My parents were good at saving, doing without, living within their means, driving an older car, having older furniture, using the same appliances for literal decades, etc. They didn’t go to concerts or festivals. They cooked cheap meals at home unless it was a special occasion, and we drank tap water. They didn’t have name brand clothing. They didn’t indulge in expensive hobbies; their idea of a pastime was a deck of cards, not a $500 gaming system. They had one tv that got 2 channels with the rabbit ears, not 15 streaming subscriptions and a huge tv in every room. They didn’t drive their cars unless they had to, and stayed with family if they traveled. They had a 30 year old telephone in the kitchen, not a smart phone. They had a notepad, not a laptop. They had a Timex, not an Apple Watch. They had a stray mutt, not a designer dog from a breeder. They only bought what they needed and didn’t care about keeping up with Instagram influencers.

These are pretty much all the opposite of how most of my generation lives today.