One of the joys of my adult life is never going hungry and having food in the pantry and fridge.

[bhikkhu]

21. I grew up in a family of four, raised by a single mom

back in the 70's. We had a great family really and never actually went hungry, but we definitely didn't get to pick whatever we wanted at the grocery store. Most of our clothes growing up were hand-me-downs; I had bigger cousings who'd outgrow things, which then came to my brother and then to me. We learned not to ask for new things, as it just made my mom look sad.

It definitely leaves a mark. I took an early retirement 6 months ago, have money in the bank and two houses, but I still don't spend anything without a lot of thought. One of my old flannel shirts that I'd gotten from Goodwill a long while back started falling apart the other day, and I spent weeks thinking about options, then finally bought a new shirt. And I was trying to remember the last time I bought a new shirt...I really have no idea, maybe 15 years. It's a nice flannel shirt though, it fits well, kind of makes me feel like a rich guy when I wear it.