I came from a frugal upbringing, but we always seemed to have what we needed and simple treats meant so much...the sense of thrill from a simple treat registers the same as the thrill from an extraordinary material privilege, when you know no better.
I have enjoyed the rush of real, serious wealth through hard work in our business and success, I also noted that with the "wealth' came an uncomfortable fear of losing it somehow....it's horrible and not proud of that feeling.
Money is a tricky old thing. I have loved the freedom it apparently gives, but am more than aware that it can create a sticky web-like prison of escalated expectation if one doesn't watch oneself.
I'm very happy when I'm picking my own vegetables, reinventing an old piece of furniture and being creative, rather than a consumer of goods.
I have to watch myself - as I'm a magpie, always 'seeing" stuff I like in the shops....but it's usually an bottomless bucket of want to be honest....it's good to feel that one can live and sustain life without being too dependent on huge wads of cash. But it's also highly worrying to not have enough to pay the bills...as we all know, it's a balance, right?