More Money Than You'll Ever Need

[Ohio Tealady]

This post really got me thinking about how I am spending my money today. I am about four years from retirement, my husband 2.5 years. We have a healthy nest egg. When we start taking SS and my small pension, those three income streams will pay for the majority of our average living expenses. I too am cautious about not wanting to spend too much of the nest egg and not have enough for future unforeseen needs. But balancing that with not wanting to have a huge estate at my death (nice for my daughter) or denying myself stuff or experiences that would enrich my life while I'm still able to enjoy.

So, I'm trying to find the balance between not living "too frugally or going without" with saving for future needs (health, inflation, whatever). I've decided to use a phrase from one of my favorite TV shows, Parks and Rec." I'm going to "Treat Your Self."

There are services/products I'm going to purchase which will make my life easier NOW. I"m thinking about a cleaning service (I like a clean house but hate to clean. After 40 years it's repetitive and rarely stays clean for long.), monthly massage (chronic back issues) and I'm going to buy whatever plants I want for my garden! My husband has always been encouraging for me to do what I want. It is difficult for me to spend on myself due to my own self imposed frugality. Let's see if I can do this. Wish me luck!

 

[Fedup]

I've always treat my self, regular massage, in some years, I spend $10,000 with flex spending for my bad back. As for garden, I consider that cheap therapy, I blow my dough at the garden center often and it has years that I've doing that. As for cleaning service, my husband helps with that occasionally when he feels like. I'm not picky about cleanliness because I live outside in my garden most of the time.

 

[audreyh1]

I don't get why people seize on this comment. I think it is 99% true - most people are overweight, some significantly, and the perception of what is 'thin' is now actually someone who is normal weight or slightly heavy (based on my observation in Texas). There is no harm from being skinny but There is obviously a difference between skinny and malnourished.

I know I regularly get told I am "too skinny" even though I am firmly in the middle of a healthy BMI/body fat %.

It doesn't matter if most people are too fat. IMO it is clearly possible to be too thin - and yes, malnourished. I didn't say all skinny persons are too thin.

I simply disagree with the Duchess of Windsor because it makes me think of people like Karen Carpenter, or wasted cancer victims, drug addicts, or those poor people from the Nazi concentration camps. I don't think any rich, high society lady would want to look like that.

 

[NW-Bound]

That's basically how I feel, even though I am pretty confident I have more than enough money to cover any and all reasonable needs and wants for the rest of my life.

I was curious, so I just checked the cost of round-trip business class ticket to Rome from my neck of the woods here in metro Atlanta, and I found some—at around $2,400—that I could pretty easily afford. As long as I don't discover the "need" to take more than one or two such flights per year, I should be A-OK. That's actually a pretty encouraging realization!

I would have to pay more to go to Europe from my corner of the wood in Western USA, but $2400 is already a lot more than what I normally pay. At some point, I guess the comfort of a better seat would be enough to overcome my natural stinginess.

But looking ahead, if my physical condition gets worse so that I really need the comfort of a business or 1st class seat (I am not a big nor tall guy), then I also would not be able to handle my own luggage, nor keep up with the crazy Italian car drivers, nor able to walk several miles a day for sightseeing on my own.

Never having taken a tour in my life, I think that when I get to the point when I cannot travel on my own, may as well stay home and watch travel videos.

What I am trying to say is that I have always been desirous of better airline seats, but that is more of a luxurious thing than a necessity. When it becomes a necessity for me, my travel days will be over.

 

[Amethyst]

Not only that, but the thin-and-healthy weight of a 30-year-old could be the too-thin-and-osteoporosis weight of 70 years old. We lose our cushioning subcutaneous fat as we age, which makes our bones and organs easier to injure.

That's not to say we should gain 20 pounds of fat just because we're older - building muscle is very helpful, but that takes a *lot* of work and time which few older people are willing to invest.

It doesn't matter if most people are too fat. IMO it is clearly possible to be too thin - and yes, malnourished. I didn't say all skinny persons are too thin.

I simply disagree with the Duchess of Windsor because it makes me think of people like Karen Carpenter, or wasted cancer victims, drug addicts, or those poor people from the Nazi concentration camps. I don't think any rich, high society lady would want to look like that.

 

[Sojourner]

What I am trying to say is that I have always been desirous of better airline seats, but that is more of a luxurious thing than a necessity. When it becomes a necessity for me, my travel days will be over.

