required upgrades but together it adds up. Luckily I'm handy and did everything myself which saved a lot of money:

- expand the deck from 12' x 29' to 20' x 29'
- add a railing, gazebo, and fire table
- added sink and running water next to the barbeque station (3-season)
- replace the old kitchen cabinets
- replace the appliances
- add a dishwasher
- install washer and dryer
- install LVP flooring
- replace toilet and vanity
- move all plumbing inside the cabin (some was below in unheated crawl space) and replace all the old copper with PEX
- all new plumbing fixtures
- install Heatline in well pump line to extend usable cabin season

 

[rkser]

BTD - We just came from a 8 day Mediterranean Class Reunion Cruise starting/ending from/at Barcelona. We had a blast.

Have spent around $12k so far this year on Travel, experiences > stuff.

BTD

 

[Kings over Queens]

Great BTD stories, can't reply to each, but please, keep them coming. Inspirational!

 

[Dash man]

We just signed a contract to replace a bow window at our 1940 Jersey Shore home for ~$16,000. This is following a new roof and to be followed with new siding in the spring.
For some reason DW doesn’t want to get a new car this year.[emoji23]

 

[LateToFIRE]

We've been blowing dough the last few years, nothing overly expensive or extravagant like many people here, so I haven't posted about many of our purchases other than us buying a lake house i...

There is nothing quite like the expenditures associated with a vacation/weekend/lake house in the perpetual BTD category, except for maybe, a yacht!

 

[harley]

Great BTD stories, can't reply to each, but please, keep them coming. Inspirational!

That would be a good way to bump up your dryer sheet score.

 

[Sunset]

We just signed a contract to replace a bow window at our 1940 Jersey Shore home for ~$16,000. This is following a new roof and to be followed with new siding in the spring.
For some reason DW doesn’t want to get a new car this year.[emoji23]

I have a large window, and am wondering, how large is your bow window to cost $16K to replace ?

Or is there something special like hurricane proof, etc ?

 

[Kings over Queens]

That would be a good way to bump up your dryer sheet score.

Valid point.

I do enjoy the posts. The recent one about sporting clays made me chuckle. I shot a round of 5 stand, once. Now I can bust some clays on the trap range or even sporting, but 5 stand literally made me walk away kicking rocks. So much so I forgot to put my 3 bucks in the bag at the range. I sent a check to the RO/Match Director, which only added to my shame.

 

[JDARNELL]

We are just returning from a 5 week trip to Europe with also included a last minute 14 day cruise to Iceland and Norway. I can’t wait to see the final dollar amount in EveryDollar compared to what we would have spent at home. My guess the delta is not that big.

 

[audreyh1]

We are just returning from a 5 week trip to Europe with also included a last minute 14 day cruise to Iceland and Norway. I can’t wait to see the final dollar amount in EveryDollar compared to what we would have spent at home. My guess the delta is not that big.

Please report back your results.

We don’t spend that much at home, so travel, especially overseas travel, tends to be much higher than at home.

 

[TrvlBug]

$24.5K paid today for the deposit on our solar and battery system. The $35K balance is due once the energy company hooks us up and we're fully operational. Truly a luxury item (the battery pack anyway) as pay back will not be in our lifetime. We're sick and tired of our numerous multi-day outages.

 

[Retire2023]

Valid point.

I do enjoy the posts. The recent one about sporting clays made me chuckle. I shot a round of 5 stand, once. Now I can bust some clays on the trap range or even sporting, but 5 stand literally made me walk away kicking rocks. So much so I forgot to put my 3 bucks in the bag at the range. I sent a check to the RO/Match Director, which only added to my shame.

You know, my husband can help you with that if you are ever in the eastern Virginia area...just sayin'.

 

[explanade]

$24.5K paid today for the deposit on our solar and battery system. The $35K balance is due once the energy company hooks us up and we're fully operational. Truly a luxury item (the battery pack anyway) as pay back will not be in our lifetime. We're sick and tired of our numerous multi-day outages.

Do you expect to get tax credits or some kind of tax benefits from the installation?

 

[Kings over Queens]

You know, my husband can help you with that if you are ever in the eastern Virginia area...just sayin'.

Thanks, that would be wonderful.

 

[TrvlBug]

Do you expect to get tax credits or some kind of tax benefits from the installation?

