For about the first 2/3 of my adult life I had just enough to live on. I did not go to movies or restaurants. I counted my cash before going into the grocery store so that I would not put more in my cart than I could pay for. I thought seriously before deciding to buy a can of peaches. I saved up for several weeks before buying my first kitchen blender. Once I lived for 4 days on white rice.
And I never borrowed money, because I knew that living within my means was preferable to worrying about whether I could pay off a debt.
Do not assume that just because someone has the means to buy a Tesla at the age of 70 that they "never struggled to make ends meet."
And that should be "who," not "whom."
The only thing I ever borrowed for was a house, but there I was trading off rent for a mortgage. I still have a mortgage, but I couldn't rent a shoebox for the size of the payment now (I throw extra at the mortgage every month). I've had some tight periods in my life too and counted every penny. I got through those periods without any debt and when things improved I was able to get back on my feet very quickly.
Back 30 years ago a ten year old car was usually worn out and if you needed a car now and needed something reliable an old car was just not a viable choice. But that's changed. I got 24 years out of my old Buick and it was in fine running condition when I sold it (last time I had the transmission serviced the guy who did it said the transmission looked new inside). I was looking for a new car because it looked like I was going to need to make more trips to California, I prefer driving to flying, and I have trust issues driving a 24 year old car that kind of distance.
Money is tight again thanks to the trade war (I work with a company that had 50% of its business with China and few people are buying now because of the trade war). If I suddenly needed another car now, I would look for a good condition older car around $10K (cash) and suck it up until things improved. I know it wouldn't be what I wanted, but it would get the job done adequately.
Even if I had a long commute, there aren't that many car luxuries that are really all that required. I have long legs and I broke my tailbone when I was 8, so being able to get the seat in a comfortable position is a requirement. The rest is all optional really. I'd rather live with a shabby looking car I can afford than worry about the next car payment.
There was a book years ago called
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I'm sure at least a few reading this are familiar with it. In there the author talks about form vs function people. He talked about a friend he rode motorcycles with who had loose handlebars and the author made a shim out of a beer can, but his friend was insulted at the thought of fixing his bike with a beer can.
The author was a function person. He saw the beer can had the properties needed to do the job and went for it. His friend was a form person for whom the form of things was vitally important. I thought of that passage when I fixed a crack in the outer bumper of my Buick with a flattened soda can epoxied to the backside of the crack.
I'm a function person. Yes luxury in a car is nice to have, but I'm more interested in the function. Does it get me where I need to go and I'm I OK (no aches and pains) when I get there? Everything else on top of that is optional. Form people have different priorities and might be willing to pay money they don't have for better form. It's alien to me, but to each their own.
