Learning to save requires delayed gratification. You have money to spend, but you are intentionally choosing to put it aside. This can be very difficult, but once someone establishes the habit, delaying becomes second nature. In my own experience, the gratification part has been more difficult.
Month after month, our net worth increases and, by design, our spending remains relatively constant. I feel (and usually my wife agrees) that we are spending just enough to maintain a lifestyle we enjoy on a day-to-day basis. I have internally struggled, though, to turn it off at appropriate times. A vacation, a celebratory date night, a gift for a newlywed couple, a gift for a baby shower, etc. All of these are things we will all experience, and are important milestones in our own lives or those of loved ones. Therefore, if you are feeling guilty about the increased spending that naturally comes with these events, you may need to take yourself through why you are working hard to save money. In my case, it is so I can provide for my family and my loved ones. These events are an important part of providing.
While delayed gratification has become an essential tool to build wealth, delayed gratification does not mean becoming a miser who will one day leave a huge pile as an inheritance. Our savings plans should account for these periods of increased monetary spending and view them as part of the gratification we have delayed. I am saving money so I can gift generously. So I can enjoy more time with my wife.
Much like saving, this too will take some work to establish the habit, but it is important to maintain generosity and gratification in our daily lives. I need to remind myself that the journey is as important as the destination.