Anonymous wrote:Nope. We have a nice lifestyle, but who knows when the money train will stop. Because of that, we save a decent amount. No $100k cars for us. Make hay while the sun still shines.

What percentage of your HHI do you save (that you consider a decent amount as "savers")?

Nope. We have a nice lifestyle, but who knows when the money train will stop. Because of that, we save a decent amount. No $100k cars for us. Make hay while the sun still shines.

DH and I would love to be spenders and have to really restrain ourselves. We love nice things, looking good, giving lavish gifts to family members, and taking fancy vacations. We are able to keep it in check enough that we're in pretty good shape for retirement, but it's a constant struggle. Would love to be you OP!

Same here! We have our retirement number and save towards that. The rest we spend on whatever we like and we like a lot of nice things.

We're spenders for sure. I refuse to live my life preparing for a worst case scenario. We're on track for retirement, but certainly not socking away as much as we could be if we lived life more frugally.

Anonymous wrote:If you have money why do you lease a car?

Because I like to change cars every 12-18 months. Car technology changes often these days and I want to enjoy it. Just picked up the new S-Class a week ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How nice for you that you are able to save for retirement and spend lavishly. Not an option for us.

I'm able to do it because I'm not setting my retirement requirements at some sky-high level.

Just be careful. It's wise to max it out while you're young and making money.

"All" I need is 1 million and I'm set. Very much on target to reach that long before I need to retire.

Well then you might as well enjoy yourself. Have fun but don't be afraid to save a little extra every now and then

If you have money why do you lease a car?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How nice for you that you are able to save for retirement and spend lavishly. Not an option for us.

I'm able to do it because I'm not setting my retirement requirements at some sky-high level.

Just be careful. It's wise to max it out while you're young and making money.

"All" I need is 1 million and I'm set. Very much on target to reach that long before I need to retire.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How nice for you that you are able to save for retirement and spend lavishly. Not an option for us.

I'm able to do it because I'm not setting my retirement requirements at some sky-high level.

Just be careful. It's wise to max it out while you're young and making money.

We spend too much for sure. Net very little each month (after contributing retirement etc.)- but we just bought a house and that has been more expensive on the whole than we thought.

We aren't in debt, but nor are we saving 50% of our income or anything. We have small kids in preschool an new, big-ish mortgage and I think we're at the peak of our spending-to-income ratio. Things should get easier. It doesn't keep me up at night.

Anonymous wrote:How nice for you that you are able to save for retirement and spend lavishly. Not an option for us.

I'm able to do it because I'm not setting my retirement requirements at some sky-high level.

How nice for you that you are able to save for retirement and spend lavishly. Not an option for us.

That's my retirement plan as well. The hard part is knowing how much money you'll need based upon how long you live and what your medical issues are in old age. I think that's why people hypersave.

I read so many threads and posts from people who scrimp and save everything so one day they can retire with millions and millions of dollars. Their HHI is north of $400k and they drive a 2001 Honda Accord or won't buy a piece of clothing if it isn't less than $50.

The only way I could have any peace about the balance of money in my life was if I decided to sock away an apocalypse fund. It is enough money that I can go back to my home town, buy a modest house in a good area, and live out my life without any extravagances but certainly without worrying about my next meal, etc.

The rest of the money, I spend freely. When I say freely I mean I lease a very nice car ($100k), take luxurious vacations ($8k-$10k), eat out whenever I like, buy beautiful clothes, throw parties, etc.

Do any of you have this setup where you're only going to save enough to retire to a modest lifestyle away from the DC area?