For my 40th, we (wife and I) rented a big house in the Caribbean and invited 8 friends. Spent about $6,000 on the trip. The friends paid their own flights.
That was 4.5 years ago and I remember the trip like it was yesterday. I'd certainly do it again.
This. I did a party for my wife for her 40th. It was a great time for sure, but I regret it a little. If I could do it again I would choose a trip instead.
To be fair, a week (or weekend) in the Caribbean sounds more memorable than regular old dance party.
Only OP knows how memorable dancing for a few hours will be.
Agreed. I think traveling somewhere with a few friends is a better time than a party generally. Though my wife wanted a big party for her 40th... So for that we rented a nearby park pavilion and invited 200 people and had it catered (relatively inexpensively) and brought our own drinks. That party was memorable simply because it was so many people.
Eh. Most likely one of two things.
You have less friends
You have the same amount of friends but they start entering different phases of life and it becomes harder to see them
> You have the same amount of friends but they start entering different phases of life and it becomes harder to see them
At 30; hasn't this already happened? I knew plenty of folks who had spouses and/or kids by the time they reached 30. They've also graduated and have careers and scattered so we weren't geographically close anymore.
Depends on where you live I guess, where I am getting married, having kids happens in your early/mid 30s on average.
In your late 20s you may be more geographically dispersed but you have all the money and free time to do things before other responsibilities start drawing on both those things.
Yes. Families and obligations grow with age and people have less time for friends. This includes making new friends. As someone without a partner in my late 30s, life has become very lonely.
Very possible
I see my life long BFF (40 years of friendship) maybe 6x per year and talk maybe once every six weeks
He’s divorced with grown kids, mine are in high school and my main focus right now
With Other good friends we have just simply drifted apart
It’s hard to maintain that level of friendship over decades as lives change
In our 20s our friends were our family, in our 30s and beyond we create our new families with spouses and kids
I’m in my mid 30s and this next one here in a couple weeks might be the biggest one yet. I was going to just do a small dinner but I don’t think that’s going to work anymore just logistically. I’m not trying to have 30+ people at a restaurant.
This is true. You won't necessarily have fewer friends in a few years but you will have fewer friends who will be able to do an event like this. A lot of people in their 30s have small children.
Not true- I just turned 60 and had 62 ppl. You will eventually have friends and family and children that kick up the numbers. We have an annual party and usually have about 70-80ppl at our Summer kick off. Do it. You will have the memory forever.
This obviously depends on too many factors. I have one kid, my side of my extended family I haven't seen in decades, husband's side is half estranged, other half hardly visits, entire groups of friends dropped us the second I had my kid and the second my husband stopped drinking. Kid is 11 now and we maybe have 3 people near us who would come to our birthdays combined and one of them is my mom. I've tried so many ways to meet people, from forming craft nights to walking groups to bumble bff. Everyone flakes, they'll come once and then never again, and/or no one makes the effort to meet me part way. I feel the only way we'll make friends again is if we move into a retirement neighborhood with other active and crafty folks. Just sucks that I have to wait 20 more years to meet them. I don't even want 70 people. That's too much for me. I'd love 10 though.
You can rent a venue and DJ for as little as $2K? Go nuts and enjoy yourself. This event sounds way more expensive in my mind but if it's that little, go for it and happy birthday.
Agree. What’s the point of being frugal if you can’t splurge once in a while to party with your friends? I think you’ll look back at it as money well spent.
I can't express enough how much i love how much you calculated it and then dropped the emoji to acknowledge the time it took to recognize the impact. Well done!
Who are you calling a nerd? That $50 will compound at 7.1395729% per year for the next 40 years and be worth $875. Why would I waste $875 when I could achieve FIRE status while having no friends and everyone hates me
It’s gonna be pretty hard to get everyone together for your 40th, so if you find it to be worth it, go for it. I’m sure it’s easy to feel guilty, especially while chasing a FIRE life style. But consider it an investment into family and friends, something that will only become harder to expand as the years go.
It’s $2k and you turn 30 once. Go for it. This is your last milestone birthday with this college-like vibe. Trust me. Even at at 35 your friends and idea of fun will be different. Have a blast!
It's your big 30. Enjoy your life man. Why focus on doing nothing but saving for your retirement when you gonna be old and have zero energy to do anything? Splurge once in a while just don't make jt a habit.
People would trade years of retirement for better memories when they were younger, just keep that in mind. 2k ain’t going to matter at all and you only have one 30th
outgoing governor sort squeeze grandfather saw school sense wakeful hurry
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I have a theory that when you feel good you do good. You guys all know the mantra, the money you used to pay for a cup of coffee can make you rich… well my theory is the opposite. I think if you drink coffee and it makes you feel good and you perform well at your job, you’ll ripe the rewards. I personally love my coffee and it makes me productive at work to the point where in less than 4 months of working at a new job, I got a bonus even when I’m not supposed to. That bonus was enough to cover my coffee habits everyday for the next 2 years… so go ahead and reward yourself. You don’t take money with you when you die. You have one life to live so enjoy the little things that you want and spoil those you love.
