I would like to think of myself as a frugal and practical person, and it doesn't usually bother me that other people have bigger cars, and bigger houses. Of course it has never been easy to live a frugal life in this materialistic world, and once in a while I do get off track but for the most part I am able to live within the value that I strongly believe in.

This was one of the moments that caught me off guard, and threw me off balance completely. It happened like this. My family and I had just moved into our brand new house, which is about 1,000 square feet bigger than our previous one. Our new home is big with vaulted ceilings, big windows, spacious kitchen and living room area; we love it even though it looks bare with just a few pieces of simple furniture around.

Then one day, I got invited to my next-door neighbor's home for a tour. I was in shock when I stepped into her house; her whole house had all the most costly builder's upgrades, and was decorated with the most updated and tasteful furniture and decorations I have ever seen. Her house looked so gorgeous, it somehow made me feel inferior. As she showed me each room, my heart just ached more and more. I had never felt like that before. I wasn't envious, I just felt sad because deep inside I knew I could never afford nice things like that, plus getting in debt for frivolous things is against our values.

My initial shock turned into a burning desire to have a well decorated home. I just wanted to have all the upgrades and fancy furniture to make our house comparable to our neighbor. I just wanted other people have the same admiration for my house. I never thought I would fall into the trap of "keeping up with the Joneses".

The following two weeks was miserable for me because I had to fight against all the urges of getting us in debt. My struggle was so agonizing that I decided to write down all of my blessings, so that I can appreciate and be happy with what I had already, and it worked. This is what I wrote down: a supportive and loving husband, an adorable son, a stable job, good health, two reliable cars, and a brand new beautiful house that my husband and I worked very hard for.

Recently I did have another opportunity to return to my neighbor's house for another visit but this time, I didn't feel the same way. Instead of being sad, I found myself admiring how beautiful everything was. I hope that my personal experience will help you put your own perspective and value in line.