IMO the desire comes from a lack of a simple "base case", leaving you unable to truly reduce your level of consumption. You start looking at your monthly budget

IMO the desire comes from a lack of a simple "base case", leaving you unable to truly reduce your level of consumption. You start looking at your monthly budget wondering what you can optimize. You can stop buying new consumer toys, you can cook food very cheaply, you can avoid entertainment/restaurants/drinks, etc. Yet housing rent is staring you in the face as a large unavoidable non-discretionary boat anchor, making the rest of your attempts at savings moot. So then you start asking what it would take to actually pull away from that economic millstone, and when you follow it far enough you get this question.