hide the gravy

this is part 3 of 29 Things to Know Before You Hit 30.
(you can read parts 1 & 2 HERE and HERE respectively.)

another thing people need to know before they turn old (spelled "t-h-i-r-t-y")

11  Bling-free is the way to be: live beneath your means
duh. but no one in their 20s does this.
come to think of it... no one in their 30s or 40s really does this either.
but the author (Jason Boyett) made a GREAT point:

Consider the people closest to you--your friends, your fellow employees, your family. What forms the foundation for those relationships? What's the joint that keeps you together? None of us would chalk the connection up to material things: "I'm friends with Jessica because she has an awesome car." Or "I like to spend time with my sister on account of her fantastic furniture."

 great point.

+ i thought the other greatest piece of advice = Hide the Gravy. every time you get a raise, don't change your standard of living. you haven't needed it thus far, so why spend it just because it's there?
in other words, you've been used to living on $21k since you were 21, so just keep doing that & "hide" the raise...
[or better yet, i say - GIVE IT AWAY!]