When is it time to treat yourself? [Reinvest VS Spend profit]

[Mike Hasson]

Hi BP Fam!

I've hit a dilemma that I'm sure many others encounter at some point in their investing careers, and figured this would be a fun topic to discuss.

So I've been working my a** of for at least 15 years as a chef, working 10+ hour days, 6-7 days per week, and EVERY weekend and holiday. Thankfully I eventually learned about wealth (Thanks, Kiyosaki) and started to set (and achieve) some bigger financial goals. So I spent the next few years learning, and reading, and improving my credit, and paying off debts, and increasing my income, and eventually, years later, I bought a house! I then spent the next two years rehabbing it, and am currently selling it for a nice profit (just accepted an offer this morning!)

I have a plan to take that profit to less expensive market (Columbus, OH) and use it as seed money to start investing/rehabbing full time. In addition, I can also use the profit to pay off all my debts and my car, and then buy a house cash (with the same plan of rehabbing it and selling for a profit). Fortunately, I have a bit of passive income already from another investment that covers my day to day expenses. Essentially at this point all my financial needs will be met and I not longer HAVE to work those 10+ hour days, nights, weekends, and holidays just to survive - so I feel tempted to take an extended vacation and just kind reflect on my accomplishments so far, take some time to enjoy life a bit, maybe find some new hobbies (which would undoubtedly cut into my profits a bit). 

So here's my dilemma - and it might just be because all I know at this point is work - is that it feels kind of lazy; like I should stay on the hustle; like I still have more work to do before I can really enjoy the life I want to live. I'm still a long way off from my end game plan. I kind of feel like I should stay on the grind and not slow down, especially since I'm finally getting somewhere. But I'm also tired, and my bones hurt from exhaustion, and I don't even remember how to have fun anymore. I don't want to succumb to laziness but I also don't want to be a slave to my schedule anymore. What to do...

So have any of you had a similar struggle with feeling guilty about treating yourself? How did you navigate it? And would you have done anything differently looking back?

[Nathan Gesner]

It's a common mistake to start rewarding yourself too early.

I started investing in 2016. I took every dime my investments earned and put them right back into renovations, repairs, and other expenses or I saved them up for the next investment. I didn't splurge on anything large. We took a family vacation here and there and we don't pinch pennies, but we were essentially doing that from our W-2 income so we could maximize investment dollars.

In December 2020 I reached a net worth of about $2 million, had almost $200,000 in the bank, rentals were grossing almost $20,000 a month, and no debt. My CPA was looking for more write-offs and suggested a company vehicle, so I splurged on a new truck. Three months later, I regretted the decision because someone dinged my door and I realized I could have had the same tax benefits with a used vehicle for half the price.

Long story short, I think you should continue sacrificing until you've reached your goal. You can have little rewards along the way, like an extra vacation or a nicer vacation, but I wouldn't start spending like a millionaire until you're a millionaire. Even then, purchasing "stuff" isn't as rewarding as one might think.