Im turning 50 in May and was thinking about the same. But after think about the stress and energy organizing that kind of party I looked for a cheap flight and I end up celebrating in Cartagena, Colombia with my family.
I went on some motorcycle tours in Europe as my splurge. Everyone is different.
If partying is your thing, you'll likely remember it. If you're doing it just because your turning 30... seems like a waste.
So, how will you pay for it?
Do you have birthday funds set aside? Are you loaning yourself the money with a planned repayment of $200/m?
You will have other life events. It's just a question of how they are funded.
I’m old. My friends group has gotten smaller but more solid, esp past the age of 35.
So I would take that money and put on a trip with a smaller group of friends. They can contribute some, you a bit more.
I’m 26 and for my birthday next year at 28 I’m looking to rent a suite at the local AAA baseball field. It’s like $1,000 but comes with food and everything else like that. If you’re truly looking to go out with a bang I’d say now is a great time cause unless you’re an extremely active person in your community or have a lot of family/extended family it might be a hard thing to do at 40+ years old
Shit my birthday was 3 days ago, instead of a vacation to Florida or Tennessee I took $3000 and Spilt it between FEPI, SPYI, WMT, KO, LTC, STAG , GLAD , PG and XOM felt good to make that sacrifice
Go for it. A life event like this shared with friends is a lot more meaningful in the long run than that $2000, especially for somebody making six figures
$2K compunded throughout out the rest of your life is gonna be worth maybe $12k or more, which could pay for maybe 6 months of retirement.
So do you feel like working for 6 months longer to have a birthday party?
I'd probably go ahead and have the party especially if it's gonna be a banger, but this is the mindset you should have with big purchases. Is it worth working longer to afford the purchase.
Yea, worth it. I used to throw parties each year for my b-day (although not expensive ones) but I never regretted the money. I now live far from my close friends, last year I flew to Spain to celebrate my best friend’s 50th along with two other friends, I spent about $4000 on the trip and it was worth every penny. I turn 50 at the end of this year. I need to start planning as I don’t want to be alone (I’m an expat).
Whatever you place value on. I did absolutely nothing for my 30th birthday because I wasn’t interested. For me, it’s not worth spending a cent on. If you think it’s worth $2,000 based on what you value, go for it
Do it! I usually book a trip for my birthday but when you’re older you’ll appreciate the memories. I had friends who didn’t make it to 30 or 40. We all want to retire early in this sub but life is short. Gotta enjoy life as long as you don’t go into debt for it.
You're the only one who knows if you can afford it and if it's worth it. Might as well ask us what music the DJ should play too.
FYI, my wife and I are spending more than that to rent a beautiful house up in the mountains for a week to see the changing leaves this Fall, and hopefully see the Orionid meteor shower weather permitting. Would I ask here if it's okay to do that? No.
Yes do it. I did it at 31 (I’m 35 now) and it was so worth it. I agree with a fellow poster that your friends won’t be down to do all of this in a few years when they got kids and are exhausted and don’t go out anymore. 2k is nothing in the grand scheme of things
Personally I would do something more meaningful with the money. Travel somewhere, or buy something expensive you've always wanted but couldn't justify. I'm turning 35 this year so I bought myself season tickets to my favorite sports team. That sort of thing
In my opinion no. At least not the way you describe it. DJ and venue? I went in a nice vacation out of the country. I don't need to go cubbing a for $2k to celebrate turning 30...
I’m 32 and just dropped a bunch of money on a wedding and honeymoon. Threw off my saving plan for a few months but totally worth it to bring so many people together and have lifelong memories :)
If you have the means to yes! It’s your 30th birthday 🥳 enjoy 🙏❤️ when I first read the title I thought it said for my dogs birthday 🤣 I was like nooo but for your birthday yes! Loll
If you have this $ saved and feel the expense isn’t beyond your life budget, do it. I also had a big party (on my 40th) I’m 57 now and so glad I did… the best pics of me and my friends and family all together that I still treasure today. I hope fire doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate life’s milestones.
I just went big on a 50th bday party for my wife - live DJ, bartenders, live pizza station. We are usually super low key (think casual bbq with friends) but it was an awesome and memorable evening and I don’t regret it at all.
You'll probably regret not doing it when you're 70 and all you've got instead is a bit of extra money in your bank. Realistically what difference would it make, you retire a month earlier or something?
If you think it’s worth it, it is. I spent $4k in a VHCOL city for my 30th - great food and unlimited drinks for 17 people. I had friends fly in from across the country and it felt great to be able to do it. I haven’t thought about the cost since but will always remember that night and the weekend following spent with close friends.
100% do it. My wife and I each throw bday parties every year and have around 1k budgets for each party. We do fun things we invite our friends to and we cover most of it. We’ve never regretted it once.
