I grew up in a low income immigrant family (we didn’t even know biglaw firms other than mom and pop PI shops existed). I’m now a midlevel (3rd yr) in NYC and I still can’t shake the feeling of needing to be frugal. I’m not “cheap” per se, but like I don’t really go out of my way to spend money. I cook at home, buy groceries from the cheapest store (TJ’s, Lidl, Walmart etc) and don’t buy fancy clothes from the store itself. Like if I buy fancy clothes I’ll always get them off FB marketplace (or else not at all) bc I can’t fathom paying full price for a piece of clothing. I only wear a couple pairs of shoes and I don’t go on expensive vacations. Even for work I stick with the same 3-4 outfits and rotate them.
Does anyone else feel like their frugal mentality never left them despite not needing to hold onto it? Now that I have a steady stream of $$$$, I almost feel less inclined to spend it on stuff that is fleeting.
The only thing I don’t hold back on is spending for my parents/sibling. We never had enough money to get coffee or dessert or the occasional dinner from outside the house growing up, and so I love treating them to those experiences. But for myself? I get like no enjoyment or satisfaction from it. Not even in a self-pitying way. I’m just super content not spending anything. Just curious if it’s a low income background thing or if I’m just a bit dramatic LOL.
EDIT: GUYS I don’t wear 3-4 outfits overall. I meant just for WORK. I have like 4-5 shirts and 3 suits. Rotate them and make infinite combos. I wear them until there’s an issue with them where I have to replace. And obviously I keep them clean and don’t look unpresentable lol. I have a closet full of clothes (moderate pricing, well-curated with such frugal mindset)