Yep if you want to save money then don't waste it.
Yep. Thats my view in a nutshell. If anything I would say that I am pragmatic when it comes to money. I spend it when its necessary or it makes sense. Otherwise I invest it.
That is not to say that I deny myself all earthly pleasures for the sake of saving every possible penny. My wife and I take vacations occasionally. I have a bad computer gaming habit. We have a camp in Maine where we spend most summer weekends, etc. But we don't go off the deep end and buy the most expensive stuff possible simply because we can.
Case in point is the camp. I could have raided my investments and bought a lake house for $400k, but I didn't. Rather, I park a travel trailer that I bought for $20k permanently on a campground that has lake access and a beach for $2400/year. So, for less than one mortgage payment a year, I get almost all of the benefits of a lake house, AND all of the social aspects of the campground, without all the real estate taxes that come with waterfront property. Win win win.
It pays that I grew up in a house hold where money was extremely tight all the time. Growing up like that gave me an appreciation for the simple things in life.
That said, you might ask why I am socking away money like a squirrel stores nuts for the winter. The reason is that I don't want to retire at 60 or 65. I want to retire at 50 and do whatever the hell I like. Would it suck if I die before then? Maybe, maybe not. I do know that I won't care if/when that happens. And I am not sacrificing anything (in my opinion) by saving for that goal and enjoying simpler/less expensive things.