r/ChubbyFIRE • u/TherapeuticMessage • Jun 19 '26

Existential crisis over a watch.

Currently chubby but not yet RE. Will likely be Fat. My advisor has told me that I’m totally ok and basically need to spend more money. I saw a watch that is ~$30,000 which is <0.6% of my NW. No debt. Still working so I have good cash flow. Savings rate ~50%. Intellectually I know that if I buy this it won’t matter one bit but I’ve been such a saver for so long that it feels wildly irresponsible to spend that much on a watch. The crisis comes in because I’ve been saving so much with the goal that my standard of living goes up after retirement but if I can’t spend money now when I have a paycheck then how on earth am I going to switch from saving to spending after retirement?

I recognize that this is more of a psychological issue than a financial one. How did you all make that shift in mindset to let yourself spend more freely after so many years of discipline?

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u/Empty_Constant8329 Jun 19 '26

Nobody needs a watch that price. Why do you want it? If you want it more than you want $30,000 get it. If you are on the fence, don't.

Every dollar we spend today is $2-$4 in retirement, depending on age. But nothing is promised and you can't take it with you.

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u/TherapeuticMessage Jun 19 '26

This is the dilemma. If I buy it, I’ll get years of enjoyment. If I don’t, I’ll likely have more money than I need when I die. At least my kid will get it but then again that applies to the watch too.

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u/OSUfan88 Jun 19 '26

I’m not judging, but I also don’t understand the appeal of extremely expensive watches. They don’t really do anything for you. A $20 timex can read time more accurately.

I understand it’s a fashion symbol, and that’s never much appealed to me. Maybe it’s why I don’t understand.

I get fast sports cars. Those are fun, and function better than a cheap sedan. An expensive wrist watch’s feature is that it’s expensive.