The Intersection of FIRE and Disney

[1st*toright]

I'm still waiting for the day when I can spend as I please. My suspicion at this point is, it's never going to arrive, because I just couldn't bring myself to spend.

Chatting with a friend at the gym this morning about fitbits/apple watches (because the band on my 2+ year old fitbit is starting to go and I need to get a replacement).

Her: I love my apple watch. I never wear any of my other watches anymore. I just keep them in the safe and wear the apple watch.

Me: ... (thinking how all my "other" watches are plastic and haven't worked in at least 5 years and not one is worthy of taking up space in a safe )

I mean, ok, she's a doctor and she doesn't have any kids. Maybe if I were in her shoes, I would buy watches expensive enough to be kept in a safe, but I kinda doubt it. More money on travel? Absolutely! More money for stuff? Meh.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

I do it not so much to save $, but rather to save plastic. That is my FOO coming out (family of origin for those who were wondering).

Same

 

[alryan]

I'm having one of those months where unexpected expenses keep popping up. The excellent, flexible (and cheap!) day camp I had planned to send my little one to this summer isn't running this year due to construction on their facility. So I had to pony up way more $$ for summer camp than I had planned (the new place looks great, but it is 2x more expensive). I'm putting $$ towards a trip DH is taking next month (which isn't unexpected, but I have been a slacker about budgeting for it, and now its here). I should not complain - the net result of all this stuff is just that I'm not socking away what I want to be in savings (I'm not even having to draw from my emergency fund), but since I'm already feeling like we aren't saving as much as I'd like, missing a month of putting money away is bugging me.

I do feel like we should be saving more, just based on our annual income, but we live in a high COL area and the things I'd have to start cutting out to save more money are things I really value. At this point, I think trying to make any serious changes in our spending would not be worth the cost (I keep tinkering at the edges, but any more big reductions would come at a significant cost to our quality of life at this point).

So that leaves trying to make more money - which would also come at a lifestyle cost (we are pretty flat out timewise as is, with jobs and kids and life). If we were to prioritize other kinds of money making opportunities, it would come at the cost of time with each other/time with the kids, which seems in short supply already.

I really am not intending to complain - we are super lucky to be looking at all of this with choices as opposed to necessities. More curious about how folks measure the time/money part of FIRE, when there are so many competing priorities.

I struggle with this as well. You read all this information and think I should be doing more, but then it always hits me when someone you know dies soon after retirement, which seems to happen fairly frequently. So while I save what I can I have to remind myself that I will never be someone that is saving 30, 40, or 50% so they can retire early. We made the choice for me to work part time so I could stay home with our kids and then homeschool them and have an average household income. I'll admit sometimes I think about the money I could be making, but then I have to remember what a great life I have right now. I'm not going to sacrifice my life now to shave off a few years of working for DH, which he has agreed to as well. So whether that means taking vacations, activities for the kids, or working less and not saving as much for retirement, that's okay.

 

[alryan]

Or you burden your kids. Not fun either. The psychology of money is so very interesting to me - why people spend and what they choose to spend on. I think when it comes to Disney, many decisions are emotional and not always rational. I used to love watching the "can I afford it" segment on Suze Orman, all the while knowing that if I called, she would probably tell me NOT to take whatever trip I had in the works.

I loved that segment too, but sometimes I think she was a little too strict..."One million in retirement and you're 55, you are way behind!!" I swear she wouldn't let people do anything! You're right she probably wouldn't have approved me for any of my planned trips either!

 

[BamaBoy]

I think one thing that has not been discussed is the geographic area of the country where you live. There will be a gigantic difference in how much one needs in the South for instance as compared to the West Coast. I could blow your mind with how low property taxes, housing, gas, groceries, etc. are here compared to most areas of the country. I will not need anywhere close to a million dollars to retire and live the same lifestyle I have currently. Now if I wanted to retire to somewhere else, that would be a different story. But I plan to stay in this region, so I will be fine with way less than a million dollars! I do understand-just by looking at home prices-that a million dollars is not much if you live in California, etc.

 

[georgina]

Add me to the list of plastic ziploc bag reusers! My parents and DH's parents grew up during the depression. DH was the only other person I came across who grew up that way. Now MIL had a lot more money than my family, but you couldn't tell from her spending habits! Which was a good thing because she is 94 and able to live comfortably with 24 hour aides.

Over the years we have found reusable snack and freezer bags at IKEA that work well, and silicone bowl lids for the refrigerator/microwave.

 

[amalone1013]

Figured out how to automatically send HSA funds to the investment side, anything over the minimum $2k in cash I am required to keep. I'm happy I figured it out because it was worded very strangely

 

[speedyfishy]

Figured out how to automatically send HSA funds to the investment side, anything over the minimum $2k in cash I am required to keep. I'm happy I figured it out because it was worded very strangely

It took me a good 30 mins to try and figure out how to move our IRA out of a money market fund into the total stock market fund lol.

