We spent years with me earning a decent amount of money but not buying much, just paying bills. I hated it. I wanted to have my dream house 20 years ago, when we first moved in and I didn't care about going into debt to do it. Luckily, DH has a sensible head on his shoulders, so now we're old codgers, he's ensured we never bought anything on credit, unless it worked in our favour, ie buy now pay later, no difference in purchase price to cash.
He ensured we paid off our mortgage (or at least some of it) when the times were good and so we won't get caught out when our endowment policy bombs even further and doesn't come close to covering our mortgage. I still drive an old car. He has a company car and earns a decent amount, but we still get less than the family average. My wage now is a 'fun' wage. I work in the local school because I want to, rather than because I need to. It's part time and enjoyable.
We have one child, not through choice I hasten to add, but because I had so many miscarriages. On the flip side, every mc was preceded by a bout of saving which meant by the time dd stuck in place, we were comparatively well orf!
Life is about choices...it's hard, but we all choose what we want to do and how we spend our money. For some it's more children, bigger houses, bigger cars, foreign holidays. For us, it's making the most of what we have. And I love that we don't need our wage, but instead can use it for the silly things in life. And I know how damned lucky I am, but I also know how hard I worked to get here. One without the other and we would undoubtedly be in a different place.