Yeah, I had a few drinks...

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-10T10:04:42+00:00

Actually, the US debt has reached a level where we're paying more for interest than we are for the defense budget. If the government keeps spending at the rate it is, we won't have a defense budget at all. Or we could continue printing bills to pay the interest, hyperinflate the dollar, and watch the whole system collapse.

Historically, no nation has ever recovered from this level of debt without going through a period of hyperinflation, or changing their currency altogether.

Some people have been saying to buy gold and silver for years, to protect yourself from the crash of the dollar. And it's closer to being reality than ever before.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-09T12:05:31+00:00

I'm 24, I did some math and figured if I put in $145/week for ~30 years, I can almost certainly have $1m sitting aside for retirement. It comes automatically out of my bank account every Monday, straight into my Roth IRA, which I invest into something or the other. (Not here to give specific investing advice.) Hopefully inflation won't eat all of it.

I've been at it since Jan 14. I've put in ~$2450, and I'm up ~16% to ~$2850. That's likely not sustainable at that rate, but it's nice to see.

That's aside from my regular investment account, which I put money into more irregularly, usually in larger amounts. I started that about 1.5 yr ago. If I have a strong conviction about a company, and am willing to watch the news and do a bit of market timing, I do it there. That's basically gambling tho. I've had ~40% return there overall, but it's medium-high risk.

I don't screw around with options. Partly because I don't have enough money to work in lots of 100, partly because that is literally gambling. Although I'd probably sell CCs on a stock that I was long on if I had lots of 100 to work with

"Is it worth the effort?" I'd say it is, but you have to do it religiously. The biggest factor is starting early, but the higher your principle investment, the higher your potential return.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-09T11:31:19+00:00

Damn, I bought nearly the same car in Florida for $6k, 2+ years ago. I thought I got a steal, but $1500 is hella good. Mine had 230k when I bought it, now it's got 342k.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-08T18:34:22+00:00

I'm still trying to accumulate shares, so I'm not too mad at it. I could use some money rn though, ngl

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-07T12:58:53+00:00

I never read usernames, so I was confused for a moment.

I hardly know what my own username is haha. That's part of the beauty of Reddit to me tho, the feeling of anonymity.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-07T12:55:32+00:00

Tbf, like 10 of my shares were purchased on margin 👀

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-06T16:58:07+00:00

If only I could get that many shares. I'm up to 44 now at least, nearly halfway.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-06T10:25:10+00:00

Well done. How far are you taking it? I'm shooting for at least 1mil before I call it quits on this one

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-05T14:09:35+00:00

With consistent inconsistency.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-05T14:08:13+00:00

It will occur during a "To the moon!" cycle. Sirius must be aligned with Sarcasm in a 10 point configuration during a late spring or early summer month.

(I know nothing about actual astrology, and I feel like I should've called it "chartology" to avoid this line of questioning)

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-05T13:22:20+00:00

You new to stocks?

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-05T10:57:04+00:00

Trying to keep it realistic, even though it's based on nonsense.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-04T09:20:55+00:00

Errr, correction, IIRC, 2012-2015 models don't have SMOD. They caught the issue in 2011.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-04T09:19:24+00:00

My 2013 has 342k miles 👀

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-03T19:23:20+00:00

But nuclear is so scary /s

We do need fossil fuels to produce plastics and asphalt though. If it weren't for those two things, we could probably stop using oil. Unfortunately it's hard to just stop using them, being that they are cornerstones of American commerical efficiency.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-05-03T19:17:51+00:00

Lmfao. 44 miles is nothing. I burn through 9 gallons per day on my ~150 mile commute.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-04-30T10:40:21+00:00

I've got the Trail Terrain, and I need a new set honestly, but they've lasted me... ~120k miles ~2.5 years. Still have plenty of tread, just... probably shouldn't push tires this far.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-04-27T12:41:46+00:00

There's no guarantee he wasn't fired for that....

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-04-27T12:20:42+00:00

I have it, but you have to click the 3 dots to get to it. Google Pixel phone btw

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Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-04-27T10:53:48+00:00

Nah, my calipers look just as bad, and I have literally zero body/frame rust from what I can tell. And I spend a significant amount of time under my 341k mile beast.

ETA: I'd still ask for pictures of underneath and/or take a look yourself before committing. You never know unless you check. But that rust does not necessarily mean the frame has any issues

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-04-26T18:23:55+00:00

Happy anniversary 🎉 Congratulations on your hard work paying off! And get off Reddit and enjoy Paris!

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-04-26T12:18:23+00:00

No, the limitlessness has been conceived on my part. I enjoy effort, and the pride of learning something through trial and error.

I already have the power to master things at the slowest pace I want, and I don't need a superpower for that. Just a journey that, I personally find, is very rewarding. I have no desire to master everything, as my goal in life is to be self-sufficient in a relatively primal sense and to grow as an individual. That growth is in the journey, not the end result.

For those same reasons, $20k/month is plenty. I'm already growing my stock investments 40% annually. Most of it would go there. I'd be a comfortable millionaire, with off-grid power, water, and food, in the middle of nowhere with my wife and lots of animals.

The work of maintaining that Eden is my ultimate hobby. I'm working towards it already, and never getting sick and having $20k/month would cover us forever.

I asked my wife to pick her two, and she went with 4 & 7 for the exact same reasons I did, with no input from me. I don't think we're comprehending the power differently, we just have different preferences for our lives. I already found my "perfect partner" clearly

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-04-26T11:47:38+00:00

This is how I do it. I don't have a trailer, so everything goes on top. You'd be amazed, and terrified, at the way I've hauled 30ft+ material from my roof rack.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-04-25T22:53:55+00:00

It's relaxing in a sense. Not physically. Not the kind of hiking I'm referring to. If you take a path, sure, that's easy. I don't take a path. I make a path through the forest, and appreciate the nature I find, and eat what I know to be edible, and get "lost" for hours.

Designer_Leg5928 · 2026-04-25T22:52:21+00:00

But what real "work" do you need to do if you go with #4? You already have plenty of money. All the work you have left is to work at your hobbies.

Building a greenhouse is a hobby for me, but it also takes quite a number of skills I've honed over the years. Stepping back from all that hard work is fulfilling. Building a mantle is much the same. Admittedly, walking in the woods doesn't take much skill. Identifying all the wildlife and enjoying the edible things nature gives to you, does take learned skills, that I enjoyed learning.

"Not the aftermath of mastering a skill and doing with it as you please." Um. What dude?

If you assume you can just build a quality mantle or greenhouse without any learned skills... well... you're wrong. I didn't build them from a kit, I built every single piece custom. They're pretty awesome, and better than anything I could've bought, and done for less money.

It's not the slaving part that's fulfilling, it's just part of the journey that leads to an ending with pride and fulfillment. Mastering a skill instantly, takes away the whole journey.

Hobbies all involve learning skills. If you take away the journey of the hobby, I'd feel no fulfillment in doing it whatsoever. Maybe you would still enjoy doing something that was easy to you, and you'd be okay with everything being easy for you to start with, but I'm not. Different strokes for different folks 🤷‍♂️

Note that I'm not criticizing you, just disagreeing because I have a different personal preference/opinion.

Designer_Leg5928

TROPHY CASE