all this talk of debt/no debt/what to spend a grand on/what bike…needing nowt?

forum seems to be more full of debt/no debt talk…what to spend x amount on/ what bike to buy.

has anyone got to the stage where there is nothing you want or need? where all the bases seem covered for the type of riding you do or for the lifestyle that you need.

new clothing has no interest, cars are a bore, not into flash foreign travel. don’t spend much on dining out or boozing.

life does seem a lot more simple tho………. 😆

Yes, I have enough bikes, gadgets etc. and no interest in cars, and yet I always seem to need more money. I have children…

I gave got pretty much everything I want, with no debt other than a mortgage.
I remember spending hours poring over magazines and catalogues as a kid dreaming of having enough money to buy stuff, I have somehow managed to sate that childhood desire as I approach middle age.
Being childless probably helps, and I will exempt coats/jackets from the above statement as you can never have enough of them. I just live a nice new soft shell!

Me. I often see things that I think look nice but have reached a point where i ask myself whether it’ll improve my life in any way and 99% of the time the answer to that is no.

I’ve got perfectly good bikes, a car that runs well, house that couldn’t be drastically improved upon without moving to a completely different area etc.

Yeah pretty content here, i have four bikes but two of them never get used so i might sell them and build something else, or not, maybe.
Not into cars so not going to spend any money there. I’m not into clothes / fashion so i only get new stuff when the stuff i have now wears out. I have a couple of computers, and unless they burst into flames or something there’s no need to replace them for the forseeable future.

Pretty much in honesty. I have a KTM 690 that’s immaculate, a Yamaha R1 that looks brand new, a Spearfish for FS and a Charge Cooker for HT. I’ve got a Civic to get to the office and a job that’s laid back. I’ve got a lovely wife, a wonderful son, it honestly doesn’t get any better.
I’ve booked 6 trackdays on the bikes recently and finished off my garage with a new workbench… it’s all good 🙂

Yes.

I’m sure I wanted things more when I couldn’t afford them or could only just afford them than now they wouldn’t make a noticeable difference to the numbers on bank statements.

Bigger house? We like this one and there will only be two of us in it before long.
Car? Got one.
Bikes? Got too many.
Guitars and amps? Scope for a little more self indulgence – must pace myself.
Consumer goods? Invent something I want to buy please oh purveyors of shiny tat.
Holidays? Everyday, cost not really a worry. But I really haven’t found anywhere I’m happier than here, and here I’m not a tourist in some tourist-infested, disease-ridden, too-hot-too-cold-too-humid-too…, must-post-on-facebook, simply-amazing, wish-you-were-here (but that would ruin everything) alternative part of the planet.

Ton how recently were you a serial bike swapper?

Yep, I’m quite contented with life and all it’s offered so far.

Still time for some surprises, too.

Edit : Haven’t clicked on any of the “debt” threads – they hold no interest. 🙂

Ton how recently were you a serial bike swapper?

about 5 years ago AL, when i got poorly with my ticker, why?

I’d quite like a new bike, but certainly don’t ‘need’ one. A general apathy towards the whole buying things idea means I don’t make much effort to really look for one (my thread on here died a quick death with very little interest! 😆 ). I actually feel quite guilty if I do buy something for myself; I always feel the money could have gone to something more important for someone else. My wife is delighted that she was able to find a few pairs of jeans in charity shops recently. A recent rough totting up of our normal weekly expenditure revealed we really don’t spend an awful lot compared to a lot of other people.

“has anyone got to the stage where there is nothing you want or need?”

A fairer and more just society would be great. Sadly unlikely to happen in our lifetime at least. 🙁

A new pair of walking shoes would be quite nice. My current ones leak.

Ton I’m sort of with you on this as a philosophy but there’s a lot of us on here and no one is likely to start a thread that s titled “I have all I want so please don’t recommend me anything”

For that reason (like stories of common problems with cars) you only see part of the population. There will be loads of us out there (me most of the time) who aren’t lusting after new gear.

I have been fannying around thinking about a new car for a few months as mine is starting to feel a bit knackered and I could benefit from an auto as I’m starting to suffer discomfort in heavy traffic. I know I should probably just do it for the sake of my comfort and sanity rather than new car lust.

The issue is I don’t want to part with the cash because I can’t really be bothered with nice cars anymore. BUT I have probably started 3 what car threads this year (sorry!) While I try and work out what I might do.

Edit last year I got my first whole new bike since 2004. It’s lovely and is definitely making some of my riding more enjoyable.

At the risk of going off on a tangent, how many of you lot in this thread think that you may have depression?

Would spending your money on a biking holiday make you happy Ton?

I need nothing to be honest. I started saving lately instead of spending. I’m quite firmly middle aged I have amassed enough toys to keep most people happy. Money helps but as I get older I realise its not the be-all I used to think it was when I was young & skint.
I suspect I need nothing more because of my mind set, not because of my financial position.

Tom

I think most were saying they’ve got a few toys but aren’t endlessly buying crap to feel better.

Unless you mean you think the disinterest in stuff vs experiences is a sign of depression?

Disinterest in everything – depression
Disinterest in stuff – might be healthier actually

Or did I miss the point of your post? Quite possible.

Just getting the impression some of you have the blues, yeah I asked about biking holidays as a way to explore that.

