Page 1 of 7 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 64

Thread: I just kicked Joe Dominguez in the nuts

  1. #1
    Senior Member Yossarian's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    883

    I just kicked Joe Dominguez in the nuts

    So I started with simple living back in the early 90s. I think with Elaine St James but it was really YMOYL and this forum (I started with the predecessor forum in the mid 90s) that shaped my views for a long time. One of the best sub-forums used to be the Enough forum, which people frequently misunderstood as having had enough meaning being fed up. But really it was intended as a place for people to recognize they had enough to step back from the hedonic treadmill and lead a more simple life.

    Here's my confession: I have had enough simplicity . I've paid everything off, saved enough to retire twice over, fully funded my kids' education, and gave my ex enough to retire comfortably too. Now the marginal utility of dollars saved is significantly outweighed by my sense of having only a limited time left, so I've gone from YMOYL to YOLO. I buy expensive wine, take extravagant vacations, see a play or a concert every week, and eat out almost every night. By YMOYL or MMM terms I am a failure or deserve many face punches. But I feel great about it and have had more fun in the last year or two than I can remember.

    Anyone else toed the line long enough to walk away from the principles that guided you for so long?

  2. #2
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Offshore
    Posts
    11,477
    I am transitioning there this coming year. It’s the last year of my daughter’s college, so after that, when I do the math, we can live much more...exuberantly. After ~20 years of being “retired” I have a good grasp of our expenses and capabilities, and don’t see running out of capital before I run out of days-on-Earth.

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    3,737
    It is almost, no it is, harder for me to spend than it was to save. We have enough for retirement and additional help, whether good assisted living or hiring help.

    Been retired 10 years and we are finally loosening the spending. Business class sure makes flying easier. Not easy just easier.

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Posts
    2,843
    We live everyday life with great frugality. We take great vacations (box seats for NASCAR not the bleachers and 2 room hotel suites not the cheapest small room) and I spent a cool bundle on my new (last) car. We eat out any time we feel like it (read, I'm too tired to cook after a long day at work). Other than that, we really don't spend much.

    i love the phrase I heard years ago "now that I can afford broccoli, I'd rather grow it". This sort of sums us up

  5. #5
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    Always logged in
    Posts
    25,383
    Good for you, YO! Way to go!

    i dont know, I found my limit yesterday at the grocery store. While in the old days of frugality I never ever would buy red raspberries, in recent years I have been buying them whenever I want them, multiple boxes at a time for $3.99 each. But yesterday they were $4.99 per box and I couldn't bring myself to buy them.

    I am adjusting into "spend down assets" mode but am mindful of the the spectre of Alzheimer's disease since it is rampant in my family and I dont want to leave my spouse impoverished or hobbled.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Sad Eyed Lady's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Kentucky
    Posts
    1,176
    A lot of us have been on this journey for many years, so maybe it is an age thing where we realize life is getting shorter, I don't know. I too have been thinking along the same lines. DH & I both loved being part of the simple living movement, it made so much sense and we embraced many aspects of it. It fit with how we defined our lives anyway, having come from the "hippie days" of the '60's and had never been big on materialism, wanting to take better care of the planet etc. Now, having just turned 66 and alone in my life, I still don't WANT THINGS, but like iris lillies and the raspsberries, I am a bit looser in spending on some things. Also, like IR, I drew the line lately when avocados were selling for $1.99 each! I will wait. Sometimes when I am looking for a bargain, I think to myself "why?". I have turned 66 years of age, I have no one to leave an inheritance to, and DH & I have worked for the money that I now have. Not that I am wealthy by any means. Just having lived frugally, we were able to save for the future and now the future is here. After seeing my beloved DH pass away literally in the blink of an eye with no warning, (or any that we read anyway), I know life is short and uncertain. I still believe simple living is the way to go, especially when you are young and beginning life's journey. Don't fall into the advertisement game telling you want you NEED, UPDATE, UPGRADE, SPEND. Think for yourself, make wise choices and live below your means. But, at this age and stage in life, not sure I am going to adhere to that 100%. My house is paid for, my car is paid for and only about 3 years old, (a Prius C hybrid), so not a lot of expense there, so I do have some extra savings to enjoy for the time I have left. I guess. Who knows. Sorry, for the ramble. I wanted to answer this intelligently since the same thought has been on my mind recently, but instead I rambled through with my comment.
    "Like a bird on the wire, like a drunk in the midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free." Leonard Cohen

  7. #7
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    15,489
    I've never had trouble spending money--even when money was short--but I can be frugal when it suits me. I have enough now.

    I'm fully in the YOLO camp at this point--though I wouldn't spend $5 on a tiny box of raspberries, either.

  8. #8
    Moderator Float On's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    By a lake in MO
    Posts
    4,665
    Quote Originally Posted by iris lilies View Post
    But yesterday they were $4.99 per box and I couldn't bring myself to buy them.
    They were $5.49 here yesterday....I looked and held them a little while and even tried to smell through the plastic container....but I put them back.
    Float On: My "Happy Place" is on my little kayak in the coves of Table Rock Lake.

  9. #9
    Williamsmith
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Float On View Post
    They were $5.49 here yesterday....I looked and held them a little while and even tried to smell through the plastic container....but I put them back.
    Reminds me of my childhood. My friends and I would play sandlot baseball. Just behind the outfield fence were lots of blackberry and raspberry bushes. The game would sometimes breakdown when the outfielders got hungry and began snacking instead of catching flyballs.

  10. #10
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Offshore
    Posts
    11,477
    Quote Originally Posted by iris lilies View Post
    I found my limit yesterday at the grocery store. While in the old days of frugality I never ever would buy red raspberries, in recent years I have been buying them whenever I want them, multiple boxes at a time for $3.99 each. But yesterday they were $4.99 per box and I couldn't bring myself to buy them.
    .
    I snapped the other day. I normally don't buy corn-on-the-cob until it gets to 6-12 ears per dollar. I was buying some things at the grocery store to make a dinner just for myself, and I bought 2 ears for a dollar. I felt unclean, but heck, YOLO.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •