He tends to scare normal people off with his incredibly aggressive cost reductions. Living on 8k a year is certainly something one can do to retire very early,

He tends to scare normal people off with his incredibly aggressive cost reductions. Living on 8k a year is certainly something one can do to retire very early, but you can't have anything close to a 'normal' lifestyle on that. Money Mustache or Root of Good both have much more palatable levels of self-deprivation for most folks - they emphasize spending carefully, and living within your needs rather than your means.