 

[amalone1013]

It took me a good 30 mins to try and figure out how to move our IRA out of a money market fund into the total stock market fund lol.

They make it so hard! I had already moved everything out over the $2k myself too so then I had to wait a pay period for it to have money to move automatically to make sure I did it right (it will move anything over $2k in even $100 amounts)

 

[SaintsManiac]

Well I am joining in on this! I plan to take the time to go back and read all the way through at some point.

I am looking to leave my full time job either May or December of 2020. It depends on what happens with the new school districts that are about to be zoned in my neighborhood. If we get zoned into the new primary school I will need to leave work before 5th grade starts, since we will likely lose our after care option. Going down to one income is a bit scary!

We just paid off a credit card that has been hanging over us for 10 years. We used it a total of 2 times in the past 5 years! It's finally done!

Now I've put that payment onto our car note to get it paid off faster.

I save 50% of MY income every month. Half to emergency savings and half to vacation savings. I don't want to give up Disney when I stop working ful time!

I am one of the most frugal people I know. Probably from years of being poor. I look at it as a GOOD thing. I have stopped stressing about some necessary purchases, though. Things need replacing every now and then.

Happy to have found this thread!

 

[alryan]

End of Q1, pleasantly surprised when I checked my retirement account balances. I'm still 10+ years away from retirement so don't pay attention too much. Made up losses from Q4 plus a little more. And crossed another $100,000 threshold Love those quarters when investments make more than income!

 

[runwad]

End of Q1, pleasantly surprised when I checked my retirement account balances. I'm still 10+ years away from retirement so don't pay attention too much. Made up losses from Q4 plus a little more. And crossed another $100,000 threshold Love those quarters when investments make more than income!

Whoop, whoop, me too!!

It took me 26 years to get my first 100k, then only 3 years to get the 2nd!! I've worked part time the majority of my working life so I'm really excited that I've been able to accumulate this on my little salary.

It's true people start young, it really does pay off!!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Whoop, whoop, me too!!

It took me 26 years to get my first 100k, then only 3 years to get the 2nd!! I've worked part time the majority of my working life so I'm really excited that I've been able to accumulate this on my little salary.

It's true people start young, it really does pay off!!

............and the S&P 500 is up another 1.5 percent in the first few days of April. Yay!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

In today's installment of balancing FIRE and children: The Birthday Party (lol!)

So my oldest wanted a bday party this year with friends. We don't do parties every year - I actually try to downplay birthdays in general in our family. We celebrate with a special dinner with grandparents and a few small meaningful and/or practical gifts. So we were looking at the various options (swimming party, bowling, etc.) and they all cost so much just for venue, and then food and such on top of that...

So we had Pajama Movie Night party at our house. 70" TV in our nice finished basement...blow up an air mattress...Order some pizza, put on Wreck It Ralph 2 and invite all the girls from her class. For under $100 (including food, decorations, favors, etc.) we had a great party. My daughter when it was over: "This was the best party I ever could have dreamed of." She didn't need a $750-$1,000 party to know we loved her. And this party gave her a chance to see and talk with her friends vs. the hyper organized affairs we've seen elsewhere. It's nice to see that you can be frugal and balance FIRE and the children's needs/wants!

 

[QueenIsabella]

In today's installment of balancing FIRE and children: The Birthday Party (lol!)

So my oldest wanted a bday party this year with friends. We don't do parties every year - I actually try to downplay birthdays in general in our family. We celebrate with a special dinner with grandparents and a few small meaningful and/or practical gifts. So we were looking at the various options (swimming party, bowling, etc.) and they all cost so much just for venue, and then food and such on top of that...

So we had Pajama Movie Night party at our house. 70" TV in our nice finished basement...blow up an air mattress...Order some pizza, put on Wreck It Ralph 2 and invite all the girls from her class. For under $100 (including food, decorations, favors, etc.) we had a great party. My daughter when it was over: "This was the best party I ever could have dreamed of." She didn't need a $750-$1,000 party to know we loved her. And this party gave her a chance to see and talk with her friends vs. the hyper organized affairs we've seen elsewhere. It's nice to see that you can be frugal and balance FIRE and the children's needs/wants!

Back when my kids were younger, I was the master at the home birthday party. It helped that we had a large yard and a big playroom (over an oversized garage, to give you an idea). Dh and I are engineers, so I knew if I wanted something special, I just had to ask DH (he's mechanical), then say, "I don't know if it's possible...". That got me indoor swings and an indoor sandbox! He also hung up the trapeze and rings from our playset, in the playroom. I was in charge of the decorations, fancy custom cake (please don't look too close!), games, favors, etc. The only time he got involved on my side of things was when he had to construct a pretzel rod "dock" for my sinking pirate ship one year.

