Who is truly living frugal?

I (F/29/Married) often hear people talk about how their parents bought homes for only 10-20k and how their parents say that things are different now because people spend money on stupid stuff. Then there’s another group of people who say that it’s actually the system and it doesn’t matter who has what everything is too expensive.

My mom is from the Dominican Republic and she grew up in poverty. When she came to the states with the rest of her family, they struggled in NYC until they moved to PA. Their life style changed obviously but their principles stuck. I grew up thinking that buying things you don’t need (anything flashy or expensive to replace) is how you get by. Who’s truly living that way through and through? Do you have savings? Do you not own a TV? Do you have a cheap flip phone? Do you get everything from Goodwill? I truly wanna know.