Our washing machine has started making a noise that sounds like someone put a handful of coins inside it, except there are definitely no coins. Repair guy said it could keep working for another month or another 3 years, which was very helpful lol. Repair would be around $350 and a decent replacement is about $900.

We have enough money to replace it, but it feels wasteful getting rid of something that technically still works. At the same time, waiting until it dies probably means buying whatever is available that day, paying for rushed delivery and possibly spending a weekend at the laundromat.

Do you guys replace aging appliances once they start showing signs or squeeze every last load out of them?

Granted, I live in a very expensive area so that probably skews what I see. However, I feel like I’m seeing so many SAHMs post about how they’re trying to become content creators so they can continue to stay home with their kids. It’ll be blatant (e.g. I need to make $x per month to stay home with my kids so please watch and interact with my video). I also see a lot of posts about SAHMs with young kids asking for leads on WFH jobs that are flexible enough so that they can take care of their kids too.

It feels like the uptick happened really quickly. I’m not sure if it’s my algorithm or if this is something I’m going to look back on in 10+ years and be like “there were clear signs the economy was in the trash.” Basically wondering if this is like the “stripper index.”

And yes, I’m fully aware this economy is awful and things are expensive. I’m just curious if others are noticing it or if it’s just my social media. Also curious what other subtle signs you are all seeing.

Wanted to add - a dealership near me started advertising that first time car buyers can qualify for downpayment assistance and I immediately thought this was another thing I’d look back on and be like “there were signs.”

You’ve all seen it on Reddit. “What’s the worse financial decision you can make?” A thousand regurgitated replies saying buying a boat. “Bust out another thousand”… “the best day in a man’s life is when he buys a boat and second when he sells it”….”don’t buy a boat if you can’t afford to light money on fire”…”the best boat is your friends boat”

Okay I get these are just funny sayings. But I stg the people saying that crap have never owned a boat and only repeating what they hear online.

There was a post on PF 3 weeks ago from a guy asking if he could afford a financed 35k boat. The TLDR was that his HHI was 230k, heavily contributing to retirements, net worth of 400k and they were only 29 years old. Majority of the comments said he couldn’t afford it. Like LOL are you kidding me. Another very popular sentiment in that thread was that if you have to finance a toy, you can’t afford it. I get that that’s very sound advice, but there’s plenty of instances where I can say that logic doesn’t apply. There was also comments like “I wouldn’t buy the boat until I have my excess cash in these 8 money vehicles first, then you can think about the boat.” Then it got a handful of likes. Like it’s such a circle jerk

Anyways, I agree that boats can be extremely expensive but they certainly don’t have to be. A family buying a used $15k-20k (think 15 year old bow rider lake boat for the sake of an argument) that was decently maintained could last them decades with proper maintenance. And if the owners are at least a little handy, maintenance does not have to be expensive if you DIY.

My take on boats is this, if you’re a person or family who has been boating with friends a few times and then said “this is fun we should buy one” then I generally agree that with those subs advice. A newbie is unaware of all the costs that add up. Especially if you’re not handy, have a place to store it, while not being fully immersed with the lifestyle yet. However on the flip side, for those people who live on the water, no amount of expenses could make me hate it. I look at every expense as an investment for memories and experiences with my friends and family.

Sorry for the long post I’m horrible at condensing my thoughts and tend to over-explain.

TLDR: boats can be very expensive but don’t have to be. A 15k purchase doesn’t ruin your future. Owning a boat isn’t for everyone. Finance subs are helpful to an extent but they get ridiculous