Is $100 a significant amount, a lot for you? A threshold?

[andre10056]

I just spent $400+ per ticket to see Kill Tony at MSG a couple of weeks ago.

I also spent about $250 a ticket to see Weird Al at PNC Bank center in July - but that included VIP Club and VIP Parking - probably around $175 without

I also spent around $200+ a ticket to see Daniel Tosh at the Hard Rock in June.

So, I am ok with paying more than $100/ticket. Really depends on how badly we want to see something. I would have passed on Kill Tony at that price - but my wife REALLY wanted to go.

I refused to pay $550+ per ticket to see Zac Brown Band at the Hard Rock last year. It wasn't even good seat - Zac Brown takes the entire floor and made it standing room only - not happening.

I know who Weird Al is but didn't know he was still a thing.

But, although I think I have pretty eclectic tastes in music, who da heck is Kill Tony, Daniel Tosh, and Zac Brown? Nope, i don't think I'd pay those amounts for those performers.

 

[rickandcindy23]

These prices y'all are talkin' here are crazy for food, and now the high prices for Casa Bonita don't sound all that bad in comparison. It's also mediocre, and the "chef" is supposed to be fantastic.

 

[joestein]

I know who Weird Al is but didn't know he was still a thing.

But, although I think I have pretty eclectic tastes in music, who da heck is Kill Tony, Daniel Tosh, and Zac Brown? Nope, i don't think I'd pay those amounts for those performers.

Weird Al puts on an amazing show. 2nd time I saw him. We saw him around 2015 at Radio City MH.

Kill Tony - is the #1 live podcast in the world (or so he claims). It is live on you tube every Monday night at 9pm - usually 2 - 3 hours long. He has a panel of various comedians and he pulls names from a bucket. They get 1 minute to perform and then he interviews them. He usually has 3 or 4 regulars as well. For the MSG show he had mostly regulars. He must have been doing stadium tours because the following Monday, the show was live from the staples center.

Daniel Tosh - He was the host of Tosh.O on comedy central - I think it was on for something like 13 seasons. They decided to cancel the show, but he was under contract for a few more seasons, they bought him out. So, he hasn't been doing much until lately. He is now doing a podcast and a few standup shows here and there at large venues.

Zac Brown Band is one of the biggest Country/pop bands around. They have been pretty big for 20 years. I think their first hit was 'chicken fried' in 2008. They recently had a residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas - I got an offer to buy tickets for over $1K, which we passed on.

 

[andre10056]

Another question is, when you go to the grocery store do you look at or are concerned with price? We know someone who isn't. They go, put stuff in their cart and pay. They don't worry about the price, they get what they want. It seems when you have a certain level of wealth, those things just aren't as important. What is the difference between a $300 shopping trip vs $400.

I'm not so sure it has to do with wealth. There are plenty of people out there who are wealthy who would balk at paying exorbitant amounts for anything, including (perhaps especially) groceries.

It's a matter of, in my opinion, being irresponsible with their money. A recipient of food stamps (via monthly replenishment of some amount of money on their EBT card) can also be similarly irresponsible and blindly charge charge charge, not caring about costs, until their balance is zero. And thereafter have to live off 25 cent Ramen noodles for the remainder of the month.

I check out each supermarket's weekly flyer via my cell phone. And consider every item for which there's a good sales price as if there just happens to be a harvest for that item so that it's temporarily at a great price. And buy accordingly.

I also balk at crazy restaurant prices that had been reasonable pre-Covid and that in some cases became very much unreasonable after Covid. And I understand why. They had lost a good bit of business during Covid and want to recoup it. And people had been isolated in their "cabins" for so long they just wanted to LIVE again. And restaurants took full advantage with their new pricing. But I won't be paying those oftentimes outrageously increased prices.

I've (we've) always thought that one should eat out at restaurants whenever there might be something you can't cook on your own. So I'm more inclined to eat out at Indian, Vietnamese, and Chinese places. I can't attain the same flavors as those ethnic restaurants. And it just so happens most of those ethnic restaurants are relatively inexpensive despite serving delicious food.

When I cook (most often), I try to limit the costs of my ingredients. And there are many ways to do so. For example, we eat a lot of chicken thigh meals, Grilled chicken thighs, mulligatawny soup, etc. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are what many recipes call for. Yet, boneless, skinless chicken thighs costs $3.99 per pound (expensive). But chicken thighs with skin and its bone costs 99 cents per pound (inexpensive). It takes a few minutes to cut off the skin with shears and to cut out the bone (if you don't know how, there are many Youtube videos that show you how to do it in perhaps less than a minute). And voila! You have an extraordinary meal for next to nothing in cost.

