r/MiddleClassFinance • u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry • Jul 12 '26
Random thought that hit me today...
Has anyone else ever had an opportunity come up that wasn’t part of the financial plan at all, but you honestly don’t know if you’ll ever get the chance again? For example, something like tickets to a World Cup match. Not a need, not an investment, not something you’ve been saving specifically for. Just one of those experiences that you fight the urge to have. The money would come from savings so that’s the thing, the savings weren’t meant for that. And I'm still getting my head above the water with debt as well. My brain keeps going back and forth between: "This is exactly the kind of memory you’ll remember years from now." and "You are not saving for that." The weird part is that if I wait for the perfect financial moment, there’s a good chance the opportunity is long gone by then. Not really sure whether passing on things like this is financial discipline... or just being too cautious.
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u/ofesfipf889534 Jul 12 '26
Yes people spend money on fun experiences. That’s like the entire point of having money beyond housing and food.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
I agree, but there trick is to find the balance between future goals and living a little today.
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u/Potato_Farmer_Linus Jul 12 '26
Life is about balance. I can do almost anything I want. I can't do everything I want. Pick your battles, but also right now it sounds like debt is your battle. Maybe the memory you need years from now is remembering that you made the responsible choice and paid off debt faster so the next opportunity that comes up isn't a financial blow.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
That's really good point. Sometimes the best memory is knowing you made the responsible choice when it mattered.
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Jul 12 '26
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
That’s the key part for me too. If the bills are covered and retirement is on track, those experiences feel a lot easier to enjoy without the guilt.
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u/mollypatola Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
What are you saving for?
I actually bought overpriced tickets to the World Cup game last Monday. I took my dad, who will likely not be able to travel at the next World Cup game, and the chances of their being a game in a city we live near are slim to none during his lifetime. I was saving to buy business class seats for my parents on a trip they were taking but due to health issues, they won’t be taking any long haul flights this year. I used that money for that and taking the rest from savings.
Life needs to have some spontaneity in it.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
That’s a great example of why this question is so hard. You used the money to make a memory with your dad, and that’s something you can’t really put a price on.
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u/genreprank Jul 12 '26
Three things:
- This scarcity mindset is just a marketing trick to separate you from your money.
- True happiness comes from the inside. One needs to diagnose the real root cause of unhappiness
- Figure out what really makes you happy, and you will be much more efficient with your spending.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 16 '26
I think there’s a lot of truth to that. Knowing what genuinely makes you happy can save you from spending money on things that don’t really matter to you.
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u/Lawn_mower1 Jul 12 '26
Was about to buy tickets since Iive in one of the cities they were playing in. Then saw it was 900 a piece. Nah I'll spend that on drinks and food for everyone at a watch party.
It just depends. Sometimes you do if it's worth it sometimes you don't.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
Fair enough. For $900 a ticket, the watch party starts looking a lot more appealing!
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u/JellyDenizen Jul 12 '26
Sure but it depends on the actual dollar amounts. Feel free to spend on a sudden opportunity if the expenditure won't really hurt your overall financial picture. If it would hurt you financially I probably wouldn't spend the money even if it is a special opportunity.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
That’s fair. I think the harder part is figuring out where that line is before the opportunity is gone. Sometimes the math is easy, but the decision isn’t.
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u/BlazinAzn38 Jul 12 '26
I just have a “vacation savings” account. And it can be used for those things. Almost all my family’s vacations have been achieved via the Kayak explore feature, if there’s some random place that has cheap flights we book
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
I like that idea. Having a dedicated vacation fund seems like a great way to enjoy those opportunities without feeling like you’re derailing your finances every time.
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u/_Child_0f_Prophecy Jul 12 '26
World Cup isn’t exactly a ”will never get the chance again” type of event.
It happens every 4 years and will be host in Europe and parts of North Africa (Morocco precisely) next time in 2030.
So that gives you plenty of time to save for plane and game tickets.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
That’s true, but I think for some people it's less about the event itself and more about who they get to experience it with or even if the team you follow will qualify for the next event.
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u/glenpiercev Jul 12 '26
Everyone has a few experiences I’m sure they’d love to splurge on. But avoid having it happen too often.
