I am all for frugality but in many places it hasn’t worked out in the last 10 years because you haven’t had the same access to growth. Unless you already had assets in the first place.
Bringing vs buying could be an opportunity cost. I've worked in places that provided food perhaps a job change could help pay fof the lunch.
Being economical will save you money. At some point being too economical will mean you have to accept lower quality/value. There is a tradeoff.
If your parents were being economical they might not have purchased a computer in the 80s.. It was seen as an expensive toy and not purchasing one would have saved them thousands. Long term the opportunity cost would outweigh the purchase cost.
Buying a cheap kettle it might last 6 months paying a little more and you don't need to replace it for 5 years.
There is an old British saying. Penny wise / pound foolish.
It’s silly to say that not going to Hawaii for a week or not buying a $1000 handbag is going to cost you more money down the road...
Where is the opportunity cost in bringing your own lunch to work? Would he increase his chances of getting a better job if he stopped doing that in his current job?
The bringing a lunch eating alone vs eating with the group does matter. A lot of company information gets shared during lunches, friendships are made and sometimes you get to interact with people from other parts of the company. This does give you a leg up when promotions come and or layoffs.
Not going on vacation ever or not buying a purse doesn't seem like it would matter. It could if you are looking to join a social group where everyone goes and shares vacation photos or if the group goes purse hunting together.
The point is any path could save/cost you as long as it fits with your goals and your situation. Saving that college money instead of spending it and going could allow you to buy a home sooner but it also could limit your career growth. Everything is a tradeoff.
> Everything is a tradeoff.
Absolutely. You trade work against money and money against stuff. You could have more money and less stuff. Which means having less stuff now and more stuff (or less need to work) in the future. Because money and debt are tools to move consumption between the present and the future. That's the point. It's a choice and nobody is limiting your capacity to consume in the future by forcing you to consume today.
But so many other things really are choices. I see lots of my colleagues replacing their new cars every 3 years; mine is five years old, having replaced the car I previously owned for 12 (and they were a Hyundai and Subaru, respectively, even if I could afford a Mercedes). Having cable TV with all the movie and sports channels is very much a decision that anyone can pass by. How often and where you eat out makes a big difference in expenses. Clothes, shoes, jewelry, furniture, matching stainless steel appliances with wifi, ... the list goes on and on.