I must be different from your boomer friends and boomers in general.
I grew up in a frugal household where money was always tight. Vacations were always trips to the mountains with a tent trailer. My first trip on a plane was a HS trip to England when I was in grade 12.
As kid if I wanted money for hockey tickets, movies etc, I had to do work for it in chores. I learned very quickly about the value of money and the cost of doing things.
My retirement was never based on housing. I put money away into an RRSP at age 20 and made regular contributions from there on. Also found someone who could manage my money and make the right investments. Luckily both of those worked out okay for me.
The big thing for me was I inherited my late fathers values on money. I'm tighter than bark on a tree when it comes to spending it and I always have to think things over when it comes to making any large purchases. I'm not an impulse buyer. I've always hated debt and any that I had was paid off as soon as possible.
It also helped that I had a good paying job with benefits and a small pension.
Right now i'm debt free and everything I own is paid for. I do my best to live within my means and that means not taking on any debt where and if possible. Credit cards are paid off every month and any trips I take are paid with cash. My life style is not extravagant.
I'm not a materialistic person who has to have the best of everything. I drive a 13 year old vehicle that still runs great. I can often be found in Value Village looking for a good quality, gently used golf shirts, pants and shorts
That's not to say I don't mind paying for brand new clothing.
Add to the above, I have zero desire to keep up with my brother who has to have the best of everything and is always making payments on something, plus the headaches that go with it. He once said to me:
"You don't own it, it owns you!" One day he'll figure it out.