| 4/28/2023 9:17:59 AM FatStacks |
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| There's some budget thing on this site I just noticed, so I'm playing around with that. I already use Excel for this, but I filled it out anyway just for kicks. |
| 5/5/2023 8:27:05 AM FatStacks |
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| I don’t know if I like these new comparison charts…before (with the old ones) I was always “at the bottom” which I kind of ignored, but now I’m *objectively* at the bottom with real numbers staring me in the face 😅
It’s kind of an eye-opener; where we’re at financially (and in every other facet, I suppose) are a product of past decisions. The “age” one hurts the most, I think. We need to step up our game.
(For real though, I really do like the new charts @Admin. Thank you!) |
| 5/6/2023 8:09:04 AM azphx1972 |
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| That's a valid point and I can empathize. It can be demoralizing to see your stats don't measure up to your peers, but keep in mind there's selection bias here and the data doesn't reflect the entire population (plus there's no way to know how many people are entering fake numbers, I'm skeptical about some of the extreme outliers myself). Maybe there can be a future option to hide the charts for those who'd rather not see them. In the end, the numbers aren't everything. What really matters is a life well lived, and you can't ascertain that from numbers on a screen. |
| 5/7/2023 10:29:16 AM Ikeh89 |
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| I dont read too much into those charts, this site has very skewed numbers as the sample size is TINY and people on here are objectively "better" with finances. So dont let these bring you down. I wish there were more people on this site sharing so we had a better sample size. |
| 5/8/2023 8:51:34 AM FatStacks |
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| 100% selection bias, I agree. I've always held that the people that use this site are a financially cognizant group and the numbers are likely generally higher (given the small sample size) than real-world distribution. In terms of letting these numbers get me down, they don't...there are plenty of other places that already do that 😂 - I'm by no means a FIRE person, but one peek at the FIRE sub on Reddit shows tons of younger (lower 30's) people with well over $1m...I look back and say "I had a net worth of $4 at that time". I don't compare myself to those people. It's great what they've done, but that's not me. |
| 5/8/2023 8:51:39 AM FatStacks |
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| I'm just trying to live my life well, and to the fullest, and I'm damn happy with how it's gone so far regardless of the numbers I have, or that of others. I'd just like to put a bit more in the retirement column so someday I can stop working "for the man" and work for myself, or maybe not at all. I like work/staying busy; I don't know that I'll ever retire...I just don't want to HAVE to work :) |
| 5/9/2023 4:49:58 PM mrw04c |
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| I'm a great admirer of yours and have followed your posts for a while - I read your recent frustration about where you stack up against your peers. From reading your posts, I think that your vacations/trips are your kryptonite and are kind of sabotaging your NW growth a bit. Btw, I'm all for living your life and think time is precious and taking vacations are important, so you've got to do what you've got to do. |
| 5/11/2023 9:44:35 AM FatStacks |
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| Thanks for following! And yes, you are spot on in your analysis :) Vacations/trips are our kryptonite. I never vacationed growing up (outside of tent camping), and only traveled by plane once until I was an adult (and that was for a wedding, when I was 7). I'm definitely making up for lost time. It's been a hit on our NW, but not once have I ever had "vacationer's remorse" :) I do look back at certain getaways think "whoa, that was crazy expensive", but I wouldn't change much. I wonder how often other people vacation and on what scale? What's considered "normal"? haha. I guess that's one (of many) aspect(s) that this site doesn't capture/reflect in people's numbers. |
| 5/11/2023 10:35:49 AM mrw04c |
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| That's important that you don't have any remorse after a trip. I grew up the same way - we didn't have alot of money growing up, so maybe we went on a very minor vacation once a year (either camping or staying in an economy hotel for a few days - but they were happy memories). I don't know what's considered "normal", but I'd be curious what others are doing based on their income levels.
We indulge for a week in a nice Vrbo cabin in our favorite mountain town. We generally do two of those type of vacations/trips a year, and then maybe every other month do a weekend trip where I try and just use my hotel points to keep costs low. For reference, we are in the $150k-$200k band of income,but closing in on $200k. |
| 5/15/2023 4:33:47 AM azphx1972 |
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| Solely as a data point, I probably spend significantly less than my ($200k income range) peers in the vacation category. I grew up poor and identify more with the Millionaire Next Door type than the typical upper middle class American. I also used to travel a lot for work and was exposed to plenty of fancy hotels & restaurants, however they did not leave much of an impression me. I prefer 3 star hotels to the 4-5 star ones, and mom & pop hole-in-the-wall restaurants to high end eateries. I like simple/cheap activities (liking hiking and going to museums) more than expensive ones, and I hate dealing with crowds. Given all of that, plus the fact that I'm a homebody, I probably don't spend more than $1-2k per year on vacations. No judgement toward those who enjoy vacationing and living it up though! |
| 6/8/2023 8:10:28 PM girlnextdoor |
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| Also curious about vacation spend .... in recent years ours has been virtually zero, as we have 4 yo and 2yo, and we take 5-6 road trips every year to see my family in another state. Right now my kids building relationships with my family is my vacation priority, since we live near my husband's family. But someday our intention is to show the kids more of the world! In my head I have some vague ideas about weeks-or-months-long road trips exploring various parts of the US over summer vacations when they're school age, among other things. |