<prompt> Human: been reading through this sub a lot for a while now, and the practical advice here is great. It seems that anyone in a western country would be hard pressed to follow the advice and not see improvement. but I often think while reading this, how does one change the money consciousness that informs these habits? For instance, someone who grew up in a lower class family with parents with bad spending habits, possibly for multiple generations, and has inherited those habits, but wants to change? In the sense that Poverty is a Mental State. i.e. someone who has always been poor will often have a belief that they will always continue to be poor, and will therefore continue the money patterns that help keep them poor. Have you found something that has helped you change your money consicousness and catalyzed a change towards better habits?  <response>: Im answering your question, but bear with me... I moved out of my parents house to go to college when I was 18. The deal with my parents was that, so long as I was in college, they would pay my rent. I had scholarships to cover tuition, so all I needed was billsexpenses. Easy. On Month 2 of living in college housing, I had a falling out with my parents. I came home to find an eviction notice on my door, I had to come up with 1,000 to stay in my apartment. I had 20 or so in my pocket at the time. I had to move, but I didnt want to drop out of college, so I picked up as many hours at the bar I Worked at as I possibly could. I lived in Orlando, Fl at the time, and the only place I could afford was a studio apartment in a Spanish ghetto. I was the only fluent English speaker, and every day a roving band of Gypsy children ran unsupervised through the parking lot, vandalizing cars. I started parking my crappy car a half mile away and walking home in the central florida heat to avoid vandalism. A bullet once came through my wall. The AC could never outpace the sun, which lit my apartment well into the mid-80s in the summer, and I was broke. Girls dont want to date a dude that has to shower in the gym because his power is off. To make things worse, I was sweating through my mattress every night. The lowest point came when I paid what bills I could, and had about 6 to eat off of for a week. I went to the store, bought bread, jelly, and peanut butter, came home, and made myself dinner. That night, the power company shut off my power. The jelly in my fridge went bad. I had to live for a week off of peanut butter and bread and whatever I could steal from the bar. Fast forward about 10 years. Ive now finished grad school, which was also a struggle, and Im currently working a real job and bartending on weekends. Ive gotten out of debt, have about 85 of my six month emergency fund, and started an IRA in addition to funding a pension, all in about a year. I work 70 hours or so per week. How do I do it? I think about that fucking apartment. I printed out a sign that said NEVER AGAIN across the top, and had pictures of my old place below it. Beside those pictures are financial goals-Emergency fund, retirement savings, a downpayment on a home, debt free, etc. I place it on my wall next to my bed, its the first thing I see when I get up and the last thing I see when I go to bed. Anytime I think about splurging on bullshit like fancy clothes, cable, or other shit I dont need, I think about going back to that eviscerated ghetto in satans butthole. Ive heard of other people putting together dream boards- visual representations of things they want to be able to purchase like vacations, cars, jewelry etc. I guess thats a more positive style of what I do, but the fear of having nothing once again is a far more powerful motivator for me. My mental state is that I refuse to be dependent on anyone ever again. Im not going to be a victim of circumstance, or a helpless member of society, and I am damn sure not going to live life wondering where my next meal will come from, or how Id pay for it if my car broke, or fearing the day that I cant work anymore. Im the captain of my fate. 