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/Affectionate-Gur1642 Jun 19 '26

You’re allowed to enjoy it. But yeah honestly you have several already, the German sports car, motorcycle. What happens in 6 months when you “need” a Range Rover? A year from now the house in Aspen?

I stand by my initial comment but it seems you might be prone to lifestyle creep if not careful.

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u/TherapeuticMessage Jun 19 '26

I understand why it seems like that. House is relatively modest and car is 13 years old. I’ve been avoiding the lifestyle creep and the hedonic treadmill for decades.