Good point, Melanie. I was merely trying to point out that there are some expenses that are within your control and others that are less so. If I was living in an area with a greater disparity between "Median income" and "What it feels like," I would definitely dig down deeper into my frugalities. Subjectively,…

I live in Newport Beach, Ca and I live like a cheapskate. There are many things that I won't avoid such as property taxes, state and local sales tax, and paying a little more for groceries at a local farmers market, but there are many areas where I save a ton of money.

I'll agree that having similar argument styles can help a lot. I will say that being a person who discusses things rationally shouldn't prevent them from discussing emotional problems. This is a problem I struggled with for a long time because I thought "If there's no logical reason to be upset, then all upset…