Earlier quoted context omitted.
> ...though I've heard that that doesn't apply to having a family. It 100% applies to having a family. (Source: have family.)
Could you elaborate? As I said, I'm assuming this is a blind spot, but assuming both parents are onboard with trading consumption for security/freedom, I don't understand what specifically would make this unworkable. That is to say, the same logic applies to a family: If a family making $120k could survive adequately in a given location, then a family making $160k can pretend they make $120k and do the same thing. As…
Yes, I was trying to agree with you.
I'm married, have a family, and we do exactly what you describe. We live below our means and save as much as possible.
In our case, living below our means worked out as having a single income family, and having a full time care giver in the home. For others, that might mean maxing out two incomes and retiring earlier.
> Perhaps it has less to do with kids than it does coupling up: anecdotally, most of my male friends who are happy to be ascetic need to start flashing money when they start dating, and most of my female friends are far more interested in consumption/comfortable living spaces.
When we started dating, my wife joked she liked me for my crappy old beater of a car. What she meant by that, is she knew a lot of the guys with fancy cars were actually broke because all their money went into their car, and she could tell early on I was more responsible and frugal.
So be careful of over generalizations based on anecdotes. And, frankly, be careful about getting in a serious relationship with someone who doesn't seem capable of living within their means.