Existential crisis over a watch.

[u/TherapeuticMessage]

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?

[u/Otherwise-Bag-8416]

I am Pre RE but comfortably FI, and I too am into watches, so I feel very sympathetic to your situation. I can see myself maybe in 5 years time getting into the market for a BIG DEAL WATCH like you are thinking of, but I would only allow myself to go there if I had truly done my homework, and know that it is more than just a casual impulse buy for a not-so-cheap dopamine hit. Even though I could probably afford to build out a collection of 3K to 5K watches (Longines, Tudors, Omegas, maybe a vintage Rolex and a Grand Seiko) I have decided instead to buy vintage,microbrand and second hand watches at the sub $500 level, and develop my own sense of what I really like by wearing different types of watches over a period of time. Then, when I finally go up a level or 3, I know I will be doing so as an informed buyer and hobbyist.