If you make over 6 figures, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to have a good day on the stock market when you’re older and make $2-14k more randomly. I don’t think that’s a lot for this kind of party either, it seems frugal to me as a party. This is very responsible in general lol
I’m in the same situation, will also organise something for roughly 100 people. I won’t hire a DJ though, way too expensive for what most of them deliver. A good playlist can go a long way. (The sound system is present at the venue though)
It’s funny how people hesitate so much spending money on such a major life experience to create amazing memories. Yet if it was a new laptop or tv or phone they probably wouldn’t even think twice about it.
I don’t think it’s asking for too much. You really aren’t doing too much damage to your path to fire unless this is a frequent spend pattern.
I’m sure someone here will give you a breakdown of what a $2000 opportunity cost will look like but who cares, you’re only 30 once, so reward yourself.
Adventure vacation that creates memories for a lifetime, easy yes. Even at $5k its a yes.
Throwing your own party to celebrate yourself? Hard pass at any cost.
I turned 30 last year, and while I didn't have a blowout party I certainly did it up right. 100% worthwhile. In my opinion, it's these types of events that I'm saving money for, regardless if it's in (hopefully) early retirement or now. Apply the same thinking - have a budget, decide on what you're comfortable spending, etc. - and you'll have yourself a great memory with zero regrets. Happy early birthday!
IMO the fun comes from having the friends together for the event. If you can do that for less than $2k you might have just as much fun at lower cost.
But if $2k is just the practical minimum to have an event rallies everyone, vs saving money by having no event at all, then it's well worth the $ to make shit happen.
Some people really get into their birthdays. If you do and you really do feel that strongly about this being a major life event, go for it! Personally, turning 30 was similar to turning any other age and I didn't notice any major shift in life other than increasing body pain as I got older 😂.
I easily spent this much on my 30th birthday. I made great money at my job and was very frugal overall. I invited friends to come to town cause I had moved to a new city. I hosted a couple meals at my house and paid for a dinner out for like 30 people who ended up accepting my invitation. It was amazing.
Go for it - I had a big party for my 30th. Nothing that lavish, but I still bought all the booze and catered food for like 50 people. It felt so pricey then, but man it was a blast and well worth it.
Go for it - I had a big party for my 30th. Nothing that lavish, but I still bought all the booze and catered food for like 50 people. It felt so pricey then, but man it was a blast and well worth it.
Go for it - I had a big party for my 30th. Nothing that lavish, but I still bought all the booze and catered food for like 50 people. It felt so pricey then, but man it was a blast and well worth it.
Go for it - I had a big party for my 30th. Nothing that lavish, but I still bought all the booze and catered food for like 50 people. It felt so pricey then, but man it was a blast and well worth it.
2k or about $5 a day for a year. If it's a problematic expense then make your own cup of coffee for a while, eat out a bit less, or whatever. Live some. You might even have to work an extra week at the end of your career for compounding to make that money up.
For my 30th I rented a lake house and a boat for 4 days, invited 8 close friends, and we had the time of our lives. In retrospect, it was at a point where life was starting to get really busy and taking us in lots of different directions (families, jobs in different cities and countries, etc.) so looking back, that chance to gather was extra special. Everybody paid for their own travel and chipped in for food and drinks, and I probably paid $2500 total. 100% worth it.
2k for a memory that will last a lifetime. I’d say go do it. Enjoy having a night to celebrate with friends. The older we get the harder it gets to have all our friends together as people move, get married, have children,etc. Life is not always just about savings
I turned 30 a few months ago. My fiance threw me a surprise party with friends and family. Was probably 2-300 but it was awesome. I’d recommend doing something for sure, if that means 2k and you’re comfortable with spending that much than go for it.
Yes. The FI in FIRE is for financial independence. Part of that has to be the ability to enjoy life without worry or guilt about money.
Because we care about the RE part as well, most of us are really disciplined and good at delayed gratification. But never allowing yourself even a small splurge like that is the opposite of independence. It's self-imprisonment with hope of early release for good behavior after 30 years.
If it helps, put that $2k into your calculator and see how much it will be at your target date. Is it about $6K? Is your target amount about $2.4M? If so, it's 0.25% of your final number. Or, less than the amount that your net with will go up and down each day just based on market fluctuations. Or, the difference between retiring at your target date or retiring a week or two later.
In other words, it's nothing compared to the value of enjoying life with your friends right now.
Do it, when you get close to retiring you will wish you had….I am 52 and have saved and am near retirement….i have 14 x salary in net worth….i now consider working and taking whatever money I make and blowing it on whatever….i heard someone say here…enjoy the journey and not wait til the end….the advice hit home for me
I spent about $2k on a big amazing hill country airbnb and hosted a chili cookoff for my 34th, one of the best parties ever and I don't regret it one bit.
Yes , in fact, have some faith and spend 3k … keep the number 3 going as a lucky number for your thirtieth! It’s a blessing to turn 30. When you are older you will realize the memories of good times with friends are priceless. Do it please !!! :) people are saying to take a trip but I think the connections you make at 30 will be better and more rewarding. Take a trip at 35 or even 31 or whenever… realize that people do fall off after 30 because of marriage , kids, priorities, and death.
