I was brought up by frugal parents. One was always trying to make money. The other was always trying to save it.

I've always been amazed at how much my parents could save, while on a relatively modest income. My mother was good at saving but what really made the difference was my father. He genuinely loved money. He loved spending it on himself too and even now in his 60s he spends money far faster than I do in my 30s. <br><br>So, when my mum would say "Let's not buy that because it's expensive. We're going to have to save for our old age and help the kids." My dad would always just shout "Make it, save it, make it, save it." <br><br>It wasn't just that he noticed opportunities for making money. He had this knack for actually catching them. He could spot someone getting on a bus with a suitcase and say "They've just moved in/are moving out", and then get on the phone to the landlord, neighbours or something, and have a job lined up before they'd reached their destination. I'm not kidding. He could spot someone in a restaurant and figure out what he did and who he worked for and then have a side hustle going before the bill came.<br><br>He's always had a strong work ethic. He has what some people call a high drive personality. He can't bear not doing something. He's what I call a 'mover'. When he's not making money, he's fixing stuff. When he's not fixing stuff he's painting his fence or something else productive. I don't actually think of him as a 'hard worker' anymore because I always see him doing things I don't consider work. <br><br>The thing is, he has a career and a side hustles and a passive income and a rental property and a whole host of other sources of income. He also has a lot of savings and always has. He spends money like there's no tomorrow and he always has. <br><br>My mum is great too, but the money she saves is a fraction of what my dad makes. Her ability to not spend isn't as valuable as his ability to earn. She makes it easier for him to save because he never has to spend money on ordinary stuff but if he didn't have her he could just hire someone or pay for a service.<br><br>I'm a bit like my mum. Frugal, not very good at making money. But I have been trying to be more like him because I think it's better.