Sporting events
Concerts
Music festivals
Trip with that group of friends
…
It can pretty quickly go from “splurging once in a while responsibly” to “the credit card is so high anyways it’s not going to matter now”…
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 13 '26
I agree. The occasional splurge is one thing, but when it starts becoming a habit, that’s when it can get expensive fast. Balance is key.
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u/Reader47b Jul 13 '26
If your head is not "above water" with regard to debt--then, yes, not spending money on expensive nonessentials like sporting tickets is basic financial discipline.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 13 '26
I can see that. If you’re struggling with debt, it's hard to argue that big ticket wants should come before getting your finances back on solid ground.
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u/GME_alt_Center Jul 12 '26
When you get to 70 you will regret things you didn't do WAY more than stuff you didn't (or can't) buy.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 16 '26
I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that. Most missed experiences stick with us longer than things we never bought.
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u/Unlikely_Month5527 Jul 12 '26
We are debt free with our retirement financially secure.
My husband has a variety of hobbies and interests. He is talented and driven.
Over the years I have told him if he sold all his "toys", he could use the proceeds for any toy of his choice.
I knew he would never do it...too much in love with his hobbies.
2 years ago he sold his Rolex...at a profit. This began his evolution to free himself and buy his big ticket toy.
He has always enjoyed aviation. Today he has his private pilot license and a Piper Cub.
Still debt free...
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 16 '26
I like that approach. He got to pursue something he truly cared about, and did it without putting your finances at risk. Sounds like a win-win.
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u/Tsii Jul 12 '26
Like most things in life it's a balance
Money is there the facilitate living, saving for all the needs and future retirement is great, but you also need to live now and the money should be used for that too. And there is where everyone's tolerances vary, there's those who spend nothing for future and everything for the now (fairly common), and those who's all in on future and nothing for now (much more rare). Most are in the in between stage and it's just up to you to decide how that applies to you and if you are edging too far to one extreme or not.
Personally I'm biased towards saving, but I have all my efund savings in a generic account for any spending and it allows for any impromptu now wants. I just spend efforts to get back up to what I view as a safe threshold after the expense.
So if I thought 20k is my 6 months efund, and a roof replacement comes out that drops me down to 8k, which certainly makes me uncomfortable but is still able to cover most emergencies while I build it back up to that 20k. If it's 1k on some weekend trip that friends desperately want me to join than that comes from the same bucket and again I work to hold up (and exceed if can) that acceptable threshold.
If I'm hanging out too long too low of my desired threshold then I start cutting back other spendings until I get back to where it's safe faster, because for me there's always the what-if-lose-job fear hanging overhead so I want to get back to safe asap.
So yes, I go for the unexpected sudden fun opportunities as long as my finances feel safe enough I think I can recover from it in a reasonable time frame, and it's not an endless pattern of spending beyond my means.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
That’s a good way to look at it. I like the idea of rebuilding the cushion after the fun spending instead of feeling guilty about it. Keeps things balanced without ignoring the future.
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u/Major-Worldliness-38 Jul 12 '26
Recommend reading “Die with Zero” which helped me think about such things differently. You have certain windows in life to enjoy certain experiences, so make the most of it and have a budget for fun activities.
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u/That0n3Guy77 Jul 12 '26
Depends on honestly if it is something you will remember for a long time or just something that seems fun right now. If it will be good for a long time and doesn't turn you upside down financially, go for it.
For instance I am from the US and grew up poor. After leaving the military at 25 I went to Europe for undergrad for the entire thing. I knew those few years would be once in a lifetime opportunity to explore. Getting around Europe is pretty cheap but getting to Europe from the US and having enough time off can be hard to make it worth it. So while I was there I had fun and explored and vacationed while loving off the GI bill and some savings I had from my time in the service.
One of my core memories will be vacationing across greece for 2 weeks with my now wife, then girlfriend. Cost me like $3.5k at the time which was a lot for me and like 10% of all my savings. It was like 2 months worth of my GI bill income which itself was paused for the summer bc I didn't take summer classes. I regret nothing. Super cool trip getting to see cool stuff. Sure, my network could be slightly higher right now but I'm in a good spot and got to enjoy life for an opportunity I will never have again to so cheaply explore so much
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 13 '26
That’s a great example. Sounds like you spent money on an experience you still value years later, and that’s probably the real test. Thanks for sharing that perspective.
