Well, if you just rent your apartment and use Uber or public transit to go anywhere, while owning a minimal amount of furniture, you can get up and go anywhere

Well, if you just rent your apartment and use Uber or public transit to go anywhere, while owning a minimal amount of furniture, you can get up and go anywhere you want, whenever you want. That's freedom. If you own a car and a house, you're pretty much stuck where you are. I think in any situation, if you're living paycheck-to-paycheck you don't have freedom. A prerequisite to any kind of freedom is the ability to live well within your means and save a lot so that you're insulated from financial setbacks.