If I’m thinking about the future and it’ll take just a minute or two, I’ll do it right then. If it’ll take lots of time I’ll put a task on my calendar for another day and deal with it then, then get back to living my life (well, posting memes, but I didn’t come here to be judged). Now planning has a time but I don’t have to think about it until then.
I treat retirement planning like Ron Popeil’s rotisserie cooker. “You set it, and forget it.” Index funds don’t need to be managed, and recurring transfers can be automated.
Medium term planning follows other people’s advice about normal budgeting, with specific piles for specific things.
Short term is extremely simplified at this point. Spend discretionary dollars at your discretion.
First, I completely agree with your thoughts on retirement savings.
However, that’s far from the only thing in “planning for the future”. The future is also things like:
when/if do I start a family?
should I get additional education to help my career prospects?
should I prioritize time with my elderly family members now at the cost of other opportunities for personal or professional growth?
should I put my efforts into growth for my spouse/child?
There’s no easy answers as many of these are mutually exclusive. It becomes a personal value judgement. You may only find out you made the wrong choice for yourself after you’ve passed the point of making a different choice. Such is life.
From what I’ve read, simply increasing the brightness of your living spaces can help. I’ve got some LED “corn bulbs” in a lamp next to my desk and in the living room. I like the Dragon Light brand.
If you are forced to consuming mostly cheap packaged goods like Hamburger Helper and the like, add the secret spice blend to make it actually have some flavor:
Salt*, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and MSG.
*Check the sodium levels already in the packaged food first; if it’s already high, you can ignore adding more.
These spices are cheap and make everything so much better. Even non-savory stuff sometimes benefits.
Financially I save for a 401K and have the company match it. Then online off of what’s left over.
As far as doing things, we plan for larger vacations and events out 1 year. If it’s a less costly or time consuming thing locally we plan those by the week or month.
We don’t do a lot spur of the moment. Keeps the cost down and we’re busy enough as it is with 3 kids.
Cabbages, dried beans/peas/lentils, and collards. Learn to cook these “poor foods” in ways you like - they are cheap and plentiful and amenable to lots of different methods (cabbage, especially). Extend/bulk all the above with rice, farro, polenta, tortillas, or a solid southern cornbread recipe (not sweet and more cornmeal than flour).
I do both collards and beans in an instant pot (not together, though), which cuts down on mess and time. One of my favorite things to do with cabbage is make Kim chi or sauerkraut. Kraut is easier (and a little cheaper, it’s just cabbage, salt, and time) and opens up a realm of easy Euro-ish meals (kraut, lentils/potatoes, and sausages, for example, is highly economical, tasty, and filling).
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