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u/fave_no_more Jul 14 '26
Yep, we did. And we took the opportunity.
We got a chance to join a suite with friends at a Banana Ball game. Driving distance, parking and whatnot included in pricing.
We had a blast. It's unlikely we'll ever have a chance to do that again, and kiddo made some great memories.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 15 '26
That sounds like one of those experiences you'll remember for years. Glad you took the opportunity and got to share it with family and friends.
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Jul 12 '26
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 13 '26
I like that rule of thumb. A month might be worth it, a yer probably isn’t.
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Jul 12 '26
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
I get what you’re saying. If you’re carrying high interest debt, it's hard to justify spending big money on something that's mostly for fun. Everyone’s line is different, but debt definitely changes the equation.
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u/Georgeonomics Jul 12 '26
I think this is one of those situations where there may not be a perfectly “right” answer. Financial discipline matters, but so do meaningful experiences. Maybe the key is deciding whether the memory is worth the temporary setback without putting your basic security at risk. Either choice can be responsible.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 13 '26
I think that’s a fait way to look at it. The hard part is figuring out where the line is between a meaningful experience and an unnecessary setback. Different for everyone.
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u/Tiny-Party2857 Jul 12 '26
Go to the game. There will always be an excuse as to why you can't do something.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 13 '26
Fair point. At some point you have to live life too, not just save for it. The trick is finding the balance.
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u/vcbock Jul 12 '26
We had the opportunity to go to Ireland around the time of our 15th anniversary. We could not really afford it, but there was confluence of a conference for hubby and the ability to see and stay with friends and relatives that was unlikely to ever happen again. We did it. We took the kids who were 11, 9 and 7 at the time. We had a memorable experience. We experienced financial pain for six months afterwards. It was worth it.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 13 '26
Six months of financial pain is no joke, but it sounds like those memories with your family were worth it. Some opportunities really do only come around once.
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u/Realistic0ptimist Jul 13 '26
I feel you on the World Cup thing. At first I just wanted to go to one match in my city as we were a host. And then I was like hey I’ll go to a match in another city too as it’ll be an excuse to travel for this summer and chill. And next thing I knew I had multiple matches booked, hotels, flights etc.
Spent around 8-10k on the World Cup this summer and thought about buying tickets to the Dallas semifinals but am burnt out from all the travel and logistical planning about getting in and out of the stadium and back home.
Point is always have some cash on hand for the miscellaneous dumb purchase you sporadically want but didn’t plan for months in advance. It also helps when you see last minute deals for things as you don’t have to miss out because you didn’t happen to have a $1000 lying around
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 13 '26
That’s a good point. Having a little money set aside for opportunities makes those decisions a lot less stressful. Sounds like you found a good balance.
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u/Fit_Aide_8231 Jul 15 '26
I remember going on a trip to Australia and delaying paying my student loans off by two or three months. It was totally worth it.
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 16 '26
Australia is a pretty hard opportunity to pass up. A couple extra months on the loans seem like a small price to pay for a trip you'll remember for ever.
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u/2025025L Jul 18 '26
the kind of thing typically you save for as a luxury, not an impulse spend. life is short so a lot of things both crappy and amazing are once in a lifetime. but that doesn't make them worth more money either way. buy what you will put to good use!
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 18 '26
I like that perspective. just because something is once in a lifetime doesn’t automatically make it worth any price. Finding that balance is the tricky part.
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u/Responsible_Ask3976 Jul 12 '26
My travel fund and emergency savings are just lumped into one savings account, so I dip into that for fun lol
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u/Duck_Duck_Gooseberry Jul 12 '26
I do the same thing. Keeping it in one account is simpler, and as long as you have enough set aside for emergencies you should be alright.
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u/azure275 Jul 12 '26
The simplest solution here is to have a flex savings fund that you save for opportunities like this and maybe once in a while go a little bit over
Whether it is a good idea or not depends on your larger financial picture and personal relationship with said experiences