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Why respond to a thread if you don't have something helpful to add? Read my previous posts. I'm considering a "blow that dough" for a possible lifestyle change. This would mean more than a few taxi rides per year. Also, the thread is about opportunity costs. The car expense is just one example.

Thank you all for the helpful insights, as always. I agree that 9% is optimistic, but I was going for max impact. Even 6% or 7% leads to a big number. For me this exercise is about "blowing that dough," which is still mostly foreign to me. Last year I blew more than $3,000 on original art and...

True, if I took taxis 4,000 miles a year instead of a few dozen, there would be no contest. For me, a few hundred bucks a year. If I had the car, I would do some things that I currently don't do. For now this is because I'm not all that interested in doing those things. But if I were to...

Does anyone do this? Is it a legit consideration? Say I'm pondering buying a basic car, such as a new Toyota Corolla, for about $24,000. Edmunds.com has a True Cost to Own estimator that factors in price paid, depreciation, fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs, and financing for five years...

Audrey, many thanks for posting this! I too am seeing 0% this year for my portfolio. Why is this? My year-end distros have varied a lot over the years but have never been zero. Maybe because of all the stock losses last year? Zero would be good news to me this year, as I'm trying to keep my...

My 2 cents here might not be popular, but I say don't rush to buy a house. I know the allure is strong, but there is nothing wrong with renting and keeping your options wide open, especially when you are so young. If you marry, you'll want to pick the house together anyway. Plus a house is...

Another big cheer for ElizabethT's advice above to read Your Money or Your Life and The Millionaire Next Door. On the former, I suggest following all the steps for a year. It will change your life and your finances. On the latter, read the original book from the 1990s, not the more recent...

I bought the painting. It will be delivered and installed at the end of the month. Two smaller ones are arriving at the gallery next week. I've seen photos and am considering them, about $500 for both. Good thing my wall space is limited so I won't go too crazy. The money will come from my MM...

Thanks, great discussion. The last line is what I needed to hear!

Interestingly, another time I hemmed and hawed over $1,400 (or about that amount) was 15 years ago when I wanted a prefab metal carport to keep the sun and snow off my vehicles. I was in deep frugal mode then (saving for FIRE) and felt it was a huge amount. But I went for it anyway and was...

Thanks, do you have a link to this podcast? Or an episode number? Is it on Sethi's website?

Thank you all. I agree that this would not be a material investment. Likely the painting would end up in my tiny estate sale someday or with a friend or at Goodwill. Until then it would be purely for personal enjoyment. @Aerides, that's a good mental exercise, and I've pondered a similar...

I'm in my third year of a lean FIRE and finally relaxing a bit, not quite as afraid of outliving my modest stash. But I am still pretty frugal (it's how I got here at all) and probably watch my balance way too often. Through various nips and tucks, I have managed to keep my personal inflation...

Ditto all of this. I have not had a car in more than a decade and hope I can get away without ever having one again. Might not be possible or practical, but I'll remain car-free for as long as I can.

Bumping this thread to ask about going the other direction, from all in one to maybe two or three. From the previous replies, I see a case can be made for going either way! For many years I've had everything at Schwab -- brokerage and checking. Only my credit card is separate. Now I'm...

Thanks. So could I set up a local user account as on W10 and just log in to it offline from a shutdown? Or would I need to be on Wi-Fi so I can log in to headquarters each time, so to speak?

It's been a year. Have the bugs been worked out? My main laptop is ready for the upgrade. Any reason not to do it? Are the monthly updates smaller and less annoying? I've read that one con is a required Microsoft account. What does this mean? Do you have to log in online just to use the OS? I...

Right, there's no one size fits all. It's a savory smorgasbord. I liked Manjaro a couple of years ago, but it kept crashing on my machine. During my latest Zorin install I discovered two apps that are new to me. OnlyOffice -- https://www.onlyoffice.com I never warmed up to LibreOffice or...

Did some distro hopping over the past week. Ended up right back where I started, with Zorin 16.1 Core. I just love the look and feel. And it's so easy for me after 12 years of Windows at work. First I tried MX Linux and didn't care for it at all. I really wanted to like it, as I'd been looking...

This is why I'm using Zorin now. It's the only distro I've used that's as easy as Windows for software installation. It's been several months, and I can't recall having to use the terminal. It's also been my favorite for appearances. It has not been perfect (grrr), but I'm enjoying it overall...

Question about Linux system updates. I've been using Zorin 16.1 for a few months and have been surprised by how many updates I have to install each month. The downloads take 2 to 3 gigs of bandwidth, which is on par with monthly Windows 10 updates. Is this normal for an Ubuntu-based distro? I...

In my experience, this is the price of admission for using Linux. It's lean and mean and good for older machines, but it's also less user friendly compared with a mainstream OS. I have learned to deal with it, reluctantly. For a more Windows-like experience, you might try the Zorin distro.

Thanks, guys. I'm going to try loosening the purse strings a little. "Rich in the cemetery" is hilarious and really puts things into perspective. I will try to keep this in mind and remember to live. The proverbial ramen diet is indeed the inspiration for my screen name, and I guess I need to...

Yes, I'm already feeling this! Thanks for the heads up on the couple of years to adjust. This has been the hardest thing for me so far. It says I'm OK, but only if things get back to somewhat normal. I'm worried about continued high inflation. Thanks and I'm already doing the monthly...

So midway through my first official year of FIRE, I'm already worrying about money and my portfolio shrinking from the get-go. My FIRE is lean, a planned $30K annual spend. Despite a 10% rent hike this year, I'm still on track. But . . . it feels restrictive. I'm trying to relax into this...