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What do you want out of it? Owning adds responsibilities and costs. If you don’t have a reason to own other than you can, why take on those responsibilities and costs?
Owning a property is not just an investment, not just not paying rent, but a commitment. Some of us consider it well worth it. Some of us even like that part of it. But consider whether that’s you
just buy what would make you happy / comfortable
It sounds like op doesn't know what they want. Ultimately, OP, I think you have to figure out that question.
When was the last time you were consistently happy? Are there any people in your lives of whom you'd wish to trade places?
I never compare myself to others. Interesting question. So no. Consistently happy? No, lifelong depression, the goal here is avoidance of misery, happiness is not an option.
If you're depressed, avoid impoverished neighborhoods (i.e. shitty flats). Poverty is depressing, and as elitist as that might sound, it's fucking true.
Go get yourself a flat in a bougie neighborhood, somewhere walkable, with plenty of greenspace, well-maintained infrastructure, and happy neighbors.
You might still be depressed, but it'll be magnitudes less than if you move into the cheapest place you can find.
Ok then, skip Happiness for now, can you come up with anything that would feel meaningful? I do think you could benefit from therapy either way and/or anti-depreccent. There is no shame in needing a little help in your life. I've Been on anti-depreccent about 10-yeara and just recently stopped. It really helped me through a couple of difficult years, that and just talking to someone has made a huge difference. All love.
Im on anti depressants my friend :) yay drugs! It has improved things. Meaningful? I don't even know what that means.
Ok forget meaning and happiness. Let's talk utilitarian. What living space would best fit what you need? If you don't need much, tuck most of that money in a relatively safe investment and buy whatever you could pay off the quickest. Life is long, you're going to need that money someday.
How many bedrooms do I need to be a cat lady? Maybe I can find meaning here.. I'm thinking 2, the second one is an extra 80k or so.
Then go for 2 ☺️ the extra bedroom can be split usage, maybe a spare bedroom for guests, a playroom for the cats, and a small home office. We have 3 cats and they definitely brighten the day. Wish you the best!
Does traveling make you happy?
Hiking to a clear mountain view is one great way to start feeling better
Or idk, buy a sweet car and rent a circuit track to race it on. Maybe you'll meet friends. Thats what id do.
Get a hobby that you are passionate about. All that money should disappear relatively quickly
Hi stupid but have money, I'm dad
Fuck. I'm smart and broke
If you were smart you'd just pull yourself up by the bootstraps.
The secret ingredient, is crime.
(You could easily run for office and abandon all yout morals... accept bribes, get rich)
To me the most important thing is your living situation.
Fuck living in an irritating situation that’s just not worth anything.
Dude I'm almost 50 and only rented. Irritating living situation is the norm for me. Saving 3k per month is kinda fun.
It is. Keep at it then. Until you have enough to retire anyway.
Yyou know the score, You have to decide what matters to you. I was always able to save as much money as I wanted and live the lifestyle I wanted.
I’ve made career choices that have cost me money so I could have a better quality of life. I figured out long ago that if I don’t have a good quality of life or a quality of life that is to My llevel of satisfaction, then there ain’t no fucking point in all of it.
buy shitty flat, wait a few years and pay down the loan as if the interest rate is and extra 2%, in a year or 2 sell the shitty flat and buy a better one. rinse and repeat
Welcome to the property ladder.
The shitty flats have been the same price for a decade, plus the goal here is to stop moving. I've rented too many places, just want a home.
You interested in home improvement? Buy the shitty flat, slowly fix it up the way you like, and if you ever decide to sell, it'll likely be worth a little more.
Yeah! Capitalize on housing! This is normal!
It depends on your needs. I’m in the same boat, and for now, I’m investing because I ran the numbers and decided my combination of factors (local real estate market, level of commitment to this location, job security) means I’m better off with market risk and renting.
I can totally be wrong. The future is uncertain. I decided that’s the risk I prefer over the risk of stagnant home values.
Still this is a very personal decision. I’d choose between a basic but solid flat vs. investing in other ways, but don’t buy real estate to invest IMHO you do it because it suits your lifestyle first, and only after that, as an investment.
As for your mental health struggles, I can only offer empathy. I’m not smart enough emotionally to help you there.
If you have a place to store your stuff, maybe look at other countries. Living in America was very depressing.
If all goes to hell in the way you're describing, that number in your bank account will do nothing for you. You could, as another comment suggested, get into prepping as your hobby but just based on this post I'm thinking if shit truly "went down" I imagine you don't really want to stick around for it.
