We buy nice cars and homes because that is where we spend most of our time…in our home and in our car. Same logic we used in not buying a vacation home – we’d spend very little time there for the $$ it would cost us.
We don’t care what others think of our home or cars. We like them and that’s all that matters. They make us smile when we use them and are very fitting for our lifestyle.
Weekends are made to be out and about, so we left enough budget so we can do that. That’s the main reason we didn’t make ourselves house poor and buy a big place in RSF or Carlsbad or Encinitas. No, we bought a few miles inland in a nice quiet off the beaten path neighborhood where we can get away from everything and relax. And still have enough money to play.