Living Within Means & Not Being Wasteful

"See as humans, we have this innate desire to feel accepted amongst our peers. And that's normal and not inherently problematic..."

-YouTuber According to Nicole

I'm not normal for a myriad of reasons. Also, I never gave a flying fuck if I fit in or not. 😂

I've been using the same piece of shit android phone for 4 years now and it's a hand-me-down from my father -in-law. Before that I had the same model android phone for about 5 years. When this one dies I might invest in something a little more durable. I never understood why people need to get the latest androids or iPhones all the time when the phone they have works fine. I thrift shop much of my clothes. When we vacation it's with other family members or friends, and it's nothing super exotic, just to a local beach. My husband and I have newer cars that we lease, but we don't drive far that often. Though it seemed like we were saving money that way, I'm think we might try the lease-to-own option in a couple of years on my car at least.

While we have decent income and money for necessities and emergencies, our daughter will be starting community college in the fall. She will only be attending part-time and hopefully working more, but I'm already looking at ways we can cut back expenses, and even get a few side hustles going just so that her school is paid for and we can remain comfortable financially.

I agree with her notion that growing up poor definitely gives you a sense of appreciation when you're an adult and worked your way out of it. My parents split when I was 8. My mom was mentally ill and later physically ill, so my dad paid support but it was a struggle living off of it for the 4 of us (I have 2 younger sisters). Once you start making real money you're not so quick to throw it away on things that are not necessary.