Guac and queso if you make over $450k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We never get extras like that, but we make less than 150k. I feel like if we made over 450k, we'd splurge more often. But I do agree with making sure kids understand that extras cost more. A lot of kids don't get that at all because their parents have never explained it, and never put ANY limits on what they get based on cost. You can tell this in the behavior of a lot of kids.

I don’t agree. My parents didn’t put limits on stuff like this when I was a kid, but when I left their house and my food budget was $200/month, I figured it out.
I mean, getting guac on my burrito didn’t make me stupid. I could still do simple math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We make way more than that and I've always side-eyed my husband for getting both, lol. But I also don't say anything, because I'm not trying to control him.

My kids don't like either, so that's a non-issue, but we do try to limit the "extras" just as a matter of not overdoing it, and keeping some things special. So choose 1 extra, or maybe that thing that costs extra is a special treat. One time one of my kids was super hungry and ordered steak and chicken on a salad at chop't. I wasn't involved in the order, but that would have been an example where I would have encouraged her to pick one.

I know we can afford it, but I don't think we (or my kids) should get everything we want all the time.

Same and we are wealthy. Sometimes I think: one day I will die and my kids will live better than I do on my own money. But I can see they have a healthy relationship with money. They would notice the cost of a water at place A is 3x the cost of a water at place B. I spend a fortune on travel so it isn’t like I am thrifty with all things…but on things like extras like this, sure. FWIW, my husband’s burrito at Chipotle is about $26 with guac and double meat. I think that’s ridiculous.

OP here. Thank you both. Glad I'm not totally crazy.

And this kind of mindset helps you retain your wealth.

$100 a year on queso won’t make a difference in retaining wealth. How much you spend on your cars, your vacations, your home, your kids’ education, these things are far more impactful. Denying your kid something that costs $2 a week is pointless and more likely to create distorted thinking around money.

Totally disagree. It’s a mindset, so if you’re the type that says load it on with guac and queso, you likely:

- buy groceries without looking at price
- stopping for gas at whatever station
- stop and get coffee
- get takeout frequently rather than cooking for ease

Etc.

Lots of incredibly wealthy people are mindful of these things:

https://www.gobankingrates.com/investing/strategy/warren-buffett-buys-his-mcdonalds-based-on-stock-market-should-you/

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/these-wealthy-americans-drive-relatively-cheap-cars/

https://www.thelist.com/1051233/celebs-who-surprisingly-live-on-a-tight-budget/

[Anonymous]

NP. I’m with you, OP. It’s important to DH and me to teach our kids to respect the value of money and practice self-control.

We may have a lot of money now, but there’s no guarantee that our kids will be able to enjoy the same lifestyle when they’re older. We want to teach our kids to be thoughtful and intentional with their money and not to take luxuries for granted. We hope that they’ll be able to live on beans and rice if they ever need to and that they genuinely appreciate the extras in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This stuff seems crazy to me. It really doesn’t add up. Let’s say that you go to Chipotle and spend an extra $6, rent a $4 movie, get some gum for $6, get coffee at Starbucks for $8, and buy a book instead of getting it at the library for $16. That’s $40. If you or your kids or your husband do stuff like this every week for a year, that’s about $2000.

If you are making $450k/yr, you can probably make $2000 after taxes in a weekend. Speaking of taxes, you probably cannot calculate your taxes to within $2000 for the year. You also probably don’t make exactly $450k. You might make $453k or $448k. It doesn’t matter, because it’s pretty much the same.

If pinching pennies is a value that you have and that you want to teach your kids, then please, go ahead. If you think that penny pinching is going to make any realistic difference in your finances, the math ain’t mathing.

Yes, but you assume you are only overspending on a few concrete things. Imagine doing that every time you eat out, or my son hangs out with his friends, or getting daily Starbucks. Imagine this unintentional spending is $20 a day. That's $7300 a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This may be a silly question, but I found out that my dh lets my kids get queso and guac in their chipotle bowls. My son has the nerve to order light queso. My daughter said she didn't realize it cost extra. Do you let your kids get all the extras all the time? I feel like it's wasteful and they need to learn they can't get everything that they want all the time. I did the ordering today and ordered them one queso to share. I know it's a small expense but all the small expenses add up.

This is stupid, OP.

[Anonymous]

My kids learned it when they started driving and we gave them a monthly allowance that included fast food. They don’t spend extra unless I’m paying, then they go crazy - extra meat, guac and drinks too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We make way more than that and I've always side-eyed my husband for getting both, lol. But I also don't say anything, because I'm not trying to control him.

My kids don't like either, so that's a non-issue, but we do try to limit the "extras" just as a matter of not overdoing it, and keeping some things special. So choose 1 extra, or maybe that thing that costs extra is a special treat. One time one of my kids was super hungry and ordered steak and chicken on a salad at chop't. I wasn't involved in the order, but that would have been an example where I would have encouraged her to pick one.

I know we can afford it, but I don't think we (or my kids) should get everything we want all the time.

