This is sorta the right thread for my um...exhaling. I went out to dinner (for a birthday) with a friend, his husband, and a handful of their friends. We went to a restaurant that I happen to actually love (for special occasions) but which is in the $20-30 entree range. Well, it started out with fancy drinks at the bar, and then when we were seated, it was all "oh let's get apps! let's get oysters!" which I know I can't really complain about it because it was a birthday AND a "big" birthday at that. But then my friend and his friends were all talking about all the restaurants they go to, and all the ones they want to try, and "oh have you been here?" and basically a lot of high-life-living. So the part I wanted to GRAB AND SHAKE about is this: I happen to know that this friend makes more than me, prob 5-10k, because we are in the same field and he has a higher degree than myself. His husband works 2 jobs to ALSO make more than me, and yet their conception of their finances is: "Oh, if [husband] just made a little bit more, we could really make ends meet". This is also the friend who saw me bike commuting so he bought a scooter to commute on while his husband used his junky old car, and then changed jobs and was too afraid to scooter to his new job, so they financed 2 cars. I like them a lot and they want to have kids and there's no polite way to be like "I think about your finances a lot, and you's doin it wrong".