Mike retired in 2016 with a saver's mindset. Ten years later, his charitable giving, family spending, and home upgrades have all grown. He calls it value spending for happiness.
Alpha Score of 55 reflects moderate overall profile with weak momentum, weak value, strong quality, moderate sentiment.
Mike, the blogger behind ESI Money, retired in 2016. Ten years later, he says the math has finally won the argument. His portfolio has compounded. His Earn pillar still provides a margin of safety. The bigger shift, he wrote in a recent post, is in his mindset: from frugality for the sake of freedom to value spending for the sake of happiness.
He laid out 10 categories where his spending has intentionally increased since 2016. The list includes eating out, subscriptions, charitable giving, wardrobe upgrades, home renovations, landscaping, transfers to adult children, Christmas gifts, small daily acts of giving, and medical insurance. In each case, Mike argues, the extra money buys time, connection, or peace of mind.
A decade ago, he said, he viewed every dollar as a soldier that needed to be protected and invested. His wife, he joked, could stretch a penny into a quarter. That mindset lingered into early retirement. He price-matched groceries, second-guessed premium oil changes, and lived as if one bad month could force him back to work.
The turning point came partly from the Millionaire Money Mentors, a group he consults. When he complained about a breakfast sandwich price rising from $6.25 to $6.99, they told him to stop worrying about 74 cents a day. He began to see that the Save pillar has a shelf life. Its purpose is to get you to the summit, he wrote. Once you are at the top, continuing to save at the same rate slows you down.
He distinguishes value spending from lifestyle creep. Lifestyle creep is spending money to impress people you do not like, he said. Value spending is spending money to improve the lives of the people you do like.
The largest line item in his budget is charitable giving. He and his wife are in the final year of a five-year plan to give away $100,000 a year. That is their biggest expense, larger than taxes. He said the psychological high from making a significant contribution without checking the bank balance first is unmatched.
Transfers to adult children have also grown. He calls it a warm hand inheritance. Instead of waiting until he is 90 to give his kids money when they are 60 and financially stable, he is helping now with house down payments and a car. He wants to see the impact of his success in real time.
Small giving has become a new category. He looks for micro-opportunities to bless people he encounters daily: a $20 tip for a hotel shuttle driver, a $100 bill for a waitress, a $25 Amazon gift card for lifeguards and YMCA employees. These acts keep the scarcity mindset at bay, he said.
Medical insurance costs have risen as his wife transitioned to Medicare. Between Part B premiums, IRMAA surcharges, a Medigap plan, and Part D drug coverage, they are spending significantly more than the roughly $500 a month they paid for a healthcare sharing ministry. He calls it a success tax that comes with a high net worth retirement.
He also spends more on landscaping and tree services. His house sits in a wooded area of North Carolina where the town is 50% covered by tree canopy. He now pays professionals to handle the heavy lifting, preserving his back and his Saturday mornings.
Home upgrades have shifted from resale-focused to enjoyment-focused. He has installed new flooring, fresh paint, redesigned the garage, and painted kitchen cabinets. The peace of waking up in a space he loves is worth more than any potential equity loss, he said.
Subscriptions are another category where he went from minimalist to maximalist. Ten years ago he prided himself on the basic version of everything. Now he pays for services that save time or reduce frustration. He views time in retirement as his most precious asset.
Eating out and grilling have become a tool for family connection. He spends $100 on steaks for a Saturday grill session that draws his daughter and son-in-law for a several-hour visit. The money is an investment in memories, not just calories.
Christmas spending has also climbed. Instead of staying within a tight budget, he now buys fewer gifts and writes larger checks. He gave $25 Amazon gift cards to lifeguards and YMCA employees this year.
Mike acknowledged that his 2026 budget looks very different from his 2016 one. A younger version of himself might have been terrified of lifestyle creep. He argues the goal was never to see how little he could live on. The goal was to buy back his life. Now that he has the time, he said, he is using his money to make that time as rich, connected, and significant as possible.
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