re: I managed to save $30k

For all you "no way that was possible" people:

I had gotten my expenses down to around $2000 per month. Everything else was saved. My biggest expense was rent, which was $800 at the time. So the other $1200 was for gas, utilities, food, etc. Rarely ate out, which was a huge money saver. I also did not have car notes. Both my wife and I were driving older vehicles that we owned outright.

We did this for 2 years. It wasn't like it was forever. As our income and net worth grew, so did our living standards. However, we still live well under our means even today. It's not that hard; it's just that people don't want to sacrifice pleasures today for a more secure future. I have little sympathy for them.