Yes, life is all about experiences and I am not necessarily suggesting that you need to be completely frugal and become absolutely miserable in order to get ahead in life. Life is all about choices and the decisions we make. You mention the example about the cafe with reasons being to get away from a (mad)house and to focus. A better and smarter choice that achieves exactly the same things is to brew your own coffee at home and take it with you to the library. Library is quiet, relaxed and you get to focus, read in peace, and enjoy good coffee at the cost of just $0.10 instead of $2+. We dine out not always to enjoy good food but to socialize with friends. Why not offer to cook a meal with guests at someone's house? You can rotate places and whoever's turn is responsible for food cost that evening. You still enjoy good company and even healthier, tasty dishes. It is about using your mind and being creative instead of conveniently conforming to society's norm.