CAlexio

this thread is regarding the OP's question. If you have something personal which is bothering you please send me a message and I will try to make you feel better. Alternatively, please enlighten myself and others here as to why you feel the need to call others names.. what exactly have I said to upset you?

If I nailed your reaction because you also have trouble making more than $35k, it's just a matter of trying harder.. getting upset at others won't do you any good will it? If you'd like, I do have a few basic equity-investing strategies I would be happy to share with you, which while not fool-proof, are generally a good starting point for a mock-portfolio to practice on, before you invest hard-earned money. Not sure about the psychology career, but you really should look into why some hard-truths make you react this way... taking a good assessment of oneself is sometimes painful but good medicine.

now, please.. lets contribute to this thread positively, lets get fragile ego out of the way ok? ;-)

TheLastTemplar

Why do you and others view minimalists as hippies or weed smokers. Not me, and not from many blog sites I have visited to somewhat adopt this philosophy. I have gotten a lot of material things and am even considering selling my movie collection and go Netflix, to reduce physical clutter.

I think the fact I ONLY want one sports car, a 996 Carrera 2, and one bike, is very basic and not overly materialistic. That is TWO physical items. I don't care for large homes, or boats, or anything extravagant.

TheLastTemplar

Thanks for having my back Sue.

And for the record guys, I have made Kijiji postings for services like painting and yardwork-- got a few replies, but replying back I hear nothing.

I was much better at this 2 years ago. I made around $2000, by working pretty hard from Kijiji ads, but I have no luck this year. Too many folks offering services on Kijiji, some whom are registered in the city to actually run a business.

leejo

I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, but I still think you don't earn enough to own a 911, pay the insurance on a 911, maintain a 911, AND have anything left for everything that will come flying at you from every direction the instant you buy one. All these people saying go for it, assuming you're a mechanic, assume you already own all the tools - do you own all the tools you'll need? Do you have a place to store them?

If you are committed to this course of action, then really think it through. Put together a budget and make it detailed. Be sure to include insurance for your new sports car, 20-something driver, and budget out all the equipment you'll need to maintain and repair your car. If you'll need to rent a storage unit to store all that stuff, include that expense. Factor in some random uninsured person slamming into it every couple of years. Factor in one of your teeth breaking in half - insurance usually caps dental at $1000 and you sail right past that if you need a root canal and a crown. Plan on getting one of those in the next 5 years.

Stuff is going to happen to you. It's going to come from all directions and you won't see it until it's on top of you. A terrific book, The Black Swan, makes a compelling case that humans are pretty hard-wired to suck at predicting risks' probability, but we're pretty good at calculating the results of that risk occurring. Right now you are hard-wired to discount the probability of lots of expensive possibilities. It takes a long time and a lot of training for most people to learn to stop trying to imagine away risk and instead start planning for it. So my suggestion is to make a budget that assumes several bad/expensive things happen over the next several years and do the math - can you afford a 911? There are lots of opinions here, including mine, but only you can truly answer that question, so do the work and answer it. But don't kid yourself and don't take shortcuts, really crank out that budget and look at what it tells you.

TheLastTemplar

Leejo, I only plan on doing the most basic things like fluid and oil changes and minor stuff like this. Any thing and everything else will be brought to a reliable, indie shop--never a dealership, especially a Porsche dealership.

Never taken into account the other risks and things like root canals and such.

I am a minimalist, so I really don't care too much about money. Like I said before, a wise minimalist said; money is an illusion, and the only reason it exists is because people want it to exist-- they believe in money. It takes two though in order for money to work/exist.

I would still believe that money is all a facade, but knowing how the world I live in work, I will try and save more of it up. Afterall, money is what stands in my way of having my own 996 and bike.

leejo

Reminds me of an old Woody Allen line - maybe the universe doesn't really exist, but it's still the only place you can get a decent steak. Maybe money is an illusion, but as illusions go, it's a pretty handy one.

It also reminds me of a line from The Jerk - I don't care about losing all the money. It's losing all the stuff.

In any case, good luck! Keep in mind that people sometimes change their opinions about things like minimalism over time. Maybe this will happen to you. There is a chance that you will meet someone and make a baby and suddenly your priorities will change. It's not a bad policy to hedge your bets - keep something back in case you're wrong, you change your mind, or a new opportunity you haven't considered presents itself.

And it's not as if the choice is between a 911 or driving an old Yugo. Have you driven a BMW 3-series? You could probably get into one of those and plan for a 911 some day but still be a few steps away from the razor's-edge. There are lots of fun cars out there. Keep your eye on that prize, though!