So you like nice things?

Guy Fieri's "bad wheel" on Grocery Games usually includes my staples

 

For me it is very focused.
I have a sickness for cars. I obsess about them, watch endless YT videos about them, visit dealerships to look at them, and of course drive them. But, the best things about cars are meeting and hanging out with other car people. I’ve made numerous friends along the way, great memories on long road trips.
I love mechanical Swiss watches. Pateks are divine to me.
I love my house(s), because that is home, and the way I feel when there (being a homebody).
My clothes? Atrocious. Nike sports shirt 80% of the time, LuLu Lemon shorts, sneakers. Occasionally I’ll dress up and look like I’m going golfing. More than that is strictly weddings, funerals, etc.
I have an iPhone 6S.
My iPad is ~4 years old. No computer. No sound system other than a wireless Bluetooth cheap speaker. TV is ~6 years old.
I have a nice home gym...and books...spend lots of money on books....to me books matter.

 

Me too. I’m wearing one right now


Fly fast and take chances

 

Interesting topic. Several years ago we made a decision to splurge on annual European vacations while we can still get all 4 kids able to join. Although we do travel coach, once landed it’s scheduled limos , private tours (Vatican,a day in Normandy, Edinburgh Castle, Tuscan winery, Vesper Martinis at The Dukes, cooking classes at Borgo San Felice), and upscale hotel suites and dining are the memories we cherish. We don’t wait in line, worry about taxis, or tourist traps. We spend way too much and cherish every moment.
Whenever we cut corners, crappy hotel in Amalfi, we sleep poorly get annoyed by missed limos, bad food etc and regret not buying up.
We can’t wait to overspend in Europe again

 

I totally agree. We love europe, and cant wait to go back. Depending on where we are we'll splurge on hotels, and always on food. I'd rather a great long lunch at Le Grand Vefour than a high end hotel.... We do Apartments in large cities, and that works better for us as I like to cook ... but we'll usually do a night or two at a nice hotel - Ritz or Lancaster in Paris, Raphel in Rome, Goring in London.. etc... Thankfully we have been fortunate to have traveled Europe quite a bit while younger so we don't do the tours that much... we're more into winerys, or food / arts based tours that usually are one on one... we did a great pvt tour at Chateau YQuem couple of years ago, we were literally the only people there, had a fantastic time - and super extended tasting at the end. At Lafite we were in a group of 10 people. great lunch, good wines - those are the experiences I like.

 

I try to buy quality things that are necessities because in the long run, it's usually worth it, but that's more of a financial decision that personality.... but it depends on your interests. I have an Atlanta Falcons watch that I love, but some folks here love their Rolexes. Their thing, not mine...but I have 22 guitars, mostly Gibson Les Pauls...my thing, not theirs...I have a humble 2xxx sq ft house in the country that I really have no desire to move from, other folks like their mansions, that seems like a lot of cleaning to me. As brought up in another thread in P&R, I like to put a tarp in the back of my truck, fill it with water, and sit outside drinking cheap beer with my wife...other folks love their pools. I give 2 craps what phone I have.

I guess I'm kinda at a crossroads, because 10 years ago I would have never even seen myself as part of the upper middle class, which was always kind of a goal of mine...and now that I'm there I'm confused because I SHOULD keep striving for more, bigger, better...and maybe I will, but right now, I'm HAPPY...which means more to me that a mansion on the hill.

We are all different personalities here and just because we own a certain car doesn't mean that we all have to like the same stuff. Most people here are truly genuine, and yes, some are extremely affluent...but very few dedicate their lives to "impressing" everyone else. None of us fit into a box.

 

Money = freedom. To squander it means giving up that freedom. We have saved carefully and at retirement age feel that we can handle unexpected bills, etc., while still being able to enjoy things in life. We spend on things that are necessary, and meaningful. If you've got it, enjoy it, but be humble enough to know that things can change on a dime for any of us!

 

Your last sentence is a HUGE life lesson. Things can change - and frequently do, even if you plan for it. it can take you by surprise. So the money part I see it now as a tool. Do I have enough? probably not to some and lots to others. We don't have kids, so our life priorities are different from the majority, but its not about spending every dime, and its also not about saving everything for retirement. Here is what really struck me through this COVID pandemic:

We have a guy who worked for our company for almost 40 years. He was in middle management in our operations team. at 62 he was looking to retire in two years, and the company asked him to stay on for another year. that was a year ago. this fall he got COVID somewhere between Nov. 29 and Dec. 11. Died on December 26. He was your average conservative guy, saved for years, bought company stock ( we often talked about stocks and investing ) was a really savvy investor and that gave him some pleasure. But - he did nothing, saw nothing, and experienced very little. He raised kids and had grandkids, which made him happy, but he was always talking about retirement. He had paid off his house about 2 years ago and was proud. I would estimate at his salary and longevity and our stock he was sitting on 1 - 2 Million... and he never saw a cent of that. He was excited to do an around-the-world cruise once he retired, go to Australia, and go on safari in Africa.... He was a good guy, honest and faithful... and just never saw anything bad coming. This hit me like a ton of bricks - but also made me feel thankful that while I may not have all the money I'd like to have saved, I also have experienced things in my life that I love.... looking at my bank & investment account thinking about the future is not one of them. You have ONE life.... Live it. We are all fortunate to live in this epoch, where our base needs are pretty secure... and we are able to live fantastically full lives. Those of us on Ferrari chat - perhaps are the most fortunate... I know it's hard to see, but it is likely true, even for the most modest of our members. I think if more people gave that a thought, we'd all be better off.

