Satoshi (@DonkeyInvestor) sur getquin

2Sem.·

Sensible investments

Outside the stock market & Co

@Staatsmann asked last week where basic needs end and luxury begins. I thought about this a little and asked myself when I really allow myself luxuries in life and whether the money is invested wisely.

I generally live relatively frugally, which is why every (luxury) expense gnaws at me 😅. For example, when my wife wants to order dinner again and I could actually cook something. Maybe my cooking skills are too poor and I should invest in a cooking course! Or when my wife wants to go on vacation again and I think it's nice to be at home. We go anyway, of course. After all, I'm happy when my wife is happy.

I would describe myself as a moderate techie. I like owning technology. But the days when I had to have the latest cell phone every two years are fortunately over. I currently treat myself to the previous year's model on the smartphone market about every 3 years. I can easily reconcile that with my conscience. Some people might still describe the 30k new car as luxury, but even here we drive with $005380 (Hyundai) is relatively economical. I usually buy my groceries at Rewe and whatever I feel like. I consciously allow myself this luxury. Wow, did I really just call food a luxury 🤯? Again, I would mainly drink water from the tap. But my wife always makes me carry crates 😁.

A really sensible luxury expense, which I think is much more sensible than any vacation, was the 1 bed room in the hospital for my 1 year old daughter. It cost around 1,000 euros in total, but it was worth the extra peace and quiet. I would do it again at any time.

What about you? What do you like to spend money on? What were sensible investments for you, even if your savings rate suffers? What do you consciously do without? And what is perhaps the game changer that everyone should own / invest in?

36 Commentaires

NEWT@SteelAnacott

2Sem.

Travel or vacation, experience before consumption. There is simply too much to see in the world.

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Alpalaka@Alpalaka

2Sem.

You can definitely tell who's the boss at home

Clothes and the like used to be important to me, but now I no longer need a new pair of shoes three times a year or "have to" go out to eat once a week.

I have the feeling that simplicity comes with age and that even the little things in life can mean luxury

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Homer@Simpson

2Sem.

I grew up modestly and have remained modest 😊
Latest console, and an iPhone every 2 years is a must 😂

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Staatsmann@Staatsmann

2Sem.

When it comes to smartphones, I'm also the type of person who doesn't buy the latest model every year or two.

I used to be about 2 versions behind the latest iPhone every 3 years ( $AAPL) I think I'm now 5 or 6 versions behind. But I don't go along with this pricing policy.

I take a mixed approach to food.
As a rule, I buy whatever I feel like, but I still try to pay attention to seasonality and possibly also local cultivation. (In other words, no Moroccan strawberries in December).

When it comes to cars, I go by efficiency and not by brand.
I currently drive a $F Ford C Max, which I bought as an annual car back in 2019.
The next car will probably be around 2028 or so.

Where I'm saving a lot of money now is my mobile phone contract. 25 GB 5G Internet in the Telekom network + SMS / phone flat rate for just under €9 is just so much cooler than €30/month Vodafone for not even a third of the services.

I'm also a bargain hunter when it comes to electricity. I switch every year to keep prices down. Currently 25 cents/kwh and a minimal basic fee.

Of course, this frees up capital for other things, such as vacations, day trips or going out for a nice meal as a reward.

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Marvin@SchlaubiSchlumpf

2Sem.

I've now reached the point of an iPhone every 5 years. First I had the 6s, now the 12, so the plan would be to get a new one next year.

I have the feeling that luxury is usually total nonsense. Quality is my motto, luxury is not. Solid wood furniture that I can dismantle when I move house because it's not glued together is quality for me. Expensive designer furniture, on the other hand, is not necessarily quality. Both are expensive. But one for a good reason. (And often not that expensive after all).

With luxury, the costs often rise disproportionately. Before I allow myself this luxury, I would rather allow myself the luxury of working less.
The only thing I would like to increase at some point would probably be living space. My partner and I are living quite frugally at the moment, even though our salary allows for a lot more. We could cope financially with a little more living space and it would improve our quality of life. But even that will probably take a while.

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Theo@Moses124

2Sem.

I am self-employed and often work from 7-8am until 9pm.

I have a big TV at home. Xbox, Netflix, Amazon etc. I usually watch TV in the evening and have a good meal. In the summer, if I can free up some time, I often drive around in my Jaguar e Type or drive 2-3 hours to a good restaurant and enjoy the day. Otherwise I go on vacation 1-3 times a year in business or first class.

Only my social contacts suffer a lot because I work so much. That's why my plan is to retire early at 40 and enjoy life.

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Warren@Warren_Abi

2Sem.

As a wise man once said: ❄️ 👯‍♀️ and fresh 🍓.

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Fritz@FEAR

2Sem.

I'm now also quite a minimalist and have realized that the really great things in life can't be bought anyway (friends, girlfriend [well, you can see it either way 😂], family, physical & mental health).

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Metis@Metis

2Sem.

Isn't a SodaStream or something similar a deal for you, so you don't have to carry any more crates after all? ;)

My biggest luxury is probably that although I love spending money on technology, it's usually just a case of "spend money once and then have peace of mind for years". Whether it's my cell phone, which has just been replaced because it hasn't received any system updates for about a year now, or good headphones that I've enjoyed using for years.
Or hardware for my small smart home system that will really improve my quality of life.

In general, I only store when something needs to be replaced because it's broken or something.

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Dominik@Dominik_76

2Sem.

I can agree with you on almost everything. When it comes to your loved ones and your own health, you shouldn't save money. I don't save on the quality of food, but I do exactly the same as you when it comes to cars and technology. Hyundai and previous model after at least three years. I have the advantage that my wife is even more economical, but a vacation every two years should be possible because that's my wife's only small requirement. But she's not exotic there either.

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