 

[isisdave]

I am trying to reframe my understanding of prices. Rather than thinking "widgets are expensive at $100" I try to think "Hmm, now we need 100 of those puny dollarettes to buy a widget, whereas fairly recently we only needed 75 of the huskier model." And in fact, this is part of the equation. Stuff DOES cost more as we implement environmental protection, better quality, t*riffs, etc., but it's mostly that dollars contain less value.

When I was a kid, my allowance was 35 cents a week, and that was enough.

We used to travel to Mexico a lot. In January 2025, a dollar bought 20.8 pesos. Now, 16.9 -- down 19%
Euro -- .95 down to .83 -- down 13%
GBP -- .82 to .73 -- down 11%

There's a trend here ..

 

[easyrider]

$100 is a number I think about often.

We recently golfed at the nicest course on the Oregon Coast a few times. The cost for 18 holes + cart is about $350 for two. If you use the Golf Now app and look for a "hot deal" it reduces the cost by half. Every morning we wanted to golf we used the app for a late morning tee time.

Bill

 

[DeniseM]

We live in California, so we just expect higher prices. Depending on what we are buying, we look at the quality of the product, or the compatibility with our dietary needs, or the enjoyability of the activity, more than the price. My husband has been frugal his whole life, and that's a good thing, but you can't take it with you, so we enjoy a few more splurges these days.

If my husband complains that something costs too much, I ask him what he will do with the money we save if we don't spend it. His answer: crickets... Even now, we live below our means every month, and once in a while we skim some off and add it to our stockmarket investments.

 

[isisdave]

Denise, several of us TUGgers also lurk on the early-retirement.org forums, where this attitude is called BTD for "blow the dough". There have been many discussions on how hard it was, or how long it took to transition from what I call "squeeze the buffalo" to BTD thinking. For me, it was at least three years after retirement. As the assets grow and the timeline shrinks, it gets easier.

 

[mentalbreak]

I know who Weird Al is but didn't know he was still a thing.

But, although I think I have pretty eclectic tastes in music, who da heck is Kill Tony, Daniel Tosh, and Zac Brown? Nope, i don't think I'd pay those amounts for those performers.

Concert and event tickets are becoming an expenditure that gives me pause, but I usually feel like it was “worth it” in the end.

We did attend a Weird Al concert at Red Rocks this summer for $100 pp, selected more for the venue and dates we would be in the area. The concert FAR exceeded my expectations.

We had purchased tickets to P!nk’s last arena tour for $250 per ticket, and I was actually glad when it was cancelled and refunded. That’s what made me really start analyzing my price tolerance.

My husband and son have started “Chasing 30” trying to catch a game at every mlb park. I’m finding that for that experience, lower level tickets between first and third are often over $100, but also “worth it”. For the stadiums we go to year after year, upper decks or outfield seats are fine for us.

We signed up and won a slot in the mlb lottery for the field of dreams game. I just about choked when I saw the face value, but went ahead and bought the tickets. And the experience was totally worth it. But a one and done (until their favorite team plays).

 

[andre10056]

Denise, several of us TUGgers also lurk on the early-retirement.org forums, where this attitude is called BTD for "blow the dough". There have been many discussions on how hard it was, or how long it took to transition from what I call "squeeze the buffalo" to BTD thinking. For me, it was at least three years after retirement. As the assets grow and the timeline shrinks, it gets easier.

Of course, the best way to "blow the dough" is tap into your home's equity to buy a new vehicle, go on amazing vacations, as well as of course making capital improvements to your home.

But you may think that's (tapping into your home's equity) somewhat difficult if you're retired and no longer full time employed.

Nope. It's not at all difficult. There's something called a reverse mortgage that will allow you to live it up. Its creation was a response to seniors oftentimes being real estate rich but cash poor.

How does a reverse mortgage work? The federal government approved version requires you to be at least 62 years old. And what does the government know about "at least 62 year olds"? That they're going to die in not too many years. So they're willing to 100% guarantee a private lender lending you some portion of your equity because they know your executor will sooner than later pay off the loan after your death.

And what are the details of the program? Whatever you're lent, you don't have to EVER make a payment to repay it. You can if you want (your choice) but you don't have to and few mortgagors (the borrowers) do. Again, repayment will occur soon enough after your death.

Since no payments need be made, your income and credit is of no interest whatsoever. The only thing of interest is whether or not you have equity in your home.

What happens if some economic disaster occurs such that, after your death, your home can only be sold for a small percentage of the total mortgage principal balance? Can they then take your cars, your second homes, your bank accounts, your gold coins, etc.? Nope, the only lender recourse is to sell your home. Whatever it sells for, it sells for. If there's a deficiency, too bad for the government as guarantor.

So buy those Lamborghinis if you like.

 

[WinniWoman]

I don’t like it when we have lunch at our monthly organization meetup and it comes out to $40+! Lol! But we like socializing with the people so we always show up.

