Are your spending and saving habits normal?

My mom always told me that normal is only a dryer setting.  As I was growing up she constantly reminded me that nothing is normal.

For some reason I was thinking of this saying the other day and it got me thinking about normal saving and spending habits.  What is normal when it comes to saving and spending?  Of course, there are average saving and spending habits if you look at statistical analysis.  Saving and spending trends are important to our economy and there are tons of careers built around analyzing these trends.  This Washington Post article from December 2013 makes it clear that Americans are saving less and spending more.    Does the fact that this is a trend make it normal?

I tend to blog a lot about “keeping up with the Joneses” and I do this not only as a reminder to you, but a reminder to myself that we don’t have to follow the expectations that society sets up for us (for anything, not just money).  Unfortunately in todays society it is normal to have a lot of credit card debt so we can flaunt all of our fancy possessions in order to fit in.  I challenge you (and myself) to stop following this save less and spend more trend.  Let’s stop trying to be normal and change the trend.  What is wrong with spending less and saving more?  Nothing!  Wouldn’t it be great if we could change the trend and make it the norm to save more and spend less?

I embrace my abnormal money saving quirks and you should too.  Don’t be ashamed if you have an unusual way to save money.  It has taken me a long time to feel okay talking about my money saving strategies without feeling like a weirdo.  I’m finally confident being the girl who doesn’t like spending money.

Anyone else battle fitting into the norm that society sets for us?