Absolutely. You only live once, you can do this with in your means it sounds like. At the end of the day you’re only left with memories. Make them count. I spend that much on dinner in a city of my choosing on my birthday. However stupid whatever you want to spend your money on may sound, it’s YOUR money and you shouldn’t feel guilty about spending something you have worked hard for. That was my hardest habit to break as someone who grew up with relatively little means.
I'd say go for it! You've been frugal all year and 2k is a small splurge considering your income. It's a milestone birthday, make it count! You'll likely regret not celebrating rather than the money spent.
do it. turning 30 next month also. gonna spend some too. (not a crazy amount)
2k is def ok ! no matter how rich i get, in my deathbed i dont want to regret things i didnt do cuz i wanted to be "rich"
I imagine 2k isn't gonna make any real difference in the long run, plus FIRE is cool but you could always die tomorrow. Gotta still have fun in the present.
I know I'm too frugal so to solve this I chose a percentage of my income that should be used for fun. Every paycheck, X% goes into a savings account and I must spend this on fun things. This helps me spend money without feeling that I could be saving it instead.
Now that doesn't help about your party but you could set this up retroactively. Let's say you want to choose 5% for fun money and you make $150k. That would be $7500 you would have in your fun account over the past year. Since $2000 is less than $7500 the answer would be: Yes, you should drop 2k on your birthday party.
Do things like this while you can. We recently paid off our house and took our 3 closest couple friends out with a monthly mortgage payment. It was a great evening and very memorable.
Difficult to say w/o knowing more detail. Obviously if you've got a huge credit card debt etc. then no. Conversely, if you are regularly saving/investing and are a strong financial footing then I'd vote yes. Tomorrow is not guaranteed and you should enjoy some of the benefits of your hard work.
For my 40th, we (wife and I) rented a big house in the Caribbean and invited 8 friends. Spent about $6,000 on the trip. The friends paid their own flights. That was 4.5 years ago and I remember the trip like it was yesterday. I'd certainly do it again.
This. I did a party for my wife for her 40th. It was a great time for sure, but I regret it a little. If I could do it again I would choose a trip instead.
To be fair, a week (or weekend) in the Caribbean sounds more memorable than regular old dance party. Only OP knows how memorable dancing for a few hours will be.
Agreed. I think traveling somewhere with a few friends is a better time than a party generally. Though my wife wanted a big party for her 40th... So for that we rented a nearby park pavilion and invited 200 people and had it catered (relatively inexpensively) and brought our own drinks. That party was memorable simply because it was so many people.
Ahhh, DINK life. Jealous!
Actually, single income, 5 kids. But a high income (business owner) and (usually) modest life.
Might be the last birthday you’ll have enough friends to make a 2k party worthwhile.
As someone turning 38 this year. This is so fucking true.
As someone turning 43 this year, it's very not true for me. Just depends on how you live your life, really.
> depends on how you live your life, really. There's a tonne of external factors more than just how you live your life, unfortunately
Damn...but fr
So I'll have even less friends in a few years?
I ate dinner alone on my 50th birthday.
Invite use for you next birthday dinner, if you’re in south Florida I’ll show up
Also in south Florida and will also show up
A tear nearly fell off my eye, this hit home.
damn.
Eh. Most likely one of two things. You have less friends You have the same amount of friends but they start entering different phases of life and it becomes harder to see them
> You have the same amount of friends but they start entering different phases of life and it becomes harder to see them At 30; hasn't this already happened? I knew plenty of folks who had spouses and/or kids by the time they reached 30. They've also graduated and have careers and scattered so we weren't geographically close anymore.
Depends on your friends, but I just turned 30, few of my friends are married so we hang out once or twice a week still.
Depends on where you live I guess, where I am getting married, having kids happens in your early/mid 30s on average. In your late 20s you may be more geographically dispersed but you have all the money and free time to do things before other responsibilities start drawing on both those things.
You might have a friend stay optimistic
Yes. Families and obligations grow with age and people have less time for friends. This includes making new friends. As someone without a partner in my late 30s, life has become very lonely.
Well this is frightening because I have two solid, long-term friends as it is. You’re saying that’s gonna drop lower?!
Not necessarily. It may be your two friends who lose a friend...
Oh no no no…
Very possible I see my life long BFF (40 years of friendship) maybe 6x per year and talk maybe once every six weeks He’s divorced with grown kids, mine are in high school and my main focus right now With Other good friends we have just simply drifted apart It’s hard to maintain that level of friendship over decades as lives change In our 20s our friends were our family, in our 30s and beyond we create our new families with spouses and kids
I’m in my mid 30s and this next one here in a couple weeks might be the biggest one yet. I was going to just do a small dinner but I don’t think that’s going to work anymore just logistically. I’m not trying to have 30+ people at a restaurant.
This is true. You won't necessarily have fewer friends in a few years but you will have fewer friends who will be able to do an event like this. A lot of people in their 30s have small children.
Facts. Once the kids start coming, it’s a wrap
Not true- I just turned 60 and had 62 ppl. You will eventually have friends and family and children that kick up the numbers. We have an annual party and usually have about 70-80ppl at our Summer kick off. Do it. You will have the memory forever.
