My husband and I live in British Columbia, Canada. No kids. No (consumer) debt. Saving upwards of %75 of our annual income. We bought a house 4 years ago, had plenty of debt and no savings what-so-ever.

When my husband lost his job, we decided to rent out our house, moved cross country where we managed to make enough money to pay off our student debt and credit card debt, moved back, then fully renovated our house top to bottom (Husband is a carpenter so managed to do it for cheap).

Today our house is rented out and we live in a motor home in my parents back yard. Our total monthly expenses are with $51000 (guaranteed) + $24000-$40000 as a casual employee pre-tax: Rent: $200 Cell phones: $100 Food: $300 Fuel: $250 Health benefits: $135 Alcohol, restaurants, entertainment: $100

Which adds up to just over a $1000/month. This is a new thing, but in the last few months we have managed to save more money than we have saved over the 5 years of our marriage. For 2016 we have a plan to not buy a single thing brand new (other than food and necessities), we save every penny I make, we have an amazing time together, and we have big plans. We don't sit at home every day, we go for walks, hikes, go to friend's houses, play vids, visit family.

With a year of saving our income, we will be heading on a multiyear road trip along the Pan American Highway.

If you actually want to save money, there are always ways of doing so! If your income barely covers everything, look up ways of bringing in a few extra dollars on the side. Even returning bottles of friends and family can bring in an extra $100 now and then. The consumerism can really get us! Once we truly realize that possessions don't make us happy, but presence does... Life is good!