I was in San Diego for the first time last week.
It’s a beautiful city. You can see why people are willing to spend a lot of money on housing.
Michael and I were in town to record a live podcast at Torrey Pines.1 It’s a lovely golf course where Tiger Woods won the 2008 US Open.
It seems to take your breath away.
Someone asked me if I would play golf.
I don’t.
When I saw a course like this, I wanted to do what I did. I know a lot of people who love games. I understand why they do that. You’ll become outside. Being better is a challenge. You can spend quality time with friends and family. The beer on hole 19 is probably quite refreshing.
But golf is also expensive. It’s a big time commitment. Plus, it requires a lot of practice. I had no patience with it.2
So I don’t spend any money on golf.
Am I missing it?
Some people will say yes, but life is about trade-offs.
I have kids who play sports. I like to spend time on the lake during the summer. Golf simply doesn’t fit our lifestyle and is too late to give it a try anyway.
No one has it all. I think it’s good to have some difficult rules about what you don’t spend and don’t.
Here are a few other things I don’t spend money on:
Starbucks. There is no benchmo karate with a pump of 15 syrup for me – I have not had any coffee yet.
Expensive haircuts. My wife always gives me Flaks for getting a relatively inexpensive haircut.
If they don’t look good, they will grow in a few days. I shorten my hair and cut it once every 3-4 weeks.
You don’t need a stylist that costs a lot of money.
High-end liquor. I have friends who enjoy first-class bourbon and tequila. I would not refuse it if it was served, but I don’t have a great liquor taste.
I’m a simple guy with a simple taste.
Scuba diving. I tried it once on my high school vacation. I didn’t like pressure. Plus, I read Shadow Diver. No, not for me.
Expensive sunglasses. It’s not worth spending indecent amounts on the colours as you end up losing or breaking them anyway.
My kids sit on them, drop them on the lake, and bend them in ways that aren’t supposed to be bent, so I buy multiple cheap sunglasses to back up.
The same rules apply to watches. I don’t have a Rolex.
Hedge fund. I know there’s a great hedge fund there, but I’m subscribing to the Raydario line There are 8,000 planes in the air and 100 good pilots.
The fees are too high, illiquid, the taxes are inefficient, and you cannot choose a good pilot in advance.
Luxurious bed sheets. I’m sure I can claim that a 600 count sheet makes all the difference, but Amazon sheets do the trick for me.
Middle-aged dad’s shoes. Sorry, but it doesn’t exist in Cloud, Hoka, or White New Balance Shoes. I’m a middle-aged dad and refuse to let my footwear show it.
I don’t care how comfortable they are.
Luxury car. As for the vehicle, it’s a Ford rather than a Ferrari.
Maybe I will one day experience a midlife crisis and get a Porsche, but I doubt it. I like high quality cars, but that’s more about going from A to B than a luxurious ride.
I don’t judge the people who share this list and spend their time on these things.
Expense priorities are personal.
There are so many things I love to spend on, including shoes, jeans, travel, books, streaming services, swimsuits and more. Hawaiian shirtworkout gear, experience, etc.
When it comes to your finances, there is a liberation that limits yourself when defining things that don’t spend money, don’t invest, don’t pay attention, or waste time is often more important than what you participate in.
Prioritization is one of the best ways to enjoy both and Save money.
Read more:
Limiting yourself
1It should come out as a podcast in a few weeks.
2If it’s part of the reason I’ve never taken, I’m because it’s so bad. It was an annoying game and I had no temperament for it. Apparently the buying and retention mentality has not been translated into golf.
