> she pretty much lives the way she learned This is for me one key to understand this effect. I was a small kid in the 70ies, I didn't have any idea about gas

> she pretty much lives the way she learned This is for me one key to understand this effect. I was a small kid in the 70ies, I didn't have any idea about gas prices and how much a driving license costs - I didn't even know that my toys did cost something - but I grew with parents who would scold me whenever we left some light on for no reason, or a door open for too long when it was cold outside, or opening the fridge for too long. I remember I was witnessing the exact opposite behavior in the American TV shows of that time. The "traditional" food battles were in particular not entertaining at all, but rather we were disgusted by the huge waste of food - this, although we were a middle class family that certainly had less money problems than your friend. To this day I still turn off unused stuff and close doors as soon as possible. And I try not to waste water too. And I check the price-per-weight rather than the unit price. Despite the fact I could afford to not give a huck to all this.