<prompt> Human: Im 29. I currently earn 96kyear salary and benefits. I have 126k liquid assets, 91k in a 401k, and about 30k in material goods car included. No debt other than a car payment at 0.9 interest, but Ive already got equity in the car compared to the remaining loan amount. 19k value vs 15k owed. 801 credit score at last check.My monthly bills are about 2600 with maybe 300-400 additional for unexpected purchases. 2bd2ba apartment, 935 utilitiesinternetphone, 220 carinsurancerenters insurance, 632 food, 500 mostly raw fruits and veggies, lean meats, nut butters, etc. I never eat out, 100 grocery store purchases. health insurance, 138 fuelmaintenance, 200 Monthly gross 7625 401k deduct 1458 net 4625 after bills 2000so after all my bills and retirement saving is done, Im left with 2,000 a month. I feel like Im just getting by and I dont want to spend any more than I already spend. But then I look around and Im living in an apartment, driving a standard vehicle, eating home-cooked meals, no traveling, very little to zero social life i.e. no 100 bar tabs, no shopping sprees since I already invested in high quality dress clothes years ago that havent gone out of style 20 custom-tailored hugo boss shirts, 12 pairs of dress pants, and then just a casual wardrobe of jeans and tshirts.How do I differ from everyday society? Are people just living with huge amounts of debt? Am I being too cautious and saving too much? Would it be reasonable to buy a 500k house or is that too much? If I buy in California thats about bottom of the barrel in a big city, which sucks because Id pay so much to still feel poor.Anyway, sorry for the long post, Im just wondering how society gets by driving brand new mercedes SUVs with 800k homes. Are they massively in debt and I could too, or are they just much better at earning money than me? It seems like I cant turn around without spotting fancy cars and huge homes where I live.  <response>: You make good money. If you want a social life or to travel, go for it. Have some fun. : Youre saving a lot, and it sounds like the biggest problem is that youre not sure what youre saving for. If you want an expensive house or an awesome car, save for one of those. Youre in a position where you can do so. :But if you think you are poor or even living like youre poor, youre deluded. My guess is that there are no poor people in your social circle, and you have no idea what its actually like. For example, if you were working full time for minimum wage, your current food budget alone would take almost EXACTLY half of your paycheck each month. I am not joking. This is fact. Forget the car, the retirement savings, and internet... You wouldnt be able to afford your apartment and groceries. Thats what poor means, in the US.Good luck with things, and congrats on your hard work with the savings so far. Keep it up and establish a goal-- I think that will help a lot. 