[tylerhobbs]

I'm assuming both you and your spouse are earning money, in my numbers. Additionally, you would presumably make investments with the money that you're saving, so you don't quite have to save the whole $1.5m straight up. I'm also not sure why you used a 2% withdrawal rate -- typically 4 to 5% is regarded as a conservative rate, which would be $60k to $75k per year.

I'm not suggesting that doing this is a walk in the park, you definitely have to prioritize around it (which may include living in a city that isn't insanely expensive), but it's doable.

[beambot]

You should also: Drive a reasonable used car (if at all); send your kids to public school; live with roommates (or spouse); commute so you can live in a cheaper area; avoid expensive vacations; cook at home more frequently; etc.

I tried explaining all this to coworkers when I worked at Google, and many people dismiss the idea. These are the same people who:

- Drive a new Tesla

- Pay $120k/yr to send their four kids to private schools despite good public schools in the area

- Insist on living in SF and commuting 2 hrs by bus each way

- Jetset around the world for vacations

- Eat out at every non-Google meal

You can lead a horse to water... but sometimes you just can't make them drink. And guess which of my coworkers complained the loudest about unlivable wages in SFBA...?