Yeah, I would basically agree. I certainly don't look at business- or first-class seating on overseas flights as a necessity or even a reasonable value for the money at this point. The most I've ever spent on an international flight was about $1,300 (economy seating), and I remember being in a little bit of pain about it at the time. But then you think about basically doubling that in order to get the cheapest biz-class seat on a flight to Europe, and you start asking yourself what exactly that extra $1,300 is really getting you. As mentioned in another thread, you could just as easily opt for the economy fare, and use the savings to add two whole days to your trip. And then spend those extra couple days at your destination recovering from the jet lag, etc. As for the uncomfortable flight stuck in a small coach seat, just take a bunch of cheap, generic Xanax to make it more tolerable. You'll be asleep or at least very chilled out for the majority of the flight that way.

 

[audreyh1]

Yeah, I would basically agree. I certainly don't look at business- or first-class seating on overseas flights as a necessity or even a reasonable value for the money at this point. The most I've ever spent on an international flight was about $1,300 (economy seating), and I remember being in a little bit of pain about it at the time. But then you think about basically doubling that in order to get the cheapest biz-class seat on a flight to Europe, and you start asking yourself what exactly that extra $1,300 is really getting you. As mentioned in another thread, you could just as easily opt for the economy fare, and use the savings to add two whole days to your trip. And then spend those extra couple days at your destination recovering from the jet lag, etc. As for the uncomfortable flight stuck in a small coach seat, just take a bunch of cheap, generic Xanax to make it more tolerable. You'll be asleep or at least very chilled out for the majority of the flight that way.

Funny - I'd actually be OK with the doubling in price for international business class. It's the 4x pricing that gets to me. But obviously there is high demand for those lie flat seats, so they are able to price them at a premium.

 

[Fedup]

It doesn't matter if most people are too fat. IMO it is clearly possible to be too thin - and yes, malnourished. I didn't say all skinny persons are too thin.

I simply disagree with the Duchess of Windsor because it makes me think of people like Karen Carpenter, or wasted cancer victims, drug addicts, or those poor people from the Nazi concentration camps. I don't think any rich, high society lady would want to look like that.

You might want to look at Kate and Pipa Middleton. I noticed one of my kids comes close to their weight, definitely bigger than Arianna Grande, but there are thin people out there, I admit mostly for the younger crowd who are thin. Macron's wife is another example for somebody older than 60 and thin.

 

[Racer X]

So emotionally, I'd say of course I don't have more money than I'll ever need. If nothing else, I'm just not wired that way. To even say the words feels a bit... cocky?

That being said, being just over a year in to retirement and I'm at 30% more than my super safe, super conservative, only now can I feel comfortable pulling the trigger number. So analytically, I'm closer to being able to say that then I might initially think.

I guess I worry more about running out of money than having too much. So long as I can lead the life I want to lead, I'm not fussed if there's extra at the end. I have no kids, so it looks like the local animal rescue will do that much better.

 

[audreyh1]

You might want to look at Kate and Pipa Middleton. I noticed one of my kids comes close to their weight, definitely bigger than Arianna Grande, but there are thin people out there, I admit mostly for the younger crowd who are thin. Macron's wife is another example for somebody older than 60 and thin.

I'm not sure about your point. Are you saying they are too thin? Or you think that I would think they are too thin? They look perfectly healthy to me and nothing like the very ill people I listed.

Did you think I was saying that all thin people are unhealthy?

Or do you think these rich high society ladies look like drug addicts or anorexic women starving themselves to death? They certainly don't look like that to me.

 

[W2R]

I'm not sure about your point. Are you saying they are too thin? Or you think that I would think they are too thin? They look perfectly healthy to me and nothing like the very ill people I listed.

I was curious so I Googled.

Pippa is 5'5" and 117 pounds. This gives her a BMI of 19.5, which is considered within the normal weight range.

Her sister Kate is 5'9" and 119 pounds. This gives her a BMI of 17.6, which is considered to be underweight.

Both of them look like skeletons to me! But then, I am used to seeing considerably more "padding" than they have, when I look in the mirror. Apparently Pippa is at a perfectly healthy weight, and while underweight, I suppose that Kate isn't emaciated.

 

[Fedup]

I'm not sure about your point. Are you saying they are too thin? Or you think that I would think they are too thin? They look perfectly healthy to me and nothing like the very ill people I listed.

Did you think I was saying that all thin people are unhealthy?

Or do you think these rich high society ladies look like drug addicts or anorexic women starving themselves to death? They certainly don't look like that to me.

I was respond to your comment that you don't think any high society ladies want to be too thin. I don't know what's your definition of too thin, but I think the Middleton sisters are too thin in my book.

 

[Fedup]

I was curious so I Googled.

Pippa is 5'5" and 117 pounds. This gives her a BMI of 19.5, which is considered within the normal weight range.