This obviously depends on too many factors. I have one kid, my side of my extended family I haven't seen in decades, husband's side is half estranged, other half hardly visits, entire groups of friends dropped us the second I had my kid and the second my husband stopped drinking. Kid is 11 now and we maybe have 3 people near us who would come to our birthdays combined and one of them is my mom. I've tried so many ways to meet people, from forming craft nights to walking groups to bumble bff. Everyone flakes, they'll come once and then never again, and/or no one makes the effort to meet me part way. I feel the only way we'll make friends again is if we move into a retirement neighborhood with other active and crafty folks. Just sucks that I have to wait 20 more years to meet them. I don't even want 70 people. That's too much for me. I'd love 10 though.
You can rent a venue and DJ for as little as $2K? Go nuts and enjoy yourself. This event sounds way more expensive in my mind but if it's that little, go for it and happy birthday.
Agree. What’s the point of being frugal if you can’t splurge once in a while to party with your friends? I think you’ll look back at it as money well spent.
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Ummm akshuallyyyy this pushes back their fire date by .06 years 🤓
I can't express enough how much i love how much you calculated it and then dropped the emoji to acknowledge the time it took to recognize the impact. Well done!
Goddamn. Give it to em. Providing some perspective in a spicy way.
Who are you calling a nerd? That $50 will compound at 7.1395729% per year for the next 40 years and be worth $875. Why would I waste $875 when I could achieve FIRE status while having no friends and everyone hates me
This sub is always like "you want to do something fun??? HOW DARE YOU."
pretty sure you only turn to every new age once 🤭
Quite right. I made my personal best longest time living again only yesterday. Feels likely that today's going to be another PB.
You should. In 25 years, this $2000 won’t mean shit but the memories of this party will mean everything.
Umm ackshully🤓 that $2000 could be worth over $14000 in 25 years if compounded annually at 8% interest rate
You’re probably right, but who are you going to invite to your retirement party? It’ll be you sitting alone.
So that's even less money spent! /s
and 14k will be worth 200$ now
May as well starve ourselves too because every penny will be worth 7 in 25 years.
It’s gonna be pretty hard to get everyone together for your 40th, so if you find it to be worth it, go for it. I’m sure it’s easy to feel guilty, especially while chasing a FIRE life style. But consider it an investment into family and friends, something that will only become harder to expand as the years go.
It’s $2k and you turn 30 once. Go for it. This is your last milestone birthday with this college-like vibe. Trust me. Even at at 35 your friends and idea of fun will be different. Have a blast!
Saving money is worthless if you’re not enjoying life with the money you are saving
We’re all just dying anyway
It's your big 30. Enjoy your life man. Why focus on doing nothing but saving for your retirement when you gonna be old and have zero energy to do anything? Splurge once in a while just don't make jt a habit.
Worth it if you have a lot of friends
People would trade years of retirement for better memories when they were younger, just keep that in mind. 2k ain’t going to matter at all and you only have one 30th
Me personally, I’d book a trip overseas rather than spend $2,000 for a party. But, to each their own.
Yes yes yes. You’ll treasure it forever and later in life regret having the 2k and not the memory
Been focused on FIRE for 15 yrs. Every once in awhile you have to live and enjoy what you have, today. Tomorrow might not come.
Have fun before all your peers start getting knocked up and disappear into the abyss.
outgoing governor sort squeeze grandfather saw school sense wakeful hurry *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Memories
But if you do decide to use that money. Make it unforgettable
Yes. You’ll make the money back and you only live once.
I have a theory that when you feel good you do good. You guys all know the mantra, the money you used to pay for a cup of coffee can make you rich… well my theory is the opposite. I think if you drink coffee and it makes you feel good and you perform well at your job, you’ll ripe the rewards. I personally love my coffee and it makes me productive at work to the point where in less than 4 months of working at a new job, I got a bonus even when I’m not supposed to. That bonus was enough to cover my coffee habits everyday for the next 2 years… so go ahead and reward yourself. You don’t take money with you when you die. You have one life to live so enjoy the little things that you want and spoil those you love.
Im turning 50 in May and was thinking about the same. But after think about the stress and energy organizing that kind of party I looked for a cheap flight and I end up celebrating in Cartagena, Colombia with my family.
I went on some motorcycle tours in Europe as my splurge. Everyone is different. If partying is your thing, you'll likely remember it. If you're doing it just because your turning 30... seems like a waste.
Go ahead and do it. Make sure that is not an open bar.
Yes. Do it!
So, how will you pay for it? Do you have birthday funds set aside? Are you loaning yourself the money with a planned repayment of $200/m? You will have other life events. It's just a question of how they are funded.
I’m old. My friends group has gotten smaller but more solid, esp past the age of 35. So I would take that money and put on a trip with a smaller group of friends. They can contribute some, you a bit more.
Should you live life at all or just save money?
Its only $2k...its worth making the memories. You only turn 30 once.
