[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

$4.50 for a lunch... Especially considering the price difference between the US and here, that's a lot! A whole loaf or bread is €2.50, there are, what 25 slices?, in a loaf. I bring two slices to work, and maybe about €0.10 worth of spread. So, that's €0.30 for a lunch... (around $0.40). Tea is free at work.

I never took lunch very seriously either. I could happily go down to the cafeteria, get a couple slices of bread and a little thing of PB and J, and have lunch for 45 cents at my desk with friends. Or I could meet Tim for lunch and spend $20. Dinner was always where the $$$$ went, not breakfast or lunch.

So are we. But not necessarily because we must, but rather because we don't see the need to live lavishly. So, whenever we do spend, we always think it a great treat.

Us too. We have a good bit leftover every month, which we squirrel away to spend on a couple of expensive vacations each year. Travel is our treat. My mom taught us to live below our means in order to have money left over at the end of each pay period. It is so freeing to not have credit card bills or mortgage bills. Much more satisfying than an expensive car or home that we really can not afford.

We think a dryer is a waste of money. We have enough space to hang everything out, inside the house (and in summer, we have a very nice line outside). And our new TV was last year's top-of-the-line.

d...

Yep, when we do buy things, we try to get the best.

And I don't want to live in a world without electric clothes dryers. But that's just me.

For us, payroll deduction for saving were terrific. We always took the amount of raises and increased the deduction by that amount, so we never even missed the extra money. It is untouchable as long as you remain with the job. And when I had to retire due to blindness last year, it was a nice big monthly check for life.

However, I seriously doubt that voluntarily living simply is the norm. On vacation in swimming pools, the topic of finances ALWAYS comes up between us and strangers. They complain about how expensive travel is, and we shrug that it is what it is. Eventually they tell us how hard it is hitting their credit cards. The concept of living within their means seems unbelievable to them. It's like they consider living above their means via high credit limits to be a sustainable lifestyle.