Her sister Kate is 5'9" and 119 pounds. This gives her a BMI of 17.6, which is considered to be underweight.

Both of them look like skeletons to me! But then, I am used to seeing considerably more "padding" than they have, when I look in the mirror. Apparently Pippa is at a perfectly healthy weight, and while underweight, I suppose that Kate isn't emaciated.

My kid has higher BMI than those two, yet I think she is too thin. But she is healthy. I worry about her bones when she gets older.

 

[sengsational]

Not about how thin one should be, and not about premium seat airline pricing, but I'll just say that I'm interested in finding ways to spend a bit more. Well, that's not correct. I'm interested in finding ways to have a more awesome existence, and if that costs a little more and I've been spending, so be it. The problem is I'm torn between spending more and giving a larger percentage as taxes.

 

[kcowan]

My relatives are mostly dead...

I had to chuckle when I read that. Me too. In fact I lost another one last weekend.

There is nothing like losing a cousin to make you rethink your spending.

 

[audreyh1]

I was respond to your comment that you don't think any high society ladies want to be too thin. I don't know what's your definition of too thin, but I think the Middleton sisters are too thin in my book.

Oh, OK, I was talking about people who were ill.

 

[Moemg]

I would have to pay more to go to Europe from my corner of the wood in Western USA, but $2400 is already a lot more than what I normally pay. At some point, I guess the comfort of a better seat would be enough to overcome my natural stinginess.

But looking ahead, if my physical condition gets worse so that I really need the comfort of a business or 1st class seat (I am not a big nor tall guy), then I also would not be able to handle my own luggage, nor keep up with the crazy Italian car drivers, nor able to walk several miles a day for sightseeing on my own.

Never having taken a tour in my life, I think that when I get to the point when I cannot travel on my own, may as well stay home and watch travel videos.

What I am trying to say is that I have always been desirous of better airline seats, but that is more of a luxurious thing than a necessity. When it becomes a necessity for me, my travel days will be over.

Your travel days will not be over they will just change .Tours are not the answer because that up at 7 with bags out gets old quickly . The answer for me has been to slow down the travel . Pay more for someone to deal with my luggage and realize the days of walking miles and endless touring may need to be modified to add in rest time .I just returned from three weeks in Spain &Portugal and rather than confirming that my travel days are over it made me realize I still have some more traveling to do before I stop or my health makes me stop.

 

[Koogie]

I was curious so I Googled.
Pippa is 5'5" and 117 pounds. This gives her a BMI of 19.5, which is considered within the normal weight range.

No point "googling" Pippa anymore, she just got married...

 

[NW-Bound]

Your travel days will not be over they will just change .Tours are not the answer because that up at 7 with bags out gets old quickly . The answer for me has been to slow down the travel . Pay more for someone to deal with my luggage and realize the days of walking miles and endless touring may need to be modified to add in rest time .I just returned from three weeks in Spain &Portugal and rather than confirming that my travel days are over it made me realize I still have some more traveling to do before I stop or my health makes me stop.

Thought about this some more, and I think I will settle for world cruises when older. Definitely no bus land tours, where they would drag me from town to town every day, and give me 30 minutes at each landmark.

Back on how much money is too much, I will never have the luxury of having that problem. But not to be greedy, I would be quite happy to maintain the same living standards now and still have my stash intact, meaning not having to spend it down. I am too accustomed to that number at the bottom of my Quicken screen.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Back on how much money is too much, I will never have the luxury of having that problem. But not to be greedy, I would be quite happy to maintain the same living standards now and still have my stash intact, meaning not having to spend it down. I am too accustomed to that number at the bottom of my Quicken screen.

That works for us so we do the matching strategy for investing. Our "plan termination" net worth should be about the same then in inflation adjusted dollars as it is today.

 

[kitesurfer2]

from a lot of money to a lot of fat...boy this thread took a turn!

 

[pj.mask]

Don't forget flight prices. I have flown business class several times for work (anything >4.5h) and it is nice. If I'm going to go to Europe for 4 weeks, an additional $3k may not be a huge % increase (depends on your budget). We went to Japan on business for 150k points each - got 115k points for signing up with a credit card that cost $450/yr with additional benefits. The cost is great if it breaks your budget but if you have excess room, maybe that's the best place to use it. But if you have the time, why not take a transatlantic cruise?

For weight, the more you eat the worse it is for you, period. Digestion is damaging to your DNA. I haven't seen anything to say bone density and body weight are correlated - not sure about the comments related to skinny people getting osteoporosis. BMI by itself is not enough - someone very muscular will be too heavy and someone who is skinny fat may register just fine but be unhealthy. Body fat % is important to judge BMI.