I like looking poor- or poorer than I really am. I save money that way. But I can understand what you are talking about. There is a lot of that in New York. But NYC is bigger and I never feel pressured to keep up because people come from all walks of life here and noone can keep track of everyone else.
Everyone is different. So I dont think I have ever kept up with the Jones.

Having money and KUWJ are first cousins, yet different. There are a lot of people who have money yet don’t KUWJ. But the money is an important benchmark in their world.

Also the fear of no money probably goes back to our parents and grandparents experience in life during the depression. Both of my parents experienced it although my father to a greater degree than my mother. My father’s family lost their home during the depression. He came from a large family and the children were then farmed out to other relatives who could assist in raising them. So the fear of the lack of money was deeply routed in his value system.

Also since we are a society that no longer lives off the land, the flow of money is important for us to be able to sustain ourselves. Most no longer have gardens or even live in an area with a large enough plot of ground to raise animals or even chickens. Since I was raised on a small farm and now live in the city, that has often beens something that is in the back of my mind in the event tough times should hit.