It is something that has been ingrained in our heads since we were little. I see it where I live and with friends, where many of us make north of seven figures and you see people being very cheap and worrying about stupid expenditures but will spend tens of thousands on vacations etc. These expenditures are small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things but it has always been something they are used to or were married during college/grad school and remain frugal, somethings are tough to change.

Keep in mind when we travel (BYU) our fans don't spend money on alcohol, don't pay to go to as many local shows, don't pay for as much swag etc. I get a good kick out of BYU fans when they complain about ticket prices or concession prices. BYU is so dirt cheap when compared to big time programs, the complaining shows that we are "cheap".......that gives us this reputation especially when you see Bama fans or Nebraska fans spend a good portion of their income to travel to see their teams. These are their vacations and focus, LDS families often want these experiences but have other priorities for the earnings.

This is not meant to be judgemental at all, but when traveling I can spot an LDS family a mile away especially at restaurants. Of course it has to do with a lot of kids with young parents and the other giveaway points, but you can also tell based on doing what they can to make the dollar go as far as possible.

I agree on charitable giving, we do give away a lot.....tithing helps with this. If not tithing it is charities, again this is something that culturally we are used to.