Where did you read that you should live like a monk? The closest I've seen would be Early Retirement Extreme. He's still not exactly about deprivation, but rat

Where did you read that you should live like a monk? The closest I've seen would be Early Retirement Extreme. He's still not exactly about deprivation, but rather self-sufficiency. And he targets lower income levels than a competent software developer. Most blogs I've read have focused on enjoying your life without being wasteful with your dollars. It's easy to spend money that doesn't return nearly what you might guess or hope when you click that buy button. Just a small effort can change your thought process and better optimize your use of money and improve your lifestyle. While many don't despise their career, everyone prefers having complete say over how they spend their time to having to do what a boss demands. If you still prefer working, that's great, but if you don't have a choice about it, you're likely less happy about that.