Toothpaste tablets. Why would I buy them? Given that I'll be flying to Hawaii soon, the less I have to put in a special liquids bag, the easier my trip through the security checkpoint will be. This is only one of the purchases I've been making lately, as I have to prepare for travel in a way I haven't done in over a decade.
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Lately, I've been buying things such as auto-on, rechargeable motion sensitive night lights, a cruise power strip (no surge protection), a clear sling bag (for use at Pearl Harbor), and a selfie stick (for taking pictures of me on my upcoming trip.). I would never have bothered buying much of this stuff had I not been planning on a trip to Hawaii. Given that I will likely be doing more travel in retirement than I did beforehand, I will be fleshing out an appropriate travel kit, something that can last me from 2 to 20 days as needed.
I understand how easy it was for my wife to become a spending addict. Click on an item you want, and "by magic" it appears by your door. You do not handle "real money". Instead, you authorize a debit to your account (which you must fund), and lose the tactile feedback that paying with cash provides. It is much easier to know that you are spending too much when you both see and feel less cash in your wallet.
Part of my spending spree has been to replace both a 20" carry-on suitcase and a 28" suitcase. It cost 75% more than I planned, but I wanted to get something that would last a decade or two. I'm grateful to be able to do this, as I have a decent amount of money in my bank account from 40 years in the work force. (If I didn't also have a good 401k and pension, I'd be in very bad shape right now.) But this spending can't last. Right now, my 401k is down 30% from its high point, and the yearly distribution I was planning on taking may need to be reduced. I want to preserve as much capital as possible for now, and still want to enjoy living my current life of leisure.
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Last night, I met up with a transgender person for dinner. If I weren't lucky enough to have been employed by a top-10 bank for 30 years, I might not have had the discretionary cash to afford this dinner. I also might not have had the cash to have afforded the voice training, laser treatment and second wardrobe I need to go about in the world as Marian, some of that wardrobe coming from Amazon itself. I only wonder what my late wife would have thought of the way I live my life today.
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