That is indeed what I did. I live frugal/cheaply, and am able to save a large relative proportion. This also means that living for a time on government handouts

That is indeed what I did. I live frugal/cheaply, and am able to save a large relative proportion. This also means that living for a time on government handouts (in case when I would be being fired) is in fact not a big step down in income at all.