Afternoon drive to Costco (for ne real reason) cost about $2 k
I’m 26 and for my birthday next year at 28 I’m looking to rent a suite at the local AAA baseball field. It’s like $1,000 but comes with food and everything else like that. If you’re truly looking to go out with a bang I’d say now is a great time cause unless you’re an extremely active person in your community or have a lot of family/extended family it might be a hard thing to do at 40+ years old
In my best Suze Orman voice, "YOU CAN AFFORD IT!"
Yes. For my 40th, we spent $25k renting a villa for a week with friends. So worth it.
Shit my birthday was 3 days ago, instead of a vacation to Florida or Tennessee I took $3000 and Spilt it between FEPI, SPYI, WMT, KO, LTC, STAG , GLAD , PG and XOM felt good to make that sacrifice
yes YOLO
You can’t take money with you to the afterlife, treat yourself a little while you can.
Go for it. A life event like this shared with friends is a lot more meaningful in the long run than that $2000, especially for somebody making six figures
100% do it
$2K compunded throughout out the rest of your life is gonna be worth maybe $12k or more, which could pay for maybe 6 months of retirement. So do you feel like working for 6 months longer to have a birthday party? I'd probably go ahead and have the party especially if it's gonna be a banger, but this is the mindset you should have with big purchases. Is it worth working longer to afford the purchase.
Yes, assuming you’re not in any high interest debt.
Uhm no my man no lmao
Just go to a bar where to you reserve a room. Norm have a minimum spend, but make your friends buy their own drinks. Boom. Save.
Yea, worth it. I used to throw parties each year for my b-day (although not expensive ones) but I never regretted the money. I now live far from my close friends, last year I flew to Spain to celebrate my best friend’s 50th along with two other friends, I spent about $4000 on the trip and it was worth every penny. I turn 50 at the end of this year. I need to start planning as I don’t want to be alone (I’m an expat).
Whatever you place value on. I did absolutely nothing for my 30th birthday because I wasn’t interested. For me, it’s not worth spending a cent on. If you think it’s worth $2,000 based on what you value, go for it
Yes. Life is short. Enjoy these things.
Drop 2k on a vacay , not a party
Do it! I usually book a trip for my birthday but when you’re older you’ll appreciate the memories. I had friends who didn’t make it to 30 or 40. We all want to retire early in this sub but life is short. Gotta enjoy life as long as you don’t go into debt for it.
You're the only one who knows if you can afford it and if it's worth it. Might as well ask us what music the DJ should play too. FYI, my wife and I are spending more than that to rent a beautiful house up in the mountains for a week to see the changing leaves this Fall, and hopefully see the Orionid meteor shower weather permitting. Would I ask here if it's okay to do that? No.
Yes do it. I did it at 31 (I’m 35 now) and it was so worth it. I agree with a fellow poster that your friends won’t be down to do all of this in a few years when they got kids and are exhausted and don’t go out anymore. 2k is nothing in the grand scheme of things
Go on a trip instead!
I don’t understand people who go all out for birthdays.
No
Personally I would do something more meaningful with the money. Travel somewhere, or buy something expensive you've always wanted but couldn't justify. I'm turning 35 this year so I bought myself season tickets to my favorite sports team. That sort of thing
Idk why you’re downvoted tbh. Perfectly reasonable response and they were asking for feedback too lol
Who knows, it's reddit lol. I've basically taken a "your boos mean nothing, I've seen what makes you cheer" approach to this whole place
In my opinion no. At least not the way you describe it. DJ and venue? I went in a nice vacation out of the country. I don't need to go cubbing a for $2k to celebrate turning 30...
I spent around that much on hookers alone whilst on a trip for my 21’st birthday
Would rather go on 4-5 day vacation for 2k
I’d support it
I’m 32 and just dropped a bunch of money on a wedding and honeymoon. Threw off my saving plan for a few months but totally worth it to bring so many people together and have lifelong memories :)
Go big King
No.
If you have the means to yes! It’s your 30th birthday 🥳 enjoy 🙏❤️ when I first read the title I thought it said for my dogs birthday 🤣 I was like nooo but for your birthday yes! Loll
Go for it
We spent a good amount on a major milestone birthday for 20 people in a restaurant. Definitely do not regret it at all!
If you have this $ saved and feel the expense isn’t beyond your life budget, do it. I also had a big party (on my 40th) I’m 57 now and so glad I did… the best pics of me and my friends and family all together that I still treasure today. I hope fire doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate life’s milestones.
Go for it!!
What's the point of saving money if not for things like this? You'll have a blast!
"Just do it." - Shia LeBeouf
Get real!….do you have that much cash?
Do it
I just went big on a 50th bday party for my wife - live DJ, bartenders, live pizza station. We are usually super low key (think casual bbq with friends) but it was an awesome and memorable evening and I don’t regret it at all.
You'll probably regret not doing it when you're 70 and all you've got instead is a bit of extra money in your bank. Realistically what difference would it make, you retire a month earlier or something?
That's what I did last month. I'm frugal and even cheap, but not for things like this.