 

I think balance is the key, and it is something that everyone needs to decide based on their situation in life. My wife finally persuaded me that it was time to buy a Ferrari. We had the means, and had good health on our side, so there was no reason to wait any longer. It was a bucket list item that has been fulfilled, and our hope is that we'll be able to get a handle on COVID and enjoy many activities with other Ferraristi!

 

Good for you! I would say that having the Ferrari during COVID was one of the things that kept me sane. a group of us would meet up for a drive. and do couple of hundred miles - and only talk to each other through windows - socially distanced... worked well.

 

Same here, Tom! Having bought the Cali in the summer of 2019, we were ready to have a great time with the FCA in 2020. Instead, we did a lot of independent drives and only participated in events that were strictly outdoors. We're very glad we had the car. It was a major source of entertainment last year.

 

Walter Payton said it best - tomorrow is promised to no one. World class athlete, idol of millions, dead at 45. If you have the means, and Ferrari is your dream, go for it...T

 

This is a great thread. It really resonates with me. My dad was a well respected, motivated guy who built up his own car dealership (Italian cars, of course) in his 30’s then, with 3 young kids and everything going for him, was tragically killed in a boating accident at 39. I was 9 and very nearly met the same fate as I was in the boat with him at the time.

It taught me at a very young age that life is indeed very short and very precious, and one must make the most of it while we can.

Having worked my butt off for several decades building my own business, I found myself in my early 50’s (with 3 kids just like him) starting to constantly consider the question, “How much is enough?” So at 54, I decided to sell my company and enter “voluntary unemployment” (I don’t wear the word “retired” very comfortably, as I am still constantly active and engaged in many things.)

“How much is enough?” has become my favourite after-dinner question for a very wide circle of friends I’ve met - a great many of whom have come from car club events. It is fascinating to hear the variety of answers from people, young and old. What I’ve observed is that younger people most often reply in monetary terms... “I want to have $x in the bank or $y of assets etc etc”. They hear the question as “How much money is enough?”

But those with more life experience (that’s nicer than saying “older”) often answer in terms of the personal cost of achievement - time spent in the office, time dealing with difficult customers or staff, time away from their partner or children, impacts on health, holidays (or lack of them), time not spent socialising with friends, or just playing with your dog, or yes, time spent at the track with your Ferrari rather than leaving it parked in the garage while you’re still at the office.

The underlying theme, of course, of all the latter replies is Time. You realise as the clock ticks inevitably forward, that the question is really “How much time is enough?” and of course, there is never enough. There comes a point at which we often realise it no longer makes sense to exchange our decreasing store of time just to increase our store of money and “stuff” we don’t use much. When someone has that lightbulb moment, even if they don’t enter “voluntary unemployment” like me, they start making better choices about how they live their best life.

So... have you ever considered “How much is enough?” If you haven’t, you should.

 

This resonates with me tremendously. I literally had this conversation with my wife this morning .... how much is enough and why are we working so dang hard with the stress of staff, etc. Fortunately, my wife is much more humble than I and doesn’t care about money too much. I was the nearsighted one wondering how much do we need to retire and send our 4 kids to college, etc. She was the one who recognized that “time” with our children and each other is the invaluable variable.
Time is money and time is priceless.


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To answer OP’s question...
Best of the Best in everything I do - work, cars, watches, clothes, fine dining, golf trips, kids education, kids legos and toys.
I work to try to achieve the best. Over achiever, perfectionist .....
But honestly none of that matters nearly as much as values, relationships, memories and time (per previous post).


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Health is everything....after that it’ll all fall into place

On the other hand I’m a slave to the dollar. 150% into most everything I do for 2 more years until I’m 50. I enjoy the finer things but I’m the camp of balancing enjoying my money and saving it.


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Wow, beautifully stated.
Lost both my parents when younger, teen and in my 20’s. Obsessed about “never being poor” and worked/saved/invested like a mad man. Over those years didn’t keep up with hobbies, sports, pleasure reading, travel, exercise, friends, and family. Always had a “number” to reach. Then had an epiphany one day and realized—there is no number, it is a myth. I decided when my younger son left the home for college and my wife and I became “empty nesters” that is when I’d retire. Retired at 55. Still love my Ferrari’s, but now exercising and reading every day, bought a second mountain house near an old friend and plan to reconnect, he promises he’ll make a fly fisherman out of me. Plan to travel once Covid craziness abates. But sometimes it just having the quiet moments, in the afternoon in your home or on the porch in the sunshine; and the quiet in your head. I realized I have had many many years with absolutely no quiet in the head, even vacations were “noisy.”
Time...time well spent...that is the key.

 

I certainly enjoy the finer things, especially when I get to enjoy them with friends and family.

I also like to “collect” things. When I was a kid, I collected hot wheels cars, stamps, coins, cards, and comics. As an adult, I have less time for serious collecting, but I do enjoy my cars and watches.


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You know, one of the very great things about FChat is that you have a high concentration of successful people, intelligent people, thoughtful people, from around the World discussing topics like this and dropping unencumbered wisdom. Sometimes I think some of our threads should be collated into a small book and distributed to young people starting out in life.

 

My daughter likes ramen noodles.

 

Whenever someone would criticize my drive to succeed financially, this what id always tell them.

 

Different strokes for different folks. I spend a ****-ton of money on vintage port. Everyone spends their money differently. There really isn’t a right or wrong here. We all have one life to live. Live your life and spend your money according to what’s important to you.

 

I only have one splurge in life: I can't drive **** cars. I only drive Porsches and Ferraris.
I also only drink top shelf tequila, wear Rolexes, Patek and Panerai, Eat in good restaurants (Fodors baby), boff dimes...

So yeah. I just have that one splurge.. lol.