I can't say my experience mirrors this. Yes, I spend more on things like food, but not so much that it makes a dent. I can still save far more than I ever could

I can't say my experience mirrors this. Yes, I spend more on things like food, but not so much that it makes a dent. I can still save far more than I ever could back then. Getting decent pay is just so much more efficient at making you economically safe than any kind of clever frugality is. Maybe if you could figure out a way to live without paying rent or mortgage interest, it'd be worth it, but otherwise it's the income side that matters more than the expenses side.