Now my youngest is 13--no more big, themed parties. It's more, "give us food, then we'll chill by the pool". They're still fun and cheap, but much less creativity involved.

Back on topic, I just want to reiterate, for the younger/newer to investing people, that most of "oldsters" started by investing small amounts over time, then letting the money grow. Don't be discouraged by a 50-something saying they have a 7-figure net worth. In most cases, they started out with small amounts in savings that they left alone. In my case, I graduated college and invested 6% (maximum matched) for 10 years. Then I became a SAHM and left the money alone for almost 25 years. I now have ~$400k in that account--the miracle of compounding! Much as I'd love to impress you with my mad investing skillz, the important part is the "start early and leave it alone" part. The fact that you're putting money away, even small amounts, is going to put you way ahead of the pack.

 

[amalone1013]

So we had Pajama Movie Night party at our house. 70" TV in our nice finished basement...blow up an air mattress...Order some pizza, put on Wreck It Ralph 2 and invite all the girls from her class. For under $100 (including food, decorations, favors, etc.) we had a great party. My daughter when it was over: "This was the best party I ever could have dreamed of." She didn't need a $750-$1,000 party to know we loved her. And this party gave her a chance to see and talk with her friends vs. the hyper organized affairs we've seen elsewhere. It's nice to see that you can be frugal and balance FIRE and the children's needs/wants!

This sounds a bit similar to my parties, which were my favorite compared to what some friends did. I'd invite 3-5 good friends and do a sleepover. My mom would order us a pizza for dinner, take us to Blockbuster to pick out a couple movies, we made s'mores snack mix and got some chips/drinks, and then my parents would buy a box of donuts for breakfast. And there would be a cake from the grocery store somewhere in there.

My sister and I threw a combined end of school pool party one year. It was my senior year of high school and 8th grade for her, so last year before high school. We had a pool in the backyard so $0 venue cost We had hot dogs, potato salad, chips, and drinks. My sister and I went to the Dollar store and got a big fish net decoration and a bunch of cardboard fish that we hung on the fence around the pool, themed plates and cups... I found some plastic straws that had the paper umbrellas around them. And then we made ice cream (the way where you put the ingredients in a bag, then put that in another bag with ice and salt and shake it).

 

[pillow]

In today's installment of balancing FIRE and children: The Birthday Party (lol!)

So my oldest wanted a bday party this year with friends. We don't do parties every year - I actually try to downplay birthdays in general in our family. We celebrate with a special dinner with grandparents and a few small meaningful and/or practical gifts. So we were looking at the various options (swimming party, bowling, etc.) and they all cost so much just for venue, and then food and such on top of that...

So we had Pajama Movie Night party at our house. 70" TV in our nice finished basement...blow up an air mattress...Order some pizza, put on Wreck It Ralph 2 and invite all the girls from her class. For under $100 (including food, decorations, favors, etc.) we had a great party. My daughter when it was over: "This was the best party I ever could have dreamed of." She didn't need a $750-$1,000 party to know we loved her. And this party gave her a chance to see and talk with her friends vs. the hyper organized affairs we've seen elsewhere. It's nice to see that you can be frugal and balance FIRE and the children's needs/wants!

Often simple is the best for kids. For my DD's high school graduation party, she just wanted to be with her friends. So we invited a bunch of kids + family, set up the fire pit and slip n slide, and grilled out. Was terrific!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Often simple is the best for kids. For my DD's high school graduation party, she just wanted to be with her friends. So we invited a bunch of kids + family, set up the fire pit and slip n slide, and grilled out. Was terrific!

It’s a shame that parents have to turn these things into competitions sometimes. Simple can definitely work and sometimes be better!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Now if we can only convince the younger generation to stop watching those wedding shows on cable............those are the biggest and most expensive parties of them all!

 

[alryan]

In today's installment of balancing FIRE and children: The Birthday Party (lol!)

So my oldest wanted a bday party this year with friends. We don't do parties every year - I actually try to downplay birthdays in general in our family. We celebrate with a special dinner with grandparents and a few small meaningful and/or practical gifts. So we were looking at the various options (swimming party, bowling, etc.) and they all cost so much just for venue, and then food and such on top of that...

So we had Pajama Movie Night party at our house. 70" TV in our nice finished basement...blow up an air mattress...Order some pizza, put on Wreck It Ralph 2 and invite all the girls from her class. For under $100 (including food, decorations, favors, etc.) we had a great party. My daughter when it was over: "This was the best party I ever could have dreamed of." She didn't need a $750-$1,000 party to know we loved her. And this party gave her a chance to see and talk with her friends vs. the hyper organized affairs we've seen elsewhere. It's nice to see that you can be frugal and balance FIRE and the children's needs/wants!

Sounds like a great party, and more importantly your daughter thought so! Nice work! I know people can spend money however they choose, but you have to wonder at those extravagant parties...Is it just another example of keeping up with the Joneses?