I would have to say definitely yes. I think my parents' generation learned to live with less - sometimes by necessity or they were raised by those who had lived through the depression. Our generation has never really seen bad times like that, which affects their financial outlook.

Does this hold true for you? Are you more or less frugal than your parents?

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I think we are, because we have far more "big ticket" items in our lives than our parents' generation: big screen tvs, mp3s, PCs, laptops, electronics mainly. And that industry is constantly changing and therefore we the consumer need to keep up if we want to be entertained. It's a cyclical thing....and it does mean we spend far more money on entertainment than ever before. Instead of making wise investments, people go big, bigger BIGGEST in everything they own.

I wish that my parents had been MORE frugal and had taught me about money. I grew up in an upper middle class home, had a horse, car at 16 etc..but was never taught about handling money, credit, investing...NOTHING. Needless to say, when I moved out I got into trouble with credit cards, car loans, etc. I am making a real effort to teach my children about money responsibility so that they do not make the same mistakes that I did. They understand that we are saving money to buy a farm, that short-term sacrifice can mean some very real long-term security and happiness.I was never taught that.

Not in my family! My dad sets a good example for me because he is fairly frugal - he doesn't deprive himself of things he wants, but he also doesn't waste money on junk and he and his wife research things before they buy, etc. (Of course, when buying for his grandchildren his frugality goes out the window)

My mom, however, can blow through money like there's no tomorrow. She doesn't really buy "stuff" but she thinks nothing of taking vacations she really can't afford and she eats out a lot. She has also moved more times than I can remember - if she had all of her moving expenses back she could probably have retired years earlier than she did. She also spends more on groceries for her and her boyfriend than I do for my family of four.

My MIL is probably about the same as DH and I - she spends more than she should but tries to be frugal.

My parents are not frugal now at all. They have more than enough money and spend it. When I was growing up, they were frugal. Same with dh and I, our level of frugalness decreases as our income rises.

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Nope I am WAY more frugal than my parents were at my age...I am teaching my mom how to budget and spend less. My Dad is awesome at budgeting but my mom is the deal breaker. When she went int othe hospital 4 years ago, my dad closed out over 15 of her 20 CC accounts. and he got them out of some serious debt. NOW they live off his retirement and her disability and for the first time- have a savings account.

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Definatly , our Generation is Less Frugal because - even if Our parents spent More... Their was Less to buy!

I don't ever remember my Mom going to a Pampered chef party or a Luncheon with Playgroup moms ... Or running out for a Starbucks! My Dad worked Alot and My mom Did manage the money , but there just wasen't too much to do to blow it I Guess.
We had ONE mall ,
Also There wasen't a Fully Stocked walmart up the Road!
Kmart had the amount you need - it wasen't a Store jam packed with in your Face GREAT deals.

Also Everyone didn't have a Brand new car , People lived in their houses For Years....

At Least in my middle class suburban Life in the 80's -seemed a heck of alot More frugal than the Neighborhood and Life my kids are growing Up with .

I think our generation is less frugal because so many have the mindset that I can just charge it if it's not within my budget. I think this generation is living outside their means more than my grandparents ever did.

I am not really sure what "our generation" is. There are ladies on this board younger than my dd!!!

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We are more frugal than either parents. My dad spends money like crazy, IF it is something he wants to spend it on. His gas bill is more than I spend on groceries. When mom was alive, she spent every dime he made plus some. At least now he has some money to spend.

My inlaws are cheap. Their front door is completly rotten but he refuses to replace it. He feels you need to save all your money for when you are in the nursing home. They have raised and supported thier dds and their families. We suspect they are supporting grandkids now too. We stay away from all of that.

We are looked down on since our cars are older, but in wonderful shape. We thrift shop and yard sale. Christmas and birthday gifts are nice but not huge. I guess we live frugal and simple.