Same and we are wealthy. Sometimes I think: one day I will die and my kids will live better than I do on my own money. But I can see they have a healthy relationship with money. They would notice the cost of a water at place A is 3x the cost of a water at place B. I spend a fortune on travel so it isn’t like I am thrifty with all things…but on things like extras like this, sure. FWIW, my husband’s burrito at Chipotle is about $26 with guac and double meat. I think that’s ridiculous.

OP here. Thank you both. Glad I'm not totally crazy.

And this kind of mindset helps you retain your wealth.

$100 a year on queso won’t make a difference in retaining wealth. How much you spend on your cars, your vacations, your home, your kids’ education, these things are far more impactful. Denying your kid something that costs $2 a week is pointless and more likely to create distorted thinking around money.

Totally disagree. It’s a mindset, so if you’re the type that says load it on with guac and queso, you likely:

- buy groceries without looking at price
- stopping for gas at whatever station
- stop and get coffee
- get takeout frequently rather than cooking for ease

Etc.

Lots of incredibly wealthy people are mindful of these things:

https://www.gobankingrates.com/investing/strategy/warren-buffett-buys-his-mcdonalds-based-on-stock-market-should-you/

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/these-wealthy-americans-drive-relatively-cheap-cars/

https://www.thelist.com/1051233/celebs-who-surprisingly-live-on-a-tight-budget/

NP, but I do the bolded, because I have enough money that I am not going to compromise the health of my family by penny pinching on the food we in our bodies. And I am good enough at math to realize that driving around looking for cheaper gas is foolish - if gas is an issue in our budget, we DRIVE LESS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumbest thread.

Completely disagree, we need more ridiculous whether op is trolling or not, its really funny

I like a more classic troll. Like OP complains that the guac and queso is straining the budget, and takes a few posts to reveal the HHI is 450k, and also works in that it's too many calories and maybe something about GLP-1. Got to up the ante.

The HHI income of 450K is in the headline. Can you read?!

I'm not a troll. I did my income because clearly we can afford it, but the question is just because we can, does that mean we should?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We make way more than that and I've always side-eyed my husband for getting both, lol. But I also don't say anything, because I'm not trying to control him.

My kids don't like either, so that's a non-issue, but we do try to limit the "extras" just as a matter of not overdoing it, and keeping some things special. So choose 1 extra, or maybe that thing that costs extra is a special treat. One time one of my kids was super hungry and ordered steak and chicken on a salad at chop't. I wasn't involved in the order, but that would have been an example where I would have encouraged her to pick one.

I know we can afford it, but I don't think we (or my kids) should get everything we want all the time.

Same and we are wealthy. Sometimes I think: one day I will die and my kids will live better than I do on my own money. But I can see they have a healthy relationship with money. They would notice the cost of a water at place A is 3x the cost of a water at place B. I spend a fortune on travel so it isn’t like I am thrifty with all things…but on things like extras like this, sure. FWIW, my husband’s burrito at Chipotle is about $26 with guac and double meat. I think that’s ridiculous.

OP here. Thank you both. Glad I'm not totally crazy.

And this kind of mindset helps you retain your wealth.

$100 a year on queso won’t make a difference in retaining wealth. How much you spend on your cars, your vacations, your home, your kids’ education, these things are far more impactful. Denying your kid something that costs $2 a week is pointless and more likely to create distorted thinking around money.

Totally disagree. It’s a mindset, so if you’re the type that says load it on with guac and queso, you likely:

- buy groceries without looking at price
- stopping for gas at whatever station
- stop and get coffee
- get takeout frequently rather than cooking for ease

Etc.

Lots of incredibly wealthy people are mindful of these things:

https://www.gobankingrates.com/investing/strategy/warren-buffett-buys-his-mcdonalds-based-on-stock-market-should-you/

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/these-wealthy-americans-drive-relatively-cheap-cars/

https://www.thelist.com/1051233/celebs-who-surprisingly-live-on-a-tight-budget/

And lots of incredibly wealthy people don't care, because they know it makes no difference to their bottom line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This stuff seems crazy to me. It really doesn’t add up. Let’s say that you go to Chipotle and spend an extra $6, rent a $4 movie, get some gum for $6, get coffee at Starbucks for $8, and buy a book instead of getting it at the library for $16. That’s $40. If you or your kids or your husband do stuff like this every week for a year, that’s about $2000.

If you are making $450k/yr, you can probably make $2000 after taxes in a weekend. Speaking of taxes, you probably cannot calculate your taxes to within $2000 for the year. You also probably don’t make exactly $450k. You might make $453k or $448k. It doesn’t matter, because it’s pretty much the same.

If pinching pennies is a value that you have and that you want to teach your kids, then please, go ahead. If you think that penny pinching is going to make any realistic difference in your finances, the math ain’t mathing.

Yes, but you assume you are only overspending on a few concrete things. Imagine doing that every time you eat out, or my son hangs out with his friends, or getting daily Starbucks. Imagine this unintentional spending is $20 a day. That's $7300 a year.

Which, at a salary of 450k, is de minimis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP there's a teaching opportunity here.
Use the toppings conversation to start an ongoing conversation on ordering etiquette when you are eating with friends, other families. For example, when others invite you, don't order the most expensive thing on the menu. Don't add on lots of extras. See what the hosts are having.
If hosts invite you for, say, pizza, don't ask for calzones or appetizers unless offered,
That sort of thing.

