OK, let's see here now.....hmmm:
They "
drive 5 and 10 year old vehicles".......me too.
"
they clip coupons".......me too.
"
and buy expired meat at the grocery store"......me too.
"
they let their tiny lawn burn up instead of spending a couple bucks to water it"..........me too (nature intended it to go dormant when rain is lacking).
"
they are really tight".....me too.
"
their net worth keeps growing".....mine to.
"
they are set in their ways".....me too.
They "
will live the way they want until they can't anymore".....me too.
"
You would never know that they are rich".....me neither.
"
They don't act it".....me neither.
So with the exceptions of not being in my 70's (50's) and not having "multi" in front of millionaire, not living in a duplex (just a small
old house), not working 8-10 hours a day (only about 5 or 6 in the yard, gardens, or workshop), and not having kids (undeserving or otherwise), my habits & ways pretty much match theirs and I'm happy as a lark. Of course my friends and neighbors always hear me talking about being "
just a poor old retired guy on a fixed income not knowing where my next meal is coming from", and they really think I mean it, and that I'm not actually happy. But....ummm....they're wrong! I just like messin' with people! (BTW, this being the 1st Sunday of the month, my next meal is the
FREE spaghetti dinner that one of the churches downtown puts on for the community.
)
Oh and a couple of things to add to the list above:
I only buy clothes "on sale" or at secondhand stores.
I buy bread at the "day old" bread store.
And when I need to replace my 8-10 year old car, I buy gently 'pre-owned' (a.k.a. used).....just did it again 2 years ago.....saved over $5K (bought a used '06 in '06 with a full warranty).
Some folks are set in their ways, and that's just the way it is. I know I am. There's nothing wrong with that. Other people's perceptions and opinions of whether folks are happy or not, are just that, perceptions and opinions. Some people think that I'm too frugal and/or just scraping by. That's just a misperception on their part....I'm just frugal enough and by no means, just scraping by. My neighbor thinks I'm too cheap to run the A/C and that's the reason I always sit outside under the shade tree when it's hot. However, I don't run the A/C most of the time because the house stays relatively cool without it, and I actually
prefer being outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.
Of course there really are folks out there in the world who aren't really happy unless they're miserable. Maybe your friends are in that group. But only they know for certain.