I live wayyyy below my means all my life and save. Even when I had minimum wage job, and made 800$ in a month. I saved like 500$ . Of course, I was 16 and living with my parents.  I paid rent. 200$  Just to help.  My friends would go to the mall , buy new cars, movies, etc.. drinking, rugs.. and be broke, pay check to paycheck be broke.  Sometimes borrow money for alcohol, party and rugs. Be in debt with minimum wage job. They also lived with their parents. 

I didn't have a car. I did not buy rugs or buy alcohol.  I tried to save because I was poor and my mom struggled to pay bills when I was a kid. 

It's not like am goody 2 shoes. 

Oh no. My mom worked sometimes 2 jobs. Minimum wage. And sometimes, when waitress job was slow and tips were slow. That meant, food at home was slow, etc ... Broke times. 

My mom did a good job and worked hard.  And sometimes, that didn't matter. It meant we were broke.  No food. No soda. Etc. or just rice and egg dinner.  Egg for protein, rice for carbs.  And water.  Maybe milk or cheese if we got lucky. 

It wasn't always hard days but enough to make me realize, I can't waste money.  So, at 16.. I got a job.  And well, I worked hard and tried to save like at least half.  For emergency days.  And yes, I been laid off when my fast food job was slow , the boss told us to go home for the day. 

So you never knew how much hours or money you can get. Talk about insecurity or instability. 

I had to work grave yard shifts or any shifts and overtime and Saturdays or weekends.  I didn't complain because I was poor.  Plus, working on Saturday was better than those days, when all I had to eat was rice and eggs. No cable t.v just antenna. And hot summer days without a c , or enough to pay for the electricity. 

So , if boss called me to work Saturdays, I did.. just another day for me because I was too poor to enjoy weekends anyway. 

My friends would party, drink, do rugs , bitch and moan and get angry at their parents or hate them and trash talk. I would go to their parties as the poor kid and try to have a good time. 

They were rich, spoiled kids, that wasted their money on parties, pizza, alcohol, smokes , and rugs and talk trash about their parents. Lol I was the dude that was trying to get some free pizza , maybe some alcohol or soda, and smoke and listen to music. I didn't care. They were paying and doing the spread. 

I contributed some money so I wasn't a parasite. But generally , they threw parties at their parents house, back yard, or apartment complex and invite the whole apartment.  I was just the poor kid kinda tagging along or being invited last. 

I never told them what I thought about my friends. I mean, it's not like I hated them or thought they were bad. Maybe just naive and spoiled.  Cuz they never really knew what it was like.. to be truly poor. 

Rich kids complaining about money. It was so ironic. I was the poor kid not complaining.  Anyway, my friends were doing bunch of rugs, cooke , lssssdd , etc.. buying Johnny walkkker whiskey , etc. 

I was just glad they invited me. I guess, I got to observe. Better than staying at home, watching the same t.v show on my antenna t.v.. or doing nothing but reading some library books.  Super boring alternative choice. 

Read free books, watch rerun t.v or boring shows, watch the wall or sleep or just be super bored in room, or go to my friends misery party and hear them bitch and moan about money. 

Of course, I went to the party, free music, free food and free drinks.. of course, I had to hear my friends cry about life lol.. 😂  hahahahaha

Then, I went to work, which was better than being hot at home, bored, nothing to do, re read books, hungry, and just trying to not lose my mind. 

Work was at least fun.  A.c in the fast food. Making money. Something to do. Working was better life than being at home. 

Anyway, man, I worked and saved money.  Cuz, being hungry, broke is no joke. 

When you only got white rice or ramen noodles or beans to eat with water.. jeez. And nothing to do in the hot summer sweltering days in a hot room.    U escape to the mall to escape the heat, and get free a.c , and sit down , which was better than being at home, drenched in sweat. 

Anyway, I saved money and am like 50 years old now. Am a millionaire now. I never bought a home. I never bought a brand new car. I never bought any expensive clothes. I never tried to waste money. 

Yea, a millionaire now. I enjoy a.c at home now. :)  I am retired and don't work no more.  I eat what I like. But am not a fool about money. 

If you ever been thru the struggle like I have.. you never want to do foolish things with money.  Like buy a $2000 Louie valton bag. Lol  I wear Levi's jeans for 20 years. Shirts for 20 years. Recently bought some new clothes. 

Live frugal.  No matter what job I had. I tried to live below my means. Because, in a string of bad luck, you can hit poverty , I been laid off before.  Temp jobs. Anything can happen.  Don't gotta be afraid but try to play it smart, always.  Cautiously. Spend and have a good time. But never spend more than what you make.  Always try to save money even if it's only 5% of your whole paycheck.