Really enjoyed reading this this morning – thank you!!

AND YES!!! I agree that *peace of mind* is much better than expensive items! Unless you can truly enjoy them without being stressed out about it :)

And I gotta say – I’ve always dreamed about having an Escalade so I was pretty happy there for you in the beginning of this comment, haha… (And also pray your daughter was safe and sound after the crash?!)

Interestingly I was a bit nervous driving my Lexus SUV around for a while too when I first got it, and then I backed into a fire hydrant and scratched/dented the bumper and ironically it actually made me feel BETTER! Because now I don’t worry about other scratches/dents anymore since it’s already dinged up haha…

So maybe if you ever get anther fancy car down the line just be the first to initiate it and then see if it helps relieve the worry :)

What a timely article! Several years ago in 2012 after reaching a milestone, 1 million in investments, excluding our paid off house, my wife and I decided to splurge and bought a used Escalade for $57,500.00

It was the nicest car we have ever owned since all we ever owned were very old cars in the 3-4k range prior to this, but cheap cars, an affordable home and no expensive hobbies made us millionaires at 44 and 47.

Fast forward to last month, and my daughter totaled the Escalade and now I need another car. I am experiencing first hand life style creep. I was finding it difficult at first so buy anything less luxurious than an Escalade.

However, as time goes by I am finding it easier to walk away from many potential deals for one reason or another. And I am finding how much more content I am driving my mom’s 17 year old car that she gave me, which I can keep or return if I buy another car.

I don’t care if it gets dinged or scratched. I don’t obsess over keeping it clean and I can park it anywhere without worrying about the swinging doors next to me. And insurance is cheap.

I find my life a lot less stressful. And lastly, we are in contract negotiations at work and it’s a great reminder of how much I dislike my job and some of the people there. And it has me questioning, why am I going to spend $55 to $60K on an SUV, when I would feel better knowing it’s invested to help pay medical, college or any other important life needs.

I guess I feel more liberated from my job keeping that money invested in VTSAX rather than a depreciating SUV that’s going to take me to a job a can’t stand! Having another SUV in that price range would make me feel like I should work longer to justify it’s purchase. I could easily afford it but my gut is telling me NO!

Because if I retire early, it would feel better knowing I’m driving a cheap car, with cheap insurance and not having an expensive SUV sitting in the garage.

I’m glad that I came across your article and my feelings are shifting towards keeping my mom’s old car. My wife and I have no debt and now have 1.8 million in savings, but with that being said, my job dissatisfaction is what’s making me not buy another SUV which I could easily afford.

Better to avoid lifestyle creep in the first place!

Thanks J Money!

Haha probably!

They actually work as great *watches* too – remember those?? ;)

Ahhhh yess!!!! So dreamy indeed!!! I know a lot of kids are in this community but not exactly *where* in it, but chances are looking good at least?! If not I’ll have to walk them over to where everyone is and play Super Dad ;)

I hope you find your dream situation. I see lots of cul-de-sacs with no kids playing. We had a pretty ideal situation growing up…at least as far as neighborhoods go. We lived on a dead end street with eight houses, most families had kids. We had a huge hill to bike down as fast as we could, a couple of neighbors had pools, we were surrounded by fields to build forts in and some kids had dirt bikes, go-carts and snowmobiles. The best was a toboggan slide on top of a hill in one of our neighbor’s yard. Those were the days!

Would anybody say how a Fitbit is becoming more of a necessity too these days?

Sounds about right! Some of the homes we’ve been looking at are situated nicely on cul-de-sacs which would be GREAT for keeping the kids outside and playing with others in the neighborhood… Some of my very favorite memories growing up as well! (Even though back then I’d much have preferred to play video games all day long, haha…)

1)Dishwasher- I was the dish washer.
2)Air conditioner in the car
3)Cell phone
4)Laptop
5)Good coffee – parents used to live off Folgers
6)Internet
7)On Demand/streaming services
8)Amazon Prime shipping
9)Activities for kids – used to be playing in the neighborhood

Well, maybe these aren’t total necessities, but things we’ve become used to over the years.

Haha good addition… We have them in our car too for the first time and definitely don’t hate them :)

Thanks for jumping in, Linda!