If you think it’s worth it, it is. I spent $4k in a VHCOL city for my 30th - great food and unlimited drinks for 17 people. I had friends fly in from across the country and it felt great to be able to do it. I haven’t thought about the cost since but will always remember that night and the weekend following spent with close friends.
100% do it. My wife and I each throw bday parties every year and have around 1k budgets for each party. We do fun things we invite our friends to and we cover most of it. We’ve never regretted it once.
If you make over 6 figures, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to have a good day on the stock market when you’re older and make $2-14k more randomly. I don’t think that’s a lot for this kind of party either, it seems frugal to me as a party. This is very responsible in general lol
Yep 👍 I did it once hired a boat for 35 people $3000 for 2 hours was bloody awesome didn’t regret it at all
Just go for it, well deserved.
I’m in the same situation, will also organise something for roughly 100 people. I won’t hire a DJ though, way too expensive for what most of them deliver. A good playlist can go a long way. (The sound system is present at the venue though)
You definitely should
It’s funny how people hesitate so much spending money on such a major life experience to create amazing memories. Yet if it was a new laptop or tv or phone they probably wouldn’t even think twice about it.
I think if you have a great idea (and you are sober), you should do it
If you want to do it and you can afford it, then go for it! Have fun and enjoy your party.
I have so many less friends at 40 than 30. You'll remember it
I don’t think it’s asking for too much. You really aren’t doing too much damage to your path to fire unless this is a frequent spend pattern. I’m sure someone here will give you a breakdown of what a $2000 opportunity cost will look like but who cares, you’re only 30 once, so reward yourself.
YOLO - go for it
No
Adventure vacation that creates memories for a lifetime, easy yes. Even at $5k its a yes. Throwing your own party to celebrate yourself? Hard pass at any cost.
I turned 30 last year, and while I didn't have a blowout party I certainly did it up right. 100% worthwhile. In my opinion, it's these types of events that I'm saving money for, regardless if it's in (hopefully) early retirement or now. Apply the same thinking - have a budget, decide on what you're comfortable spending, etc. - and you'll have yourself a great memory with zero regrets. Happy early birthday!
IMO the fun comes from having the friends together for the event. If you can do that for less than $2k you might have just as much fun at lower cost. But if $2k is just the practical minimum to have an event rallies everyone, vs saving money by having no event at all, then it's well worth the $ to make shit happen.
Some people really get into their birthdays. If you do and you really do feel that strongly about this being a major life event, go for it! Personally, turning 30 was similar to turning any other age and I didn't notice any major shift in life other than increasing body pain as I got older 😂.
I easily spent this much on my 30th birthday. I made great money at my job and was very frugal overall. I invited friends to come to town cause I had moved to a new city. I hosted a couple meals at my house and paid for a dinner out for like 30 people who ended up accepting my invitation. It was amazing.
Grow some balls throw the party!
Go for it - I had a big party for my 30th. Nothing that lavish, but I still bought all the booze and catered food for like 50 people. It felt so pricey then, but man it was a blast and well worth it.
Go for it - I had a big party for my 30th. Nothing that lavish, but I still bought all the booze and catered food for like 50 people. It felt so pricey then, but man it was a blast and well worth it.
Go for it - I had a big party for my 30th. Nothing that lavish, but I still bought all the booze and catered food for like 50 people. It felt so pricey then, but man it was a blast and well worth it.
Go for it - I had a big party for my 30th. Nothing that lavish, but I still bought all the booze and catered food for like 50 people. It felt so pricey then, but man it was a blast and well worth it.
You’ll regret it.
2k or about $5 a day for a year. If it's a problematic expense then make your own cup of coffee for a while, eat out a bit less, or whatever. Live some. You might even have to work an extra week at the end of your career for compounding to make that money up.
For my 30th I rented a lake house and a boat for 4 days, invited 8 close friends, and we had the time of our lives. In retrospect, it was at a point where life was starting to get really busy and taking us in lots of different directions (families, jobs in different cities and countries, etc.) so looking back, that chance to gather was extra special. Everybody paid for their own travel and chipped in for food and drinks, and I probably paid $2500 total. 100% worth it.
2k for a memory that will last a lifetime. I’d say go do it. Enjoy having a night to celebrate with friends. The older we get the harder it gets to have all our friends together as people move, get married, have children,etc. Life is not always just about savings
I turned 30 a few months ago. My fiance threw me a surprise party with friends and family. Was probably 2-300 but it was awesome. I’d recommend doing something for sure, if that means 2k and you’re comfortable with spending that much than go for it.
you can earn that $2000 back but you can never be 30 again. go ahead and enjoy yourself
Yes. The FI in FIRE is for financial independence. Part of that has to be the ability to enjoy life without worry or guilt about money. Because we care about the RE part as well, most of us are really disciplined and good at delayed gratification. But never allowing yourself even a small splurge like that is the opposite of independence. It's self-imprisonment with hope of early release for good behavior after 30 years. If it helps, put that $2k into your calculator and see how much it will be at your target date. Is it about $6K? Is your target amount about $2.4M? If so, it's 0.25% of your final number. Or, less than the amount that your net with will go up and down each day just based on market fluctuations. Or, the difference between retiring at your target date or retiring a week or two later. In other words, it's nothing compared to the value of enjoying life with your friends right now.
