[awucs]

It is really really hard to buy time and freedom after the fact. I have seen many people try and eventually they tend to end up getting a slightly more expensive house instead. It is just that once you are on some track it is really hard to change, because most of the time you are giving up substance for money and they are both compounding. Or to put in tech terms, if you aren't doing what you see yourself doing in the future you are always building up some sort of debt.

[ksdale]

I was just writing a blog post about this, that people basically just find new ways to consume all the money they earn so that they're always on the edge. And a lot of people who make $40k scoff at the idea that they would still be scraping by at $140k, but lots of people go from making $40k in their 20's to $140k in their 40's and basically nobody retires comfortably in their 50's because $140k a year provided them with so much extra money. Rather, 50-somethings work just as much or more, they just tend to have much more expensive houses, cars, and hobbies than 20 year olds, and they still put just 4% of their income toward retirement, if they're careful.