Yes, 30% federal tax credit. The fire and county inspections wrt the installation will take place next week. After that, 4-8 weeks for the energy company's PTO. Depending which calendar year that takes place and the balance due is paid, we may only be able to capture the 30% on the deposit for 2023 tax year. I think, but am not sure of a some small state credits available, however, we don't qualify due to income.

 

[RobLJ]

The Tour du Mont Blanc was really wonderful, by the way, along with a couple days in Zermatt and spending 4 days with DW's brother in Geneva at the end (he has worked 35 years in Germany and has had health problems, even though his habits are far healthier than mine).
As a rminder, do what you can do, when you can do it. I survived the 3 4000+ foot increase hikes fine, although I did have a thigh spasm on the first, due to not drinking enough water. So when you are BTD, be sure to drink enough water.

 

[explanade]

The Tour du Mont Blanc was really wonderful, by the way, along with a couple days in Zermatt and spending 4 days with DW's brother in Geneva at the end (he has worked 35 years in Germany and has had health problems, even though his habits are far healthier than mine).
As a rminder, do what you can do, when you can do it. I survived the 3 4000+ foot increase hikes fine, although I did have a thigh spasm on the first, due to not drinking enough water. So when you are BTD, be sure to drink enough water.

You're braver than I am.

I will spend a small fortune for lots of cable cars in the Alps.

A lot of these cable cars or rack trains, you can ride up and walk down but I haven't even wanted to walk down either.

I think 2-3 hours is about my limit for hikes and that's mostly on flat land.

Of course you usually end up on your feet for much longer, just walking from place to place and then doing one of these shorter hikes.

 

[DrRoy]

You're braver than I am.

I will spend a small fortune for lots of cable cars in the Alps.

A lot of these cable cars or rack trains, you can ride up and walk down but I haven't even wanted to walk down either.

I think 2-3 hours is about my limit for hikes and that's mostly on flat land.

Of course you usually end up on your feet for much longer, just walking from place to place and then doing one of these shorter hikes.

We do plenty of cable cars and trains up the mountains, mainly because it is faster. Where that is not available, we have done as much as 7-8 mile round trip and 1800 vertical ft on foot. Not often though.

Also just went to see The Eagles - Long Goodbye Tour. Fabulous.

 

[explanade]

We do plenty of cable cars and trains up the mountains, mainly because it is faster. Where that is not available, we have done as much as 7-8 mile round trip and 1800 vertical ft on foot. Not often though.

When available, I buy passes which let you go on at least a dozen different cable cars within a limited period, like 4 or 5 days.

So I go up and go to the scenic outlooks, they pictures, come right back down, because even walking downhill some of these mountains, it would take a couple of hours vs. 10-20 minutes on the cable car.

Then drive to the next one and try to finish that.

Even in the summer, the hours are like 8:30 to maybe 5 PM is the latest you can ascend.

So it's a challenge to hit more than 3 and often, in the afternoons, the clouds roll in and the views are gone.

 

[Luvtoride]

DW and I are being fairly extravagant right now (for us anyway). We're midway through a 10 week ramble through Europe. Cost sounded high until we realized it will end up being about 0.6% of our NW - meaning we could do this every year without blinking and should have started 10 years sooner.

Good for you! So why do we wait to start enjoying the fruits of our hard work? I am recently retired (wife retired a few years earlier) and we have decided to make travel and trips a key part of our retirement plan. We now look at the calendar and if we don’t have some trip (even a weekend getaway) planned in a month we are booking something for that month.
Enjoy your Europe ramble and don’t forget to book your next one when you get back!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Because my dad was too sick to work by 54 and my parents were waiting for retirement to travel I didn’t wait. As soon as my kids were launched I started to travel at age 44. Some of those trips I couldn’t physically do now what I could 25 years ago. My mom did get to travel which was great.

 

[Souschef]

Because my dad was too sick to work by 54 and my parents were waiting for retirement to travel I didn’t wait. As soon as my kids were launched I started to travel at age 44. Some of those trips I couldn’t physically do now what I could 25 years ago. My mom did get to travel which was great.

You did the right thing, TT. At a grief recovery site I used to got to, there were many posts like,"We ere going to travel after we retired, but one died or was incapacitated "