'I felt embarrassed': Florida woman says she drives an old car and lives in a sm...

It’s difficult to live below your means, especially if you’re used to a lifestyle that perhaps has put you in debt. But once you make that hard choice to get your finances in order, the sacrifices come: cutting costs, living in a smaller home, not having the most up-to-date car or furnishings.

While that can be taxing on your self-esteem, imagine what happens when family members — or a close one’s relatives — start to weigh in.

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That’s the struggle a woman from Florida named Catherine shared on a recent episode of The Ramsey Show. She had been following host Dave Ramsey’s baby steps money management plan for a while, including driving an older car and moving into a small apartment with a roommate.

But one day when the roommate’s aunt came to visit and commented on how small the residence was, Catherine said she “felt embarrassed” and was ashamed.

“If you are content and this is your decision, you have peace sitting in the decision — and that’s an identity,” Ramsey said. “Everything she said was joyful until that aunt showed up.”

No matter what kind of home you own or where you live, there are bound to be some feelings of inadequacy. (See: keeping up with the Joneses.) Even if you own a multi-million-dollar home, you could still end up harboring some fear of being judged.

A recent survey commissioned by Slickdeals found that 69% of Americans were embarrassed to have people over to their home, merely based on their aesthetic choices. Furthermore, half of respondents stated they had been judged over their decor choices.

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