<prompt> Human: This is a throwaway. Im a regular lurker and a small time poster here. I am an outdoorsy person who grew up wanting a cabin to spend time at. So now I find myself in my mid 30s, loving wife, 3 kids and a stable job for 10 years. I think I want my kids to have that cabin experience I didnt have while growing up and of course I still want a place to get-a-way to.I understand that by definition a second home isnt necessarily a good investment, but it is an investment. With loan money so cheap right now, Im not expecting to make money on the purchase of a second home, but if it appreciated with inflation and I had a place to enjoy on weekends and holidays I would consider it a win.So heres the thought. My wife and I both have stable jobs. I currently max out my 401K and invest lightly in stocks outside my 401K. My wife doesnt invest much in her 403B outside what her employer deposits each year. Last year we refinanced our house to a 15 year mortgage with the thought that when the mortgage is paid off we would have more flexibility to help our kids with college as well as providing a time for us to purchase a cabin.Now I am playing with the idea of diverting my 401K funding above my employer match away toward a cabin investment that would provide most of the funding needed to purchase a 2nd home. It might not be the best investment I can make, but if it provides me joy along the way I think it would be worth it for me more than watching my sit in an account earning dividends for the next 20 years.What are peoples thoughts on this? Am I crazy to consider it?I can get into more details about our financial situation if we need to, but Im really looking for the general idea of what people think about using a second home instead of markets as an investment.Edit- Renting it out is a possibility, but would likely only be for 2-3 weeks per year which would probably only cover the taxes.  <response>: I love saving for retirement and am a huge fan of saving large amounts to prepare for unexpected events and possible early retirement. But that can also go too far and living only for the future when you can enjoy your money is a mistake. If you can find a middle ground where you still save a reasonable amount and can use some of your money to buy an experience cabin that you love now. go for it. Kids are kids for way too short a time. This is a terrible investment idea, but it can be a wonderful lifestyle idea. Call it what it is, dont fret about making a case that it pays for itself, it doesnt have to. Enjoy life NOW as well as in the future and especially enjoy the short time you have with kids while they are still kids. You are not talking about taking a dangerous amount of money out of retirement, just slowing some contributions for a while. In a jam, you could always back out and sell the place. I would go for it, if I were you. 