Comment by kamaal

>>good luck trying to retire as a welder or car mechanic making $50k

I know a few people here in India who as cooks and welders have retired early. You have to ruthlessly put your interests on the top. Things like frugality etc, are qualifying conditions. But the necessary conditions are keeping an endless watch on your income, learning new skills and to a degree being able to move on from your jobs to ones that pay well.

That also involves doing things like getting into renting, and squatting useful real estate by buying way in advance and having others pay for your investments later.

In short you need to consider your financial interests as the only things that matter, and do what it takes. More often than not, it will usually create a situation where you trample on others along the way.