I would say that if you’re feeling disinterested in both, maybe there is something going on. Again, it was a bit of a tangent.

If I stopped enjoying new shiny bike bits – I think it would indicate that something was wrong. It’s not so much having the next big thing or feel that it would improve my riding, it’s more that I just love bits of engineering. Then again, I’m the kind of person that would love to be given any bit of engineering – eg bits off an old aeroplane. Things like that make me happy, either trying to work out where they fit in the grand scheme of things – or stripping them and seeing how they work.

People post on here when they want advice on what to buy. Not many will be posting about not buying things.

Debt is a concern of many. Realising you are not alone or that others have managed to work through it is probably some comfort.

It’s like the news, mostly bad, some good stuff but nothing about how life today just went on as normal for the vast majority.

I’m done spending, for now.

But I’m a serial tyres buyer, four sets in the last 2 weeks.. Of different types, for different conditions and all for the CXer..

I think I’m over compensating for other areas in my life 😆

Yep

Always better to spend money on experiences

I want to be rich.

I’m not rich.

I also want a new Ferrari.

Got to work smart or try anyway.

Me. I’m a bugger to buy pressies for at Xmas & birthdays. I have everything I need, in some cases two or more thereof (bikes, cars, drums, cymbals, guitars etc)
I did get the foreign travel bug last year but I’ve scaled back on that a bit as while I’m away, I’m not earning. Long weekends in a five-week month seems to be the way to go when contracting

I find myself buying less stuff “just ‘cos I fancy it” as I get older. I might buy the odd pair of nice moleskin trousers.

I want to be rich.

I’m not rich.

I also want a new Ferrari.

Got to work smart or try anyway.

You know what they say, go big or go home.

If I’m going to spend 9+ hours of my day away from home surrounded by dickheads I wouldn’t normally associate myself with – I want to earn lots for it.

There’s only one thing a man can do – find something that’s his, and make an island for himself.” – in my case, I want a literal island. Nothing else will do.

“If I’m going to spend 9+ hours of my day away from home surrounded by dickheads I wouldn’t normally associate myself with – I want to earn lots for it.”

Life’s too short to waste it in the company of people you despise. Better to enjoy it in the company of those you like, for less material reward.

Life’s too short to waste it in the company of people you despise. Better to enjoy it in the company of those you like, for less material reward.

There seems a very low correlation between this thread and the multiple depression ones. One of the keys to happiness is being content with with your lot in life. If you think your partner is a great person and a great shag, the cup of life is always at least half full and you aren’t worried what your neighbours are driving; there’s not a lot to get depressed about.

ton – Member
Ton how recently were you a serial bike swapper?
about 5 years ago AL, when i got poorly with my ticker, why?

You’ve forgotten? You seem to be questioning people doing exactly the same.

Tons a good guy, I don’t think he deserves being cross questioned as though we’re actually in Prinz-Albrecht-Straße No.8

You’re looking for an argument where there is none, cynic-al.

You seem to be questioning people doing exactly the same.

no AL, far from that. just asking, if anyone like myself has finally got to the stage where they no longer need to buy things to please themselves.

it was enjoyable, having a very expendable income to spaff it away on any bike i fancied trying….and as you very well know, i tried more than most on here. only mama d tried more.
but in the end a bike is just a bike, and to be honest now, any bike is better than non, when you have been in the situation i was. 8)

I’ve got one nice bike, pretty much all the kit I need and some fairly good local routes. Pretty content actually. Yes, of course I’d like a couple more bikes but I wouldn’t ride 3 times as often if I had them.

What I really want is an end to the 9-5 every weekday. I don’t really give a toss about money, rather have time.

I’m really happy. Got a wife, 2 kids, all the bikes I want, all the things I want and enough money to be happy.

Wouldnt change anything

All I’d like is an extra day at the weekend.
I suppose if I earned enough it could be achievable.
That and a new bike.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/surly-pugsley-fat-bike

😆

Got enough stuff, want more time…

Finally, like minded people! I don’t own a car, i’ve four bikes plus another partial in the shed. Rarely buy clothes as not much fits or looks good on me! I need work on the house but apart from that i’m happy.
To give an example, i wanted a Microsoft Band 2, no real need for it but wanted a techy toy, dithered for a few months then last week dropped £150 on one. I still feel guilty about spending the money on something that won’t really improve my life.
I could buy another sooper dooper bike but the engine is still the same and i doubt the ride would be £££££ better than the pretty good bikes i have now.

As Flap jack said . And better weather , and a few lye-ins would be nice .

Stuff? Meh.

I’ve got a lovely partner, two bikes, a car that does the job (bangernomics FTW!), a roof over my head that’s warm and dry and food in the cupboards, a few races entered for me and a few trackdays for my other half on a bike that’s paid for 😀 Self-employed, too, so no hanging about with arseholes I’d usually cross the road to avoid. Life’s pretty good.

Being content with your lot is a key to happiness. I’d rather like a fairer society and a socialist government though.

Yeah! I’m with flapjack too. Mortgage paid off two weeks ago. Good(ish) job – well paid at least. Looking to declutter rather than acquire more.

More time to ride bikes, climb, cave and shoot would be nice. Pity works asks so much.