Blow that Dough 2023

[Koolau]

Great blow that dough stories since I last checked in. Love the deck and wine stories. This is a fun thread.

Here's mine from this week. My 22 y/o daughter moved to Denver last July for her first job, and her boyfriend tagged along. He couldn't cut it, and left on Monday, back to his parents.

They were using his car so she was without transportation.

Die with Zero, right?

The smile says it all.

I agree. Great smile - nice car too. Congrats on a great BTD. Blessings on your daughter and may her ride be a safe one.

 

[Kings over Queens]

Thank you.

You know the cool part, after I negotiated the cash deal, I noticed that Hyundai was offering low interest financing, so she filled out a credit app, and was able to finance the entire thing at .09%. She's got a good job and 764 fico score. Not bad that a 22 y/o can walk into a dealership and walk out with a car and no money out of pocket. Very proud of her.

The best part, for me, is I'll set up auto pay out of the savings account where that money is parked and continue to earn interest for the 4 years and she'll get the extra bonus to her credit for regular on time payments. If interest rates tank I can pay it off then. Everyone wins.

 

[audreyh1]

Wow, that’s really great!

 

[Montecfo]

Hi SueJ,

Deck looks really nice! We did a similar project right before FIRE. Used existing piers and joists. I think the color is Tiki something. Railing and spindles similar to yours which was a nice upgrade from the wood.

We have been happy with it. Only comment is Trex deck is more like a piece of furniture.

Is the awning also new and do you like it?

I guess we did BTD but was pre-retire. Not sure that counts.

 

[pacergal]

Thank you.

You know the cool part, after I negotiated the cash deal, I noticed that Hyundai was offering low interest financing, so she filled out a credit app, and was able to finance the entire thing at .09%. She's got a good job and 764 fico score. Not bad that a 22 y/o can walk into a dealership and walk out with a car and no money out of pocket. Very proud of her.

The best part, for me, is I'll set up auto pay out of the savings account where that money is parked and continue to earn interest for the 4 years and she'll get the extra bonus to her credit for regular on time payments. If interest rates tank I can pay it off then. Everyone wins.

Great deal, nice car and beautiful DD!

 

[Dtail]

Minor BTD for me at 1k for a new laptop. Held out as long as I can.

 

[flyingaway]

It was just over $12,000. The company that wanted to remove everything and start from scratch estimated $23,000+. We had two companies that came and saw the original posts and beams and agreed that they could be reused.

My husband and his brother built the original deck in 1987 and I had pictures from then showing the posts, beams and joists. The joists were 24" apart. To use composite decking the joists needed to be 16" apart or less. So they added additional joists (now 12" apart) and blocking.

In the pictures you can see that door to the deck. When we moved in in 1983 that wall was a window. We had that changed to the sliding door and added the deck, giving us very easy access to the backyard. Before that change the only access to the backyard was by going through the garage. It was awkward and led out to the "wrong" side of the yard.

That was a big project for us in 1987. I had left a job in 1984 when our first son was born. I had a few years of profit sharing money that I cashed out (and paid tax on) and we used it for the door and deck project. I think it was around $4200. That was certainly a Blow That Dough for our young family.

Thank you for the information. I have a deck that was built with the house in 2006 and is not in a good shape. I am trying to figure out what to do with it.
But this year we had a car repairing of $6,000 and a roof to be replaced for about $7,000 (after insurance payout). So the budget for household repairing has already been stretched a lot.

 

[Helen]

I was texting with my great niece for the first time last night. I asked her what she was going to do this summer and she told me she wants to learn to ride horses. My parents (her great grandparents) loved riding horses. I sent an email to my niece with a link to a riding stable near them and told her I'd like to pay for six weeks of riding lessons for my two great nieces. I hope she takes me up on that, my parents would be pleased.

 

[Kings over Queens]

^ great way to blow that dough.

I love this thread.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Ordered DJI Integra Goggles + Motion 2 combo for my Mini 3 Pro Today. &

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Just ordered 2 x 12 x 10 motorized retractable awnings for my patio, one of the 2 packed up today so I am replacing both.

Blowing a lot of dough on the house this year. Probably will end up about $20g

 

[music-and-ski]

We’ve started booking our big BTD summer trip, one of our all-time bucket list adventures.

We will drive our campervan (pictures of it here:https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/anybody-campervan-part-2-a-112061.html) from MN to Bellingham WA and put the van & ourselves on an Alaska Marine Highway ferry up the inside passage to Skagway AK. It’s a three night journey plus a four day stopover in Juneau where we will camp in the van. There is no road access to Juneau so ferries or ships or seaplanes are the only ways to access the city. The ferry is not as luxurious as a cruise ship but it lets us take the van along so it works for us. We’re hoping for some whale spotting & great scenery along the way.

From Skagway we will go into southern Yukon for a trip into the mountains on the White Pass & Yukon RR, then get on the ALCAN highway for nearly 1000 miles to SE British Columbia. We will stay in some campgrounds but much of the way will be wild camping in the wilderness of NW Canada. (For us, wild camping includes taking our espresso machine, Instant Pot & ice maker – no reason to rough it in the wild!)

