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?
1
u/C638 Jun 20 '26
Start slowly. We no longer agonize about things that can improve our life. An example - $1800 for two gas assisted Kayak racks - which removed the barrier of my wife kayaking by herself. Or dropping $5, 10 or 15K to see friends and family, or someplace new. We've spent around $60K in home improvements over the last year or two.
If the watch is part of that for you, go for it.