Ang Moh Life Style?

I have friends, with families, who believes in living for the moment. What this means is that they don't believe in investing their salaries into property but instead are willing to rent houses (in good area like Bandar Utama or Damasara) and then enjoying life with the remaining money. They argue that if they were to take a mortgage, say around RM3000/month, it means that they need to be really frugal in their other spending. So, is this the way to live life? If they rent, say RM2000/month (which means they can live in a really good neighbourhood), they still have RM1000/mth. That's a lot of money to be had - which they could spend on, say, holidays.. or living very comfortable by switching on the a/c every night.. or eating out, giving better education to the children, etc, etc.

Sometimes, I wonder if their way is a better way.

Seriously, a lot of us who believes in owning properties are living with a very tight budget because of the mortgage. We have to be very careful with our spending. We consider ten times before buying something luxury. We live like a pauper, even though we know that 30 years later, our property will be worth a sum. But that also means 30 years of frugal live.

So, which is better?
Live life to the fullest.. or suffer now but live a good life later?

It's kinda like a Asian vs ang moh mentality, isn't it?