for.

I've become a big believer in moderation in terms of spending/saving/investing etc.

We have friends in our neighborhood with the $80K truck, the $140K boat, the $45K side-by-side, the $100K camp trailer, constant trips, constant remodeling to their house (like a $65K theater room) etc. I don't begrudge them at all. But the husband has confided in me that they simply are drowning in debt...like barely able to make minimum payments each month and still buy food. But he and his wife feel like life is short and they're going to enjoy it. They'll figure out retirement when the time comes.

This is baffling to me.

On the other hand, my wife's parents are the absolute cheapest people I've ever been around. They were able to retire in their early 50s because they saved so well, now have several million dollars. But they aren't enjoying it. They've been unable to change their habits from the insane frugality they developed for 3 decades of marriage. They don't travel except on standby tickets, they don't go out to eat and when they do they share a meal or eat half of the meal and then complain about it, send it back and get a refund (this is planned btw). They are too cheap to go on road trips because they don't want to fill their tank up. They're too cheap to buy presents for their grandkids or even go to a movie or a play. They don't have hobbies or anything. In short, they're just sitting in their house and occasionally going on walks in their neighborhood. Their financial advisor routinely tells them to spend more money, but they can't make themselves.

This is baffling to me.

Both stories make me sad.