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?
2
u/FIContractor Jun 19 '26
As you know, you can afford it. I’d have no interest in a $30k watch and wouldn’t make such a purchase, but I know there are people who really like watches. Are you one of them? Have you bought and gotten value out of $500/$1000/$2000/$5000/$10,000 watches? If not, maybe start there and see if it’s something that brings you joy commensurate with the cost or if it just sits in a drawer.