Slow and Steady vs. Here and Now

One of my best friends is very methodical and thinks long term.  She and her husband have been scrimping and saving for years.  They've lived extremely frugally and are crazy couponers.  In doing this they have just bought their first house with a large down payment and still have a large cushion... which they're scared to spend, but that's beside the point.

They have a plan.  They know what they want to accomplish through the years and how they want to live, and they're happy to lay the groundwork now and be fruitful in the long run.  And that works for them.

My boss-lady (who I'm pretty good friends with) is of the other mindset... we're not promised tomorrow, so do what you've always wanted to and what makes you happy now.  She's doing things for herself that she never used to... She just got her first tattoo and is planning another.  She now gets bi-weekly mani/pedis, takes local day trips and does other things that make her feel good about herself.

Her financial situation doesn't really let her save for the future, so she says "screw it" and when she gets a little something extra she uses it for fun.  And that works for her.

My friend's and my boss' situations are different, so of course they're looking at it from different angles.  My friend is in her thirties and has only been married for a few years.  She's gotten a good start and wants to be practical with everything.  My boss is 50, been married for 30 years with no kids and has "been there, done that."  She also has a big family history of heart problems, feels lucky to have made it this long and wants to enjoy life to the fullest in case it doesn't last much longer.

I  understand where each is coming from and I feel I fall somewhere in the middle.  I want to embrace the now and live in the moment, but I also need to think of the future.  I want to have fun while I'm young, but I also want to start settling down and attempting to have children.  The latter of each involves some long term planning and saving, but I do allow a little splurge here and there for the former.  And I guess that will work for me.