Many people measure success by the size of someone’s home or the fancy cars in the driveway, but that assumption is just plain false. Expensive stuff only indicates how people choose to spend money, not necessarily how much they actually have.

Keeping up with the Joneses can be tempting — if your neighbor has a fancy car, you want one too, right? But keep in mind that many of your neighbors could be living above their means. You see what’s in the driveway, but you don’t see what’s on their credit cards! To avoid living above your means, start by determining what’s important to YOU, and you alone. Set goals for what you want your life to look like down the road. Once you have identified what is most meaningful to you, make your decisions based on that instead of spending too much to live up to someone else’s idea of success.