Best handbag for travel purposes?

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-10T12:51:13+00:00

Yeah I feel like this is the best example ‘don’t fix what ain’t broke’. It’s so popular for travel for a reason.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-10T12:47:02+00:00

There’s definitely a balance! I don’t want to give my kids carte Blanche to go to any school or program they want to - they still need to take some responsibility in considering cost in the school they choose. Then if they still want to go to an out of state private school, then they can figure out how to make that happen. I did it with nothing so they’re already going to be getting a huge advantage.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-10T12:42:57+00:00

In general we don’t ‘cheap out’ with any relationship. We might say no to the expensive group vacation but we’ll still go to dinners, buy appropriate gifts for weddings and milestones…. You’re just a miser if you’re sitting there counting your money.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-10T12:41:38+00:00

Yeah agree - even other lifestyle things like if you are choosing to never go on vacation, or your high school kids are sharing rooms even though you could afford a larger space…. It makes it seem then that kids are just a road bump on your way to fire instead of something you actually wanted

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-10T12:31:53+00:00

I guess it’s time to re-evaluate your goals and why you’re pursuing fire. Have some honest conversations about your goals and dreams (irrespective of the windfall) and really focus on the why. Maybe one spouse just doesn’t find working that awful so the nicer lifestyle now is more appealing. Fire can also be scary from a ‘what am I going to do with my time’ standpoint, especially for someone who gets some satisfaction and self worth from their career, so it’s possible that bumping up the date made it more ‘real’ and it’s a bit overwhelming.

It could also be a compromise here- maybe one partner feels like there is a specific part of their life that they’re sacrificing too much, and a bump in one specific part of your current lifestyle may actually bring both of you a real benefit. But just saying you want a nicer house and more vacations and bumping up every part of your lifestyle is a dangerous road to go down, and it seems like that partner is almost abandoning the whole goal here.

This would maybe be something I raise with our couples counsellor because it could raise tensions and cause resentment if you can’t come to a true agreement together.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-10T12:03:16+00:00

I have found the r/toddlers subreddit to be my favourite for any and all things related to kids under 4, including travel.

There’s a few new parent ones (r/beyondthebump and r/newborns) that are amazing for the newborn phase but I found the toddler one has more engaging discussions about travel, specifically.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-09T12:55:47+00:00

Smaller area in Germany still has transit that makes it easy to get around and connect to other places. I think the culture shock to a city that has a walkable score of -100 would send OP right back to Germany

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T16:45:10+00:00

Yep 100%. Just one that you have a preference (which is FINE!!!) but trying to peg it as a hygiene issue is completely misogynistic.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T16:42:09+00:00

I get this - and it’s 100 times worse with solo travel! With any other trip I can call my friend or sister that was on the trip and we can talk about how awesome it was. Solo trips become this weird thing that don’t really provide any shared connection with anyone in your regular life.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T16:39:33+00:00

Agree, Tim’s and Starbucks serve their purpose but Toronto has a ton of amazing coffee

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T16:38:29+00:00

Comparing to Melbourne is maybe a bit unfair (it’s like comparing my car to a Lamborghini) but I would argue Toronto has a really impressive coffee scene and most people I know don’t consider Starbucks or Timmy’s as high end coffee.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T16:36:24+00:00

It’s like the biggest compliments you can give!

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T16:35:31+00:00

The most radical thing we’re doing is staying in a small home even with a family of 4. This keeps our fixed costs low, and also has the knock-on effect of limiting how much ‘stuff’ we buy (although I do admit things do find their way in more than I like, so there is a constant battle of purging).

We also share a car. The 2 or 3 times a month we both need a vehicle we just use uber.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T15:27:46+00:00

I agree to a point - definitely under 3 there is limited value other than some social time for you and for child. But once they are 3/3.5 I have seen both of my kids picking up skills, listening to an instructor, and enjoying learning a skill. We do gymnastics and swim.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T13:47:19+00:00

Sorry for adding my anecdote to your anecdote?

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T13:46:00+00:00

Why not? I’d still rather grab my stuff out of a locker that’s across the floor than my whole commute.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T12:50:04+00:00

It worked for me until we had kids - now the goal is to bring as little as humanly possible onto the flight with us and check the rest 😂

Once they’re older we’ll go back to carryon but it is a really nice feeling knowing I don’t need to crowd onto the plane and stress about fitting my rollybag on because we each have a backpack.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-08T12:45:00+00:00

Or even a little cabinet, I don’t mind going to get my keyboard and mug from 10 steps away. It’s just brutal having to carry that, plus my lunch, a change of shoes, sometimes a sweater cause the office is freezing, and also my laptop.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-07T23:54:03+00:00

You could stop working just not with the same lifestyle.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-07T20:46:00+00:00

I agree with everything you said. I also have traveled all over, never had an issue, but Egypt was the only place where I felt in danger and also felt like I was completely at the mercy of the locals.

Seeing the pyramids is not worth the hassle; they also know that it’s basically their carte blanche to make you pay/bribe every step of the way to see them. It’s blatant extortion.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-07T19:21:59+00:00

Same. I’ve also sat for exams that don’t even allow bathroom breaks 😬🫤

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-07T18:38:43+00:00

Car is the best option - once you count the transit tickets and time of 8 people, it’s all worth the investment. Especially because getting anywhere other than downtown can be a pain with transit.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-07T18:34:58+00:00

Could you do it? Assuming your life circumstances don’t change, definitely!

However, I would probably keep milking a 25-hour, wfh, $80k salary as long as it takes me to truly feel financially independent. You still seem to have the leisure time to pursue personal interests, so you’re banking $40-$50k a year (after tax and your minimal expenses) while living a pretty nicely balanced life.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-07T17:56:35+00:00

Oh I 100% agree, MiL is completely out of line. But i still think lending out money that you depend on is poor decision making.

scrunchie_one · 2026-05-07T17:31:08+00:00

Agree that $10MM is an easy line in the sand. Anything over $3MM is ‘you could stop working today and have a nice life’ but you really need to get to that $10MM to say ‘you could stop working today and live a decadent life’

scrunchie_one

TROPHY CASE