[stentorian conservative]

It is amazing how little money you spend when your wallet is empty :). You just can’t!

I can attest to that. As a single income Military Family, the term "two days before payday" is a flag to the kids that real southern feel good food is on the way.

Hamhocks, beans and fried potatoes with REAL biscuits.
SOS and "yo mama green beans."
Breakfast for supper (kids favorite)
Homemade bread at any time of day
Board Games and general silliness in the evening.
Homemade birthday invites and decorations
The list goes on and on. . .

The thing is, I discovered that we were a better family when we were broke. So now, I just throw everything in to the TSP allotment and live poor. . . but happy.

[MIT-Elephant]

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard an anecdote from a family head (male or female) about one of them quitting a job, taking a lower-paying job, going stay-at-home, etc, and life gets so much better even though they are “poorer” by the numbers.

I find that effective parents/families make it work with love and teamwork, while losers whine about how they don’t have enough.

As a friend said, a good job you can go home from, a bad job follows you 24-7.

...and a money-heavy lifestyle can produce its own problems. (For one thing, having a high-paying job often requires a high-paying wardrobe, a showoff car and a bunch of other suck-up items like playing golf to fit in with the culture.)