For that reason I think you should get something you can afford, and keep some money around for exploring new hobbies. That will remove the irritation of renting but you'll be responsible for everything which could be a new set of irritations. You have, as you say, no desire to do anything. I don't know how you pass time now but to me, that means you should try new things and see if they stick.
Go for a couple hikes, take some pictures while you're there (especially if it's in nature, like a forest). Try playing some video games, read some interesting books, cook a few more intricate meals. Start learning another language. Try something creative like writing, you don't have to share it after or try to make money from it, just doing it to do it. It doesn't really matter, just if you think of an activity you haven't tried recently, give it a shot and if you like it keep going.
Not every day all the time, but maybe a day or two a week you attempt something. Even if that doesn't necessarily help, at least it keeps things interesting. All I'm getting at is "Number goes up" hasn't worked so far, so try something else. And so what if all goes to hell, when it does would you rather be right and have done nothing because it didn't matter or would you rather have enjoyed a few things in the meantime?
You're a good person Bongles. Number goes up is my security blanket but you are right about trying things. Poverty makes me dull and I've trained myself to do nothing and spend nothing. I do cook though so that's something.
Joy doesn't require skill. Have a go at loads of things, even stuff you might not think is you. You just might find something great to anchor to.
Learn to cook every style of cuisine, you can easily afford vanilla, lol. I mean the real whole beans that are like $30 a bean.
Buy land from the lunar embassy. Guaranteed to go to the moon!
In the bank? Whatever you do, don't keep six figure numbers on your bank account. Either invest it in ETF index funds or buy something fun or useful.
I sold my etf last week. Maybe I should buy again. I'm supposed to buy a place to live though. Apparently that takes a lot of work and research and you have to hire multiple people to check that the other people aren't lying too much and I'm tired. Buy shitty flat or buy nice flat?
Are there any decent flats? So a slight upgrade but won't cause you to go broke over time
No hope.
Weird thing to say. If you were looking purely for financial advice, that's one thing. But if you have no hope, then I don't see the point in having good finances.
if it all goes to hell then does it matter?
Again, weird thing to say.
Of course, this is no stupid questions, so you can ask whatever you want. But imo, we need a lot more context to help you, and your actual problem has little to do with where you live
Talk to a financial advisor. The moment I was making more money than i knew how to confidently manage myself, i talked to a financial advisor and it was one of the better decisions i've made. Now i know exactly what i can spend on what and still be saving what i need to.
Well id plan a little bit for things to go to shit, but also have some fun. This world won't last and we could be in ww3 tomorrow or wiped out by a global disease next year.
If that doesnt happen, you should buy some assets like a paid off house so when the economy crashes you won't be homeless. Money don't mean shit when a wheelbarrow of dollar bills buys you 1 potato.
I'd buy the shitty flat.
You're 50. You don't know how long you'll be able to work to pay off the expensive flat, nor do you know what needs you'll have as you get older. You can buy the shitty flat, pay it off quickly, and you'll own it. If you lose your job, you won't be evicted for not paying rent. Depending on where you live, you'll still have condo fees, property taxes, or whatever, but you'll still have more leverage and leeway than simply being a tenant.
Don't just grab any shitty flat; think of what you want now, and what you'll need as you age. You may not still be in the same flat 10 or 20 years from now, but make that assumption and plan with that in mind. I don't know what you want now (lots of kids vs no kids around, etc), but some things to think of as you age:
Probably other stuff as well, those are just the first things I thought of.
If I were in that situation I would buy a shitty flat, pay it off, then spend as little time there as possible while traveling the world. Maybe have some passive income from the flat by renting it out. Not having kids to worry about would make all that a lot simpler.
But you should do what makes you happy. Try not to worry too much about the future and enjoy what you have now.
Im leaning towards this but the thing is that I don't actually want to do anything. I have no desires aside from sit on couch and drink. There is nothing I enjoy aside from food and booze. I can do whatever I want, I'm incredibly lucky, and I just want to be be unconscious.
Maybe some of your money would be well spent on therapy and/or antidepressants.
Yes, a lot of things suck in the world right now, but there are a lot of great things when you look at the micro level—unless you have depression. And that’s the strong vibe I’m getting from your comments. Therapy isn’t a total fix and finding the right drugs can be a pain, but they can both make a significant difference over time.
I have antidepressants and you're not wrong. I was also poor for a long time and convinced myself that I dont actually need anything that costs money. Hence the 6 figure bank account.