In a lot of the country, 125k is a lot of money, easily enough to live 2 years or more. To answer a sibling comment since we can’t nest any deeper: so long as

In a lot of the country, 125k is a lot of money, easily enough to live 2 years or more. To answer a sibling comment since we can’t nest any deeper: so long as you’re not on the west coast with its decades long housing undersupply, small towns almost anywhere in the country are pretty affordable. This even includes parts of the otherwise expensive northeast. In particular a lot of college towns offer a great mix of good quality of life with very affordable living.