<prompt> Human: Every single thread I see where someone talks about working hard and saving money, I also see a bunch of comments talking about making sure to enjoy life; money isnt everything; enjoying being young; etc.I dont have a problem with people choosing how they want to spend their time and money. I dont even have a problem with people recommending options to others. What I have a bit of a problem with is the concept that working hard, saving money and enjoying life are somehow mutually exclusive. I am also a bit skeptical of the idea that enjoying life later in life is somehow worse than enjoying it when you are young.So this pervasive sentiment confuses me. If someone hypothetically swings by and notes that theyve saved up 500k and own their house, have no debt, and are 35 years old, why are people automatically assuming they didnt enjoy getting there?Here is a quick bullet point list of my thoughts on the subject. Feel free to add to the discussion with your own thoughts. Removing the stress of worrying about finances is a tremendous boon on a familys quality of life. A significant amount of enjoying life can be done on a simple budget. Engaging your friends in personal, low-cost activities is completely doable and working hard doesnt mean you forgo a social life. Setting a travel budget is also completely reasonable. If you find world travel interesting, there are a handful of ways to keep costs down which could make for an interesting post on its own but dont forget that your own countryregion probably has interesting things to explore as well. When people suggest nose-to-the-grindstone budgets they are usually talking to people with gobs of credit card debt, car loans, etc. If you have that kind of debt, you are on a sinking ship. You should work as hard as you can to get out of it. If someone chooses to work their ass off and retire in the 25-35 range, I am fairly confident they will enjoy life a lot more than someone who ends up retiring at 65 even if the latter spent more time enjoying themselves in the 25-35 range. This is even more true if kids are involved. The conversation should be about balancing your whole life, not just the life you are currently experiencing.My two cents.EDIT: You all rock! Keep the discussions happening. I wont personally respond to anything because Ive said my piece -- aside from admitting the 25-35 was a bit hyperbolic. It can happen but it isnt really something most people have an opportunity to achieve.  <response>: How your life becomes less flexible and you become more risk adverse once you have kids is a serious part of this for many people in my opinion.edit: Others have said this but it is worth repeating. Nothing about the future is guaranteed. I want to live a long healthy life with my SO, but either of us could be gone in a year. I will spend money to make great lasting memories now, even if that means it takes longer to pay off my student debt. Paying off my debt doesnt make me happy, traveling with her does. Do I make trips as cheap as possible, sure, but I dont skip them. 