Blow that Dough! - 2018

[audreyh1]

(In honor of RobbieB)

We came in well under budget last year, but DH is trying his best to make up for it this year.

A couple of weeks ago he came to me to ask what our credit card limit was on the Fidelity VISA and then proceeded to list all the things he was ready to buy immediately.

We now have a new 65” OLED 4K mounted, a new receiver and the new Apple TV 4K. Looks great.

And he has a 5K screen iMac Pro on order.

I think we’re buying a new car this year. We’ve been meaning to do this for the past three years, but I think we might really do it this year.

And I’m working on our travel plans......

 

[NW-Bound]

Add to the above a new house, a new RV?

Oh scratch the RV as you do not do that anymore, or have not talked much about it. Do you still have the Alpine?

 

[RobbieB]

Good for you! I love my 4K OLED TV.

Gonna get married this year, do the inside home improvement thing and buy me a Lincoln Continental -

 

[street]

(In honor of RobbieB)

We came in well under budget last year, but DH is trying his best to make up for it this year.

A couple of weeks ago he came to me to ask what our credit card limit was on the Fidelity VISA and then proceeded to list all the things he was ready to buy immediately.

We now have a new 65” OLED 4K mounted, a new receiver and the new Apple TV 4K. Looks great.

And he has a 5K screen iMac Pro on order.

I think we’re buying a new car this year. We’ve been meaning to do this for the past three years, but I think we might really do it this year.

And I’m working on our travel plans......

Good for you both. I still haven't been able to just blow the dough yet. I will eventually get to that point to open the purse strings. Maybe 2019 mostly because I see we might be in for some larger purchases.

 

[braumeister]

I'm in this game too. Finally decided I was old enough to treat myself to a high end car and I'll be going to Sweden next month to pick up a new Volvo XC60. We'll drive it around western Sweden for a bit, then turn it in and let them ship it home for me.

Volvo's Overseas Delivery (OSD) program is really amazing. Not only do they give you a sizable discount from MSRP, you also get two free SAS tickets to Sweden and a night in a top hotel. Plus the free shipment and no dealer prep charge.

We'll be spending a few days in each of Copenhagen, Gothenburg, and Stockholm, so it'll be a fun trip, even in March.

But the "blow that dough" aspect is that it will be roughly twice what my last car cost. Doesn't bother me a bit, since I feel I've reached the age when I'm allowed to do what I want.

 

[RobbieB]

Absolutely!

I've lived the modest and frugal life. I've never bought a new car. I've always saved and invested and lived below my means. I didn't buy too much house and I've worked solid from graduation until 59.

It's time to Blow That Dough -

 

[NW-Bound]

No plan to blow any dough right now. No needs, nor wants.

The thread title says "Blow that dough - 2018". I hope that if I am going to have any big purchase, it is going to be against any 2018 gain, not 2017. The market just blew a 6-figure sum for me this week.

 

[audreyh1]

No plan to blow any dough right now. No needs, nor wants.

The thread title says "Blow that dough - 2018". I hope that if I am going to have any big purchase, it is going to be against any 2018 gain, not 2017. The market just blew a 6-figure sum for me this week.

It’s about spending in 2018 - doesn’t matter what you count it against.

You can blow the dough, or the market can blow it for you!

I think our net worth has dropped 6 figures since last week but it’s still way up compared to a year ago. Edited to add: that drop doubled today.

And we’ve already pulled out our annual withdrawal plus have have unspent funds from prior years.

So I pretty much ignore market gyrations until the end of the year.

 

[Bigdawg]

r, do the inside home improvement thing and buy me a Lincoln Continental -

A lincoln Continental? Thought for sure it would be another bike.

 

[Amethyst]

Lots more than before retirement. Home improvement, used jewelry, travel, college costs.

 

[Bamaman]

We are going to blow the retirement funds this month paying a $722 utility bill that doubled with the extra cold weather.

I guess that is punishment for going up instead of down in retirement home size.

But since going to a 2018 Camry Hybrid, we spend very little on gasoline.

 

[aja8888]

Not "blowin the dough" this year

We don't have any wants or needs beyond what we have right now. Last year was a killer, medical-wise and we spent ~$50 K OOP for dental, stuff Medicare didn't cover, premiums, drugs, etc.

This year I hope we have a "coast" year. Our spending plans will include passing money to the children as some need it and it's better to do that now rather than years from now.

 

[JoeWras]

Just bought a new laptop, a pretty well decked out Lenovo with a Xenon processor.

I was going to go cheap and get something low end and light, something more for just browsing, but decided to get a workhorse that can serve me for the next few years.

