Hubby and I are misers. We rarely eat out, and prefer to cook and can our own food. I'm a thrift store junkie. I'm always amazed at what people throw away. Latest score was a Pendleton wool jacket for hubby, a pair of Sorel wool boots for me, and an abstract painting by "Granados". I turned $25 into $3k in a matter of 20 minutes. 

    Legally keeping my money from the greedy hands of Obama, the Republican Congress, and the Federal Government of Washington D.C. is a full-time job!

   Plus, our Leon County (Florida) just imposed an additional 5 cents per gallon gas tax, so I drive 15 miles to the County Line to beat them out of that.

In the USA money is easy to make and easy to spend because "budget ain't sexy". But I use the 70-10-10-10 plan from "Think and Grow Rich". I make "slaves out of my talents".
Priorities and big, strong whys get me on my path and stay the course. "You can endure anyhow if you have a strong enough why".-Zig Ziglar

It is easier to make money!

Interesting study. So many potential answers. I generally speaking it appears life is "harder" today in the finance department. My first apartment cost me $215 a month and I was a waiter-very easy to cover that rent then. Now the same apt. is $1,700 and if I were still a waiter I could not afford it. Then on the other hand there are more multi-billionaires now than ever before.

Money is a mind set. There were a lot of millionaires that were made during the depression.

I think that it is a quandary that is not unique to this time and place.

It is fashionable to spend more than we make and the majority of Americans do so.

The Middle class in most societies is often squeezed the hardest with the rich taking precautions against paying their taxes, and the poor unable to pay any taxes.  The care of the poor and the subsidies of the rich fall on those in the middle who make enough to contribute to the tax pool, yet do not know how to protect their assets.

I have a lot of admiration for hard working millionaires who live in shabby houses, drive old vehicles, and live simply while paying their fair share in taxes, saving their money and using much of it to help people around them.

Good morning Carol. I see it each and every day, so many have said they are surviving week to week. No matter, it is my responsibility to do my part to make their lives just a little better.

I don't have near the wealth accumulated that my parents did at my age, but we had three kids to put through school, they had two. And right now I put a lot of my money back into my firm which I see as part of my retirement plan.

Being just down the highway from you Carol Wilson I can share a Canadian perspective . . .  we are being taxed to death in this country and with our newly elected government, it will only become worse in the next few years!  It is simpler to make money but far more difficult to keep the greedy hands out of our pockets!  I begrudge every dollar of tax I have to pay considering how it is squandered

Making money has become more difficult for a large portion of the population.

Both require a serious commitment at best and at worse, constant maintenance. If we could live forever, what good would money be?

I think a bit of both, since Obama i feel like i work 5 times harder for half the money. It just does not go as far any more especially with health care, twice the cost, 40 times more in deductibles and cant use it when you need it

If one has money, they will keep their money.

If one has no money, they will not keep the money that falls in the lap.

However, KEEPING money should not be the measure of success.

It's  harder making money than it is to keep it. Self control is the answer. You have to look at the big picture in life and understand where you want to go. I used to get Starbucks every morning, now I make my own coffee. I save $4.89  each day, $150 per month and $1800 per year. Invest that money and do the math. Do that for 20 years and look at the number, then make a choice. Starbucks or wealth?

I could argue both sides equally well. Depends on the person, I believe.

I think it's harder to make more money.  If they made more, it would be easier to save more...at least for most people.

Carol - I think it really depends. Some people are really good at making money, but it goes out as quickly as it comes in. Other people have a really hard time making money, but are really good at managing it, and keeping it.

It is much harder to keep our money.  The powers that be always want more.  They impose a tax on gas to pay for roads, then don't have the money for the roads because they used that tax money for something else, so they put a law into place that the gas tax for roadwork needs to go to road work!  Now they complain they don't have money because of fuel efficient cars and electric vehicles, so they want to add another tax for how many miles we drive each year!!!  Only in California...

Don't even get me started on the "high speed" rail that uses busses and leases cargo train tracks.  This brain child was designed by the husband of one of our senators AND HE WON THE CONTRACT.  Yet our "investigative journalists" won't look into it...

It seems to be easier to make money but the money is worth less than the cost needed to live comfortably.  Prices continue to rise while income remain stagnant. 

The really bad news is the lesson we learned from the crash of 2008.  There is no safe haven to put assets.  Cash is King if you time it right.

Keeping money is a challenge. No matter how much you make, the spending bar rises accordingly, making some presumed luxuries a necessity (of sorts).

Depending on ones financial discipline it should be easier to keep it once you have earned it.

Money is easy to make ... the opportunity is always there. I am not a big consumer.  Things and possessions do not excite me.  I am not a fan of eating out either.

They should teach some of the tips for budgeting to kids in high school.

I have so many theories, but I would rather be an observer for now. 

The world is beset by troubles that we must constantly face. We must learn to choose wisely!

Not that hard to make $$$ , but costs continue to rise on all budgeted items , causing the constant need to produce more $$$ .