Poll: Why do you LBYM?

[Buddha44]

I voted for B growing up poor, although financial setbacks also played a role. When I was a kid, my friend lived in a McMansion. I got home and asked my Mom why we were poor. She said what gave you that idea. I said, when my friend made some soup, he would use whatever portion he wanted and just threw the rest away. Just the concept of throwing away something unused was alien to me. She just smiled.

 

[camberiu]

As an immigrant myself, "A" is the best choice, although several apply in my case actually.

 

[Slarty]

I have to say it is B and C. B is true and I started down that path as soon as I left home. But, I had a significant "C" experience within the first 4 years of my career and that's when I greatly improved how much I was LBYM. I realized that hard work, dedication, and results weren't what I was getting rewarded for at work and these things made my job security worse because they threatened either my manager or others in the company. I wish I would have started my own company instead of working in corporate America.

 

[mountaintosea]

We weren't poor, but my parents were so frugal that they obessed about money. I grew up thinking that we were poor. We were constantly reminded how much everything cost. There were 5 kids. We all went to college. However I think I'm probably the only one that LBYMs.

I don't plan on keeping it up, once I retire I will stop being so careful. I don't want to leave a large estate. What would be the point in that?

 

[OkieTexan]

I pick "B", the poor one. "We were damn poor growing up, but did not know it!"

My mother's parents were sharecroppers, called squatters, during the depression. My grandmother went to work at an armory to make bullets for the war effort (WW2). She never owned a car. She made most of her own clothes and those for her 4 children.
She stayed with my parents a lot while I grew up. She made shirts for me, too. I always got compliments on them. She could make a meal out of whatever was in the cupboard.
We had a close relationship in my childhood.

Rather than rebel against the depression-era thinking like some of my friends, I suppose I developed a deep respect for my grandmother's ability to be so happy and resourceful at the same time. I still remember a lot of her sage advice about living in a material world.

 

[Khan]

As Mother said:

Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Do without

 

[Nords]

I don't plan on keeping it up, once I retire I will stop being so careful. I don't want to leave a large estate. What would be the point in that?

Some habits die pretty hard.

And the Gates Foundation will be happy to relieve us of our estate problems!

 

[newyorklady]

my parents lived way below their means although they were wealthy. i was brought up saving and investing. my friends parents in general appeared wealthy but only some were, some were in debt trying to keep up appearances. my parents did not spoil me, in fact growing up i did not even get a cabbage patch doll because my parents thought it was way too much money for a doll. we were solidly middle upper class at least if you want to put a financial tag on it, but parents are immigrants so had to struggle and when i was young we were living in a poor area so i learned my lessons through parents and also watching friends parents and seeing they weren't as wise as mine. think i will raise any future children as unspoiled, otherwise they will suffer in the long run.

 

[chinaco]

I voted D... But I also had shades of B and E. I did not grow up poor, but my parents were careful with money. Both of my parents were children during the depression and experienced having little and losing almost everything. It stuck with them and they always were careful to make the most of what they earned. Some of that rubbed of on me!

 

[Lusitan]

A) You lived in another country, and are somewhat innoculated from American consumerism.

B) You grew up poor, or, your parents lived below their means, and you never forgot the value of a dollar as an adult.

C) At some point during your adult life, you suffered some financially catastrophic event (ie loss of job, health issue, loss of family member, etc) that caused you to re-evaluate your lifestyle and adopt an LBYM lifestyle.

D) At some point during your adult life (usually middle age) you realized that if you kept spending every dollar that you made, you would not get ahead and you would never be able to retire comfortably, so you got religion and started LBYM.

E) You were born frugal, and it's just the way you are.

F) You witnessed the effects of overspending and a lack of financial discipline by your parents or other role models, and you vowed it would never happen to you.

G) A different reason. (Please elaborate)

I know that for some of you there may be a combination of reasons, but for the purpose of simplicity of this poll, please select the primary reason.

Catalyst was C.

Reinforcement was provided by F and a sense that simplifying my life was healthy for both me and the environment.