I kid you not. When I was thinking of going cheap, and instead went higher end, I heard a little voice say: "Blow that Dough" and thought of RobbieB. No joke! Of course, this was 4 days ago when the market was still going up. Robbie's voice in my head may have been a little more muted if I were starting the process today, after the market tank.

 

[aja8888]

.......Of course, this was 4 days ago when the market was still going up. Robbie's voice in my head may have been a little more muted if I were starting the process today, after the market tank.

Until we hear of FA's jumping out of windows to their demise on Wall Street, we are OK.

 

[ABQ2015]

I went car shopping for a Subaru and ended up getting an Audi. I figure if I'm going to drive a car for ten years then it should be a nice one that I actually enjoy driving. And at age 63 it will probably be my next to last new car.

 

[USGrant1962]

I needed a new laptop to travel with for my new consulting gig so I went all out and spent $180 (with tax) for an Acer One 10 like this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-o...-keyboard-shale-black/5854911.p?skuId=5854911.

Hmm, it dropped another $10 since I bought it a couple of days ago.

Anyway, I had already ordered an $800 Dell laptop from Amazon, but it had not shipped yet and I decided that the little Acer was all I needed for travel so I cancelled that order. I guess I need to blow another $600 of that dough...

BTW, it is a really nice convertible laptop/tablet for the price, I really like the IPS screen and it has a Micro SD slot to add memory.

 

[Dawg52]

Just installed new hurricane windows in my condo which was optional upgrade. And recently bought a 55" 4k tv for my house, but not OLED. Impressive picture tho. Budgeting for a new suv next year.

 

[NW-Bound]

Until we hear of FA's jumping out of windows to their demise on Wall Street, we are OK.

Do they jump or get pushed out the window by their clients?

 

[Souschef]

When DW's 1998 Cadillac blew its engine, we decided it was time for a new car. She settled for a Mazda CX-5, or computer on wheels. Shje loves the cruise control with auot braking, and the Bluetooth connection to her smartphone so she can listen to Pandora.
At the same time our grndson's 200K mile car died, so i gave him my 2003 Hyundai and bought a 2016 from Enterprise.

 

[Milton]

If you have plenty of surplus cash, and believe that some chattel or experience will add significant pleasure to your life or someone else’s, then why hold back? As we all know, ‘you can’t take it with you’.

While hyper-consumption and overspending are rife in Western society, I suspect that the majority of the people on this board continue to LBYM beyond FIRE and if anything are too reluctant to spend their money; this certainly applies to me. Old habits die hard, even when we are aware that they no longer make sense.

 

[NW-Bound]

If you have plenty of surplus cash, and believe that some chattel or experience will add significant pleasure to your life or someone else’s, then why hold back? As we all know, ‘you can’t take it with you’...

+1

I simply do not crave or desire anything at the moment. Maybe I will think of something. Or not.

 

[omni550]

I needed a new laptop to travel with for my new consulting gig so I went all out and spent $180 (with tax) for an Acer One 10 like this one: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-o...-keyboard-shale-black/5854911.p?skuId=5854911.

Hmm, it dropped another $10 since I bought it a couple of days ago.

Anyway, I had already ordered an $800 Dell laptop from Amazon, but it had not shipped yet and I decided that the little Acer was all I needed for travel so I cancelled that order. I guess I need to blow another $600 of that dough...

BTW, it is a really nice convertible laptop/tablet for the price, I really like the IPS screen and it has a Micro SD slot to add memory.

Looks sweet for travel, esp. at clearance pricing.

I'm unfamiliar with Windows-based tablets, as I've only worked with Androids. Will you be loading MS Office suite? How do other apps work on this, as most seem to be for Android or Apple units?

omni

 

[NW-Bound]

Whatever that I can get, all I can think of is the hassle that it brings, more than the pleasure that comes with it.

I am having fun designing some homebrew gadgets for my electronics hobby, and thought of upgrading to some fancier chips. The additional cost is only a few bucks for an extremely more powerful chip. The joy of getting something to work is worth more to me than experiencing a certain "ludicrous acceleration" in a car, which I absolutely do not care for.

However, it is overkill for my project, and think of the hassle of writing software for it, after I get through soldering it by hand. It is not worth the elation of getting it to work. Gah! If I work that hard for a hobby, might as well go back to work where somebody pays me for the effort.

In other words, right now, what makes me happy does not cost much at all.

 

[SteveNU]

Went shopping for a new truck today to replace the old one that's 14 years old. Wow, if you're ever in the mood to blow some dough just go look at a new truck!

 

[audreyh1]

I guess in our case we’re upgrading. So we’re getting rid of the old one. Not extra stuff - newer better stuff.