Then, on through Alberta and into Saskatchewan with any side trips that strike our fancy. Eventually we will make our way back to MN via Winnipeg or through the Black Hills on the US side of the border. We’re purposely leaving this part unscheduled for now. Estimated time is 6-7 weeks but everything is flexible (except for the ferry trip).

So far we’re in for about $4k, most of which is the ferry trip & Juneau stopover. It will probably be close to $10k with gas, food, and everything else. That’s a significant part of our 2023 travel budget but a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us!

BrianB

Do you sleep East-West or North-South? I'm 6'3" so can't sleep East-West in a Promaster.

 

[Chuckanut]

I've been busy blowing my hard earned retirement cash. After pondering whether or not I should move in the next few years, I decided I like where I live and will be here a while. So, I opted to upgrade my living standards.

1.) Added a mini-split heat pump that gives me some extra heat in the Winter both upstairs in the main bedroom and downstairs in the living area. It also comes with AC so I have that for the three weeks a year things get above 88 degrees and my home bakes in the sun

2. Purchased a new Stressless recliner. Stressless is offering $400 off on some models in May. Lots of comparisons with various recliners and Zero-G chairs convinced me that this is the best chair for my needs. They're all expensive, so, I grabbed the $400 discount and ran with it.

 

[statsman]

I'm mostly living vicariously by scanning through this thread.

Outside of wedding costs in 2022 and gifting to our kid and spouse, the only BTD moment the past year has been the purchase of our iPhone 13s direct from Apple back in February. About $600 per unlocked phone. Replaced a couple of Samsung S5 Actives that lasted nearly 6 years.

We are not power users of our smartphones, and I suspect the iPhone 13s, barring damage, will last us several years. Battery life for us is amazing. With these new smartphones, we were able to join our kid's wireless family plan, saving us $52/mo. That savings will quickly offset the cost of the new phones.

DW wants me to get a tablet. I've mentioned the iPad Pro 11" w/256 GB costing $899 and the iPad Mini w/256 GB costing $649. Her response is usually along the lines of "How long would it take to get both of them?" Some people are just born to BTD.

 

[W2R]

2. Purchased a new Stressless recliner. Stressless is offering $400 off on some models in May. Lots of comparisons with various recliners and Zero-G chairs convinced me that this is the best chair for my needs. They're all expensive, so, I grabbed the $400 discount and ran with it.

So glad you found a comfortable recliner, and a great price on it, too!

Will it be delivered any time soon, or will it take months? I'm thinking it might be faster now than during the height of Covid a couple of years ago, maybe?

I've been busy blowing my hard earned retirement cash.

I wish I could look at it this way! I am temporarily suffering because I had to pay homeowner's insurance plus an extra $4,117 for wind-and-hail (=hurricane) insurance right after paying $12,110 for a new roof, and with car insurance and flood insurance coming up in June. I joke with Frank that my main problem with all this is my (mainly) Scottish genes that demand at least a little more attention to frugality! It still hurts to spend like that though.

 

[music-and-ski]

DW wants me to get a tablet. I've mentioned the iPad Pro 11" w/256 GB costing $899 and the iPad Mini w/256 GB costing $649. Her response is usually along the lines of "How long would it take to get both of them?"

In my observations of "old" people, buying iPads has been a great use of their dough. Their phones are too small for serious use if they develop and finger or eyesight trouble, and their computers start collecting dust because old people don't want to wander over to the desk to set their bum down on the office chair. iPads allow them to stay connected to the online world and their families/banks/churches etc.

 

[DrRoy]

DW has been using a Nikon D5300 with a zoom lens for 5 or so years, but the autofocus has failed twice. We just ordered a replacement - mirrorless Nikon Z6 ii with the 24-200 mm lens. $2435 with tax.

 

[Beachcomber]

Is buying a fishing boat considered blowing the dough?

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Is buying a fishing boat considered blowing the dough?

Hell Yeah!

 

[street]

Is buying a fishing boat considered blowing the dough?

Yep!! Make sure if you buy it, you will please come back and share a picture with that purchase.

 

[Koolau]

Is buying a fishing boat considered blowing the dough?

Not really. Think how much you'll save on buying fish!

 

[jfn111]

My son, who is learning disabled was ready to buy a Condo. He managed to save up $100,000 so the wife and I paid the remainder so he wouldn't have a mortgage. My wife has also been shopping like mad for him- new couch, recliner, bedroom set and kitchen table.
Checkbook is definitely a little lighter.

 

[audreyh1]

Is buying a fishing boat considered blowing the dough?

Any powered water craft - yep!

 

[pacergal]

My son, who is learning disabled was ready to buy a Condo. He managed to save up $100,000 so the wife and I paid the remainder so he wouldn't have a mortgage. My wife has also been shopping like mad for him- new couch, recliner, bedroom set and kitchen table.
Checkbook is definitely a little lighter.

wonderful way to BTD, pay it forward.
congrats to you and your son.

 

[Kings over Queens]

I joke with Frank that my main problem with all this is my (mainly) Scottish genes that demand at least a little more attention to frugality! .

Im half scottish and get it. My grandfathers (maternal side) family immigrated when he was 12. Glascow.

Frugality is in our dna.