 

[missyrcrews]

$100 is about one 5 1/2 hour night shift at Target. (I've been there long enough that I make over $20/hour...but still, that's a nice round number.) This makes me think...do I value this, whatever it is, enough to work a whole night for it? Sometimes yes, usually no. Unless it's a week in a favorite timeshare.

 

[Elan]

We recently golfed at the nicest course on the Oregon Coast a few times. The cost for 18 holes + cart is about $350 for two. If you use the Golf Now app and look for a "hot deal" it reduces the cost by half. Every morning we wanted to golf we used the app for a late morning tee time.

Bill

Yeah, I've used Golf Now a few times. Especially in Vegas, where non-residents get reamed.

I played Wolf Creek in Mesquite once. I think it's like $400 greens fees in peak season. The layout is as if Walt Disney dropped acid and decided to design a golf course. At the time I called it a "one and done" as there's a lot of "ooh and ahh" holes, and I was taken by the aesthetic and didn't play well. A few years later, some friends wanted to play WC and since I treated it as just another golf course the second time around, I broke 80 pretty easily. Now, I wouldn't pay over $125-150 to play it again (unless friends insisted). In the end, it's just another golf course.

 

[rapmarks]

In Wisconsin Dells for summer
Whenever a tourist asks where should we eat, the same names are suggested, and all will run $100 a person. Just ate at one tonight, my third time, and I did not think it was very good each of those times.
What always gets me is that wages and job opportunities are on the low end in this area and I can’t get over how low wage earners always go to these places where dinner is a days wages
I don’t enjoy paying a big price for a meal and I think the hype is usually over done.

 

[DebBrown]

Another question is, when you go to the grocery store do you look at or are concerned with price? We know someone who isn't. They go, put stuff in their cart and pay. They don't worry about the price, they get what they want. It seems when you have a certain level of wealth, those things just aren't as important. What is the difference between a $300 shopping trip vs $400.

I consider myself fairly frugal but I buy what I want at the grocery store without much worry. I will scan the sale ads and stock up on anything that's a good deal and we use often. Having said that, we now live in a rural area and all my produce comes from farm stands at least 6 months of the year. I'm definitely buying my lettuce direct from a farmer these days.

 

[heitmullerj02]

I don’t mind paying for good food out, but it’s hard to find, I do have my glass of wine in the room before we leave. It’s amazing , you can get a whole bottle for what the restaurant charges for a glass of wine! Really how hard is it to pour, most have twist tops these days.

 

[chellej]

We spent 2 weeks on Kauai in July, and almost every meal was at least $100. But we tried to eat just one meal a day out. We have changed our attitude lately. I have always shopped Sales, TJ Maxx, Marshals, etc and rarely bought clothes or shoes at retail. On Kauai, DH needed slip-on sandals...bought him Oli Kai for $95. I needed a sweater; he bought me a really nice one for $79. We have always prioritized what the kids need and now are spending more on us. DH bought me a nice Na Honku wave pendant, and I just bought a used Audi Q7.

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

$100 is about one 5 1/2 hour night shift at Target. (I've been there long enough that I make over $20/hour...but still, that's a nice round number.) This makes me think...do I value this, whatever it is, enough to work a whole night for it? Sometimes yes, usually no. Unless it's a week in a favorite timeshare.

This is a second way I look at things. The first is the $100 thing.

The other one during my working career, how many hours would I have to work to buy this........... and then I'd decide......is it worth 10 hours labor?
40 hours??

This thread has had folks respond mostly about food....but it could be anything.

$100 for a Baseball Glove for your 12 year old ? $100 for a weed whacker, chainsaw, etc.......

 

[b2bailey]

Of course, the best way to "blow the dough" is tap into your home's equity to buy a new vehicle, go on amazing vacations, as well as of course making capital improvements to your home.

But you may think that's (tapping into your home's equity) somewhat difficult if you're retired and no longer full time employed.

Nope. It's not at all difficult. There's something called a reverse mortgage that will allow you to live it up. Its creation was a response to seniors oftentimes being real estate rich but cash poor.

How does a reverse mortgage work? The federal government approved version requires you to be at least 62 years old. And what does the government know about "at least 62 year olds"? That they're going to die in not too many years. So they're willing to 100% guarantee a private lender lending you some portion of your equity because they know your executor will sooner than later pay off the loan after your death.

And what are the details of the program? Whatever you're lent, you don't have to EVER make a payment to repay it. You can if you want (your choice) but you don't have to and few mortgagors (the borrowers) do. Again, repayment will occur soon enough after your death.

Since no payments need be made, your income and credit is of no interest whatsoever. The only thing of interest is whether or not you have equity in your home.

What happens if some economic disaster occurs such that, after your death, your home can only be sold for a small percentage of the total mortgage principal balance? Can they then take your cars, your second homes, your bank accounts, your gold coins, etc.? Nope, the only lender recourse is to sell your home. Whatever it sells for, it sells for. If there's a deficiency, too bad for the government as guarantor.

