But that's what works for YOU. I went decades living on the edge and never once falling off. I wasn't going to disney (was anti-disney for my entire 20s and well into my 30s) but I was doing other things.
You're saying that it's fine to spend all you have, that you might have some rough moments, but it'll all work out fine -- that's not been my experience.
I also lived on the edge for many years: elementary school, teenaged years, college, early adulthood. I suppose you could say that I never "fell off" because
although I was sometimes hungry and sometimes wore shoes with holes in them, I was never homeless and never had to declare bankruptcy. But
emotionally, it was draining. Every minute of every day. And it was embarassing for family to "save us" occasionally. Even when I was a teenager, I was constantly worried about having enough of this-or-that, figuring out ways to make do, finagling ways to earn a little extra money. It was miserable.
At that time in my life, I certainly couldn't spend on luxuries like vacations. Instead, I spent on education and bettering myself so that I could get out of that lifestyle forever instead of for a few days!
Same thing with druggies who spend hundred upon hundreds a month on drugs, but yet can't afford 20$ worth of food a week. She's a disney "druggie" saving money to get her addiction and wants and desires. She sees it as a luxury for her children, and would rather provide them with just one week of "feeling privileged", than with a life of living in better circumstances. In her twisted mind, Disney is affordable, but providing a good life is too expensive and probably means no Disney trips.
I see this with my high schoolers frequently: Kids who work long hours at Burger King (instead of studying), then use their money for a manicure, which makes them feel pretty and special for a bit -- even though that money would've been better spent on food, heat, or getting the family's phone turned back on. Or kids who have a fancy Blackberry-type phone with all the bells and whistles, while the family lacks basic transportation.
This is a symptom of kids raised in generational poverty -- that is, kids whose parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. have all been poor. They understand working and using the money for small luxuries, and they cling to those small luxuries, never understanding that foregoing them could lift them into a much better lifestyle. They see a fancy prom dress as possible, but a middle class life as unattainable.
I, on the other hand, was first-generation poor, and I think that's what gave me the umph to work my way out of it. I had examples of people who'd done better, and I could see that it was possible.
Not use this as an opprotunity to bicker among ourselves.
