Homer, HGP Watches, and $18.21 Trillion in Debt

Good morning {{first_name|Reader}}.

You're trying to figure out how to live well without going broke. How to give your kids experiences without financing your life. How to enjoy things now without sacrificing your future.

I'm trying to figure out the same thing. This newsletter is changing format to help both of us think it through.

New structure: O.W.N.

Shorter. Faster. More useful. Let me know if you like it. 👇

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You just got back from a trip with your family. Maybe it was expensive. Maybe you're wondering if you should have spent the money. Maybe you're carrying a balance on your credit card and feeling guilty about it.

Here's what most people do: they splurge constantly, then wonder why they can't save. Weekend trips. Eating out every meal. Hotels. Experiences. All financed. All the time.

Then they feel stuck. Because they can't afford the life they're living, but they also can't stop living it.

There's another way.

Save constantly. Splurge intentionally.

We just got back from Homer, Alaska. Five days, four nights. VRBO on top of a mountain overlooking the water. Chartered a boat. Ate out wherever the kids (and we) wanted. Fancy sodas, ice cream, whatever they asked for.

The total cost was about $3,000.

On the drive home, my wife said:

She's right. Nice trips. Hotels. Eating out constantly. Not thinking about cost. That's normal for a lot of people.

But we don't live like this. We save most of our money. We invest. There are weeks I don't make a single purchase. We live well below our means.

So when we do something like Homer, it's special. The kids talk about it for months. They remember it because it doesn't happen all the time. We're already looking at booking the same place for summer.

Here's what you can do: decide what's worth splurging on. Then save for everything else.

You don't have to live like a monk. You don't have to never do anything fun.

But you also don't have to finance every weekend to feel like you're living.

Save so you CAN splurge when you want to. Not because you're trying to keep up. Because you chose to.

You're looking for an affordable automatic watch. Something with character. Something that doesn't scream "I'm trying too hard."

HGP Watches might be worth checking out. (learn about the brand)

It's a smaller watchmaker. The Diver 200M is currently available for pre-order. Automatic movement, vintage diving watch aesthetic, clean design. Starts at $477.

What works: The vintage look is honest. No fake patina. No trying to be something it's not. It's priced where most people can actually afford an automatic diver without stretching their budget.

What doesn't: It's a pre-order, so you're waiting. That's about it.

I'm not in the market right now. But if you're looking for an affordable automatic diver, this is worth knowing about.

That's it. No affiliate link. No pressure. Just: here's something I came across that might be useful to you.

That's the total consumer debt in the United States as of January 2026. (source)

You're probably using credit cards. Maybe you're carrying a balance. Maybe you're not sure if you're doing it right.

Here's what most people do: they charge the trip. Make minimum payments. Add more charges on top. Pay interest for months or years on a vacation they barely remember.

That's how $18.21 trillion happens.

Here's what you should do instead: use credit cards, but pay them off immediately.

I put that entire Homer trip on my Amex Platinum. About $3,000. Got the points. Worked toward the welcome offer. (AMEX referral link)

We drove home. Five hours. Walked through the door. Sat down and paid off the card. Same day.

That's how credit cards should work. Use them. Pay them off. Don't carry a balance. Ever.

Here's what you're up against: Instagram is full of people buying new watches, new gear, new trips. Always flexing. Always spending.

Either they're making way more money than you think (possible), or they're faking wealth and racking up debt to look successful (more likely).

My wife and I make good money. We know how much things cost. And we know that most of the people posting constantly about their purchases aren't doing better than we are financially. They're just spending differently.

Quiet wealth is the way to go.

Here's the question to ask yourself every time you scroll:

The answer is almost always yes.

Use credit cards. Get the points. But pay them off every month. Live below your means so you can splurge when you want to, not because you're trying to keep up with people who are probably in debt.

Build a better life for your future self. Not a better Instagram feed.

Three things this week: intentional splurging, an affordable watch worth knowing about, and $18.21 trillion in debt.

They're all connected.

You can live well without going broke. You can enjoy things now without sacrificing your future. You can splurge on what matters without financing everything.

But it requires discipline. Save most of the time so you can spend some of the time. Use credit cards for the rewards, then pay them off immediately. Live below your means so you have room to breathe.

And stop comparing yourself to people on Instagram who are probably in debt.

That's it. Simple, but not easy.

Time is wealth. Own it.

—Ian