So buy those Lamborghinis if you like.

The part of the Reverse Mortgage story that you didn't mention -- the interest on the loan is added every month to the balance owed.
I have a neighbor who now owes more than the home is worth, spent all of the loan proceeds and now needs a new roof!

 

[CO skier]

I Venmoed $200 to my daughter, who is starting her first job as a teacher, for her classroom/students.

It was not "significant" for me, but I bet she made it "significant" for her students.

 

[andre10056]

The part of the Reverse Mortgage story that you didn't mention -- the interest on the loan is added every month to the balance owed.
I have a neighbor who now owes more than the home is worth, spent all of the loan proceeds and now needs a new roof!

Than your neighbor is one in a million because that NEVER happens.

And that's because reverse mortgage underwriting guidelines make it almost impossible for that to ever happen.

Since a reverse mortgage borrower never has to make a payment, you're correct that the interest gets added to the mortgage principal balance. For example, my parents took out $100,000 to do a complete renovation of their home and many other things. Their interest rate at the time was 3%, lower than the market interest rate at the time of 3.5% because of the 100% government guarantee, such that after one year the mortgage balance had grown to a ballpark $103,000 (I'm keeping it simple interest to not take into consideration continuous or monthly compounding)..

Do you think if one of your neighbors has $500,000 equity in their home, that they can get a $490,000 reverse mortgage? Everyone involved knows that the mortgage interest will be added to the principal balance so NO ONE is going to lend that high a percentage loan to equity.

Depending on their age (actuarial tables will estimate when they're most likely to die just like with an insurance policy), they will be granted more or less mortage loan. Assuming they would have $500,000 in equity, it might be only $200,000 if they're 65. It might be $300,000 if they're 85. But it's VERY unlikely that the mortgage loan balance will ever exceed, or even come close to, the value of their home under normal circumstances.

My mother's now 101 years old, far exceeding what actuarial tables may have predicted for her, and even if she had taken out far more money, a higher amount she could have qualified for when my parents took out their loan, it still wouldn't be close to the value of her home. Particularly since the entire' country's real estate values have exploded.

Since the only lender recourse is sale of the home, do you really think the government as 100% guarantor wants to lose money? The way you make it sound, the government will be losing money each and every loan.

Whoever your neighbor is, they either lived to a ripe old age of 110 or your geographic area happened to experience a huge drop in real estate prices...or both. But that's not the usual situation. They can likely get a hardship grant to fix their roof (assuming they've got a zero monthly social security income) but the government will be the big loser as 100% guarantor of the mortgage.

 

[SmithOp]

When I'm playing golf at home it's $32 with a cart, city course. I will splurge for the $100 round on vacation in Hawaii, but it's only one or two rounds a year. I'm too cheap to spend $100 on golf every week.

 

[klpca]

Of course, the best way to "blow the dough" is tap into your home's equity to buy a new vehicle, go on amazing vacations, as well as of course making capital improvements to your home.

But you may think that's (tapping into your home's equity) somewhat difficult if you're retired and no longer full time employed.

Nope. It's not at all difficult. There's something called a reverse mortgage that will allow you to live it up. Its creation was a response to seniors oftentimes being real estate rich but cash poor.

How does a reverse mortgage work? The federal government approved version requires you to be at least 62 years old. And what does the government know about "at least 62 year olds"? That they're going to die in not too many years. So they're willing to 100% guarantee a private lender lending you some portion of your equity because they know your executor will sooner than later pay off the loan after your death.

And what are the details of the program? Whatever you're lent, you don't have to EVER make a payment to repay it. You can if you want (your choice) but you don't have to and few mortgagors (the borrowers) do. Again, repayment will occur soon enough after your death.

Since no payments need be made, your income and credit is of no interest whatsoever. The only thing of interest is whether or not you have equity in your home.

What happens if some economic disaster occurs such that, after your death, your home can only be sold for a small percentage of the total mortgage principal balance? Can they then take your cars, your second homes, your bank accounts, your gold coins, etc.? Nope, the only lender recourse is to sell your home. Whatever it sells for, it sells for. If there's a deficiency, too bad for the government as guarantor.

So buy those Lamborghinis if you like.

I knew someone who had a reverse mortgage. Once they were no longer living in their home, i.e. they were now in memory care, the loan needed to be repaid within 12 months. The house had to be sold. It is something to keep in mind and a reminder to make sure to read the terms of the loan closely.

 

[SmithOp]

I imagine the lenders want top tier full replacement inflation adjusted insurance coverage too.

 

[rapmarks]

What really hurts is paying for my son’s family to visit from Boston area during spring vacation. $3600 for plane tickets last few years
I know what you are going to say, but when we moved to Florida we promised to pay for flights when they came to see us. It’s the only time I see them all year,band tied to school schedule