Ooh this is good too!
(for everyone who thinks this is literally about guac and queso, step out now; you are too stupid for this convo).

Anyone remember beach house kid that kept ordering the most expensive thing?
This is also a good lesson for kids. How to order; how to split bills!

OP here - I do! I bet his parents let him get the guac, queso, extra meat, chips, and Mexican coke!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumbest thread.

Completely disagree, we need more ridiculous whether op is trolling or not, its really funny

I like a more classic troll. Like OP complains that the guac and queso is straining the budget, and takes a few posts to reveal the HHI is 450k, and also works in that it's too many calories and maybe something about GLP-1. Got to up the ante.

The HHI income of 450K is in the headline. Can you read?!

I'm not a troll. I did my income because clearly we can afford it, but the question is just because we can, does that mean we should?

With this? Yes. Easily yes.

You seem overly controlling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP there's a teaching opportunity here.
Use the toppings conversation to start an ongoing conversation on ordering etiquette when you are eating with friends, other families. For example, when others invite you, don't order the most expensive thing on the menu. Don't add on lots of extras. See what the hosts are having.
If hosts invite you for, say, pizza, don't ask for calzones or appetizers unless offered,
That sort of thing.

Ooh this is good too!
(for everyone who thinks this is literally about guac and queso, step out now; you are too stupid for this convo).

Anyone remember beach house kid that kept ordering the most expensive thing?
This is also a good lesson for kids. How to order; how to split bills!

OP here - I do! I bet his parents let him get the guac, queso, extra meat, chips, and Mexican coke!

Nope. That wasn't the problem.

A lack of manners was the problem there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This stuff seems crazy to me. It really doesn’t add up. Let’s say that you go to Chipotle and spend an extra $6, rent a $4 movie, get some gum for $6, get coffee at Starbucks for $8, and buy a book instead of getting it at the library for $16. That’s $40. If you or your kids or your husband do stuff like this every week for a year, that’s about $2000.

If you are making $450k/yr, you can probably make $2000 after taxes in a weekend. Speaking of taxes, you probably cannot calculate your taxes to within $2000 for the year. You also probably don’t make exactly $450k. You might make $453k or $448k. It doesn’t matter, because it’s pretty much the same.

If pinching pennies is a value that you have and that you want to teach your kids, then please, go ahead. If you think that penny pinching is going to make any realistic difference in your finances, the math ain’t mathing.

Yes, but you assume you are only overspending on a few concrete things. Imagine doing that every time you eat out, or my son hangs out with his friends, or getting daily Starbucks. Imagine this unintentional spending is $20 a day. That's $7300 a year.

Which, at a salary of 450k, is de minimis.

Um, what?! That is two mortgage payments or a spring break vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We make way more than that and I've always side-eyed my husband for getting both, lol. But I also don't say anything, because I'm not trying to control him.

My kids don't like either, so that's a non-issue, but we do try to limit the "extras" just as a matter of not overdoing it, and keeping some things special. So choose 1 extra, or maybe that thing that costs extra is a special treat. One time one of my kids was super hungry and ordered steak and chicken on a salad at chop't. I wasn't involved in the order, but that would have been an example where I would have encouraged her to pick one.

I know we can afford it, but I don't think we (or my kids) should get everything we want all the time.

Same and we are wealthy. Sometimes I think: one day I will die and my kids will live better than I do on my own money. But I can see they have a healthy relationship with money. They would notice the cost of a water at place A is 3x the cost of a water at place B. I spend a fortune on travel so it isn’t like I am thrifty with all things…but on things like extras like this, sure. FWIW, my husband’s burrito at Chipotle is about $26 with guac and double meat. I think that’s ridiculous.

OP here. Thank you both. Glad I'm not totally crazy.

And this kind of mindset helps you retain your wealth.

$100 a year on queso won’t make a difference in retaining wealth. How much you spend on your cars, your vacations, your home, your kids’ education, these things are far more impactful. Denying your kid something that costs $2 a week is pointless and more likely to create distorted thinking around money.

Totally disagree. It’s a mindset, so if you’re the type that says load it on with guac and queso, you likely:

- buy groceries without looking at price
- stopping for gas at whatever station
- stop and get coffee
- get takeout frequently rather than cooking for ease

Etc.

Lots of incredibly wealthy people are mindful of these things:

https://www.gobankingrates.com/investing/strategy/warren-buffett-buys-his-mcdonalds-based-on-stock-market-should-you/

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/these-wealthy-americans-drive-relatively-cheap-cars/

https://www.thelist.com/1051233/celebs-who-surprisingly-live-on-a-tight-budget/

And lots of incredibly wealthy people don't care, because they know it makes no difference to their bottom line.

Exactly. It’s also so circumstantial. We work hard for our money and save hundreds of thousands a year and are on track to retire extremely comfortably by 45. I’m not going to sweat the small stuff as long as we’re driving towards our FIRE goal. Did I sweat the small stuff when I made $60K as a new grad? Absolutely.