Your personal discretionary spending under Trump's economy?

[Paratus]

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[yottabit]

I definitely moved up some major purchases to get them through pre-tariffs which in retrospect seems to have been a pretty smart move.

I like to think I’m not a crazy prepper person (maybe I am?) but we’re pretty well stocked for food and goods and continuing to stock up. It helps that buying in large quantities gets you a discount too. I don’t anticipate prices going down so it seems a good bet against inflation.

After this we will continue to spend normally, try to save a little extra here and there maybe. Our savings rate is pretty high as it is. Like others I diversified my portfolio (which I really should have done a while ago anyway) to weigh more toward international stocks and bonds.

 

[outriding]

I was thinking about building a small cabin for weekend escapes, possibly Airbnb, and eventually retirement. The economic uncertainty means the only way I could even possibly do that is to sell my current house and basically pay all cash for the cabin (which is fine because the goal is to get mortgage free ASAP). But still, not something I exactly want to undertake when a potential depression is on the way.

That is my exact plan

I just paid off the house and almost have enough for a 20% down payment

 

[Muse]

That is my exact plan

I just paid off the house and almost have enough for a 20% down payment

Friend of mine paints and does this and that in home maintenance. Not a contractor but is licensed. Around 2000 he bought a fixer upper house in east Oakland, CA and spent a few years fixing it up, doing most of the work himself. This was before the real estate bust of the early 2000's and real estate was surging. He'd refinance occasionally, pocketing a bunch of money each time as his property got more and more valuable. He acquired a run down fixer upper way out in the boonies of northern California, about 140 miles north of his east Oakland house. He'd spend time at both places, working on them. Then he sold his Oakland house just before the real estate bust. He was sick of east Oakland, had a run in with a neighbor, he wanted out. He's lived in his tiny boonies house ever since, I guess around 20 years now. He wants like crazy to move because the Clear Lake culture is lousy with meth freaks, rednecks and there's not much to do. He wants to trade his place for a fixer upper close to the coast, preferably in or around Bodega Bay. He's got a lot of stuff packed up in anticipation of this stored in a shed. Meantime he continues to work on his boonies house and gets odd jobs in his vicinity, painting and doing other building maintenance activities. This pattern has persisted for several years. He seems to be stuck, but I suppose he could make his escape as he intends at any time. He's broke now but figures to inherit some money because his mom has been in hospice since June, in New Jersey, a stones throw from his 2 brothers who he doesn't get along with one bit. No trust, so his mom's money will be tied up on probate for who knows how long.

 

[Exterous]

Slight increase mostly because we're choosing to move a lot purchases to places like Costco and local stores despite the inconvenience and slightly higher prices.

Savings rate is still in the ~28% range although it might not seem like it. We just got a new car a couple months ago and are paying cash for solar panels - but both things have been saved for and have been waiting for prices/local laws to be favorable to those purchases

 

[Moonbeam]

Among so many ants their has to be at least one grasshopper. I don't worry, I don't plan, I don't save. Mostly, I just fiddle all day. Consider the lily in the field or the sparrow........ I'm a miner for a heart of gold. The kingdom of heaven is within you. This is the best of all possible universes.