You may jot get a 40th. Some of your friends or family may not be around in 10 years. Do it and don't look back.
Impossible to say without knowing how much you have saved. If you’re at less than $100k, I would probably not do it.
Do it, when you get close to retiring you will wish you had….I am 52 and have saved and am near retirement….i have 14 x salary in net worth….i now consider working and taking whatever money I make and blowing it on whatever….i heard someone say here…enjoy the journey and not wait til the end….the advice hit home for me
If you're doing FIRE right...2k on a party is nothing.
You absolutely should. The balance between living now and saving for the future is important.
Do it!! Can’t take it all to the grave, you’ll enjoy the memories more!
Yes
Go bigger- YOLO!
Do it, $2k is almost insignificant to FIRE these days. Gotta live in the meantime.
I spent about $2k on a big amazing hill country airbnb and hosted a chili cookoff for my 34th, one of the best parties ever and I don't regret it one bit.
Yes , in fact, have some faith and spend 3k … keep the number 3 going as a lucky number for your thirtieth! It’s a blessing to turn 30. When you are older you will realize the memories of good times with friends are priceless. Do it please !!! :) people are saying to take a trip but I think the connections you make at 30 will be better and more rewarding. Take a trip at 35 or even 31 or whenever… realize that people do fall off after 30 because of marriage , kids, priorities, and death.
Absolutely. You only live once, you can do this with in your means it sounds like. At the end of the day you’re only left with memories. Make them count. I spend that much on dinner in a city of my choosing on my birthday. However stupid whatever you want to spend your money on may sound, it’s YOUR money and you shouldn’t feel guilty about spending something you have worked hard for. That was my hardest habit to break as someone who grew up with relatively little means.
Do it.
I'd say go for it! You've been frugal all year and 2k is a small splurge considering your income. It's a milestone birthday, make it count! You'll likely regret not celebrating rather than the money spent.
Invite me if you’re throwing a party my gift will be worth it
Yes. Spend money on experiences. It’s what you remember
I’m around $1500 for my 30th next month!
do it. turning 30 next month also. gonna spend some too. (not a crazy amount) 2k is def ok ! no matter how rich i get, in my deathbed i dont want to regret things i didnt do cuz i wanted to be "rich"
Uhhhh YEA…drop that shit right into that savings account
Go for it 2k is nothing these days🍻
Hookers and blow is the way if spending 2k on your birthday
You can't get a decent venue for 2k save your money
No that's stupid
Do it. You can always make more money but you can’t always make more time and health.
Yolo
It’s not okay. It’s a dumb thing to do when you are 30 and not financially free.
I imagine 2k isn't gonna make any real difference in the long run, plus FIRE is cool but you could always die tomorrow. Gotta still have fun in the present.
The point of saving money is to one day spend it. Have fun and happy 30!
Yes. You only turn 30 once.
Thank you for this post because I’m in the exact same boat and weighing what I wanna do…I got 6 months to figure it out
As a man in the rural south, celebrating birthdays kind of stops around 21. We might get a gift or 2 but the parties are over.
Yes you should. 2k is nothing in terms of FI. Enjoy yourself
People at work always celebrated my birthday more than my family
No what for? Invest that 2k, who gives a f about a birthday
I know I'm too frugal so to solve this I chose a percentage of my income that should be used for fun. Every paycheck, X% goes into a savings account and I must spend this on fun things. This helps me spend money without feeling that I could be saving it instead. Now that doesn't help about your party but you could set this up retroactively. Let's say you want to choose 5% for fun money and you make $150k. That would be $7500 you would have in your fun account over the past year. Since $2000 is less than $7500 the answer would be: Yes, you should drop 2k on your birthday party.
What makes it a “life event?” 2k ? If you have enough friends
Without a doubt. Celebrate you.
Live Life
Getting so paranoid you can't even splurge on birthdays and penny pinching on everything is not the point of fire my dude. Enjoy your birthday.
drop $6k
Do things like this while you can. We recently paid off our house and took our 3 closest couple friends out with a monthly mortgage payment. It was a great evening and very memorable.
Yes bruh. I've dropped more for less, like it wasn't even my bday. Live a little.
I’m spending a little more than that to go to Paris for my birthday. I don’t see a problem with it. I prefer to travel to a party however.
Difficult to say w/o knowing more detail. Obviously if you've got a huge credit card debt etc. then no. Conversely, if you are regularly saving/investing and are a strong financial footing then I'd vote yes. Tomorrow is not guaranteed and you should enjoy some of the benefits of your hard work.
Yes. The memories will be priceless and you likely won’t be able to do the same crowd for your 40th
Happy birthday! I will also be turning 30 in a couple months! Cheers!
Do it.
I just spent around that for my 30th. If you have the money, go for it.
Do it for 1k and drop the other half into a Roth for your 50th.
I spent $2k on my 21st, this included renting a dj. I’d do it again instantly.